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ACT Labor and Greens politicians are in talks with their federal counterparts about launching a cross-party bid to scrap a 20-year-old law that stops the territory from being able to legislate on voluntary assisted dying.
Victoria's Upper House passed historic legislation on Wednesday to give terminally ill people the right to ask to end their own lives.
United by the pain of watching a parent suffer at the end of their life, Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur and Labor backbencher Tara Cheyne say their parties have spoken with senators Richard Di Natale and Katy Gallagher about trying to dump Andrews Bill.
In 1996, then Howard government backbencher Kevin Andrews introduced laws to overrule the Northern Territory's legalisation of euthanasia and to stop the ACT and Norfolk Island from passing similar legislation.
It's a series of events that have led to a "game-changing" moment for one of Canberra's favourite businesses, GG's Flowers.
The social enterprise, which employs people with special needs , has landed a big contract to supply more than 1000 Christmas hampers for travel giant Flight Centre.
Nip Wijewickrema and her sister Gayana of GG's Flowers have expanded into hampers for distribution Australia-wide. Credit:Karleen Minney
The order has meant doubling the number of employees working at the business.
The happy news came about after one of the family members behind the business, Nip Wijewickrema, won a scholarship through surfing legend Layne Beachley's Aim for the Stars Foundation which "inspires and empowers girls and women to achieve their goals".
The Australian National University will develop a strategy to respond to sexual assault after an external review highlighted the institution's inability to discipline alleged rapists.
An external consultancy firm tasked with reviewing ANU policies and procedures related to sexual violence found the university needed to address how it dealt with misconduct related to sexual assault "as a matter of urgency".
The ANU will develop a strategy to respond to reports of sexual assault Credit:Louie Douvis
The university's Discipline Rule allowed for sexual harassment to be investigated and dealt with. Sexual assault, however, was treated as a police matter, with the university's own ability to formally respond unclear, the review found.
The ANU also provided misleading and potentially harmful information to students on reporting rape by incorrectly linking both sexual harassment and assault to its disciplinary policy, Rapid Context wrote.
A Canberra jury found a man guilty on Wednesday of committing a violent robbery in Hawker.
Prosecutors alleged Manoa Chevalier, and another man Daniel Po'oi, broke into a Hawker flat early on September 26 last year demanding money and drugs from the man sleeping inside.
The men wore striped socks on their hands, while Mr Po'oi, 32, held a small sledgehammer and Chevalier, 28, held a knife, the court heard.
The victim told the pair he did not have any cash or drugs to give them.
He offered them instead a bank card but did not tell them it was cancelled.
Australia's transport safety watchdog is investigating after a plane was badly damaged during a hard landing at Canberra Airport on Sunday.
The Virgin plane encountered windshear and hit the runaway as it was flying in from Sydney, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
"The aircraft landed hard, and the tail skid and underside of the rear fuselage contacted the runway," an initial investigation brief said.
The plane sustained "substantial damage" as a result but no injuries were reported.
It is the first time in at least a decade that the watchdog has investigated an incident involving windshear at Canberra Airport.
The International Peacekeeping and Security Center of the National Army Academy in Lviv region has hosted the ceremony of transferring the powers of the leadership of the U.S. contingent of the Joint Multinational Training Group - Ukraine (JMTG-U), the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday, November 22.
According to the report, Colonel David Jordan, who heads the U.S. military contingent of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the State of Oklahoma, handed over the leadership of the JMTG-U mission to Colonel Dennis Deeley, who commands the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the State of New York.
The Joint Multinational Training Group - Ukraine (JMTG-U) is one of the elements of practical assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the United States and other partner countries. The group's task is to train military units in accordance with NATO standards and principles.
JMTG-U includes military instructors from the U.S., Canada, Poland, Lithuania, Britain, and Denmark.
The role of brown coal in Victoria's energy supply has been bolstered by the sale of the La Trobe Valley's Loy Yang B station for an estimated $1 billion to Chinese-owned Alinta Energy after six months on the market.
The 1000 megawatt station, which generates 17 per cent of Victoria's energy needs, was offloaded by Japan's Mitsui and French energy giant Engie, the company that closed its ageing Hazelwood station in April this year as part of its long-term scheme to divest itself of coal-fueled assets.
The Hazelwood closure instantly removed 20 per cent of Victoria's energy generation capabilities, contributing to power price surges across the state.
The sale came only a day before the Coalition of Australian Governments meet in Tasmania, to discuss the implementation of the National Energy Guarantee, which places greater importance on the use of coal in power generation.
Billionaire Elon Musk's giant battery being built in South Australia will be energised in coming days and begin testing, indicating Tesla is on track to meet a 100-day self-imposed deadline to install the system.
Tesla power packs have now been fully installed on a site near a wind farm north of Adelaide and will be tested to ensure the battery meets standards laid down by the energy market operator, the South Australia state government said in a statement on Thursday.
South Australia's Premier Jay Weatherill said in the statement he will join representatives from Tesla and others next week to officially launch the battery, which "has put South Australia and Jamestown on the map as a world leader in renewable energy with battery storage."
"The world's largest lithium ion battery will be an important part of our energy mix, and it sends the clearest message that South Australia will be a leader renewable energy with battery storage", he said.
The debate about who should provide consumers with accurate speed information heated up on Thursday, with NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow saying his company was "not the police".
Mr Morrow has been reported as saying that NBN was "considering" releasing speed estimates if the retail service providers did not, in light of the consumer watchdog cracking down on misleading claims being made by telecommunications companies to customers.
But he was less clear on Thursday about when or if this data would be released, warning it could create consumer confusion.
Appearing before the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Mr Morrow said NBN had undertaken a lot of studies about the "mass confusion" that existed about the services being provided.
The head of Australia's second biggest gold mining company, Jake Klein from Evolution Mining, has launched a strong defence of the mining industry while warning that community support for it was eroding despite an economic contribution of many billions of dollars a year.
Addressing shareholders at the gold miner's annual general meeting in Sydney on Thursday, Mr Klein also lamented the lack of students studying mining engineering at university.
Jake Klein, executive chairman of Evolution Mining. Credit:Louise Kennerley
"We desperately need to make mining an attractive career option for young people again," he said. "We need to compete with the allure of the likes of Facebook and Google to attract and retain the best and brightest talent back to our industry.
"It should be of great concern that the University of Western Australia is forecasting only eight students will graduate as mining engineers in 2018 and enrolment in mining engineering at the University of NSW in 2017 was also just eight the lowest level in 40 years."
Embattled former Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese made his first public appearance since being charged with fraud over his dealings at the mining giant, delivering a speech to a event promoted by Gina Rinehart.
Mr Albanese avoided scrutiny and questions about the fraud allegations in Australia and the US by sending a video recording of his address to the national mining and related industries gala event on Wednesday night.
"I'm so sorry, I just can't make it to Australia right now, but I do hope to back again soon," he told the crowd.
Mr Albanese spoke of his long career in mining, specifically his most recent role at Vendata Resources and one of his first at Anaconda Nickel, but he glossed over his time at Rio Tinto, only mentioning his experience at what came to be a Rio Tinto subsidiary, Kennecott.
Myer's board appears set to make it through Friday's annual general meeting largely unscathed, after gathering enough support to see off a threat from dissident shareholder Solomon Lew.
Mr Lew, whose Premier Investments is Myer's largest shareholder with 10.8 per cent of the stock, has called on investors to vote against all resolutions the company puts forward to protest the department store's poor performance and languishing share price.
That includes trying to reject the election of Myer's incoming chairman Garry Hounsell, whom Premier has painted as a liar during the acrimonious three-month war of words.
But influential proxy advisers CGI Glass Lewis and Ownership Matters have recommended that their institutional investor clients back Myer's board despite its poor performance. The Australian Shareholders' Association is also directing its votes in favour of all resolutions.
Woolworths will open as many as four new so-called "dark stores" used to pack and ship online orders by the end of next year as Australia's largest supermarket prepares to defend itself from Amazon.
Chairman Gordon Cairns told the company's annual general meeting on Thursday that Woolworths was getting the supermarket chain into a position where it could compete with the e-commerce giant.
Amazon ran a "soft launch" trail of its local site on Thursday with a number of third-party sellers, and its full-service offering could be available as soon as Friday.
While the exact product range to be on offer is not clear, Amazon is becoming a significant player in the American grocery market through its Amazon Fresh service and investment in the up-market Whole Foods chain.
Donald Trump's redesignation of North Korea as a "state sponsor of terrorism" was predictable, even though it has not "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism" since it was taken off the US State Department list in 2008. Designation will result in strict unilateral sanctions and will also make it difficult for other countries to deal with North Korea.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is due soon to address a forum on the topic of "North Korea: our strategic challenge". Given the Turnbull government's past rhetoric, and the Prime Minister's more recent assertions about the regime's criminal nature, it seems likely the address will not be directed at trying to understand North Korea's security concerns.
To appreciate the North's concerns, we need to go back to the Korean armistice agreement signed in 1953 by US Army Lieutenant-General William Harrison Jnr (representing the United Nations), North Korean General Nam Il and an unidentified commander of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. The agreement was to ensure "a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved".
The agreement also recommended that within three months of being signed, there should be negotiations to settle the questions of withdrawal of all foreign forces from Korea and the peaceful settlement of the Korean question. (The North interpreted this to mean "unification with the southern part of our country".)
I am not going to mess around here. I am currently ashamed to be Australian. Disgusted, in fact.
Yes, we may have finally shown the world we are not backward or homophobic en masse with the expensive, unnecessary and ugly same sex marriage postal "yes" vote. But, sadly, this was just another distraction from the fact we are denying basic human rights to some 380 men languishing in a tropical hell hole, the remnants of what I am not shy to call a concentration camp rebranded "offshore migrant centre", on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.
Right now, so many of you will stop reading, believing rightly that this is another rant about something which you feel helpless to stop. Even if you don't agree with current policy on immigration or are all for "stopping the boats", it's time to take stock and realise you are part of the problem that is an indelible smear on Australia's already dodgy humanitarian history; an international disgrace your children will bear for decades to come.
Instead of relegating the topic of Manus to your too hard mind basket, I dare you not to turn away. Instead, I plead that you ask yourself the following and see if we share the same answers:
Saturday's election is the tale of two Queenslands and two leaders struggling to convince a wary electorate that they have a vision beyond tomorrow.
And after talking to more than a dozen MPs, on both sides of the political divide, the outcome is as clear as mud.
In the red corner, it's Labor, hoping to rule with a majority. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP
Certainly, the ALP has had a late and welcome boost in south-east Queensland. While sandbagging has been taking place in some seats, like Bancroft (in Deception Bay) and Ferny Grove (held by the ALP with a 5 per cent margin), it is hopeful of stealing a handful of other seats, such as Mount Ommaney, Mansfield, Aspley and even Glass House.
But that lift in the city has been balanced by a slide in the other parts of the state, and Annastacia Palaszczuk's best hope of retaining power resides in Brisbane.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has blamed national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy of having a low market share for sales of natural gas to the commercial sector.
"On the other hand, the monopolist, which has huge opportunities and is the most serious player on the market, has lost its positions in the commercial gas market. In the entire structure of gas sales to industry Naftogaz has up to 7%," he said at a government meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.
According to Groysman, this may be due to the fact that the company did not have the appropriate priority.
At the same time, the prime minister recalled the need to create maximum competition in the country's natural gas market.
"I emphasize that the competitive gas market should be created in Ukraine. Naftogaz should not dominate on it. The one who has the lowest gas price should dominate. Compete with each other," he said.
According to National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER), as of November 2017, about 350 gas licenses have been issued in Ukraine. In particular, large global companies and traders got licenses, in particular Trafigura, MET Holding and Engie.
(97 minutes) M A first feature by Saturday Night Live director Dave McCary, Brigsby Bear is the story of a man-child named James (Kyle Mooney, who also co-wrote) who's kidnapped as a baby and held prisoner in an underground bunker by his supposed parents Ted and April (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams). Finally, in his mid-20, James is rescued and restored to his real family. But there are aspects of his old life he can't let go especially his fascination with the educational TV show Brigsby Bear. JW Selected release DETROIT
(143 minutes) MA Mixing in news footage of the 1967 riots, director Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit begins in semi-documentary style with a police raid on a Detroit speakeasy. The club's black patrons are roughly bundled into wagons, outrage mounts and the street demonstrations and looting that follow leave the neighbourhood devastated. A curfew is imposed and the focus of the action shifts to the downmarket Algiers Motel, where a group of residents, mostly black, are sitting out the curfew. SH General release
GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (107 minutes) PG
It's 1928 and a little boy is wondering why his life has changed so much that he has to talk to the newspapers and have his picture taken wherever he goes. His Scottish nanny, Olive (Kelly Macdonald), tries to explain to eight-year-old Christopher Robin Milne (Will Tilston) why so many people love the books created by his father, AA Milne (Domhnall Gleeson). Winnie-the-Pooh has already conquered the known world. In dramatic terms, the film is complex and involving; in historic terms, it's half-truth. That's better than nothing but never enough. PB General release THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (119 minutes) MA15+
If you know your Greek directors, you know Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the new hopes of Greek cinema. Here, Colin Farrell (The Lobster) returns as a heart surgeon in a Midwestern American city. Steven Murphy (Farrell) has all the trappings of success, including a big house where his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) runs a tight ship. She's an opthalmologist, but we never see her go to work. She tends their two beautiful and well-mannered children. The surgeon has a friend. Martin (Barry Keoghan) is 16 and hugs the surgeon but his affection is awkward. Sixteen years earlier, a tragedy befell his family; now he brings Murphy a choice. This premise, holding a doctor to highly personal account for his professional mistake, is interesting, even a little classical. PB General release LOUIS THEROUX: HEROIN TOWN (100 minutes) MA A specialist in America's fringe subcultures, Theroux, above, puts himself forward as a "normal" foil to his weirdo subjects, working under the assumption that the mantra "I'm from the BBC" answers all questions and opens doors. Heroin Town brings Theroux to Huntington, West Virginia, an industrial community where opiate abuse is rife. Theroux offers some broad-brush explanations and while he maintains addiction can happen to anyone, clearly not every town in the US has a problem on this scale. JW
General release THE MIDWIFE (117 minutes) PG Claire Breton (Catherine Frot) is an experienced midwife in a unit that is closing down, somewhere outside Paris. Two babies are born in the first scene and it looks like the real thing, which is a quick way to bring us closer to raw emotion. Claire does not wish to sign the new deal that would transfer her to a soulless high-tech big hospital. Her life changes with the unwelcome return of Beatrice Sobolevski (Catherine Deneuve), who was once her stepmother. Beatrice left when Claire was about 14 and Claire's enmity has only grown since. PB Selected release
Karimah Westbrook in a scene from Suburbicon. Credit:Paramount Pictures SUBURBICON (104 minutes) MA Suburbicon is a mid-20th-century housing development for World War II veterans, modelled after the real-life Levittown, whose racist founder William Levitt made the news recently when he was name-checked admiringly by Donald Trump. When a black family moves in, outrage ensues. Meanwhile next door, Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) plots to murder his wife (Julianne Moore) and replace her with her twin sister (Moore again), all under the nose of his innocent young son (Noah Jupe). JW General release
Victorian dairy farmer Lindsay Anderson, also an exporter of solar power back to the grid. Credit:Paul Jeffers By setting a goal of reducing emissions from the electricity sector only in line with Australia's Paris commitment - cutting 2005 levels by 26-28 per cent by 2030 - the Turnbull government will have to find more costly reductions elsewhere in the economy, analysts have said. States and territories are also wary that the NEG will limit their own renewable energy targets, which are already legislated in some regions. Renewable energy would see little large-scale investment under the NEG, Bloomberg NEF says. 'Decimate'
The leak of the Hobart agenda comes as the NEG was assessed by respected industry analysis group, Bloomberg New Energy Finance as likely to "decimate" new investment in large-scale renewable energy because of its weak proposed emissions reduction goal for 2030. Labor's plan to cut national emissions by 45 per cent on 2005 levels, by contrast, would extend the current boom in the industry, BNEF said. The consultancy said the government's setting for the NEG would result in just 1.5 gigawatts of new wind and solar farms being built in the 2021-30 decade. Rooftop solar photovoltaics, though, would continue to grow, adding 12 GW of new capacity. New gas-fired power of some 4.9 GW would make up for most of the 6 GW of aging coal plants expected to close. "The [NEG] mechanism looks like it could be very effective, but if the target is weak, it will deliver little," Kobad Bhavnagri, BNEF's head of Australia, said.
"It would be like finally having the gumption to join the gym, but then not lifting any weights when you get there." By contrast, Labor's emissions pledge if applied to the electricity sector would trigger construction of 17.3 GW of large-scale renewable energy during the decade after 2021, BNEF's modelling showed. The electricity sector is widely considered to be among the industries that should lead emissions abatement mostly because low- or zero-carbon technology substitutes are already available and relatively competitive. Labor's 45 per cent overall emissions reduction target, for instance, "would continue the current pace of reductions from existing policies", BNEF said. (See Bloomberg chart below.)
'More affordable' State and territory energy ministers, particularly from Labor-run regions, are likely to challenge Mr Frydenberg over the ambition and impact of the proposed NEG that will require their approval to proceed. Friday's meeting is unlikely to produce much progress not least because Queensland will be represented by an official ahead of the state's elections on the following day. Mr Frydenberg told Fairfax Media the NEG would deliver "more affordable and reliable energy as we transition to a lower emissions future", including more renewable energy. "Labor's plan of a 45 per cent emissions target will drive up energy prices and lead to a less reliable system," he said.
Mark Butler, Labor's climate spokesman, said BNEF's analysis "confirms that the Turnbull government's NEG will strangle renewable energy", and backed the ALP's plan. "Under the government's NEG modelling, the renewable energy mix is only expected to reach 36 per cent by 2030," he said. "This translates to only a 0.5 per cent increase in renewables above already committed investment every year over the 2020s - or little more than 250 MW per year over the decade." 'Secretly developed' Leading environmental groups, meanwhile, called for a revision of the NEG to aim for a higher target, stating that in its current form, more carbon pollution and less clean energy will be produced by the power industry than if the Turnbull government did nothing. The groups, including the Australian Conservation Foundation and Solar Citizens, met South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill - one of the most outspoken critics of the NEG - on Thursday.
"The NEG has been hastily and secretly developed without the input of state and territory ministers to appease Malcolm Turnbull's climate-denying right flank," Paul Oosting, GetUp's national director, said. "It fails to deliver serious action to reduce climate pollution in Australia's energy sector." Questions remain Along with the emissions "guarantee", the NEG is also intended to bolster reliability of the electricity sector to cope with aging plant and also the integration of more intermittent electricity supplies. Bloomberg noted key aspects of the reliability guarantee remain unclear, such as whether so-called synchronous generation will be specifically required of electricity retailers, or whether contracts would be based on rated capacity or actual generation.
Disgraced alt-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos will speak at Australia's Parliament House next month at the invitation of libertarian senator David Leyonhjelm.
Yiannopoulos, whose fraternisation with American white nationalists was exposed last month by Buzzfeed, has been disowned by large swathes of the US right following multiple scandals.
Yiannopoulos has been disowned by large sections of the American right. Credit:AP
Earlier this year the 33-year-old lost his job with right-wing publisher Breitbart, and his book contract was ripped up, after he appeared to condone paedophilia in some circumstances by arguing boys as young as 13 could consent.
But Senator Leyonhjelm, who also courts publicity with deliberately controversial missives, has invited Yiannopoulos to address MPs and staff in Canberra next month while the commentator is on a national speaking tour.
Leading strategic scholars have backed what they say is a hard-headed and realistic new foreign policy blueprint, with one expert saying the strong security focus is "a sign of the times".
As the Turnbull government released its foreign policy white paper, its pledges to do more to support United States leadership in Asia were underscored by the announcement that American long-range B-1B bombers were arriving in Australia for a two-week rotation.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop shake hands during the official launch of the 2017 foreign policy white paper on Thursday. Credit:AAP
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia would resist protectionism and nationalism, and uphold the system of international rules that have allowed decades of prosperity in Asia, while warning "we cannot take any of it for granted".
"The rules, norms and institutions that enable freedom and opportunity have been painfully difficult to build. Australians know this, because we have contributed to the building of so many of them. But they are easy to break," he said.
The Turnbull government has avoided an all-out brawl with the states and territories over its signature power policy, securing agreement from most energy ministers that more work will be done on the proposed national energy guarantee.
But South Australia's Labor government says coal is not part of Australia's future and the federal government is "clinging to the past".
The national energy guarantee forces energy companies to meet mandated standards of reliability and emissions reduction, but critics say it thwarts growth in renewable energy, props up ageing coal-fired power plants and will fail to sufficiently drive down dangerous carbon emissions.
The federal government needs the support of the states and territories to implement the guarantee. Rather than reject the policy entirely, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania - along with the Commonwealth - voted in favour of the Energy Security Board conducting more analysis of how it would operate. South Australia and the ACT opposed the move. Queensland is in caretaker mode ahead of the state election and did not cast a vote.
Threats to Malcolm Turnbull's authority appear to be mounting as rebel Nationals accelerate moves to create a commission of inquiry into banks and cabinet ministers turn on each other in the search for a mole.
The internal fracture was labelled "astonishing" by Labor leader Bill Shorten, who accused the cabinet of leaking against itself after senior ministers lost each other's confidence.
Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop at the official launch of the 2017 foreign policy white paper on Thursday Credit:AAP
It followed news that deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop had proposed a "formal" inquiry into who leaked details of a spirited cabinet discussion in which Immigration Minister Peter Dutton suggested the government should consider dropping its opposition to Labor's policy of having the bank inquiry.
"First of all, she has confirmed that the cabinet is leaking on itself," Mr Shorten said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared he "won't be pressured" by the ongoing standoff on Manus Island after a seismic day in which police stormed the camp, destroyed property and appeared to make an arrest.
About 50 men were escorted from the site on buses, to be relocated at accommodation in nearby Lorengau - but more than 300 refugees and asylum seekers remain at the decommissioned facility refusing to leave.
Police and immigration authorities entered the camp in the early hours of Thursday and ordered the men to "move out". They emptied rain tanks the men were using for drinking water, and were accused of destroying possessions.
Some refugees scaled the roofs of buildings, while others gathered in the compound and continued to resist being moved on. Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian-Kurdish refugee and journalist, was arrested and questioned by police.
When Lisa Wilkinson abruptly left her long term gig hosting The Today Show back in October, it finally put to bed any speculation that a significant gender pay gap exists at Channel Nine. Wilkinson, who this week spoke out against "the insidious and omnipresent boys club" at the Telstra Business Women's Awards, had been in the job for a decade but at the time of her departure was only earning half that of her colleague, Karl Stefanovic.
Granted, with a salary at roughly $1 million a year, she was hardly teetering on the poverty line. But given she performed the same duties as Stefanovic (albeit better, more considerately and never drunk), the matter of their drastically different salaries can't be ignored.
Despite what you may have heard, the gender pay gap is not a myth. Unsourced, hours long rants delivered by unemployed men's rights activists and teenagers on YouTube might argue otherwise, but the economic reality is quite the opposite. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency last week revealed that while the gender wage gap here is narrowing, Australian men still take home on average roughly $26,000 more than Australian women each year. At an executive level, that figure drastically increases to a difference of approximately $90,000 annually.
There are a few factors responsible for this, not least of which is that gender inequality remains rampant across all levels of society. Women are considered more expendable and less reliable due to the possibility they may have children, and it's a prejudice applied to them from the moment they first enter the workforce.
Victims of domestic violence who have taken out apprehended violence orders will no longer be unprotected when they cross state borders from Saturday, as a national database of restraining order information across the nation begins operation.
The states agreed to share information on apprehended domestic violence orders - a kind of restraining order - at an earlier Council of Australian Governments meeting.
A national domestic violence disclosure scheme will be in force from Saturday.
Last April, NSW became the first state to create legislation enabling it to join the creation of a national database.
With the passage of laws across the states, the new database will now be available to all police and court agencies allowing for the transfer of documents to ensure the conditions of restraining order carry legal force even when victims or perpetrators move interstate.
A new hotline is expected to fast track access to medicinal cannabis for palliative care patients in NSW.
Doctors will soon have access to the NSW Medicinal Cannabis Advisory Service to help them cut through the regulatory red tape of legally prescribing onshore medicinal cannabis for their patients.
The service will ease access to onshore medicinal cannabis products. Credit:Max Mason Hubers
From January, prescribers across the state will be able to call a hotline that connects them to experts tapped into the latest international evidence-based research in the constantly-evolving field, Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced on Thursday.
The experts will help doctors assess whether a patient might benefit from medicinal cannabis and guide their treatment decisions.
Russia is trying to legitimize the occupied territories, in particular, Transdniestria, Bloc of Petro Poroshenko MP Iryna Friz has said.
"The Kremlin has taken a course toward legitimizing the occupied territories. Evidence of this could be an event in Moscow, involving the Russian Federal Chamber of Lawyers, dedicated to the question of whether the TMR [Transdniestria Moldovan Republic] has the right to international recognition. The representation and venue of this event shows that the Kremlin is actively preparing for the next meeting of the negotiating group in the 5+2 format," she wrote on her Facebook page on Wednesday, November 22.
According to her, the key thesis about the legitimacy of the recognition of the TMR, which was supported by the lawyers of Russia, which has the status of a party in the Transdniestria settlement, "neutralizes any hints of the authority of this forum."
"It is quite clear that the Kremlin is trying in such a strange way to prepare at least some information base for the UN documents submitted to recognize this puppet formation with a Russian military contingent," she added.
At the same time, she believes that the Kremlin actually "continues to destroy the positions of the Russian Federation as a participant in the 5+2 negotiation format."
"Ukraine remains its supporter, but we have to state that events on discussing the prospects for the international recognition of the TMR in the Russian Federation grossly violate the obligations of the Russian Federation assumed as a party to the negotiation process," she said.
Friz also said that Russia's activity in relation to Transdniestria and in the situation around occupied districts of Luhansk region testifies to the systematic and purposeful policy of Russia on ignoring its international obligations and facilitating the deceleration of processes on a peaceful settlement in the region.
Experienced sailor, musician and part-time model Craig William Lembke is accused of arranging the importation of the yacht that was used to smuggle 700 kilograms of cocaine into Australia and posed a considerable flight risk, a court has heard.
Details of Mr Lembke's alleged involvement in the $245 million cocaine importation were revealed on Thursday in Newcastle Local Court when the 47-year-old saxophonist applied for bail, offering an $800,000 surety that his solicitor, Mark Hanlon, said would mitigate any concerns he would flee the jurisdiction.
Craig WIlliam Lembke looked dishevelled and tired when he appeared in court via audio visual link from Cessnock Correctional Centre on Thursday.
Mr Lembke, fellow musician Kent Jackson, 63, and Dennis Bath, 68, were arrested last Wednesday after the biggest drug seizure in the Hunter's history was discovered in the twin hulls of a yacht moored at Toronto.
The trio have all been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and face the prospect of life in jail. Mr Lembke, looking dishevelled and tired, appeared in court via audio visual link from Cessnock Correctional Centre on Thursday.
A man arrested for allegedly filming up a woman's skirt at Central Station has been charged with a further 38 offences after police allegedly found hundreds of other illegal images on his laptop and phone.
In October, a woman was travelling on an escalator at Central when she noticed a man filming up her skirt.
She reported the incident to the police, who launched an investigation.
After viewing CCTV footage, police arrested a 59-year-old man from Barden Ridge in Sydney's south on November 3.
He was charged with recording intimate images without consent relating to that incident.
A woman who drowned her "evil" two-year-old daughter in the bath of their Sydney home has been found not guilty of the murder by reason of mental illness.
The 27-year-old woman, who cannot be named, immersed the young child in the bath during a psychotic episode in September 2016.
Police at the home in Miller, where the two-year-old girl was found dead. Credit:Nine News Sydney
In the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday, Acting Justice Peter Hidden - who heard the trial without a jury - concluded she was not guilty of murder due to her mental illness.
The mother was admitted to hospital soon after the incident after she was seen speeding in the Katoomba area and crashing before sitting in the middle of the road, holding a Bible.
The ditching of a Pel-Air rescue flight in rough seas at night off Norfolk Island was the result of a series of errors by the pilots, insufficient risk-control by the airline and limits to this country's aviation regulations, air-crash investigators have found.
Almost eight years to the day after the Westwind jet ran out of fuel and ditched, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released the outcome of an investigation it reopened following pressure from a senate inquiry.
The plane was carrying a seriously ill patient, Bernie Currall, husband Gary, doctor David Helm and nurse Karen Casey from Samoa to Melbourne on November 18, 2009, when bad weather disrupted a planned fuel stop at Norfolk Island.
After four aborted attempts to land at Norfolk Island due to low cloud, captain Dominic James and co-pilot Zoe Culpit ditched the plane into the ocean, where it broke into pieces and rapidly sunk to the sea floor 48 metres below.
A man who was arrested in Sydney's CBD at a protest over police storming a Manus Island refugee camp has run away from police but has been identified and may still be charged.
The snap rally on Pitt Street turned into a march on Thursday evening, but was quickly blocked by about a dozen police officers.
Police and protesters at Sydney's Pitt Street Mall on Thursday. Credit:K. Camarena
Footage from the scene shows police dragging a protester away from the crowd and handcuffing him.
The man ran away from police but has been identified and a police spokeswoman said he will most likely be charged with hindering police.
Socialite Maureen Boyce's on-again/off-again lover told a triple-zero operator he'd found his "fiancee" dead with a "self-induced" knife wound to her abdomen, a Queensland court has been told.
Thomas Chris Lang is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering the 68-year-old in 2015.
Maureen Boyce Credit:Facebook
His trial has heard he knew Ms Boyce for more than 35 years and had been staying at the former model's Kangaroo Point sub-penthouse in the lead-up to her death.
In the call played to the court on Thursday, Mr Lang said he found Ms Boyce dead with her hand around a knife on the morning of October 22.
A Queensland jury has asked whether socialite Maureen Boyce was stabbed with a "steady hand" as her former lover's murder trial was shown graphic photos of her body impaled on the bed.
Thomas Chris Lang is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering the 68-year-old former fashion model at her Kangaroo Point sub penthouse in 2015.
Maureen Boyce (left) with her daughter, Angelique, pictured at the 2002 Melbourne Cup. Credit:Julian Smith/AAP
The court has heard Ms Boyce struggled with mental illness for many years, including bipolar disorder, but crown prosecutor David Meredith has told the jury they must decide whether she committed suicide or was killed by Mr Lang in a "jealous rage".
In a triple-0 call played to the court on Thursday, Mr Lang said he found Ms Boyce dead after she had been "upset" the night before and told him to sleep at the other end of the apartment.
The Adani mine has resurfaced as a stumbling block for Labor's campaign on the second-last day amid concerns taxpayer funds could be used to benefit the project.
It has emerged the state government was in negotiations to take over and upgrade several council roads to the mine in the Galilee Basin.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk campaigns in the final days before the state election. Credit:AAP
One of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's 2015 election commitments was not using taxpayer funds for the Adani mine.
Questioned over the roads negotiations, Ms Palaszczuk said there were no taxpayer funds going directly to the Adani mine.
Slug the rich with extra taxes or slash the state's debt by more than half-a-billion.
Those are the headline-grabbing options laid on the table for digestion less than 48 hours before Queenslanders head to the polls.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt reveals Labor's costings ahead of Saturday's election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Both parties have also committed to finding savings in the public sector, with Labor pledging a 1 per cent "reprioritisation measure" to save $1 billion over the forward estimates, and the LNP announcing a "whole-of-government efficiency program" to save $1.63 billion over three years.
Labor's commitments would cost $2.78 billion until 2020-21 - including $1.38 billion in recurrent spending - while the LNP made $4.36 billion in election promises.
Apple and its biggest manufacturing partner has said that a small number of students were discovered working overtime in its Chinese factory, violating local labour laws.
The students worked voluntarily in the factory for more than 11 hours a day as part of a school internship programme at a plant run by Hon Hai Precision, also known as Foxconn, the manufacturer confirmed.
"We discovered instances of student interns working overtime at a supplier facility in China. We've confirmed the students worked voluntarily, were compensated and provided benefits, but they should not have been allowed to work overtime," Apple said in a statement.
Apple and Foxconn have been accused of poor labour practices in the past, but the iPhone-maker has been trying to get a grip of such issues, releasing annual reviews of its product supply chain.
The U.S. Analytical Center of the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday released a report urging to arm Ukraine, Voice of America has reported.
Next week, U.S. President Donald Trump will decide whether to approve the sale of the U.S. weapons, including advanced anti-tank weapons, to Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia has illegally occupied Crimea. Russia has provoked and now supports the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine. Russia is an aggressor, and Ukraine is a victim. Any country has the right to self-defense, the Voice of America website said, citing the report.
The document of Heritage Foundation, which is called the think tank of the administration of Donald Trump, says that the future success of Ukraine will depend on the Ukrainians themselves, and U.S. leadership is important for counteracting Russian aggression and supporting Kyiv's reforms.
The people of Ukraine have discovered devotion to the transatlantic community, and the U.S. must provide advanced weapons and other tactics to Ukraine, for example, safe means of communication. It should not be considered that such a decision by the U.S. will lead to a solution to the crisis and the end of Russia's aggression. All depends on the Ukrainians themselves. The U.S. leadership is important for counteracting Russian aggression and supporting reforms, the report says, released by the Heritage Foundation.
At the same time, the document suggests that the U.S. military advisers be present at the forefront. The author of the document is Luc Coffey, director of the Center for Foreign Policy named after Sara Ellison in the Heritage Foundation.
Amazon's much-talked-about "soft launch" of its Australian retail offering set to go live at 2pm on Thursday has proved to be a bit of an anti-climax for most hopeful shoppers, with the local website shortly after that time looking more or less as it has for the past several years. While Amazon.com.au has long been a hub for Kindles and ebooks, the new version of the site expected to launch in full on Friday will look more like the US and UK versions, filled with everything from electronics to breakfast cereal, and from baby toys to motorhomes. It's believed that the soft launch, or "internal testing phase" is limited to a small number of select customers, who will be able to order from the Australian site from Thursday afternoon. But for the bulk of Australians that functionality remains invisible, with no clear way to become one of the special early few. Amazon didn't publicly announce its plans for a soft launch on Thursday followed by the full thing on Friday. The details of the soft launch were leaked in an email to sellers that warned them to have their Australian offerings good to go by "2pm AEST Thursday" (note that this is actually 3pm for most of Australia during daylight savings, but it's been taken to mean 2pm).
Some Australian Amazon users are likely getting an early start on the shopping right now. The fact that there has been no similar, immediate leak of the full local store could indicate Amazon is keeping early shoppers on a tight leash. As the day following the soft launch is Black Friday, the biggest US shopping day of the year and a tradition that's moving over to Australia in a big way, it's been widely tipped that Amazon will launch in earnest in time to join the festivities. Still, there has been very little in the way of official details from Amazon on its local offering. In the US the service includes a huge range of products stocked and shipped by Amazon itself, plus a marketplace where sellers can list their own items and either ship them or have them handled by an Amazon fulfillment centre. Amazon has confirmed that both of these components will launch in Australia in some form. But then the US service also offers Prime, a subscription option that includes free two-day shipping across the country and free same-day shipping in metro areas, as well as access to the company's streaming video and music services and Kindle books. Plus it sells original hardware like Fire TV and Amazon Echo, delivers fresh groceries and even has a service to help people move house. It's unclear how much of this secondary functionality if any of it will make it to Australia.
A disability pensioner charged with funding Islamic State fighters in Syria has been bailed on a $50,000 surety.
Isa Kocoglu, who was arrested during an early morning raid on his home in Hampton Park in October, took his fight for release to the Supreme Court after being refused bail by a magistrate.
Isa Kocoglu leaves the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Thursday. Credit:Wayne Taylor
Australian Federal Police believe the 43-year-old poses an unacceptable risk of interfering with witnesses and failing to answer bail, if released.
On Thursday Victorian Supreme Court Justice David Beach ruled that the surety and strict conditions lessened that risk.
More from our crime reporter Nino Bucci who is at the scene of a fatal Sunshine shooting:
It remains unclear where the woman was shot on Thursday night, with police expected to confirm further details later on Friday.
There are bare footprints in the pool of blood outside the Romsey Avenue property.
But a crime scene has also been established about 1.5km away in Gumtree Close.
Between the two scenes is Sunshine hospital, where the woman's body was dumped, and Furlong Road, where a car driven by her suspected killer crashed into others before he fled on foot.
The latest vision for a rail line to Melbourne Airport has been backed by transport engineers and planners who say the Andrews government's Sunshine route has serious merit.
A Melbourne Airport train line has been discussed for almost 50 years, with the first bill to begin its construction introduced to the Victorian parliament in 1965.
It has never been built.
On Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews told a business gathering that construction of the airport rail link would begin within a decade.
Completion of the Optus Stadium footbridge has been delayed again as the state government tries to reel in the cost blow-out of the project by stripping back its external cladding.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti told Parliament on Thursday the planned opening date for the bridge had been pushed back from March to May.
The old design on the left and the new design on the right.
The footbridge is crucial to the stadium's transport plan as it would allow about 14,000 people get to and from the venue on event days.
Ms Saffioti blamed the former government for the further delay, with the bridge originally scheduled to open in late 2016.
Broome Police have described the moment rescuers found two terrified men who had been stranded on the roof of their vehicle for four days, after becoming bogged and spooked by a curious saltwater crocodile near the Dampier Peninsula.
ABC Kimberley reported Charlie Williams, 19, and Beau Bryce-Maurice, 37, along with their dog Mindee, were on a fishing trip just north of Broome when their vehicle became bogged last Friday.
The men were in serious trouble when rescuers found them. Credit:ABC Kimberley
After the men failed to return on Monday, WA Police launched a massive land and aerial search to locate the missing fishermen.
When they were located on Tuesday afternoon, Broome Police sergeant Mark Balfour told ABC Kimberley the men had been "traumatised" by their ordeal.
Buenos Aires: The Argentine navy confirmed on Thursday that its missing submarine experienced an explosion November 15 in the south Atlantic Ocean but had no information on the fate of the 44 crew members.
"There was an anomalous event (which was) unusual, short, violent and non-nuclear, consistent with an explosion," Argentine navy spokesman Captain Enrique Balbi said at a news conference in Buenos Aires, the capital.
Balbi declined to speculate on the fate of the crew and whether there was a chance of rescuing them. Assuming that the submarine remained intact after the blast and is resting on the ocean floor, the ship had only a seven-day supply of oxygen, which might have run out Wednesday.
The explosion took place 390 km miles east of the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina's Chubut province. The blast was detected less than 64 km from where the submarine's captain, Pedro Fernandez, last communicated with onshore authorities and mentioned problems with the ship's battery system.
Wellington: Kiwi adventurer Pete Bethune has survived being stabbed in the ribs after he wrestled with two men trying to rob him in Brazil.
Bethune fought with two men for about two minutes in the port of Santana in the northern state of Macapa, where he was trying to hire a boat while looking into the local wildlife trade.
Then Greens leader Senator Bob Brown speaks to Pete Bethune the skipper of the new Sea Shepherd vessel the Ady Gil just before its departure in pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet in 2009. Credit:Peter Mathew
"I honestly thought I was gone. We fell to the ground and I felt the knife go into my ribs, I thought my number had come up," he told Radio NZ.
"There was probably 15 people would have seen this happen. I was yelling out for help and no one came."
Washington: Lawyers for Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, notified the president's legal team in recent days that they could no longer discuss the special counsel's investigation, according to four people involved in the case, an indication that Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating such a deal.
Flynn's lawyers had been sharing information with Trump's lawyers about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is examining whether anyone around Trump was involved in Russian efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
That agreement has been terminated, the four people said. Defence lawyers frequently share information during investigations, but they must stop when doing so would pose a conflict of interest. It is unethical for lawyers to work together when one client is cooperating with prosecutors and another is still under investigation.
The notification alone does not prove that Flynn is cooperating with Mueller. Some lawyers withdraw from information-sharing arrangements as soon as they begin negotiating with prosecutors. And such negotiations sometimes fall apart.
Relatives of people killed in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre mourn over their loved ones' coffins before burial in Potocari, Bosnia, in 2016. Credit:New York Times In pronouncing the life sentence, the presiding judge, Alphons Orie, said that Mladic's crimes "rank among the most heinous known to humankind." Mladic's lawyers said they would appeal. But if Mladic's punishment drew a line of sorts - juridically at least - it was a halting and ambivalent marker between Europe's epochs of uncertainty. Mourners keep a vigil at a grave in the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Centre and Cemetery in Bosnia. Credit:New York Times Far from the quieted theatres of Balkan conflict, nationalist passions, the clamour for redrawn frontiers and collisions of faith are rising anew, not to the crump of mortar fire and the stutter of machine guns, but in the recharting of the political landscape.
In October, Austria became the latest European nation to veer to the right, following Hungary and Poland. In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured enough votes in national elections in September to enter Parliament for the first time. In many lands there is a sense of flux, from the secessionist yearnings of Catalonia in Spain to Britain's planned departure from the European Union. Coffins of 127 victims of the Srebrenica massacre sit in a former battery factory in Potocari, before they were taken to be buried at a nearby memorial center, in Bosnia, in July. Credit:New York Times Some of those passions are drawn from the angry response among Germans and other Europeans to Chancellor Angela Merkel's readiness to open Germany's frontiers to hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees from Syria and elsewhere - many of whom passed through Serbia on their way north. In Britain, many who voted in June 2016 to leave the EU did so, they said, out of resentment of outsiders' influence over their destinies and the presence of what they saw as unchecked European immigrants. Wanted poster for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic released by the US State Department in 2000. Credit:AP
In Serbia, calls are intensifying for a return to the nationalist politics of the 1990s. Once-discredited senior officials from the barbarous government of Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade - and not a few convicted war criminals - are reclaiming positions of prominence. There is a sense, too, of unfinished business and resentments that the war did not heal. Indeed, the trials of Mladic and others ?- including his political boss, Radovan Karadzic, who was jailed for 40 years on almost identical charges last year, and Milosevic, who died in 2006 before the end of his trial - may simply have intensified Serbia's rancorous perceptions of being treated unfairly and Muslims' sense of loss. "Regardless of the verdict that we all feel as part of the campaign against Serbs, Ratko Mladic remains a legend of the Serb nation," said Milorad Dodik, President of the Serb autonomous region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was carved out and cleansed of non-Serbs by Mladic's wartime forces. Sead Numanovic, a Bosnian journalist in Sarajevo who fought against Mladic's forces, said, "This verdict, like all the others, will not bring back sons to their mothers, dead brothers to their sisters and husbands to their wives." The sense of victimhood among Serbs seemed to have been trumped by the sentencing, which all but confirmed Bosnian Muslim resentments that the Serbs had succeeded in advancing their territorial ambitions by genocide.
"This should all have been behind us by now," said Hasan Nuhanovic, a Bosnian survivor of the Srebrenica massacre. "The only thing that is behind us is that war." On both sides of the enduring ethnic divide, there was a feeling that the pronouncements of robed judges at The Hague will have no perceptible impact on the practicalities of eking out an existence in straitened times. Bosnians in Sarajevo who once ran from snipers' bullets and sheltered from incessant indiscriminate shelling by Mladic's artillery units in the hills above the city have traded those perils for a dysfunctional government, joblessness and a collapsed social security and health system. In Belgrade, the crumbling socialist-era grandeur harks back to better times, when the city was the capital of a moderately developed Yugoslavia with a population of 22 million, rather than the impoverished republic it is today, among Europe's poorest. Coupled with that struggle is a lingering memory not just of the war in Bosnia and Croatia of the early 1990s but also of the fighting later in the decade in what was then the southern Serbian province of Kosovo. To this day, banners in front of the Parliament building hold Bill and Hillary Clinton responsible for the widely resented 78-day NATO campaign that drove Serb-dominated forces out of Kosovo, enabling it to eventually declare independence in 2008.
Against that dim backdrop, Serbia is hoping to become the next member state of the European Union, although that would be in 2025 at the earliest. Commenting on the outcome of the trial in The Hague, Natasa Kandic, a leading Serbian human rights activist, said that with the atrocities in the Bosnian war, "we stopped being part of the civilized world." "Now we can see who stopped our progress and why we became a society without solidarity or compassion," Kandic said. For advocates of human rights, the judgment - the culmination of a trial that began in 2012 only to be interrupted by Mladic's health problems - was historic. The UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, called it "a momentous victory for justice" and declared that "Mladic is the epitome of evil."
Mladic had left a compelling trail, recording his meetings and telephone conversations with military officials, politicians or foreign envoys. They were discovered behind a false wall in Mladic's home; included in that cache were 18 notebooks of his wartime diaries, an extraordinary windfall, prosecutors said. It was also the first trial in which prosecutors presented evidence from recently explored mass graves around an open-pit mine at Tomasica, near Prijedor in northern Bosnia, where Muslims were herded into concentration camps, tortured, raped and killed during the ethnic cleansing campaign. The International Commission on Missing Persons, which uses DNA testing, said this month that so far 656 bodies from the mine have been identified, among the nearly 6000 people reported missing around Prijedor in the summer of 1992. More bodies are emerging, including remains that were moved to other graves to hide the magnitude of the crime. Mladic's diary notes a request in 1992 from Simo Drljaca, the Prijedor police chief, asking for the army's help to remove about 5000 bodies buried in Tomasica by "burning them or grinding them or in any other way."
Some politicians are discrediting anti-corruption bodies in order to restrict the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the bureau's director, Artem Sytnyk, has said.
He said at a meeting with members of the Verkhovna Rada anti-corruption committee in Kyiv on Wednesday that representatives of some political parties, against whom criminal proceedings are being investigated, make statements with the aim of discrediting anti-corruption bodies.
"Why is it done? Some colleagues make some mistakes, and this helps talk about a conflict between anti-corruption bodies," Sytnyk said.
"It's done for one thing - to push through the decisions that could not be pushed through before. These are laws that make it possible to deprive the NABU of part of its jurisdiction, laws that will probably subordinate the Anti-Corruption Bureau to the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), which is just being created. This is a law that may return alternative jurisdiction or even destroy the Anti-Corruption Bureau. This is the appointment of an auditor who will finally write what is needed for those political forces that are not interested in these investigations," he said.
To achieve this goal, according to Sytnyk, politicians use the media resources under their control.
Harare: Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe has been granted immunity from prosecution and assured that his safety would be protected in his home country as part of a deal that led to his resignation, sources close to the negotiations said on Thursday.
It comes as Emmerson Mnangagwa caps a stunning political comeback when he is sworn in as president on Friday, bringing the final curtain down on Mugabe's 37-year rule.
Mugabe, who had led Zimbabwe from independence in 1980, stepped down on Tuesday after the army seized power and the ruling party turned against him. Mnangagwa, the former vice president, was sacked for showing "traits of disloyalty" earlier this month.
A government source said Mugabe, 93, told negotiators he wanted to die in Zimbabwe and had no plans to live in exile.
Bangkok: The United States has toughened its stance against Myanmar's government, declaring that atrocities against Rohingya Muslims are "horrendous" and saying the campaign against them was ethnic cleansing.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has now threatened to specifically target those responsible for Asia's worst atrocities since the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s, saying "those responsible must be held accountable".
A Rohingya Muslim girl carries her baby sister as she walks across a stream of drainage water at the Thaingkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh. Credit:AP
The change of tone comes just days after China offered a different policy: a new economic plan for Myanmar's violence-wracked Rakhine state, home to 1.1 million Rohingya people.
Aides of Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi have warned that threatened sanctions by the US would only push Myanmar back into the orbit of China.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent plenary public meeting on Thursday, November 23, 2017.
The urgent plenary public meeting will be held on Thursday, November 23, 2017 at 10.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.
The agenda point is:
Appointment of a new first and second Vice Chairperson of Parliament
(This meeting was requested by MP P.F.M. Geerlings, MP C.E. Brownbill and MP S.M. Bijlani)
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.
The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.
The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.
NEW YORK, USA:--- While attending the International Donor's Conference in New York, coordinated by the United Nations Development Program, Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman had the distinct pleasure to meet and converse with former US President Bill Clinton, during a lunch hosted by the chairman of CARICOM for heads of states and heads of government.
Clinton expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the people of St. Maarten for the damage they suffered from the passing of the Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Clinton was a speaker at the two days CARICOM-UN pledging conference held in New York on November 21st.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Chief of Police Carl John and the Commander of the VKS Antonio Rogers met on Wednesday, November 22nd for talks regarding the safety of the community of Sint Maarten and the working cooperation between both entities. The VKS has been working under the supervision of the police department for quite a number of years with positive results.
Both the Chief of Police and the Commander of the VKS are doing their utmost to improve this working cooperation. The main topic of discussion was the upcoming tourist and Christmas season where the decision was taken that KPSM, the VKS and the officers of the National Police Force of the Netherlands who will jointly provide safety and security to the business community and the community at large during this season as together we focus on getting the economy back on track.
The Commander of the VKS promised to support this effort with no less than 10 VKS- members on a daily basis. The police chief gladly accepted this offer.
During the meeting, the Police Chief stated that he is very proud of the local police officers who have been working prior, during and in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria and continue to do so up to today to guarantee the safety and security of the community.
KPSM Police Report
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Dutch Red Cross, the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten has minted a silver commemorative coin of 5 guilders. In 1859, a battle between the French army under Napoleon III and the Austrian army was fought at the Italian town of Solferino. The Swiss banker Henry Dunant was witness to the fight and 40,000 people were killed. He went to help the wounded. On his own, however, this was impossible work. That was why he called for the help of the women in the village. He set up aid stations with them for the wounded of both parties. Back in Geneva, the battle involved him. He writes a book about what he has seen: 'A memory of Solferino'. In the book, he makes 3 proposals:
Each country must establish volunteer aid associations that are equipped and trained to take care of wounded people on the battlefield. Wounds on the battlefield, medical personnel, and their equipment must be considered neutral and must be protected by a license plate. These proposals must be ratified by an international treaty, and the protection of the wounded and medical staff who take care of them must be guaranteed.
At a meeting in 1863 of 16 European states, representatives approved Dunant's proposal to set up voluntary volunteer associations. They agree to use a red cross on a white surface as an emblem. The birth of the International Red Cross is a fact. The agreements are recorded in 1864 in the first Geneva Convention. This laid the foundation for Humanitarian War Law. Jean Henry Dunant received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. In the following years, National Red Cross societies are established in many countries. The Dutch Red Cross was founded in 1867.
The Curacao and St. Maarten countries also have a section of the Red Cross. The Department on Curacao was founded in 1931 and that of Sint Maarten in 1976. Both departments fall under the Dutch Red Cross. The Red Cross is central in the design. The text DUTCH RED CROSS and 150 YEAR is placed above and below the logo. On the reflection (represented by the lines around the logo) of the cross are the 7 basic principles of the organization, namely Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary, Unity, and Generalness.
Other specifications: Metal: silver 925/1000 Weight: 11.9 gr Diameter: 29 mm Quality: proof Nominal value: 5 guilders Number of beaten specimens: 400
The silver coins are available at the cash department of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten and cost NAf 107.50. For more information about previously minted commemorative coins, please consult our website: http://www.centralbank.cw/commemorative-coins
Translated Press Release from the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten
~ Claims Dennoui attacked him first while refusing to respond to his letters ~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Father of Baby Pilanco Oliver Vincent Arrindell told SMN News in an exclusive interview on Thursday that he has had enough with SZV and its employees whom he said is refusing to grant his disabled infant proper care.
Arrindell has been in this predicament since the birth of his son in April 2015. He said that his child is supposed to be undergoing therapy in order for him to live a normal life but since November 2016 his son has not gotten one therapy treatment.
Arrindell said that he was sent to the Netherlands earlier this year and his son did not receive any treatment. He said SZV left him with his wife and son in a hotel room for two long months without proper food for his infant son. I had to walk very long distances to obtain food for me and my sick son. SZV refused to put me in an apartment, they wanted me to sign out of St. Maarten so the Dutch government would have to shoulder the medical expenses for my son. I am a civil servant working for the Government of St. Maarten and SZV including the Minister of VSA wanted me to sign out here I could lose my job. Can you imagine Minister Lee promised to send my son back to the Netherlands if I sign out of St. Maarten, the Minister told me he would ensure that I am paid two years of my salary and when I told the Minister to send the proposal to my lawyer Shaira Bommel he refused. When I contacted SMN News while in the Netherlands SZV put me in an apartment for one month after that I was brought back to St. Maarten since SZV claimed the child could receive the therapy on St. Maarten.
Arrindell said that ever since he returned to St. Maarten SZV did not make arrangements for his child to obtain proper care, he explained that he went to every therapeutic clinic on the island and they all told him that they do not provide such care for infants or toddlers under the age of 5. The doctor at SMMC he said told him that SZV wants him to help them destroy the life of a young child by placing the child in the care of the White and Yellow Cross, but the doctor he said told him he will not do that to a young child who could live a normal life if given proper care. Arrindell further explained that his lawyer and doctors wrote several letters to SZV and to date he has not gotten a response from the Social Insurance Bank. Arrindell further explained that he has letters from the Netherlands, Colombia and the Dominican Republic, where they are calling for his child to be seen by the doctors there but SZV chose to ignore him and his child.
When asked about Thursday morning, Arrindell said he saw his child suffering and he decided to go to SZV since they are not responding to his lawyers, he said upon reaching SZV with his child the security guard told him that SZV will open their office at 10:30, Arrindell said he jumped over a counter at SZV and sat on a chair waiting for SZV personnel and it was while sitting there he heard Dennoui screaming and asking what he is doing inside SZV and who he was, he further claimed that when Dennoui approached him he did not hit him but instead tore his clothing up. He admitted that another SZV personnel was choking him and he hit that person who also chose to kick him several times while he was pinned to the ground by a security guard.
Arrindell further explained that the insurance company for SMMC Bezoekadres has been in contact with him and they were supposed to compensate him for the damages caused to his son while his wife was giving birth at SMMC but the insurance company he said was supposed to get back to his lawyer in August 2017, he said they asked for an extra month and to date his lawyer and him did not hear from SMMC insurance company.
Arrindell made clear that the only thing he wants is for his son to receive proper care so he could live a normal life like every other child.
Click here to read a previous article on Oliver Vincent Arrindell's situation.
SZV STATEMENT
PHILIPSBURG:--- Social & Health Insurances SZV had to close its doors to the public today (Thursday, November 23rd) due to an unforeseen incident wh, re SZV staff and security were physically attacked by a visiting customer. For privacy and legal reasons, it is not customary for SZV to disclose the details of incidents to the media or public but we see it important at this time to inform that these actions are never tolerated. All incidents where security has been breached are followed by an official police report and when required pursued further by legal action.
It is our duty to serve the community, adhering to the laws of the social and health insurances of which we manage. We aim to do so by offering the best possible service to each customer, at all times. Violence of any form towards or staff or endangering our staff and visitors is never condoned.
Legal action will be pursued in relation to the events of today and for this reason and to maintain the privacy of our staff we will not issue any more details as to not interfere with the ongoing proceedings.
The offices of SZV will re-open again on Friday November 24th during regular business hours; 7:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Man loses cool at SZV Office.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Police was called Thursday morning on November 23rd at the SZV office, to intervene in a problem between a client and the staff that office. Police spoke to the suspect identified with initials O. A. who stated that for some time now he has been given the run around by management and staff of the SZV regarding medical attention and treatment for his physically impaired child.
This morning at the SZV-office the situation got of hand according to the suspect as again he was given the runaround. The situation got heated and broke out into a fight involving the security guard and at least two other employees. The suspect had his child with him during the incident.
The employees along with security-officer that were involved in the incident went to the Detective department and filed official complaints against the suspect for destruction and ill-treatment. Witnesses to the incident also gave statements to the investigating officers. The suspect has not turned himself in or been arrested as yet.
The case is under investigation and no other details are available at this time.
KPSM Police Report
Lifelong Santa Monica Resident served on the City Council from 1996 to 2004
Mike Feinstein has informally announced through Facebook that he is running for California Secretary of State.
Feinstein is considered a founding member of the Green Partylocally. Feinstein has been involved in political activism since 1988, after he attended a conference at the Findhorn community in Scotland entitled "The Individual and the Collective: Politics as If The Earth Mattered". He first became active with the Westside Greens in the Santa Monica/West Los Angeles area in November 1988 and then joined his neighborhood Ocean Park Community Organization in early 1989. Feinstein is one of many co-founders of the Green Party of California (GPCA).
Between 1996 and 2004 Feinstein was elected twice to the City Council of Santa Monica. He was preceded by Ken Genser, who died, and succeed by Richard Bloom, now an Assemblymember.
Feinstein served as Santa Monica mayor from 2000-2002. Feinstein was first elected to the City Council in 1996 receiving 13,681 votes and finishing second amongst the thirteen candidates running for four seats.[2] Feinstein was re-elected in 2000 with 21,084 votes, finishing first out of thirteen candidates for four seats.
His vote total at the time being the second highest ever for any Santa Monica City Council candidate. In December 2000, Feinstein was appointed to a two-year term as mayor by a 7-0 vote of his colleagues. In 2004 Feinstein sought a third term but was unsuccessful, finishing 9th of 16. In 2014 Feinstein ran again and finished 8th of 13.
Mike Feinstein with his mom.
Feinstein has also served on the Southern California Association of Government's Energy & Environment Committee (19972004), Growth Visioning Task Force (20012004), Regional Comprehensive Plan Task Force (20042008) and Integrated Policy Task Force (20092010), as well as the Westside Council of Governments, Local Government Commission (California), California League of Cities, National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).
The Secretary of State of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. State of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of State is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers, and is restricted by term limits to only two terms. The current Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, took office on January 5, 2015.
The Secretary of State is the California's Chief Elections Officer, overseeing all federal and state elections in the state and maintaining a database of registered voters. They are also responsible for disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, under the California Political Reform Act of 1974.
2900 Block of Delaware Rallies Neighbors to fight City Hall to Prevent a Pre-school
Sharing is caring, but these neighbors would rather fight than share a quiet neighborhood with a preschool fence, traffic and noise.
Correction, 12/4/17: Laila from Untitled Number One School, says that the number of children proposed for the preschool is 20, not 50. "Most importantly, our Planning Commission approval is based on that maximum number of 20. The Statement of Official Action is linked to the Agenda for this Tuesday's City Council mtg. here:"
http://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1107
Sharing is caring, but not in my back yard when it comes to one neighborhood and a preschool.
2953 Delaware LLC has purchased it's namesake property in order to launch a 50 kid preschool, according to an application approved by the Santa Monica Planning Commission. The appeal to the Santa Monica City Council will be heard the evening of December 5th, 2017 at SM City Hall.
A group of neighbors has formed to oppose the application. On its website, http://www.preservegandara.org, the group notes that there are at least 46 preschools within a 2 mile radius of proposed project on 2953 Delaware in Santa Monica and at least 20 day care centers within 1 mile of the proposed project.
Typically, pre-schools charge $1500 to $2000 a month for students around 3 to 5 years old. The home's owner purchased it last year for $1.350 million. The pre-school project is expected to accommodate 50 students. Santa Monica's SMMUSD does not typically provide pre-school for local families.
"This is the start of commercial Daycare in R1 single neighborhoods" predicts a local real estate agent. "This is one of the next BIG fights for residents of single family neighborhoods."
"We're already surrounded by a barrage of traffic on all sides of our neighborhood," says the neighborhood group's website. 'This school will eliminate the one pocket that is free of traffic and cause safety concerns in the street and alleyway."
Quiet, leafy neighborhood in the 2900 block of Delaware
"Our neighborhood boasts an open feeling. A school requires a 6 foot fence for children's protection. However, this fence will disrupt the overall look and feel of our neighborhood."
"This is a project from a real estate developer who does not live in our neighborhood and will not ever live in the home. While their intentions may be good, they will negatively impact our small residential neighborhood by placing a commercial business into a single family home on an R1 zoned street. They chose this location because of the wonderful residential atmosphere, but their very presence will disrupt what makes our neighborhood so precious to us. In fact, their business, which will bring at least 50 extra daily car trips into the neighborhood, will destroy the peace and quiet that we all love and cherish," says the groups website.
Leader of the Batkivschyna faction Yulia Tymoshenko has met with Secretary General of the European People's Party (EPP) Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the press service of the Batkivschyna faction said on Wednesday.
"The parties discussed the current political situation in Ukraine and issues related to the conduct of elections of heads and deputies to the merged territorial communities that took place on October 29, 2017," the statement reads.
During the meeting, Tymoshenko stressed that her party won an unchallenged victory in these elections, despite a significant increase in pressure on candidates from opposition parties, leaders of local party organizations and a huge deterioration of the situation with freedom of speech in Ukraine.
"This is a real sociological study that recorded the indisputable leadership of the Batkivschyna," she said.
For his part, the EPP General Secretary Antonio Lopez-Isturiz congratulated Tymoshenko on the high level of support for her political power in Ukraine and expressed deep concern about the pressure on the opposition.
"I am very pleased that your party, which belongs to the most powerful political family of the EPP, has the greatest support among Ukrainians, while we strongly condemn any attempts to exert pressure on opposition candidates during the elections," he said.
The press service of the Batkivschyna noted that Yulia Tymoshenko and Hryhoriy Nemyria went on a working visit to Brussels on November 22-23 to meet with the leaders of the parties of the European People's Party that will be held in preparation for the Eastern Partnership summit of the European Union.
The Industrial Union of Donbas (ISD) Corporation did not hold negotiations via its subsidiary ISD Polska on the possible sale of ISD Huta Czestochowa (Poland).
"This is all untrue information and a publicity move. Allegedly, buyers - the Polish industrial group [Weglokoks] - did not negotiate with anyone: neither with the corporation, nor with banks, although these conversations are spreading, but they have no ground," an informed source in the corporation told Interfax-Ukraine.
The source said that "supposedly the buyers" may have these intentions, but they "did not make a single step."
"This issue is not on the agenda and has nothing to do with the real state of affairs," the source said.
According to the source, the state-owned Polish industrial group did acquire two metal enterprises, but failed to create the full production cycle.
In turn, ISD Polska published an announcement denying the information of some Polish media about the alleged negotiation.
A representative of ISD also denied the holding of the negotiations on the alleged sale of Hungary's Dunaferr steel works.
"There is nothing about Dunaferr either: this is an old statement of the public agencies of Hungary [a member of the government]. They have been talking about this for five years, but you need to find money in the budget. This is a huge and complex procedure. This issue could be discussed with Russian and Ukrainian owners of the corporation," the ISD representative said.
Georgetown, SC (29440)
Today
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 41F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 41F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Paris (ESA) Nov 22, 2017
Europe's next four Galileo navigation satellites and the Ariane 5 rocket due to lift them into orbit are being readied for their 12 December launch from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. ... more
New Delhi (IANS) Nov 22, 2017
To meet the sky-rocketing domestic technology and knowledge-based demands, India's space agency needs to at least double the number of operational satellites in the coming days, Indian Space Researc ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 22, 2017
NASA has launched four small research satellites, or CubeSats, developed by four universities as part of a broader mission launching the next generation polar-orbiting satellite to space. These Cube ... more
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 22, 2017
In a fitting farewell to the planet that had been its home for over 13 years, the Cassini spacecraft took one last, lingering look at Saturn and its splendid rings during the final leg of its journe ... more
College Park MD (SPX) Nov 16, 2017
A new robotic camera with the ability to capture hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies in a single shot has taken its first image of the sky - an event astronomers refer to as "first light." ... more
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 22, 2017
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Ukraine will make every effort to formalize an agreement with France on the mutual exchange of driving licenses, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, this agreement envisages that Ukrainian citizens who legally reside in France and French legally residing in Ukraine will be able to exchange their national driving licenses for similar documents of the country of residence.
"Until now, drivers could travel with Ukrainian licenses for not more than a year in European countries, and then it was necessary to obtain national driving licenses by passing theoretical and practical exams and paying from 600 to 1,000 euros... We will do our best to formalize an agreement on the mutual exchange of driving licenses with France," Avakov said at a meeting with his French counterpart Gerard Collomb in Kyiv on November 22.
Similar agreements are already in force between Ukraine, Italy and Spain. The agreement does not cancel the provision of the law, according to which Ukrainians in Italy, Spain, as well as Italians and Spaniards in Ukraine, do not have the right to use national driving permits for more than a year after receiving official registration. However, now the exchange will be carried out without passing theoretical and practical exams and, accordingly, without costs for their payment.
In order to determine the validity and authenticity of documents, a special check will be conducted. When issuing a new driver's license, the old one will be withdrawn.
During the meeting, Avakov thanked the French side for all-round support for Ukraine.
Collomb, in turn, said that the French side was ready to support the initiative of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry on the mutual exchange of driving permits and intended to strengthen cooperation in the security sphere with Ukraine.
Which brings us to Germany , that stable center of Europe.
It must first be said that the government crisis, which has arisen out of the failed coalition talks, is not a crisis of state - at least not yet. A caretaker government is in office, the federal president is exhibiting prudence, the country's economy is robust, and the system is working as it should. Even the chancellor - whose enthusiasm for political communication is limited at best and whose 12 years of leadership have brought the country to where it finds itself today - is proceeding carefully and maturely.
The Social Democrats, meanwhile, twice hastily - indeed, childishly - rejected the idea of joining Merkel in a coalition. There is now no safe way back. Joining a grand coalition would marginalize the party; in four years, it could plunge to just 15 percent. Therefore, rapid new elections are the only thing that makes sense. Hopefully they will result in a clear governing mandate and to a greater sense of urgency and responsibility in the ensuing coalition talks.
For Janet K., 2001, 2004 and 2009 were all fateful years. They mark the times when the rebels came not only to her village, but also into her home. Every woman in eastern Congo knows what it means when militias come into their homes: If they're fortunate, it means violence and theft. If they're less fortunate, it means rape or death.
In 2001, Janet K. was one of the lucky ones. The rebels were only hungry and wanted to eat. In 2004, government soldiers came. "They were angry but we didn't know why," she says. They pulled one man after another out of the house and asked them questions. They beat the soles of the men's feet raw and then put them in saltwater.
Before leaving, they raped the women. "From the front and the back," she says. She doesn't lower her eyes as she speaks. She has learned from talking with other victims that it isn't she who should feel shame, but those who sexually assaulted her.
Janet K. is 52 years old today. She lives in one of the villages scattered across the hills and at the edges of forests in eastern Congo. The villages are often made up of just a dozen huts surrounded by corn fields and banana groves, the earth trampled by daily human and livestock traffic. With arduous labor and the daily presence of violence, people tend to age quickly in these villages.
Janet is a tall woman, with posture so straight she seems to be trying to show that she is unbroken. But her features are those of an elderly woman, with a mouth and eyes full of sorrow. She has raised eight children and has been a widow for the last four years. She makes a living by sewing and draws her strength, she says, from God. She wears a white rosary around her neck and ends each day with a prayer of thanks.
After she was raped, Janet K. became incontinent. At first, she thought it was just a temporary condition. "I always wore several pairs of trousers on top of one another and I placed plastic bags inside." When it didn't get better, she went to the provincial capital of Bukavu.
"Someone told me there was a clinic for incontinent women," she says. "Before that I didn't know that anyone could help me." The doctors explained to her that she had a fistula. She was operated on and stitched up. After that, her incontinence was gone.
Fistulas in the genital area consist of abnormal connections between the bladder and the vagina or between the intestine and the vagina and are the result of injury. The dividing tissue tears or dissolves under pressure, allowing urine and feces to enter the vagina and then exit the body from there.
Rebels returned in 2009. K. was pregnant at the time and begged for mercy, but the four men said they didn't care. Afterward, the neighbors brought her to the hospital. The child in her belly was dead and urine once again flowed out of her body.
This time the fistula was complicated. After four operations, the doctors said they couldn't heal her. She was brought back by ambulance to her village of Likirima, located about an hour's drive from Bukavu. Janet started wearing multiple pairs of pants again, lining the insides with strips of cloth.
Her condition remains unchanged today, and she rarely leaves home. The other people in the village avoid her: "The people say I smell," she says. It has been estimated that several hundred thousand women have been raped in eastern Congo in the past two decades, with rape long since having become a weapon of war. Since the early 1990s, violent conflicts have raged in Congo over mineral resources substances like coltan, tin, gold and tungsten that are the raw materials required by the digital industry.
New rebel groups are constantly emerging, supplied with weapons and money from abroad with the aim of securing access to the mines. These rebels destroy entire villages, recruit child soldiers and enslave and rape women, abusing them with clubs and bayonets. An estimated 5 million people have died so far in this ongoing conflict.
Fistulas are one of the physical consequences of this brutal violence. "When they rape you, it isn't like having sex," says K. "They want to injure you. When the first one is done, and it's the next one's turn, he wraps your skirt around his hand and sticks it into your vagina. He says he's cleaning you, but he's actually hurting you in the process."
Brussels (Belgium) Nov 22, 2017 (SPS) - The position of the African Union on the participation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in the 5th African Union-European Union Summit scheduled on 29 and 30 November in Abidjan (Cote dIvoire) is accepted by all its members, said Wednesday in Brussels, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.
I went to Morocco, where I met with King Mohamed VI. We talked about the African participation in the AU-EU summit and in this regard, the position of the African Union is accepted by all its members, he said in a joint press conference with the head of the European diplomacy Federica Mogherini, held on the sidelines of the High level conference Towards a Renewed Partnership with Africa.
Stressing that the issue of the participation in the Abidjan Summit is an African matter, Moussa Faki Mahamat said that the African Union resolved the problem by deciding that all the members of the African Union partake in this summit.
In fact, on 16 October, the AU Executive Council which met in an extraordinary session recalled that the SADR, as a member of the African Union, has the right to participate in the AU-EU summit.
For her part, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that the European Union supported the work done by Faki Mahamat these past few months to find a solution to the issue of the participation in the 5th AU-EU summit, hailing his extraordinary capacity to resolve a problem that could have been complicated.
We expressed the interest that all the members of the African Union be present at the Abidjan Summit, she said, underlining that it is not up to the European Union to handle the issue of African participation in the summit.
It is important for us that the African Union finds an African solution to the matter, she said.SPS
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Windhoek (Namibia), Nov 23, 2017 (SPS) the Republic of Namibia, called for urgent implementation of the United Nations resolutions related to the Saharawi question that guarantee the right of the Sahrawi people to freedom and independence in the framework of the annual meeting organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Namibia, for the accredited diplomatic corps, diplomatic missions and international organizations,
the minister of foreign affairs of Namibia, presented her country's position on the different international issues, reiterating Namibia's support for the struggle of the Saharawi people for exercising its inalienable right to self-determination and independence, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the African Union, as well as the Security Council resolution calling for the holding of a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.
The minister clarified that the position of her country, is in line with the position of the AU, which is based on international law and respect for human rights, as any external occupation, violates the Charter of the United Nations and the humans rights.
He also condemned the intransigent behavior of Morocco, which contradicts the initial provision of Morocco to respect the Charter of the African Union and its founding principles.
It worth mentioning here, the meeting was attended by the Saharawi ambassador in Namibia, Abah Dih Ashej. SPS
125/090/TRA
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STAMFORD After encountering delays, Mexican and barbecue restaurant Mexicue is planning to open early next year in the restaurant row in the Harbor Point development in the citys South End.
Weve been way delayed due to some challenges with the permitting process, but back on track and plan to open mid to late February, Mexicue founder and President Thomas Kelly said in an email this week to Hearst Connecticut Media.
Mexicue, which originally targeted an opening this past summer, will take about 5,000 square feet at 15 Harbor Point Road, a location formerly occupied by the Paloma restaurant.
As we were looking at markets outside New York, we saw a very similar demographic to the people who enjoy lunch and dinner at Mexicue in the city, Kelly said in an interview earlier this year. It felt like the right fit. At Harbor Point, theres a good mix of young office workers and families and residents.
Harbor Point comprises Mexicues first location outside New York City. The business started in 2010 as a food truck in Manhattan and Brooklyn, before opening brick-and-mortar locations at 1440 Broadway in 2014 and 225 Fifth Ave. in 2015. Another Mexicue recently opened at 160 Eighth Ave.
Among other upcoming arrivals on the block, the owners of Patisserie Salzburg which has two cafes in Westchester County, N.Y. announced earlier this month they planned to open a third location, at 2 Harbor Point Road, in early 2018.
We thought the area was lacking a first-class European-style bakery, Patisserie Salzburg founder and
managing partner Par Shakiban said in an interview earlier this month. We already have many customers coming from Stamford and Greenwich, so we think the style of the bakery and the way we operate will be a winner in this location.
Less certain is the status of Zona Roastery and Cafe. Originally scheduled to open this past summer at 24 Harbor Point Road, the storefront at that address is still empty. A for lease sign has been posted in the window by commercial real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank.
Messages left for landlord Building and Land Technology, Newmark Knight Frank and a listed owner of Zona were not immediately returned.
The restaurant row on Harbor Point Road already includes Sign of the Whale, Boothbay Lobster, Bareburger, World of Beer and Fortina.
pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
STAMFORD -- Police arrested a local 16-year-old male last week after fingerprint evidence allegedly tied him to a string of attempted burglaries in the Dolphin Cove area.
Stamford Police Sgt. Sean Scanlan said the suspect broke into one home and attempted to break into four more within a 10-hour period in July. Some items were taken from one of the homes, Scanlan said, but none were of significant value.
A director Estonia's Apolineja OU was detained in the airport of Dnipro late on Wednesday in the case related to designing of software for e-declaration for the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), spokesperson of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Larysa Sarhan has said.
"The prosecutor's office of Kyiv region found out that former director of the company Miranda Yuriy Novikov concluded an agreement with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), according to which Miranda was obliged to develop software for the e-declaration system. After receiving funds from the UNDP, Novikov for the purpose of tax evasion signed contracts with Apolineja OU and deliberately entered untrue information to the contract on the development of software for the e-declaration system," Sarhan wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday.
The spokesperson said that the ex-head of Miranda LLC transferred $140,000 received from the UNDP and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to the bank account of Apolineja OU.
"At present, the director of the Estonian company has been detained. In the near future the court will choose a pretrial restriction for him. Investigative actions under underway," she said.
On November 20, the Kyiv region prosecutor's office completed the pretrial investigation against the former director of Miranda LLC, which withdrew the money of international organizations provided for the development of the e-declaration program for the NACP to an affiliated foreign enterprise and evaded taxes of almost UAH 1.5 million.
The former director of Miranda LLC is suspected of committing crimes under Part 2 of Article 212 (evasion of taxes, duties or other compulsory payments), Part 1 of Article 366 (forgery in office), Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 366 (forgery in office under prior agreement with a group of persons) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov. 23, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's Farewell Crusade in Lagos, Nigeria was a historic landmark for the ministry of Christ for all Nations. Huge crowds and global coverage made the event which was carried live on CfaN.org and GODTV, will have highlights on TBN, DAYSTAR, other major networks and social media of worldwide interest.Ever passionate in his preaching of the Gospel, Evangelist Emeritus Reinhard Bonnke's burden for souls and commitment to the Great Commission was evident in his final African crusade sermons in Nigeria. Day and night the evangelist's voice pierced through the darkness, bringing hope and inspiration to the city of Lagos. With his wife, Anni, and his family by his side and his spiritual son and successor, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, to lean on, Bonnke finished the way he started over 50 years ago by simply preaching the Gospel of salvation.The very emotional event drew a total of over 1.7 million in attendance. Hundreds of evangelists, pastors, leaders and businessmen from around the world came to see the famed evangelist cross the finish line of his public ministry in Africa. The last session of the morning "Fire Conference" marked a very special moment in Christ for all Nations globally. Although Bonnke's successor, Daniel Kolenda, has led the ministry for the last 9 years, Bonnke publically passed the mantle of his ministry to Evangelist Daniel Kolenda in Lagos Nigeria.In an interview, Kolenda said, "This is Evangelist Bonnke's 'Farewell Crusade,' but it's not a goodbye for the ministry; it's a new beginning, a new season of harvest. We will build on the foundation that has been laid by Evangelist Bonnke and the CfaN team and God will do even greater things in the days to come. As Evangelist Bonnke often says, 'Nothing diminishes in God.' I believe that. God has spoken to me about a 'Decade of Double Harvest' that we are now stepping into. We will take that baton of the Gospel and run with all our might. The best is yet to come."Indeed, Bonnke's legacy continues in the lives of the many millions his ministry has touched. A woman brought her teenage son to the stage to share their testimony. She was told by doctors that her womb was destroyed, but at a Gospel crusade many years ago, Reinhard Bonnke prayed for women who couldn't have children and this woman was touched by God, Who healed her womb. Her teenage son is a tangible representation of the compassion of Christ and the Holy Spirit-powered Gospel that Bonnke advocates, embodies and envisions for the next generation.On the last night of the five-day crusade, amidst joyful sounds of heartfelt worship, by a massive choir, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke stepped forward to preach to his last African audience, a massive crowd. It was an emotional, memorable moment for all those who have stood with his ministry for the last five decades. From Luke 20:19-25, Bonnke spoke on the Jesus' command to; "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give God what belongs to God." The Evangelist showed how the devil tries to destroy God's image in us with sin, but through salvation, God's image is restored in us. As he gave the altar call for salvation, thousands upon thousands of hands went up, and the counselors rallied to help the new converts.According to Russell K. Benson, International Director of CfaN Global: "The significance of the historic moment when Reinhard Bonnke left the stage after preaching his final message on the continent of Africa was not lost on me. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions as a giant of the faith completed what he loves to do more than anything else on this earth: preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Africa is truly being saved and Reinhard Bonnke will always be known for being a large part of that."Bonnke has loved Africa and Africa has loved him back. "When they hear my name, I trust they will think of Jesus. Him I have preached with all my might, and I will continue as He helps me. I don't want a monument. We don't build monuments; we build God's Kingdom." Bonnke's legacy of revival lives on, in the sons and daughters of the continent that he loves.About Christ For All NationsCfaN is a non-denominational missions organization aimed at taking the Gospel message to the world. Christ for all Nations is primarily known for its historic crusades in Africa and recently surpassed a historic milestone of 76 million documented decisions for Jesus Christ at major events in Africa and other parts of the world. CfaN has offices in countries around the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States.The ministry offers theological courses and Bible study programs from its website, as well as the Fire Conferences and other training events. The CfaN website also offers a variety of books, booklets, DVDs, CDs, posters, bundle packs and more. CfaN books have been published around the world in over 140 languages.To learn more about Christ for all Nations, visit CfaN online at www.cfan.org , email srodriguez@cfan.org or call 407.854.4400.CfaN On FacebookReinhard Bonnke is Founder of Christ for all Nations and Evangelist Emeritus. For over 40 years, he has impacted the nations with massive gospel and healing crusades that reached millions for Christ. You can follow this great General in the Body of Christ and glean from his wisdom on Facebook Daniel Kolenda is President of Christ for all Nations and an international evangelist. He is a gifted and anointed speaker who moves mightily in the gifts of the Holy Spirit accompanied by healings, miracles, signs and wonders. Click, to follow his ministry on Facebook
Ukraine-EU relations cannot and will not remain solely within Eastern Partnership summit Klimkin
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin expects that relations between Ukraine and the European Union will not remain only within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.
"The implementation of the Association Agreement should be a political priority, not a matter of "technology" for the EU. Therefore, Ukraine-EU relations cannot and will not remain only within the framework of the Eastern Partnership," the foreign minister wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
The summit of the Eastern Partnership will be held in Brussels on November 24.
The call came in at about 3 a.m.
We are heading to the hospital.
Kendra and Lucas Bear quickly packed up and left their ranch in Merriman for Scottsbluff.
It is not that long of a drive, Lucas said, but that night it was a long drive.
We were afraid we would get there too late, Kendra said, for the arrival of a blessing the Bears had been waiting for since they married in April 2006.
The young couple tried many different avenues to have children, but we never had any success, Lucas said.
Beginning the process
We wanted to have a family, Kendra said. We did a lot of praying, and talking to each other. We decided to try adoption.
They both had family members who had adopted in the past; some had members who had been adopted through the Nebraska Childrens Home 40-50 years ago.
Lucas and I decided we would like to have the experience of a newborn, Kendra said.
So the couple began working with the Nebraska Childrens Home in 2011.
They went through parenting classes, had background checks done and a home study.
The Nebraska Childrens Home allows the birth families to pick the potential adoptive parents so the Bears also had to put together a profile on themselves. They also had to share their views of an open adoption.
Kendra included a personal letter to the potential birth mother. She shared her hopes and dreams.
The process took about nine months from their first contact to their profile being available to birth families to view and hopefully be chosen.
Then the waiting began.
The wait
For some the waiting is short, for others it is years, and some are never selected.
The days became weeks, weeks became months then years.
You kind of wonder, 'Is it ever going to happen?' Kendra said.
On Valentines Day 2014, the phone rang.
I answered the phone, Kendra said.
The person from the Nebraska Childrens Home said a birthmother had looked at our profile and would like to meet with the couple.
I started crying, she said. I cant express the love and emotion that went over us at that moment. I dropped to my knees and thanked God for this amazing young woman who wanted to meet us.
Taylor Kelsch was a 16-year-old from Kimball. She was about 16 weeks into her pregnancy.
I believe adoption was the best choice for everyone, Taylor said.
She began working with a case worker from the Nebraska Childrens Home.
Taylor was asked to make a list of what she wanted in parents for the baby. The NCH then narrowed the choices down to 13 possible families. Those profiles were given to Taylor.
After she read the Bears' profile, they felt like the right ones, she said.
First meeting
A meeting was set up with Taylor a week after the Bears had received the call.
The Bears traveled to Scottsbluff for the first meeting.
We were really nervous, Kendra said. What are they going to be like? What are they going to think of us? Will they like us?
They walked into the room and shortly afterward, Taylor and her mom came into the room.
I was really nervous, Taylor said. They (Lucas and Kendra) made me feel welcome. I really liked them right off the bat.
They spent about two hours sharing life stories, lots of questions and we laughed a lot and shared some tears, Kendra said.
Taylor wanted to get to know the Bears better and continue moving forward with their adoption journey.
Later, the Bears also met the birth father and his family and made a strong connection with them.
From meeting to birth
There were tons of phone calls, texts and lots of face-to-face meetings after their first meeting.
Taylor is such an amazing person, Kendra said. She would text me through the process sharing her experience, when the baby moved ... She was so open.
One day, Lucas said, Kendra got a call from Taylor, How would you like to go to the ultrasound?
I just thought it would be really good for Kendra to be there, Taylor said.
At the ultrasound, Taylor asked Kendra, should we find out if it is a boy or a girl?
It was a girl.
She thought about us throughout the whole process, Kendra said. It is incredible.
Taylor and Kendra text messaged baby names back and forth.
We both really liked Aliyah, Taylor said.
The families grew closer. The birth families visited the Bears ranch and the Bears were able to meet grandparents and other extended family members.
Then on Aug. 1, 2014, came the 3 a.m. call from Taylor.
The arrival
Aliyah was about to arrive and the Bears left their ranch wanting to be at the hospital for her arrival.
When they got to the hospital, Taylor was still in labor.
When the time came and everyone was leaving the room, Taylor said to Kendra, We want you to stay.
Kendra and Taylors mom stayed in the room and helped support Taylor.
Aliyah arrived at 9:46 a.m.
Kendra was allowed to cut the umbilical cord and be the first to hold the new arrival.
I was right there, Kendra said. It is nice to know Aliyah had both her mothers there at her birth.
I was overwhelmed with joy, Lucas said. All these years hoping you would have a child of your own and then finally you get the chance. You pinch yourself and ask, Is this real?
It was real.
The hospital had a room for Lucas and Kendra to stay in until Aliyah was ready to go to her new home two days later.
We said our goodbyes and brought Aliyah home with us, Kendra said.
It was really difficult (to say goodbye), Taylor said. I was happy, but also heartbroken.
More waiting
Even though the Bears took Aliyah home with them, the adoption was still not final.
The parents had as much time as they need to decide to sign the relinquishment paperwork. After the paperwork was signed, Nebraska Childrens Home Society had custody of Aliyah for six months while she lived with the Bears. During those six months, NCHS completed three post-placement visits.
For Taylor, the first couple weeks after Aliyah left were difficult.
I would have loved to have raised her, but I know this was the best, Taylor said.
Finally, on April 7, 2015, Aliyah officially became a Bear.
That is when we became an official family, Lucas said.
The new family
But the new family was much more than Lucas, Kendra and little Aliyah.
We came out with a newborn baby, who is beautiful, but we also adopted them (the birth family), Kendra said.
When the Bears started the adoption journey, they were a little intimidated by the thought of an open adoption, but not anymore.
It is a blessing to have this openness, Kendra said. We spend a lot of time together.
Taylor will call and want to come out to see Aliyah. If the Bears drive through anywhere Taylor might be, they stop by.
We have even had Taylors grandparents come (to the ranch) for a weekend, she said. Its all very comfortable.
I know it (adoption) was the right decision, especially when I see them (Lucas, Kendra and Aliyah) together, Taylor said.
Aliyah may not understand who she is at this point in her life, Taylor said, but she loves me a lot.
Now 3 years old, Aliyah, will have her first dance recital in April.
We have already invited the birth family, Kendra said.
I will be there, Taylor said. I wouldnt miss it for anything.
They all came to Aliyahs baptism, to her birthday party, and they exchange Christmas gifts every year.
As Aliyah grows up she will be surrounded by so many people who love her, Kendra said.
Adoption is amazing, she added.
It is not an end, it is a beginning, both Kendra and Taylor said.
When I see how blessed Aliyah is every day, all I can say is, 'God is good,' Kendra said.
LINCOLN The Nebraska State Patrol will soon implement a new sexual harassment policy in the wake of allegations by a female trooper that her male commanders ignored complaints about a work-related physical exam.
And a decision will be made in coming weeks on the employment status of six patrol officers whove been on paid leave for nearly five months over their involvement in two internal use-of-force investigations.
Col. John Bolduc, the patrols recently hired superintendent, said Tuesday hes taking those steps to help move the embattled agency beyond the most turbulent period in its 80-year history.
This is what I preach to our troopers: Public trust is not something we can take for granted. It has to be earned, Bolduc said in his first newspaper interview since his Oct. 16 swearing-in ceremony.
Most recently the police chief for the Port of San Diego, Bolduc, 52, spent his first weeks in Nebraska visiting the six troop areas spread across the state. He said he wanted to meet as many of the patrols 730 employees as possible while getting familiar with the largest agency he has led in a 30-year law enforcement career.
We have a lot of great people in this organization who are committed to serving the public and doing a great job every single day, he said. Thats what I expected to find, and Im really glad thats what Im hearing as I go around the state.
And while he said hes still in assessment mode, he also has attended to several issues that led Gov. Pete Ricketts to fire Brad Rice, the colonels predecessor. One priority has been revamping the sexual harassment policy, a process that started before Bolducs arrival and will be done by the first of the year.
The new policy includes input from a working group of male and female patrol officers and civilian staff. Bolduc said it incorporates best practices from government and the private sector, which includes allowing employees to report suspected harassment anonymously via a 24-hour hotline. The current policy requires reporting to the employees supervisor.
People are reluctant to come forward. They fear retaliation. They fear being stigmatized, he said. We just want to take that off the table by having anonymous reporting.
In 2014, a trooper candidate told her supervisors she suspected the patrols contract doctor had engaged in a medically unnecessary below-the-waist examination of her. The trooper has since filed a federal lawsuit against the patrol and the state, saying the agencys commanders refused to investigate her complaint. Two other female troopers also have filed federal employment discrimination complaints over the same exam.
Bolduc declined to say if the new policy was directly in response to the troopers complaints, but he did say the patrol needs to grow the ranks of female officers. Just 31 of the patrols 447 uniformed officers are women and only two of those hold the rank of sergeant or above.
While women make up about 16 percent of the sworn ranks of law enforcement nationally, Bolduc said, at the patrol, its about 6 percent.
We need to have an organization thats more representative of the community we serve, Bolduc said, adding that the agency is currently filling a new class of candidates. We are vigorously recruiting additional female troopers, and we hope to see some success in that area.
Two state senators who serve on a legislative committee that oversees the criminal justice system said they were encouraged by Bolducs statements.
He recognizes a very serious problem, and hes giving public notice the patrol on his watch is going to do the right thing, said Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.
A revamped harassment policy represents a necessary step, said Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee. Im happy to see hes taken this on early in his tenure, she added.
Another pressing matter Bolduc inherited involves the six officers currently on administrative leave. The governor acted after the states personnel officer raised questions about the role the officers played in two internal use-of-force investigations. The suspended officers include three upper-level supervisors and the agencys second-in-command.
Both incidents occurred in 2016 in western Nebraska and were described in detail by World-Herald investigations earlier this year. One involved a motorist who died in a high speed chase while the other case involved a trooper who delivered a rifle butt strike to a drunken driver who refused orders to drop to the ground.
An internal investigation to determine possible violations of patrol policies and procedures is nearly complete, Bolduc said. He will read the reports and make decisions based on the findings, he said, adding that he can be perfectly objective because he doesnt know the suspended troopers.
His decision will be announced publicly, he said.
The governor has turned over the findings of his personnel review to the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office, neither of which will comment on whether a criminal investigation is being done. But the colonel said he has not been contacted by either the FBI or a special state prosecutor assigned to review the case involving the fatal high speed chase.
Bolduc said he and many others in the patrol want to move on from the controversies that have embroiled the agency. Since he started, four troopers have received awards for saving lives, and troopers have helped arrest three bank robbers while making large seizures of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a powerful opioid linked to many fatal overdoses.
Look weve had some problematic events that have been scrutinized, probably fairly, but those are two or three cases, he said. Every single day, we are making some great cases and providing some great public service.
The warmth of a fire and chatter among friends and family, the smell of turkey and all its fixings floating in the air, and dont forget about the pie waiting for dessert, Thanksgiving is a great time to be with loved ones. It offers a moment of reflection about how blessed we are to live in the United States, the freest and greatest nation in the history of the world.
Thanksgiving as a recurring national holiday first came into existence in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln offered a proclamation to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving. He wanted the nation to be thankful for military victories in the Civil War. He hoped Americans across the country would remember the bravery of the troops who fought for freedom.
While we remember what were thankful for this year, we should recognize that not all Nebraskans are spending time with loved ones this Thanksgiving. Over the holiday, I will have the opportunity to visit with members of Nebraskas National Guard currently serving our country away from home. These brave service members have traveled thousands of miles away from their friends and family to protect us. Their work is vital to the War on Terror and our national security.
I want to bring them encouragement and let them know they are representing our state with honor. They make our state proud and deserve thanks for their service.
As I prepared for my trip, I couldnt help but recall my visiting with American service members last Thanksgiving. I was humbled and honored to spend time with Nebraskans stationed in Qatar and Afghanistan. I cherished every moment I spent with each of them. Every day those brave soldiers risk their lives to protect us and keep America safe.
All those serving throughout the world guard our way of life. Thats why I am glad that Congress recently sent the 2018 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill to the presidents desk. This years NDAA passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both the Senate and the House. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I was honored to help craft this bill and be a part of that process.
We live in a rapidly changing world and, unfortunately, our nation faces a growing number of threats and challenges. Congress acknowledged these dangers by authorizing increased funding for much of the military and several vital programs, from cybersecurity to missile defense. These expenditures will help keep our nation safe.
One of the provisions of which I am proudest, however, involves the most vital asset in the military: our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Those who wear the uniform are more valuable than any weapon system. For that reason, I was happy that the NDAA included the largest pay raise for our troops in eight years. We also preserved Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance payments to surviving military spouses indefinitely, protecting this fund for the survivors of those who died for our country.
As Americans, we have a lot for which to be thankful. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with their friends and families, and that you will join me in keeping our service men and women in mind as we celebrate.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.
Director and writer Dan Gilroy has said he created the part of attorney Roman J. Israel with Denzel Washington specifically in mind: There was only one person who can play the part. I literally wrote it for him.
This film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and then re-edited by Denzel Washington and Dan Gilroy after initial critical feedback was lukewarm. The film shown weeks later at the New Orleans Film Festival was tighter and 12 minutes shorter, a different film.
Denzels character portrait is memorable and probably the most challenging part in his long acting career.
Denzels character portrait is memorable and probably the most challenging part in his long acting career. A brilliant attorney, Roman J. is shy, awkward, and firmly anchored to a political past with greater heroes like Bayard Rustin and more exciting popular music than he experiences in the streets of Los Angeles now. He walks around the city and rides public transit with a hugh briefcase at his side, wearing old-fashioned headphones featuring music from Americans golden ages of jazz and rock. Most likely Romans astounding memory and diamond-edged recall of legal matters, as well as his seemingly eccentric behavior, put him in the middle of the autism syndrome. His jars of peanut butter are lined up neatly on the kitchen counter; he seems to subsist on peanut butter sandwiches, eaten while standing.
Avoiding cinematic cliches often used to portray individuals with impaired communication skills, Denzel effectively creates a man confronting a frightening new reality when his business partner and mentor William Henry Jackson Esq. dies suddenly. Jackson was front office; he represented clients in the courtroom. Roman was back office, researching each case until it was air tight. Full of trepidation, Roman forges ahead with his new responsibilities. However, Roman is much too direct in talking with prison guards at the jail facility where his clients sit waiting for representation, with judges in the courtroom and with the district attorneys office where he has to go for plea bargaining. After receiving his first contempt citation and a $5,000 fine, he has to rethink his initial opposition to working with the slick uptown George Pierce, Esq. (Colin Farrell), who also was mentored by Jackson
What fascinates in this film is Denzels deeply drawn portrait of a man who has functioned brilliantly in the nurturing atmosphere of his mentors law firm. Now he has to take his bumbling walk, hopelessly outdated Afro hairdo, and last-century clothes into the world of corporate law.
Colin Farrell is excellent as George Pierce, who entered law school as a young cynic but who was affected deeply by William Henry Jacksons class lectures and his philosophy toward the practice of law. Flashy and self-assured, he prepares to dismiss Roman J. after Jacksons death, but finds he cannot. And in time as they spar over client cases and legal philosophy, they develop an understanding.
A shout-out to cinematographer Robert Elswit, who is best known for work on Boogie Nights (1997), There Will Be Blood (2007), Michael Clayton (2007), and Nightcrawler (2014). His images of Los Angeles neighborhoods in the daylight and by night are striking. I especially like the scene where Roman J. has decided to do something not strictly ethical and so looks for a working pay phone booth so he can make an anonymous call. Fliptop phone securely in his pocket, he has to look in one abandoned phone booth after another in a blue-collar neighborhood before he is successful, illustrating one of the many changes in the 40 years of his legal career.
Supporting roles are filled nicely by Carmen Ejogo as activist Maya Alston, who sees something in Roman J. which warms her heart; Amanda Warren as Lynn Jackson, daughter of the late William Henry Jackson, Esq.; and Lynda Gravatt as Vernita Wells, Jacksons secretary who sits by his hospital bed when he is in a coma. Brilliant jazz musician Esperanza Spalding makes a surprise appearance as a contemporary political activist at a meeting where Roman J. is speaking.
The practice of law has consequences, as we all know from watching Paul Newman, Tom Cruise and a host of other actors struggle with their consciences in film after film. The strong mentorship of an attorney we never see has a profound impact on Roman J. and George Pierce, as they struggle with what is realistic in their chosen field, as well as what is absolutely necessary for the human spirit.
The practice of law has consequences, as we all know from watching Paul Newman, Tom Cruise and a host of other actors struggle with their consciences in film after film.
Roman J. is asked what Esq. stands for. He says, a little above being a gentleman and a little below knighthood. And you find yourself going with him, this fierce romantic dreamer who says things like, its an enema of sunshine and hope dont get the job done; and who is described by someone as I can always count on you to say the utterly inappropriate thing.
Laughter, surprise, shock, excitement and hope all play a part in this film. And dont forget the classic soundtrack ranging from Duke Ellington and Pharoah Sanders to George Clinton Jr. and Marvin Gaye. And throw in The Chambers Brothers and The Spinners as well.
Romania's Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar was on a working visit to Serbia, where a memorandum on transnational crime fighting cooperation between the two countries' prosecutor's offices was signed.
According to a press release of the Prosecutor's Office, the document establishes the key domains where judicial cooperation between the two countries' prosecutor's offices takes place, respectively the organised transnational crime fighting, terrorism, corruption, cyber crime and other serious offenses.At the same time, the memorandum provides for the main ways to carry out the cooperation: the information exchange on the stage and trends of transnational crime; the general information exchange on the two states' justice and law systems, the enforceable international conventions, the current judicial practice and the law enforcement actions in key domains; the organisation of conferences and workshops on common interest topics within the transnational crime fight domain and of other serious offenses.During the talks, Zagorka Dolovac, Prosecutor General of Serbia and Romania's Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar tackled other common interest topics for the two countries' prosecutor's offices.The schedule of the visit also included working meetings with the Serbian Justice Minister, Nela Kuburovic and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Nebojsa Stefanovic.Attending the meeting on behalf of the Public Service Ministry were Romulus Varga, chief prosecutor with the Criminal Prosecution and Forensics Section with the Prosecutor's Office under the High Court of Justice and Cassation (Supreme Court, ed. n.), Daniel Horodniceanu - chief prosecutor of the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Marius Iacob - deputy chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA). AGERPRES
The Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) will convene on November 28 under the chairmanship of President Klaus Iohannis, the Presidential Administration announced on Thursday.
Featuring on the agenda are a plan for the use of the Romanian Armed Forces that are deployed on missions and operations abroad in 2018, as well as the latest developments in the action plan for implementing the decisions of the NATO Warsaw Summit.Also on the agenda of the meeting is a report on the measures adopted by Romania for the implementation of international sanctions (October 2016 - September 2017) and the schedule of 2018 activities of CSAT, along with subjects of interest to national security. AGERPRES
Ukrainian Choice Right of the People NGO leader Viktor Medvedchuk has said it is currently impossible to exchange all prisoners and expects the first stage of the swap to take place according to the "306 for 74" formula.
"The Minsk agreements provide for exchanging prisoners "all for all." There are today 386 persons held in Ukraine sought by the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR/LPR). There are currently 157 persons sought by Ukraine in DPR/LPR, of whom 94 have been confirmed. However, Ukraine can not carry out the exchange because of legislation. So we can't exchange all these people, while DPR/LPR want to exchange everyone," Medvedchuk told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.
He added that his appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin was intended to facilitate a proportional exchange, as a first step within the "all for all" framework.
"Therefore, in line with this proposition, which Putin and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill supported, we are counting on DPR/LPR releasing 74 persons in exchange for 306 persons held in Ukraine," Medvedchuk said.
Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea has said that in order to better understand the effects of the amendment to the Tax Code, economic and financial information is also needed, in addition to those provided by petitioners.
"I have requested additional information from the petitioners, namely the National Liberal Party (PNL), trade union leaders, and officials on the other hand, to clarify some details, such as the way in which the collective negotiations are now taking place, the pace at which the collective agreements and wage increases, especially in the private sector, succeed or fail to succeed. (...) In order to better understand the mechanism, we need different information as well, including of an economic and financial nature," Ciorbea said Thursday Parliament Palace after a debate on detention conditions.Asked about when he intends to make a decision on notifying constitutional challenge of the Tax Code provisions, Ciorbea said "after December 1.""There is time pressure, but we are trying to be as correct as possible in our job and try to indeed realise what the implications of this 'tax revolution' are. What is clear is that the practical effects will be seen later. It won't be until February when we actually see how many will get higher pay and how many lower pay. Until then, the problem is to be able to feel, to figure out the reality, because, as you can well notice, the approaches are so trenchant on both sides; we find it hard to understand the issue caught in the middle as we are. Of course, we focus on the unconstitutionality aspects, on whether or not the caseload of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has been breached and others," said Ciorbea.
AGERPRES .
The Parliament's select committee on the justice package decided on Thursday that the President of Romania can no longer refuse the appointment of judges and prosecutors.
Acting at the proposal of the National Union of Romania's Judges (UNJR) that was also adopted by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), the committee members repealed the article in the Law on the Judges and Prosecutors statutes according to which the President of Romania can refuse once the appointment of these legal professionals."Vetting is performed beginning right from the nomination of the judge, there are relevant mechanisms in place. What else could the President do, what can he still analyze after the Supreme Council of Magistrates has looked at each and every aspect? (...) The President's refusal could be arbitrary, he is not verified by any instance. At a certain point, the President of Romania can refuse without any possibility of being controlled, this is interference with a judge's activity," argued justice Adina Ghita, speaking on behalf of UNJR.The Liberals' representatives criticized the proposal, but in the end the repeal of the article was adopted by a vote of 15 to 7. AGERPRES
Heads of the Houses of Parliament Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu-Tariceanu are attending on Thursday the meeting of the National Council of the Social Democratic Party's Organization of Pensioners that takes place at the Palace of Parliament.
The two senior officials are attending the meeting while debates are underway in the Houses' plenary sitting on the censure motion "PSDragnea, nurturing mom while in campaign turned plague at rule".Several MPs are also in attendance at the retirees' event. According to Social-Democratic sources, the PSD lawmakers will ensure the necessary quorum, but will not cast their vote on the motion. AGERPRES
The parallel state is "a bad joke", and a few people invent such concepts in order to seize all power, on Wednesday said President Klaus Iohannis in southeastern Ploiesti.
"This thing with the parallel state is a rather bad joke and I hope Romanians understand there is no parallel state, however there are a few people who want to seize the entire power and in order to achieve that they victimise themselves and invent such concepts. There never was and there is no parallel state in Romania. It is a concept borrowed from countries with relatively undemocratic systems and there is no point in drawing parallels," Iohannis said after participating in a debate titled "Romania's cities 100 years on from the Great Union. A smart future for Ploiesti", organised at the local Oil and Gas University.Iohannis reiterated that people with criminal issues should not be at the state's helm."You know very well how I see things and how I exposed them last year's autumn, when I said very clearly that it is wrong to have people with criminal issues leading the state because this is the result: they get there and want to protect their own skin and not the Romanian's skin and then such circus-like situations occur, when all grown-up people come and say out loud such nonsense as the parallel state thing, victimise themselves and so on and so forth, when their target is in fact to protect themselves," Iohannis affirmed.He explained that there are major differences between the approaches of the Power and the Opposition but these, however don't imply the existence of a parallel state."There are indeed, several centres promoting different political concepts and if we think it through, we have political forces in power and political forces in the opposition. It is obvious that there are major approach differences between them but that doesn't mean we are dealing with a parallel state. We have divergent political approaches and as long as we have a live democracy in Romania, it sounds ok to me," the head of state completed.
Romania's IT industry could grow at an annual pace of 9 percent until 2025 and cooperation among the relevant entities is the key to the future, president of the Smart Alliance cluster Gabriel Munteanu told the Smart Alliance Innovation Summit on Thursday.
"Apart from being the largest and most innovative entity in Bucharest, the Smart Alliance cluster represents innovation. The idea of a collaborative cluster, of collaborative business is iconic for the future. If we don't cooperate, we will have issues. In 2016 the cluster recorded 42.1 million euro, 765 employees and 2,200 projects carried out. Estimates show that until 2025 we will have a 9 percent increase per year for Romania's IT segment. This year we are talking about a drop in the market, but Smart Alliance members are growing by 30 percent a year, which is incredible," Munteanu said.Smart Alliance - Innovation Technology Cluster organized on Thursday the second edition of the SMART Alliance Innovation Summit, the largest event dedicated to the presentation of solutions created by Romanian IT & C experts to address the issues of the business sector.The event brings together over 55 Romanian and global companies, professional associations and civil society representatives; 25 local and international speakers will address the audience in the panels: SMART Education Debate, SMART City Debate, SMART Innovation and SMART GDPR Debate.The event also features an exhibition area for the show of dozens of state-of-the-art technologies that can make a difference and take a private company or public authority from their current condition to efficiency. The global exhibitors present include Asus, Bitdefender, Canon, Lenovo, Eaton, Epson, Samsug and Zebra.SMART Alliance Innovation Summit is the only event intended for Romanian business people and public administrators who understand that innovation has become the engine of any successful approach, the organizers note.
AGERPRES .
Suspended ex-chief of Ukraine's Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov has said the case against him is a farce and declared his innocence, saying he would fight the charges in Ukrainian and European courts.
"The National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has no evidence and can have no evidence of guilt. The case against is an opportunity for society at large to learn that I am innocent of all charges," Nasirov said on Thursday during a press conference in the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Nasirov expressed disappointment that there is no anti-corruption court in Ukraine currently, saying NABU would lose the case against him and then appeal the verdict to a higher court.
"Maybe that's their plan, to wreck everything in order to have the opportunity later to say, 'Some one interfered,'" Nasirov said, noting that case materials against him contain no proof and are just waste paper.
As earlier reported, NABU suspects Nasirov of committing crimes pursuant to Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misuse of public office leading to serious consequences).
Kyiv's Solomiansky District Court on March 7 remanded Nasirov in custody for 60 days and set bail at UAH 100 million. Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), meanwhile, requested the court set bail at UAH 2 billion.
On March 16, SAPO said Nasirov and his wife had posted UAH 100 million bail.
On May 30, NABU turned down Nasirov's request to leave Ukraine for medical treatment.
Kyiv's District Solomiansky District Court on June 2 turned down a request by Nasirov to change the terms of his pretrial detention.
NABU detectives and SAPO agents filed a motion to recover UAH 100 million bail from Nasirov because he did not turn in his British passport. The court rejected the motion and its decision cannot be appealed.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his Polish colleague Andrzej Duda plan to visit Kharkiv in the middle of December, governor of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Yulia Svitlychna has reported.
"Kharkiv is becoming a good platform for strengthening bilateral relations between Ukraine and Poland. For the second year in a row we have been holding a Ukrainian-Polish forum on the development of local self-government. Thanks to our Polish partners. The cooperation between Ukraine and Poland is strengthening, and no provocations are capable of disrupting our friendly peoples. In the middle of December, we expect the visit of two presidents of Ukraine and Poland - to Kharkiv," the press service of Kharkiv Regional State Administration quoted Svitlychna as saying at the opening of the second Polish-Ukrainian Forum of Local Self-Government in Kharkiv on Thursday.
The Polish-Ukrainian forum of local self-government is held in Kharkiv for the second year in a row. Participation in it is traditionally taken by the leaders of Ukrainian merged communities and Polish municipalities, as well as experts, diplomats and representatives of business of both countries.
The initiators and organizers of the forum are the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, the Kharkiv Center for Local Self-Government Development, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Kharkiv, the NGO Polish-Ukrainian Agrarian Association, the 'U-LEAD Program with Europe' and the Solidarity International Foundation.
About 400 representatives of local self-government bodies, state authorities and public organizations of Kharkiv region, as well as representatives of delegations from seven regions of Ukraine, Ukrainian and Polish business and expert circles will take part in the forum.
Earlier, Poroshenko and Duda in a telephone conversation discussed the forthcoming working visit of the Polish president to Kharkiv in December this year.
CLAYTON Washington University's food service workers approved their first union contract Wednesday night.
The more than 300 employees of Bon Appetit, the university's food service provider, had voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 earlier this year.
On Wednesday employees approved a three-year contract with UFCW Local 655, according to a news release. The contract, which is effective immediately, was adopted with about 54 percent approval.
It includes raises of 11 to 14 percent over the contract's life, additional vacation days, more funeral leave, improvements to overtime rules, and guaranteed "show-up" pay, according to the news release. "Show-up" pay, or "adequate work," guarantees employees receive at least partial pay when they report to work but are dismissed early by employers.
The contract also gives Bon Appetit workers access to the union's health care and retirement packages.
"We wanted better pay and working conditions that we've worked hard for, and this contract is the result of a lot of hard work," said Gilbert Grisby, a Bon Appetit employee who helped negotiate the contract.
UFCW Local 655 represents more than 10,000 food-service industry employees, most of whom work in the grocery store industry and in food processing facilities.
Bon Appetit Management Co., based in Palo Alto, Calif., has provided dining services at Washington University for more than 15 years.
Theres a consensus aborning: There should be zero tolerance for sexual harassment, exploitation and violence of any kind. Enthusiasm for the new dawn varies widely. Some think its a great feminist or moral awakening. Others see an era of witch hunts, prudery and weaponized politics in our future.
Put me down for all of the above.
As a conservative, this seems natural to me. Almost every good thing comes with a downside, and virtually every bad thing comes with an upside.
Weve seen cultural, political and religious awakenings before. The abolition movement also brought with it John Brown. Prohibition had some positive (though hotly debated) effects on public health, and the temperance movement helped pave the way for womens suffrage. Anti-communism was a good thing in my book, but no one can honestly dispute that it had its unfortunate excesses.
Whenever popular passion swamps politics, true-believing zealots and opportunistic demagogues will exploit that passion. The zealots will overreach. The demagogues will demagogue using a good cause to destroy political enemies and defend unworthy allies.
Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore is credibly accused by nine women of preying on teenagers, one as young as 14. Harvey Weinstein is credibly accused by at least 50 women of a long list of offenses, including rape. Democratic Sen. Al Franken has been accused by two women of inappropriate advances or groping.
These are just the recent lowlights. A host of prominent journalists as well as Hollywood actors, writers and producers have been accused of varying degrees of misconduct.
We shouldnt stand for any of it. And yet, the severity of our intolerance should run on a spectrum. Rape should put you in jail. Making a pass at a subordinate in the workplace should have consequences. Making one at a bar? It depends. Taking harassment seriously also requires making serious distinctions.
The problem is that the logic of zero tolerance often renders every bad act as equally unacceptable.
As much as I dislike Franken, making a gross pass at an adult woman is different from molesting a 14-year-old girl. Groping a womans backside is not the same thing as raping a woman. And yet Frankens name is routinely listed alongside Moores and Weinsteins. Some of this leveling is simply journalistic laziness. But a lot of it is partisan demagoguery and opportunism.
Partisanship also leads to what you might call anti-leveling: people who ignore wrongdoing on their side even as they attack their enemies.
Some Republicans insist that Franken must resign but say that the people of Alabama should decide what to do about Moore. (Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders says the people of Minnesota should determine Frankens fate.)
When asked why people should judge the accusations against Moore and President Trump differently than accusations against Franken and others, the White House says Moore and Trumps denials inoculate them from condemnation or any practical consequences.
Denials should matter, and accusations absent additional evidence should invite skepticism. But the upshot here is that alleged miscreants should simply deny rather than admit wrongdoing and apologize. According to this logic, Bill Clinton deserved the benefit of every doubt until he was finally forced by the evidence to admit (some of) his misdeeds.
Worse, implicit to the White House argument is that on-the-record testimony from victims doesnt count as evidence, even when corroborated by testimony from confidantes.
But the most dangerous and corrupting force in all of this is not the weaponization of bad behavior, but the weaponization of hypocrisy. The pastor Franklin Graham even argues that the real villains are Moores critics, who are guilty of doing much worse than what Moore has supposedly done.
This obsession with hypocrisy leads to a repugnant immorality. In an effort to defend members of their team, partisans end up defending the underlying behavior itself. After all, you can only be a hypocrite if you violate some principle you preach. If you ditch the principle, you can dodge the hypocrisy charge. Were seeing this happen in real time with some of Moores defenders, just as we saw it with Clintons in the 1990s.
Well sort it all out eventually, but not before it gets even uglier.
Jonah Goldberg
Copyright Tribune Content Agency
Now 21st century U.S. citizens know what the 18th century American patriots felt like when they were taxed without representation.
H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was introduced on Nov. 2 and voted on Nov. 16. There has been no major tax reform in this country since 1986, and the House of Representatives only had two weeks to consider the final version of the bill and vote on it. There was no time for discussion with the public, and members of Congress feel that they can now go home to their families for Thanksgiving without the ordeal of having to explain their vote to their constituents.
This tax bill impacts every American regardless of political party, but their constituents input was not requested nor permitted. H.R. 1 was rushed through so fast that it is possible that many of the representatives had no chance to review it or analyze it. It is the job of our representatives to represent their constituents, but they cant do that if constituents arent given a chance to provide input.
All congressional representatives (but particularly local ones in Southern Illinois, Mike Bost, John Shimkus and Rodney Davis) should use their Thanksgiving break to hold town halls face-to-face with their constituents to explain the bill to them and get their input. Even if the vote has already happened, there will be more negotiations reconciling with the Senate bill.
We deserve to hear directly from our representatives about this legislation (not through social media) and have the chance to influence the final outcome.
Barbara Scott Edwardsville
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) is investigating criminal proceedings on illegal privatization of part of the building of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, the then former head of the Kyiv branch of the State Property Fund (SPF) and incumbent SPF Head Vitaliy Trubarov was interrogated as part of the case, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said.
"The PGO is investigating the case on illegal privatization of part of the building of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry in January 2013 The then head of the Kyiv branch of the SPF, Trubarov, who now serves as head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, was interrogated yesterday," he wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.
According to Lutsenko, the agriculture minister [at that time the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry was headed by Mykola Prysiazhniuk] and his protege "decided to create a beer restaurant right in the premises of the ministry on Khreshchatyk Street, of course, for nothing."
"They acted through a lease scheme with the right of privatization, subject to improvement of the premises. Of course, the repair work was only on paper. These papers were needed to sign an illegal transaction on the purchase and sale of public premises to a private company," Lutsenko said.
As for Trubarov, it was he who did not carry out the specified control measures and signed the illegal contract.
According to Lutsenko, on November 22, Trubarov had to be detained, but "the law provides for the transfer of such a case and a notice of suspicion to the NABU, and it was done so."
The prosecutor general's press secretary, Larysa Sarhan, said that, according to the notice of suspicion, Trubarov, "through his willful actions, which resulted in abuse of office, that is deliberate use of office, in the interests of third parties, in defiance of the interests of the service, which entailed grave consequences for state interests, committed a criminal offense under Part 2, Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine."
As reported, in June 2017, former Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk and two others persons were notified of the suspicion in illegal privatization and legalization of the premises belonging to the ministry, with an area of 516.6 square meters at 24 Khreshchatyk Street in Kyiv. The case is investigated under Part 2, Article 364 (as amended on April 7, 2011), Part 3, Part 5, Article 27, Part 2, Article 233, and Part 3, Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
Prysiazhniuk has been on the wanted list since the spring of 2014.
The American press has historically been able to shape many national policies. The presence of this influence caused the press to become accustomed to wielding unchallenged and immense power unchallenged that is, until the commencement of the 2016 presidential election cycle.
One man, in the person of Donald Trump, is single-handedly leading the charge to dramatically shift power from the American press to the American people. Succinctly stated, the issue we face today is not about Republican or Democrat politics. We are actually living in an era where the power of the American press is being diminished by the ballot box.
The American media is losing its power because it denies one simple principle: truth will ultimately win out over deception and "fake news." The American press, in its arrogance and willingness to blatantly distort the truth, is now quickly sliding into a state of social and political oblivion.
As the media continue to attack President Trump, be aware of the real issue. President Trump is being relentlessly attacked by the press not because of his policies, but because he champions a compound principle of American democracy: the principle that truth and power are immutably interrelated. As we are now witnessing, when an overwhelmingly large segment of the press consistently disregards the truth, the people will strip the press of its power.
The American press is bent upon destroying President Trump because he represents a direct and tangible threat to its power.
Chris Tabing Coulterville, Ill.
The Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine has scheduled the hearing of a lawsuit by the leader of the Movement of New Forces and former Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, against President Petro Poroshenko, in which he demands that the decree depriving him of Ukrainian citizenship be found unlawful and annulled, for December 21.
"The hearing of the lawsuit has been scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on December 21," the court's press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
Poroshenko signed a decree depriving Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship in July. On September 10, Saakashvili crossed into Ukraine from Poland accompanied by his supporters, who effectively broke through the border. Saakashvili said on October 25 that he had obtained documents on his deprivation of citizenship from the Ukrainian presidential office and was determined to appeal them.
On November 3, the Higher Administrative Court opened proceedings on Saakashvili's lawsuit against Poroshenko, in which the former asked the court to annul the presidential decree on terminating his Ukrainian citizenship. The hearing was set for November 22.
Saakashvili's lawyer Ruslan Chornolutsky said on November 20 that the system of appointment of judges was tampered with while the court was appointing a panel to hear his client's lawsuit. The Higher Administrative Court denied the allegation, insisting that "there was no and cannot be any tampering with the automated system of the distribution of judicial cases in the Higher Administrative Court."
It was reported on November 21 that the Higher Administrative Court had canceled the hearing scheduled for November 22, as the judge to whom the case was originally assigned had been transferred to another job.
Stratford AC's Roger Wilson, right, and Phil Brennan, left, on their way to team gold.
EVERGREEN duo Phil Brennan and Roger Wilson helped England claim a team gold in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International in Derry on Saturday.
Stratford AC supplied half of the four-man England M75 team with Wilson defending the title he won last year and Brennan representing England for the first time.
Competitors from all of the masters age group categories arrived in Northern Ireland for the 30th running of the event.
The 6k course, which was heavily waterlogged in places, was in three laps and at the end of the first lap the four leaders were in contact with each other.
Les Haynes (England) was in the lead, Gordon Orme (Wales) was second followed by Brennan and Wilson.
For the rest of the race, the positions were unchanged, but the gaps widened, and the finishing times were Haynes (28.00) Orme, (28.21), Brennan, (29.35) and Wilson (29.51).
With three of the first four to finish, the England team scored a comprehensive victory over the other nations, while Brennan also picked up an individual bronze on his England debut.
Brennan said: Although everyone we met, particularly from the host nation, was amazingly friendly, the awards ceremony was almost as challenging as the race.
It was a celebration dinner with 500 people present and including speeches from Northern Irish dignitaries and famous athletes.
We were the last category to get called to the podium, at well past 11pm, but the reception we got made up for it.
Shottery St Andrews School choir sang at the Stratford Christmas lights switch-on on Thursday.
THE Shottery St Andrew's Primary School choir performed at the Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas lights today, Thursday.
They were accompanied by the Kings Brass band from King Edward VI School.
After the Mayor, Cllr Victoria Alcock, switched on the lights, Father Christmas made an appearance on the town hall balcony to wave to the crowds before going to his grotto.
Like last year the town council has decided to simulate snow showers at the town hall rather than opting for fireworks, though this year two more powerful machines were used to create an even more spectacular display.
The Tree of Light at Market Cross on Bridge Street was switched on at the same time as the main lights were switched on at 4.30pm. This change has been made for security reasons and because the Christmas Market is now located down on Waterside so vehicles will still be using Bridge Street.
The market will run for five Thursday in the run-up to Christmas, from 10am to 8pm on each of these dates, with 80 stallholders selling food, craft items, antiques, cosmetics traditional Christmas gifts and much more, set to attend.
A Victorian Market also takes place in Stratford this year, on 8th, 9th and 10th December, in Kineton this Friday, 24th November, in Warwick on Thursday, 30th November, and in Shipston on Friday, 1st December.
For our Whats On Guide for the week ahead, see Thursdays Herald.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko during an audience with King of Belgium Philippe thanked him for political support and noted the intensification of economic relations between the two countries.
"Petro Poroshenko thanked the King for the political support, solidarity and practical assistance to Ukraine in countering the external aggression, the interlocutors noted the intensification of economic bilateral relations, and expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation within international organizations," the Ukrainian president's press service reported.
Poroshenko expressed the hope that Belgium will continue to support Ukraine on the path of integration into the European Union, as well as back the policy of sanctions until the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In the context of paying tribute to the victims of the man-made famine Holodomor of 1932-1933 on the 85th anniversary of the tragedy, he stressed the importance of recognizing the Holodomor as a crime against the Ukrainian people.
Poroshenko also invited King Philippe to visit Ukraine at his convenience.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said that at his meetings in Brussels, Belgium, he raises the issue of crimes of the Russian authorities in the occupied Crimea, where on Thursday after police searches a 82-year-old Crimean Tatar woman died.
"Today, 82-year-old Vedzhiye Kashka, a veteran of the Crimean Tatar movement, died by the hand of Russian invaders in Crimea. The invaders tried to arrest the elderly woman but her heart failed," Klimkin wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday.
The minister noted that he is currently in Brussels, and "the issue of arrests and other crimes of the Russian occupation regime in Crimea is raised at each meeting."
"Russia must get out of Ukraine and stop this lawlessness! We and the entire civilized world are working to achieve this," Klimkin stressed.
Poroshenko happy with cooperation with Azerbaijan in energy sector
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have discussed cooperation in the energy sector, infrastructure projects and privatization issues.
The meeting of the two presidents took place within the framework of Poroshenko's working visit to Brussels (Belgium), the press service of the Ukrainian president reported on Thursday.
"The Ukrainian president has positively assessed the implementation of the agreements reached at the level of leaders of the countries, in particular, the good level of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector," the report reads.
Poroshenko also noted the importance of Ukrainian-Azerbaijani cooperation in infrastructure projects, mutual support of investments, as well as cooperation in privatization matters.
"The two discussed issues of political cooperation, development of economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as cooperation within international organizations," the report reads.
Poroshenko and Aliyev agreed with the need to expand trade and economic cooperation between the states.
On November 24, Brussels will host the Eastern Partnership summit.
Speaking to more than 200 people at the Tauranga Yacht Club, Opposition Leader Bill English talked about what he thought the current government is doing wrong.
He began by saying he thought he was the only politician in New Zealand to hold his present position twice.
Therefore Im the only one qualified to tell you the Leader of the Opposition office looks different to 15 years ago, he said during his visit in Tauranga yesterday.
Former Prime Ministers Walter Nash and Robert Muldoon both served two stints as Leader of the Opposition although neither of them were 15 years apart.
Bill went on to say the National Party did pretty well in the last election.
Not well enough, but pretty well, particularly after three terms.
Fantastic turnout in Tauranga yesterday and the city put on a beaut day with the weather. pic.twitter.com/NlXx6Cyoj7 Bill English (@RtHonBEnglish) November 22, 2017
He also discussed how in 1999 and 2008, most voters agreed there was a mood for change, but that the middle ground did not vote for change in 2017.
You find the new government is now implementing a range of policies some people wanted, but, broadly, not many people wanted.
Bill went on to criticise the governments $1 billion regional development fund.
I can tell you is going to waste the time of your local council for years.
It is a bit pathetic actually to see the sheer enjoyment of government ministers sitting there with their billion dollar bag of lollies, watching everybody line up and waiting to be Father Christmas handing it out.
What we need in Tauranga is to continue with the roading programme Simon Bridges outlined.
He concluded by saying he is proud of National having left government with a sense of confidence.
Of course, we will be listening to the public. If you lose, youve lost. But it does feel a lot better than 1999, or how the Labour Party must have felt in 2008.
Todays weather forecast is for a fine day with light winds and sea breezes.
Its a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 22 and an overnight low of 15 degrees. Humidity is 84 per cent.
High tide is at 11am and low tide is at 5.10pm. Sea temperature is 17 degrees. Theres an average sea swell of about 0.3m and sunset tonight is at 8.08pm.
If youre going fishing today the best fish bite time is between 3.30 and 5.30pm.
This day in NZ history in 1947 the civic funeral for 41 Ballantynes fire victims in Christchurch was held. In 1986 Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in a windy Wellington.
In world history on this day in 1921 President Warren G. Harding signed the anti-beer bill. It forbade doctors to prescribe beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.
In 1942 the film Casablanca premiered in New York City. in 1990 the first all-woman expedition to the South Pole set off from Antarctica on the first part of a 70-day trip; the group included 12 Russians, three Americans and one Japanese.
On this day in 1992 the first Smartphone, IBMs Simon, was introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Today is the birthday of poet and writer Gloria Whelan. She was born in 1923 and said "What doesnt die is the love we give to others. There is no end to that.
To get involved in events and activities, first check out our Whats On page.
Have a great day!
A dive squad has joined the ongoing search for a Rotorua fisherman, who has been missing since Monday night.
Police say the 24-year-old man was one of three people on board a dinghy that capsized off the Bowentown Entrance to Tauranga Harbour earlier this week.
A 28-year-old man and a 10-year-old child were washed ashore on Monday night and were treated by ambulance, after they were found by a local fisherman.
Police say divers have now joined the search and rescue efforts.
The search for the fisherman is ongoing, says a police spokesperson.
The dive squad was delayed yesterday but were on scene late yesterday afternoon. They will be diving again today.
Other organisations involved in the search includes the New Zealand Defence Force who deployed the HMNZS Taupo yesterday, two rescue helicopters, Coastguard and police.
Called the UR-210 Dubai, the one-of-a-kind watch is the brainchild of Urwerk co-founder Felix Baumgartner, who was so captivated by his first visit to Dubai in 2007, which he described as a maddening, yet tantalizing megacity, that he decided to mark the impression it made on him.
The engraving on the watch tries to capture the character of the city through its intricate patterns and mosaic that are found on Dubais ancient middle-eastern places of worship and royal palaces.
The UR-210 Dubai is engraved from the case to the tip of the bracelet making one seamless piece of artwork which took more than 300 hours to complete.
The watch runs on caliber UR-7.10 that has the patented revolving satellite complication with wandering hours and three-dimensional retrograde minutes hand. It has a power reserve of 39 hours.
The unique Urwerk watch debuted at the recent Dubai Watch Week, which ran from 16 20 November.
Urwerk was founded in 1995 by watchmaker brothers Felix and Thomas Baumgartner and artist Martin Frei.
When answering to the evolving desires of today, for Burger's American client base is no different to the rest of the world. Something the company pride themselves upon is offering yacht owners the ability to bring their unique desires in customisation to life.
"To answer the demands of our clients, we offer full-custom build, to customise and implement ideas in that design." shares Ron Cleveringa, Vice President Sales & Marketing. "We can start from scratch bringing in their own designer, or work with our team to create something very specific to their needs."
With such a high level of customisation for clients, it is breaking away from tradition is something American clients, in particular, are open to, seen fundamentally by Burger Boats new product line the Burger Cruiser.
"While yacht clients traditionally have been very conservative, we're seeing people much more aggressive in their thought process and what they're looking for in their boats." shares Ron Cleveringa.
When it comes to answering new desires, this couldn't be more evident than the growing market demographic, marking a shift in the Burger Boat client now, more than ever before.
Ron Cleveringa adds; "The demographic is definitely shifting within the custom yacht market. We're seeing younger people getting involved, interest from younger groups and it's a good thing. It brings a whole new generation to the idea of custom yacht building."
With this shifting demand, the product line at Burger follows suit, marking what could be a whole new generation for Burger Boats; "Yesterday we introduced the Burger Cruiser. It starts at 48ft and goes up to however large you're looking for. This boat will help introduce burger to a whole new generation of yacht owners." shares Ron Cleveringa.
"That's breaking the rulebook in Burger's perspective, introducing a whole new product for a whole new generation!" a statement that reflects a real exciting transition for the builders.
Admitting there is a pent-up demand for bigger boats, custom builds, in particular, Ron states "I definitely think it will mark a whole new era for Burger." proving a revolutionary period is in the works for a brand synonymous with traditional, and credible, American heritage.
Christmas kicks off in Malaga this Friday evening from 6.30pm. The Christmas lights around the city centre will be officially switched on at 7.30pm. The main lights in Calle Larios are inspired by Malaga cathedral, featuring replicas of the domes, arches, and stained glass windows. The spectacular structure has been put up by the Ximenez illumination company. In total, 1,806,679 light bulbs have been installed around Malaga, with eight additional streets being decorated this year. There is also an 18-metre-high tree made of 59,940 LED lights in the Plaza de la Constitucion.
According to the councillor for festivals and services in Malaga, Teresa Porras, the lights in Malaga have cost around 800,000 euros. However she described the Christmas lights as something which generates jobs and economic movement, as they attract tourists to Malaga to do their Christmas shopping and eat out. Porras does not believe there will be any negative impact on the local businesses, she points out the more people that come, the more they will sell.
To further encourage people to do their Christmas shopping in the city centre, the light and sound show from last year will take place again. In the run-up to Christmas, at 6.30 and 9.30pm people in the centre of Malaga will hear Feliz Navidad by Boney M, Christmas Festival by the Boston Pops Orchestra, and Wizards in Winter by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra played for two to three minutes as the 'cathedral' of ilghts in Calle Larios flash in time.
The Christmas lights switch-on has become a busy event in Malaga; according to Teresa Porras, a few years ago the illumination would be attended by just a handful of people. We wanted to create something that people would want to come to. So we thought up the lights spectacle in the Plaza de la Constitucion; it was a huge success, and since then, more and more people have come. Now everyone in Malaga takes part in the switching on of the Christmas lights.
On Monday, November 27, at 12.30, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference "Checks of cash register discipline and cash payments. The modern practice of introduction of fiscal cash registers for payments based on the legislation passed back in the 90's." The participants include Head of Kyiv Center for Business Support and Development Dmytro Harny; tax consultant at Kyiv Center for Business Support and Development Oleksandra Tomashevska; adviser at the Institute of Social and Economic Transformation, participant of the working group under the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine on the use of cash registers Andriy Panasiuk; director of a department of the regional network Electrum Payment Systems LTD Ihor Diadiura (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. More information by phone (044) 362-24-37 (Oleksandra Tomashevska).
Spearhead Trails announces the total economic activity of the new Off-Road Trails from 2013 through June 2017 is estimated to range between $18.6 million and $21.8 million. Last fiscal years total economic activity was $9 million- contributing to Virginias gross domestic product by $5.3 Million. Projections of total economic activity for the current fiscal year are estimated as $15.2 million statewide supporting 168 full time jobs with a projected increase to $22.2 million supporting 250 full time jobs in 2019. These results were reported in an economic impact study funded by Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Spearhead Trails operates five trail systems, which represent 400 miles of ATV and multiuse trails. Total economic activity from the trails have supported $528,000 in state and local taxes, and is estimated to exceed $1.5 million by 2019. Overnight travelers take an average of five trips per year staying 3.6 days in Virginia. They travel in groups with an average travel party size of 3.1 persons spending $262 per person.
The entire Southwest Virginia legislative delegation, comprised of Senators Carrico and Chafin, and Delegates Kilgore, Pillion, Morefield, and OQuinn, has worked tirelessly to secure funding for Spearhead Trails from the General Assembly, Tobacco Commission, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. Buchanan, Wise, Lee, Dickenson, and Tazewell Counties as well as the City of Norton and the Town of St. Paul also contributed funds to help operate and maintain the trails.
In addition, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Tim Kaine, and Congressman Morgan Griffith have supported the development of the trails with federal funds through various programs including ARC Grants, ARC Power Grants, and Recreational Trails Program funds.
The development of the Spearhead Trails is the perfect example of how new tourism product can breathe new life into our communities through jobs, tax revenue, and economic revitalization, said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. Tourism is a critical component of Virginias economy, and the Spearhead Trails are an important part of that story. We look forward to the continued growth of the trails and its contribution to this wonderful region of the Commonwealth.
"There is no doubt that Spearhead Trails continues to be an economic engine for Southwest Virginia leading to job creation and new growth. Spearhead Trails is a success story for the region as a central focus of the outdoor and adventure tourism industries. I will continue to be an avid supporter in the General Assembly. As we approach the upcoming session and look for more funding for the trail system, it is clear that Spearhead Trails is a good investment for Southwest Virginia and the Commonwealth." Stated Senator Ben Chafin
"This study confirms the positive impact we know Spearhead not only has locally, but on our regional and state economy as well. The jobs and revenue created by Spearhead and other local businesses are an example of how economic diversification is at work in Southwest Virginia. These trails are a tremendous asset and I look forward to continued growth and success in the years to come, stated Delegate Todd Pillion
There will be a town hall presentation in Haysi, VA on December 4th at 6:00 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and make comments.
For more information on the study, please visit: https://www.spearheadtrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SRRA_ImpactStudy2017-Final.pdf
Jonathan Diaz and his dog, Frankie.
ONONDAGA, N.Y. -- The Diaz family spent last Thanksgiving in a hospital room saying goodbye to their son.
Jonathan Diaz, 26, was shot outside an Armory Square bar in Syracuse around 1 a.m. Nov. 24, 2016. By the time his parents and fiance got to the hospital, he was already gone.
Medical examiners still needed to collect evidence, so Dr. Felipe Diaz and Evelyn Diaz couldn't kiss or hold their son. The most they could do, Felipe Diaz said, was touch his head.
The rest of Thanksgiving passed in a fog of grief, Felipe Diaz said. The meal the family had spent days preparing did not get eaten.
This year, the family will celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time without their youngest son. His absence -- along with the painful memory of his death -- will be impossible for his family to ignore.
"The fact that it happened on Thanksgiving is an irony," said Felipe Diaz, his father. "You think about, 'What do I have to be grateful for?' "
The Diazes sat down with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard inside their town of Onondaga home to reflect on the first anniversary of their son's death. They also discussed the acquittal of the man who fatally shot their son.
And in a year marked by loss, the Diazes shared what they are thankful for: When their son died, he was not alone.
Syracuse police put up tape around a portion of 100 Walton St. early Thanksgiving morning on Nov. 24, 2016 after the fatal shooting of Jonathan Diaz.
Jonathan Diaz went to Armory Square the night before the Thanksgiving with a group of lifelong friends.
Diaz was in Corner Bar when he encountered Sangsouriyanh Maniphonh -- the husband of Diaz's former romantic partner.
Maniphonh confronted Diaz, beginning an argument that turned into a scuffle. After Maniphonh head-butted Diaz, both men were pulled apart by bouncers and kicked out of the bar.
The men were let out of the bar through separate doors. But they met up again on Walton Street.
During a short altercation, Maniphonh shot Diaz twice in the chest. He also shot himself in the hand.
Quintez "Tez" Thomas helped his wounded friend stand up and asked him if he was OK, he later told his friend's parents. Diaz replied that he wasn't OK. Then, he collapsed.
Strangers rushed over and tried to help Diaz. Lauren Ward, a bystander who happened to be one of Evelyn Diaz's former medical students, gave Diaz CPR.
Felipe Diaz is thankful, he said, that his son spent his last moment with a friend.
"My gratitude is that the last face he saw was someone that cared about and loved him, not the killer," he said, pausing to choke back tears.
In a wavering voice, Evelyn Diaz agreed.
"I thank them to the end of time," she said. "I didn't want him to be alone."
Felipe and Evelyn Diaz open up on Nov. 21, 2017, on how they are picking up the pieces of their lives after the death of their son, Jonathan, last Thanksgiving in Armory Square. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Evelyn and Felipe Diaz hoped a trial would give them closure. But their son did not receive justice, they said.
Maniphonh was arrested minutes after the shooting and charged with murder. Seven months after the deadly shooting, his murder trial began.
The prosecution argued Maniphonh murdered Diaz in a jealous rage. Chief Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle told the jury Maniphonh intended to kill Diaz, who did not have a weapon.
The defense argued Maniphonh was afraid for his life and acted in self-defense when he shot Diaz. While testifying in his own defense, Maniphonh said he was tackled to the ground outside the bar and attacked by what felt like more than one person.
An Onondaga County jury found Maniphonh not guilty of murder.
The verdict shocked the Diaz family. After hearing the evidence and watching a police surveillance video that captured the seconds before the shooting, Felipe Diaz said he doesn't understand how the jury could believe Maniphonh was acting in self-defense.
Felipe Diaz said the verdict feels like an indictment of his son. That is hard for him to accept.
"He dies. His life is taken," the father said. "What does he get for it? According to the jury, he deserved it."
The Diazes also feel like they never got a chance to defend their son's character.
Jonathan Diaz worked as a teacher at the Redhouse Arts Center. Four days before his death, he took an exam to become a Syracuse police officer and did well, his father said.
Felipe Diaz said his son couldn't walk away from stray animals. Seven of the nine cats he adopted still live at his parents' home.
"This is the kid with the biggest heart," Felipe Diaz said of his son. "He was a kind individual, a good soul."
Jonathan Diaz, left, poses with his nephew, Anthony Rivera, and parents, Felipe and Evelyn Diaz.
The Diazes are still learning to live in a world without their youngest son.
"Does it get any easier?" Evelyn Diaz asked. "I don't know. I'll find out."
The parents have kept busy. Felipe Diaz is the chief medical officer at Syracuse Community Health Center. Evelyn Diaz works as a nurse at Syracuse's Danforth Middle School, a part-time nurse at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and a teacher at Bryant & Stratton College.
There have been a few bright moments for the Diaz family in the past year.
The Diazes' second grandchild -- a boy -- was born. He was named in honor of the uncle he will never get to meet.
Evelyn Diaz said her faith in God has helped her heal. She is looking forward to a service that will be held Sunday morning at Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church in memory of her son.
In the past year, Felipe Diaz said he has had to dig deep to find a sense of gratitude.
"We had him for 26 years," he said. "We benefited from that person, that soul, that human being for 26 years."
And that, Felipe Diaz said, is what he is grateful for.
Special worship service for Jonathan Diaz
When: 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 26
Where: Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church, 4797 Makyes Road, Syracuse
What: A service will be held in memory of Jonathan Diaz. After the service, refreshments will be served.
Budweiser has confirmed its plans to send barley seeds to the International Space Station early next month. The company intends to study how the seeds would react in a unique "microgravity environment."
Budweiser Joins Forces With CASIS And Space Tango
Back in March at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, Budweiser revealed its future plans to become the first beer company to brew beer on Mars. In order to make this happen, the company has joined forces with the Center for Advancement of Science in Space and Space Tango.
CASIS is responsible for managing the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory while Space Tango is a private payload development company that runs two research facilities in the National Lab.
"Budweiser is always pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are inspired by the collective American Dream to get to Mars," said Ricardo Marques, Budweiser's vice president. "We are excited to begin our research to brew beer for the red planet."
Budweiser To Send Barley Seeds Into Space
Together, the team plans to send 20 barley seeds on a SpaceX CRS-13 rocket that will launch on Dec. 4 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The barley seeds will then arrive at the International Space Station, where they will be used in two experiments.
Two Experiments
The first experiment will focus on how barley seeds would react when they are exposed to extended microgravity while the second experiment will study how the seeds would grow in zero gravity.
The barley seeds, which are one of the four main ingredients of Budweiser's beer, will be kept in the space station for around 30 days. After that, they will be brought back to Earth where they will be analyzed.
According to Budweiser, the experiments will offer new insights on how to make beer effectively on the red planet. They could also provide valuable information on barley production on Earth.
Beer In Space
One of the major challenges humans will face when it comes to brewing beer on Mars, according to retired astronaut Clayton Anderson, is the lack of gravity. He said that, unlike on Earth, when a person pops open a Budweiser on Mars, the pressure inside the bottle would be notably higher and one would likely need to clean everything.
Aside from the gravity, another challenge would be how to gain access to another main ingredient for beer, which is water.
2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) Over 56% of Ukrainian citizens polled support Ukraine's accession to the European Union, and more than 43% back the country's joining NATO, according to the results of a survey that were presented at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on November 22.
According to the poll, 43.2% of respondents would have voted for Ukraine's accession to NATO if the referendum took place in the near future. At the same time, 33.3% oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO, 10.4% would not take part in such a referendum, and 13% were undecided.
Ukraine's accession to the European Union would have been supported by 56.2%. Some 24.6% of respondents are against Ukraine's accession to the EU, 9.6% would not participate in the referendum on accession to the EU, and the same percentage of respondents could not answer.
The survey was conducted by the Socis Center for Social and Marketing Research, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the Rating Sociological Group and the Razumkov Center from October 28 to November 14, 2017. A total of 20,000 respondents were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine, except for Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The poll's margin of error does not exceed 0.7%.
KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) A government order suspending Roman Nasirov as head of the State Fiscal Service (SFS) of Ukraine is unconstitutional, he legally remains the SFS head, and the president should restore his constitutional rights, according to his lawyers.
"We cannot rule out that criminal proceedings against Roman Nasirov were ordered and were part of a plan, on the one hand, to discredit the authorities and, on the other hand, to remove Roman Nasirov from the post of head of the State Fiscal Service," lawyer Liubomyr Drozdovsky said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
After announcing a joint statement of Nasirov's defense team, the lawyer recalled that on March 3, 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers removed him from his duties as SFS head.
"We believe that the Cabinet of Ministers, under an unlawful motion from the finance minister, adopted an unconstitutional act on the removal of Roman Nasirov from fulfilling his duties as head of the State Fiscal Service. In this regard, we believe that the guarantor of the constitution - the president of Ukraine - should restore the constitutional order in the state and stop violating human rights... The president has all the constitutional powers to suspend the Cabinet order... as this act does not comply with the Constitution of Ukraine," he said.
Drozdovsky said that disciplinary proceedings had not been launched and an official investigation had not been conducted with respect to Nasirov, so he could have been removed from the fulfillment of his duties as SFS head only on the grounds stipulated by the Criminal Procedure Code.
"After NABU detectives showed an unlawful notice of suspicion to Nasirov of committing a criminal offense, he could have been removed from office only on the basis of a motion from a NABU detective or a SAPO prosecutor, and the court should have considered it. The Cabinet of Ministers, by adopting an unconstitutional order... went beyond its constitutional powers," the lawyer added.
At the same time, he said that Nasirov was currently the SFS head, since the Cabinet of Ministers had removed him only from the performance of his duties, not from the post itself.
"Nasirov, legally remaining the SFS head, was unconstitutionally deprived of the right to exercise powers in this position. As a result of the unlawful decision by the Cabinet of Ministers, he has been unlawfully suspended from his duties for more than seven months... Given that the issue of unconstitutionality of acts of the Cabinet of Ministers is in the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, we believe that the president of Ukraine as the guarantor of the constitution... should have stopped the violation of human rights," the lawyer said.
Drozdovsky said that prosecutors currently continued to study the materials provided by the defense team, although an indictment was approved on November 10 and the case was sent to court.
According to him, the defense team provided prosecutors with about a hundred volumes of documents, including expert opinions, in which the suspicion brought against Nasirov is completely refuted, and this, according to the lawyer, will become the basis for closing the case due to the absence of the crime.
That is, the lawyer said, the indictment was approved without taking into account the evidence of the defense team about the illegality of the suspicion.
"In our opinion, the main goal of their [NABU's and SAPO's] public statements was to discredit the head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine before the Ukrainian society and the attempt of the leaders of these anti-corruption bodies to create a negative image of the head of a central government agency," he said.
Lawyer Oleksandr Lysak, in turn, said that NABU conducted an examination, on which the charge is based, in a private institution, which cannot serve as evidence.
'BlackBerry KeyTwo' Spotted On Geekbench Featuring Snapdragon 660 And 6GB RAM
A new BlackBerry smartphone has been surfaced on a benchmarking site Geekbench. The upcoming device, which is said to be the successor of BlackBerry KeyOne, appears to come with 6GB RAM and will be known as "BlackBerry KeyTwo."
The Geekbench listing is for a BlackBerry device with the model number BBF100-1, a natural progression for the KeyTwo following this year's BlackBerry KeyOne (BBB100-1) and Motion (BBD100-1). As per the Geekbench listing, the upcoming BlackBerry KeyTwo has scored amazing 1532 on the single-core test and a 4185 on the multi-core test.
The Geekbench listing further reveals that the BlackBerry KeyTwo will come loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo. It will feature 6GB of RAM and will be powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor. Apart from this, the BlackBerry KeyTwo is said to come with QWERTY keyboard and will be equipped with a display of 3:2 aspect ratio with the resolution of 1620x1080 pixels, according to Digit.
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BlackBerry's next-generation smartphone will not even come close matching to the topmost devices of this year like Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. However, it has been seen that upcoming BlackBerry KeyTwo listed on benchmarking sites always undergo some changes, so the final version might be different, as reported by Indian Express.
BlackBerry KeyTwo is expected o arrive soon and it will be a premium mid-end smartphone. The KeyOne had unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, has the iconic physical keyboard below the phone's 4.5-inch touchscreen display. Right now, there are three companies that BlackBerry has licensed the BlackBerry brand to produce and market the smartphone: TCL Communication, Optiemus Infracom, and BB Merah Putih. China's TCL Communication is the major global partner with rights to sell BlackBerry-branded smartphones in the US, UK, the Middle East, Australia, and European markets.
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How can you define nature
Seattle WA (SPX) Nov 22, 2017
Think, for a moment, about the last time you were out in nature. Were you in a city park? At a campground? On the beach? In the mountains? Now consider: What was this place like in your parents' time? Your grandparents'? In many cases, the parks, beaches and campgrounds of today are surrounded by more development, or are themselves more developed, than they were decades ago. But to you, they still feel like nature. That's what University of Washington psychology professor Peter Kahn ca ... read more
Lampton Titus does not like his pacifier.
At almost 5 months old, he's had two surgeries and sometimes stares out the windows from the third floor at Woman's Hospital. He noticeably perks up when Lisa Binder walks into the room, chatters about how big he's growing and nestles with him in a rocking chair.
Binder's title?
The cuddler.
She's one of 22 people in Baton Rouge with one of the most desired and cutest volunteer positions around. Once a week, Binder reports to Woman's Hospital in a magenta smock, walks through a set of automatic doors and scrubs her hands over a sink with the intensity of a surgeon. She paces through the 84-bed neonatal intensive care unit, checking on "Lampy," as they like to call him, and the other babies in the sea creature-themed section of the hospital.
Each baby has his or her own room twins and triplets share with a glass window facing the hallway so nurses and doctors can keep an eye on them.
Womans Hospital gets infant CPR kits funding Womans Hospitals Newborn and Infant Intensive Care Unit is sending infant CPR training kits home with families, thanks to funding from the A
When a baby starts crying or fussing and no parent is around, that's when Binder comes in. She coos and rocks and sings and plays lullabies for them on a Pandora station. She gives pacifiers, redoes swaddles and gets to know the outsized personality of a baby who might weigh roughly the same as an ostrich egg.
Binder has become especially close to Lampton. She knows he likes the tiger stuffed animal attached to his pacifier more than the pacifier itself. He likes his lime-green palm tree mobile and he enjoys when she plays cartoons for him.
Most of all, though, Lampton loves when Binder holds him. Although many babies in the hospital's Newborn and Infant Intensive Care Unit were born premature, Lampton was almost full term, but hospital staff said other medical problems have kept him hospitalized.
Kayla Titus, his mother, said Lampton was born with a heart defect and Down syndrome. He's needed two surgeries in his short life: one on his heart and another to insert a temporary feeding tube.
Titus, who lives in Kentwood and has five other children with her husband Tedd Titus, said the family simply can't be at the hospital around the clock.
"It makes me so happy that they look forward to cuddling with my little man when I can't be there," she said. "I love it. I've met several of them and I'll see them when I'm coming or going. They're all wonderful."
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Binder said she's watched Lampton's improvement while in the hospital. "When he was first born, he didn't have the energy to move much at all," Binder said as she stood rocking the baby in her arms on a recent morning. "He's gotten much, much stronger."
Lampton squirms and kicks, and eyes cameras and strangers talking to him when Binder sits with him on her lap. She tells him he will be ready to go home soon and that his mom must be proud of how big and brave he's become.
Woman's began its cuddler program in 2001, seeing that some hospitals around the nation had them. Babies in the NICU would sometimes cry or seem like they needed attention when medical staff was tied up or working with sicker babies. Parents, too, sometimes had to go to work, spend time with their other children or recover from their own medical problems. Some parents lived out of town and could not visit their babies every day.
Ochsner Medical Center has a similar program called "baby rockers" at its New Orleans hospital.
NICUs in Louisiana are especially important because the state has struggled for years with high premature birthrates.
The state received an F on the March of Dimes' newly released 2017 premature birth report card. The national nonprofit tracks premature births and infant mortality and Louisiana had a 12.6 percent preterm birthrate, according to the report card.
Though doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and physical therapists work with the babies at Woman's to get them well enough to send home, the cuddlers primarily look after a baby's comfort. The premature and sick babies need to expend their energy on getting better and growing not crying and fussing, Binder said.
"They need interaction, especially the babies that are older," said Cherie Burns, a registered nurse in the NICU who routinely looks after Lampton.
Baby steps: Doctor develops electronic medical record for neonatal intensive care units Frustration with an electronic medical record systems limitations pushed Dr. Steven Spedale to develop his own for neonatal intensive care un
Some of the most premature babies, like those born at just 25 weeks, are so fragile and wrapped in wires and monitors that the cuddlers cannot even hold them. But when they cry, a pacifier, a massage or even a light pat on the butt often does the trick.
"These little tiny things, you think, how can you be so gentle?" said Binder, a retired nurse and mother of three now-grown children. "They're like a little piece of glass. But these babies are tough. They're tougher than you think they are."
As endearing as the idea of a "baby cuddler" is, the role is also medically helpful, said Laurel Kitto, the director of the NICU at Woman's. The application process and training are intensive.
The program at Woman's is fully staffed and is not accepting applications for future openings. Binder is the newest of the cuddler crop and joined the team about a year ago. The Opelousas native has lived in Baton Rouge for 35 years, and her husband is an administrator at the hospital whom she sometimes sees when she reports for her volunteer shift.
Binder applied, submitted references, went through multiple rounds of interviews and had a background check, drug screen, health screen, vaccines and more. She listened through rounds of orientation about volunteering at Woman's Hospital, then completed online courses about hand washing, privacy rules, palliative care and other issues the cuddlers face. Though she's a retired nurse, Binder never worked in a NICU and said she's amazed at the level of care on the third floor at Woman's.
She shadowed other cuddlers and finally slid into her own volunteer shift many weeks after the process began. She and the others many of whom are part of the original cuddler group from 16 years ago take annual "continuing education" classes as well.
Acadiana officials hope to lure addicted women into prenatal treatment by forsaking criminal penalties for their drug use Amid a national conversation on combating the ills of opiate abuse, a new coalition of Acadiana medical professionals is working to reduce bot
Kitto said the human-to-human contact between cuddlers and the babies is good for an infant's development, as babies in the NICU are rapidly growing and maturing. Human touch affects how they experience their environment.
Some babies like Lampton spend months in the intensive care unit before they can go home. His mother said they hope to bring him home by Christmas.
The hospital has walls full of photos and success stories from babies who once only weighed a pound or two and are now graduating from high school. One bulletin board in the NICU has letter upon letter tacked up from families who once had loved ones cared for there.
Though she spends hours with them, Binder usually does not know a baby's diagnosis. Their rooms have signs with their names, lighting preferences and special instructions about how to pick them up, warning personnel about particularly delicate spots. That's enough for her, but Binder also said sometimes she can tell what's bothering babies.
Woman's has seen a rise in drug-dependent babies as the number of people using opioids grows, and Binder finds those babies are often fussier because they're in pain.
Binder tries not to overstep her role when a baby's parents are around. She usually does not go into a baby's room if the parents are there, and if parents come in when she's cuddling a baby, she hands them the baby and leaves.
Still, she gets attached and joked that if she could, she would bring them all home. As she rocked Lampton, his eyelids grew heavy and she assured him it was OK to fall asleep.
I love viruses. That might sound strange to you if your last encounter with one was unpleasant. But let me explain. Viruses are diverse. Some are annoying (influenza virus), some are scary (Ebola), and some are just weird (a virus shaped like a lemon).
My favourite virus is vaccinia virus. Vaccinia is the agent responsible for eradicating smallpox the disease that claimed kings and pharaohs. But this misshapen lump of genetic material can be used for other purposes. It can be used to develop new vaccines, or antivirals, or even kill cancer.
A cell infected with vaccinia virus. The virus particles are gold. Credit:Newsome Lab
There are several viruses that moonlight as cancer-killing superheroes (or, as scientists call them, oncolytic viruses), including herpes simplex virus and measles virus. But I like vaccinia virus for a few reasons.
Scientists have been researching and using vaccinia in patients for 200 years, so we have a pretty good idea of how it acts and how to employ it safely. It also really, really likes tumour cells. In fact, if you let it choose between cancer cells and healthy cells, it will generally choose the cancer cells to infect and kill.
The High Court has both the "power and duty" to rule on a challenge that could disqualify a Turnbull government minister further threatening the Coalition's tenuous grip on power even though the case was brought by a private citizen rather than referred by Parliament.
That's according to lawyers for Peter Alley, the former Labor candidate who is challenging Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie's right to remain an MP.
Labor is challenging Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie's eligibility to sit in Parliament Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Mr Alley believes Dr Gillespie may have an indirect financial stake in the Commonwealth, which is grounds for disqualification under section 44 of the constitution the same section that has so far claimed nine MPs because of their dual citizenship status.
The Nationals MP for the seat of Lyne owns a small suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie and one of the shops is an outlet of Australia Post, a government-owned business.
The urge to get between a camera lens and a furry animal becomes unbearable for many politicians nearing the end of a wearying election campaign, and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk succumbed on Thursday.
She chose a koala several, in fact and she was either showing unusual courage or a distinct lack of knowledge concerning Labor interaction with koalas in her home state.
Brandi the koala and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Back in the early 1980s, Bob Hawke's new tourism minister, John Brown, caused international shock and horror when, attending a Brisbane conference designed to persuade travel agents to boost Australia as a nation of diverse attractions, he sought to set them right about koalas.
Despite the koala having been chosen as the Australian team's mascot for the upcoming 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Brown said there was a need to destroy "the koala myth".
The standoff on Manus Island came to a violent end on Friday as Papua New Guinea police re-entered the camp and appeared to forcibly remove refugees and asylum seekers.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, a PNG police spokesman, and several refugees separately confirmed all the men left the decommissioned site on Friday.
The men, who had refused to leave the decommissioned detention centre for more than three weeks, capitulated and boarded buses for alternative accommodation in the nearby town of Lorengau.
"We don't have any option to stay here. All of us, we all are going," Pakistani refugee Samad Abdul told Fairfax Media from inside the camp, where he was preparing to leave once buses returned.
Those seeking a pair of the famous red-bottomed Christian Louboutin heels may be in trouble. Since the release of American rapper Cardi B's single Bodak Yellow, searches for the shoe have spiked 217 per cent, according to The Business of Fashion and Lyst.
The spike is being attributed to lyrics such as "red bottoms, bloody shoes" and "these expensive, these is red bottoms" in the rapper's chart-topping song.
Singer Cardi B attends Bacardi's Dress To Be Free Halloween party at House of Yes on Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Donald Traill/Invision/AP) Credit:Donald Traill
The hit single is the first female rap song to top the charts without collaborating artists since Lauryn Hill's song Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998, and its influence is undeniable.
"The first time I was ever introduced to her shoe closet was in May, and at that point, she was running up on about 50 or 60 pairs and now is averaging a new pair every couple of weeks," said Cardi B's stylist in an interview with Billboard.
Australian men are being warned not to take an illegal pill which online retailers claim increases semen production, fertility and orgasm intensity.
The nation's drug regulator has issued an alert about "Semenax" capsules, warning they contain an undeclared substance.
Semenax pills are illegal in Australia and will be seized by border officials.
The semenaxdirect.com website declares the medication can increase ejaculation during sex, by creating more "seminal fluid".
"This is attractive not only from a visual standpoint, it is subconsciously attractive on a biological level," the website says.
One Nation could win six seats in regional Queensland in 2017, harking back to 1998 when it won 11 seats with 23 per cent of the vote, Australian National University Professor John Wanna predicts.
He is also predicting that Labors deputy premier Jackie Trad will lose her seat of South Brisbane to Greens candidate Amy McMahon, despite party sources calmly saying the ALP will win on Green preferences.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (left) has backed her deputy Jackie Trad (right) to retain her seat against a Greens insurgency. Credit:Darren England/AAP
Speaking on Wednesday night, Professor Wanna told Fairfax Media Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was now sandbagging seats Labor needs to hold, not trying to win extra Labor seats.
Professor Wanna said One Nation would not win Lockyer, or Buderim now held by party leader Steve Dickson but said it could finish second with more than 30 per cent of the vote in six to eight seats and win those seats with LNP preferences.
One of the most striking features of the Queensland election campaign is that all major parties are advocating public investment in electricity generation.
The real choice to be made is whether this investment will promote the goal of a decarbonised energy system, or whether it will seek to delay this transition and prolong Australias reliance on coal-fired electricity.
Energy Minister Mark Bailey, left, takes a selfie with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Clare Solar Farm in North Queensland. Credit:Darren England/AAP
Labor and the Greens are advocating public investment in renewables, while the LNP and One Nation want a new coal-fired power station.
This choice, in turn, depends on attitudes to mainstream climate science. If the findings of mainstream science are accepted, a complete phase-out of coal-fired power, and its replacement by renewables, must take place over the next couple of decades. This implies a target of 50 per cent renewables by about 2030.
Banning cash-for-access meetings, scrapping the royalty holiday to Adani and $1 public transport fares will be among the Greens' demands if the party holds the balance of power in the Queensland Parliament.
Fairfax Media can reveal the list of seven key demands from the minor party ahead of Saturday's state election.
The Greens' Amy MacMahon is considered the party's best hope for a seat in Queensland's Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Candidate for South Brisbane Amy MacMahon said the Greens would make the demands in any balance of power negotiations, including ending the waiting list for social housing and banning corporate donations.
"The Greens stand to win three seats this election, potentially putting the Greens in a crucial balance of power situation, and Queenslanders deserve to know where we stand," she said.
"The business began in early 2015 when my brother James, who lives in Los Angeles, rang me up and told me about his idea to start a business selling on Amazon," says Swanwick. Martin Cox, who runs DO Commerce, says there is lots of opportunity for local retailers with Amazon's arrival. "At that point in time I had no serious expectations of creating a successful business. I certainly didn't expect that it would turn into a multimillion-dollar business." After launching Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses in the US in 2015, the business raked in US$1 million in its first 12 months of trading. "When we launched on November 25, 2015 [on the Black Friday shopping day in the US] we had 300 pairs of Swannies in stock," says Swanwick.
"We sold out of that before the end of the year. We eventually restocked and sold 806 pairs in the first six months. Since then the momentum has just kept on building to a point where we've now sold about 30,000 pairs." Launching first in the United States They first launched in the US to take advantage of the Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) program, says Swanwick. "This means when our goods have been manufactured we can send them directly to Amazon's warehouses [which they call fulfilment centres] and have Amazon store them for us. When a customer orders our products from the Amazon marketplace, Amazon is responsible for delivering them." He says once the company was up and running in the US, it was straightforward to expand to Canada, Britain and Europe using the Amazon Marketplace. Japan is next on its radar. Swanwick Sleep didn't start selling on its own website until about six months after, he says.
To date, says Swanwick, the company has made more than US$2.1 million, with combined sales from Amazon, the website and a few conferences. They have just begun to explore working with retailers. The company also sells silk sleeping masks and oils sprays, among other products. So how is his product different from his competitors, say for instance, Baxter Blue? "Baxter Blue and other similar eyewear with clear lenses are designed to ease symptoms associated with digital eye fatigue, which you get from spending long periods in front of a computer or other digital screens," says Swanwick. "But if you really want to prevent this artificial light from disrupting your sleep you really need to have a deep amber tint. This colour filters out the blue wavelengths that disrupt the production of melatonin. "Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses does both."
Swanwick says with Amazon launching in Australia on Friday the pair "can finally service customers in our own country quickly and efficiently". To cater to customers here, the brothers have stored inventory in their mother's spare room and she has to go down to the post office a few times a day to post deliveries. "Opportunity is ripe for local retailers" Martin Cox, co-founder and director of DO Commerce, says there is lots of opportunity for local retailers with Amazon's arrival. "I think there is some fear in the marketplace that is based on misinformation, and I liken it to the Y2K bug, and the unfounded hysteria that surrounded it." DO Commerce, which was founded in 2013, is a specialist digital design and e-commerce agency based in Melbourne.
"It won't be long before most e-commerce platforms offer an integration to these global giants so that Aussie business can sell their products directly to the marketplace without duplication of effort," Cox says. "Local retailers who are in the market already have a competitive advantage over Amazon. They know their marketplace and their customers. Australian retailers have local intel, they know their customer's product preferences, their shoe size, and they serve personalised experiences." Cox says DO Commerce's turnover in the last financial year was $500,000. The company is aiming for $750,000 in the current financial year. DO Commerce has clients preparing their businesses to launch with Amazon's Australian launch. "Our role is to help them manage the product mix that is best suited to this market and support their e-commerce integrations in the future," says Cox. "Most of our retailers are really enthusiastic about the arrival of Amazon as they see it as a positive addition to their sales funnel."
As soon as Jocelyn, then 16, told her mum she was pregnant, that was it. She was out.
And when the softly-spoken teen tried to return home to get her school uniform, textbooks and belongings, she discovered her bedroom had been trashed.
Rhys and Jocelyn both had nowhere to live and battled mounting debt. Credit:Darrian Traynor
"As soon as I told my mum, she told me I wasn't allowed to go back home," she says.
Jocelyn, then a Werribee resident, left empty-handed, and spent almost her entire pregnancy couch surfing.
A mother who smothered to death her 15-month-old daughter and left the body in a Melbourne creek has been spared further time in jail because a judge accepted she was mentally disturbed.
Sofina Nikat, 24, was on Thursday ordered to serve a 12-month community corrections order over the death of Sanaya Sahib on April 9 last year.
Sofina Nikat arrives at the Supreme court on Thursday. Credit:Joe Armao
Nikat pleaded guilty to infanticide an offence that carries a maximum of five years in prison when prosecutors accepted this year she was mentally unwell when she killed her daughter.
She was originally charged with murder and served 529 days in custody until she was bailed in September after her plea.
A woman narrowly avoided being hit and killed by an oncoming train after three Protective Services Officers dragged her onto the platform at the last second.
Dramatic footage released by Victoria Police recently shows a drunk woman crossing the tracks at a suburban station and struggling to climb onto the platform as a train approaches.
Three PSOs rush to her aid and drag her from the tracks about three seconds before the train would have hit her.
The train's driver had hit the emergency brake, but could not stop in time.
Days after a report found more than half of WA's migrants were working lower-skilled jobs than before they migrated, a lead author of the study has recommended the State Government accept fewer migrants if so many continue to go "wasted" in WA's workforce.
Released on Tuesday, the Minimising skills wastage: maximising the health of skilled migrant groups report surveyed 508 WA-based skilled migrants and 53.1 per cent said they had less-skilled jobs here than before they migrated.
The Department also offers free career information and guidance to assist in identifying training courses and job search skills. Credit:Virginia Star
Minister for Education and Training Sue Ellery said the McGowan Government acknowledged there were "challenges" for migrants attempting to gain employment in WA due to a number of ongoing issues - including an inherent reluctance from WA employers to hire skilled migrants.
"The McGowan Government recognises skilled migrants can face challenges when gaining employment in Western Australia including English language skills, experience in Australian workplaces and overseas qualifications and skills recognition," she said.
Florida: US President Donald Trump gave a bullish Thanksgiving address to troops overseas on Thursday, hailing progress in Afghanistan and against ISIS, and telling them they were fighting for "something real," including a stock market at record highs and his promised "big, beautiful fat tax cuts".
Speaking in a live video teleconference from Palm Beach, Florida, with military personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, Trump told them they were "very, very special people."
He called troops in Afghanistan "brave, incredible fighters" who had "turned it around" in the past three to four months.
"We opened it up; we said go ahead, we're going to fight to win," he said. "We're not fighting any more to just walk around, we are fighting to win."
NOTICE OF SALE Case No.: 3:21-cv-00770-SVH BY VIRTUE of that certain Decree of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina heretofore granted in the case of ...
NOTICE OF LIEN SALE Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: Store # ...
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES All persons having claims against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these...
Chateau de Pommard given new brand position
Appartement 103 has reinvented the brand positioning of Chateau de Pommard, developing a communication platform through the bottle, label, box as well as digital channels.
Appartement 103's creative director Julien Zylbermann says: When we first met Michael Baum, we immediately understood that Chateau de Pommard had everything in its roots to become a top luxury brand. It has an incredible heritage and savoir-faire, producing some of the most exquisite wines in the world. Our role was to reveal this hidden diamond in a contemporary manner, targeting a younger generation of wine consumers searching for engaging relationships with modern and trustworthy brands. Working closely with Chateau de Pommards team, this immersive collaboration flourished into an inspiring brand philosophy, aiming to shake Burgundy traditions and truly connect with the target audiences mindset.
The starting point of the design process was the development of the bottle shape imagined by Michael Baum. He sought a bottle shape with delicate contours in order to convey the character of the brand. After trials and design approaches along with Chateau de Pommards team and its glass supplier, Appartement 103 was able to bring what it claims to be the first bottle in the world without a neck ring to life, achieving the intended shape from bottom to top.
The primary and secondary packaging presentations also embodied the new Chateau de Pommards positioning Fall in love with Life. It claims to stand for unpretentious design, full of elegance, refinement and poetry, a common trait found in the whole portfolio. The brief was to supply a modern approach that challenged Burgundy wines tradition, in order to be set apart from its competition, however, still respecting the brands roots and category codes.
Creative director Marc Savary says: It was inspiring to work, hand in hand, with a client that is as obsessed about details as we are! From the development of a stunning bottle, a unique and ownable brand foil colour, the selection of materials that would express the highest quality, to the use of the most selective printing techniques, every single detail was carefully looked into to create these stunning packaging designs.
"Above all, the success of this project lied in the dynamic and passionate partnership we built with Michael and his team. 'Fall in Love with life' is not only the new brand mantra of Chateau de Pommard, it is a life philosophy guiding attitudes and initiatives to building an incredible story.
Michael Baum, prorietaire and CEO of Chateau de Pommard says: "Consumers today want to connect with brands that have passion and purpose. Our vision at Chateau de Pommard is to resonate with a new generation of wine lovers who seek a harmonious connection with nature and want to engage with wine on a deeper level through educational and enjoyable experiences. Our modern, elegant brand respects tradition but also looks forward to the future. Appartement 103 have helped us realise the perfect embodiment of our ambitions. Julien and Marc have been, and continue to be, our creative partners and the visionaries we need to bring our dreams in Burgundy to life.
23 November 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Texas A&M University has named Kevin McGinnis as the latest addition to its administration in the role of chief risk/compliance officer.
McGinnis' current position is executive director of risk management and employee benefits for The Texas A&M University System. He is set to begin his new role Jan. 2.
The class of '88 A&M graduate said he is looking forward to having the opportunity to work for his alma mater. Once in the position, he said he will "bring a new set of eyes" to the task of assessing "compliance and risk management programs at the university, which have been ongoing and productive for years," as well as managing his responsibility of overseeing compliance programs and operational risks of the university.
McGinnis said he will report directly to A&M President Michael K. Young as a member of his executive cabinet. Young said in a statement he is looking forward to working with McGinnis.
"Kevin McGinnis brings many years of experience and expertise as a risk and compliance supervisor," Young said. "I am delighted that he is joining my executive team and look forward to working with him in this very important role."
McGinnis said while he is excited to embark on his new role at the university, he will look back fondly on the two decades he spent at the A&M System offices.
"I've always said I work for Texas A&M University System, and people don't quite understand what that means," McGinnis said. "As a former student, having daughters that are currently enrolled here [at A&M], it's an opportunity to be a part of a student body rather than a corporate office. ... My hope is just to lead the area and further compound on the successes that are already there. I just want to help the president reach his vision for this institution."
It's as much a Thanksgiving tradition as turkey and dressing -- snoozing on the couch after indulging in the feast.
And while many believe it's the turkey that causes our eyelids to droop, Matt Hoffman, clinical assistant professor with the Texas A&M College of Nursing, says it's actually the carb overload.
"We normally eat too many carbohydrates during our Thanksgiving meals," Hoffman said. "Having too many carbohydrates is a reason why you're feeling sleepy and need a nap."
While mashed potatoes and a slice of pie are obvious sources of carbohydrates, Hoffman said many dishes have "hidden" carbs.
"Carbohydrates aren't just in bread or wheat sources," Hoffman said. "Other foods, like green bean casseroles and sweet potatoes with marshmallows, are mixing healthy carbohydrates with the bad ones."
To avoid the post-meal sleepiness, Hoffman advises grilling and sauteing veggies to add a healthy touch, as well as planning an activity that gets you moving. He also advises smaller portions.
"A healthier approach is to have smaller portions and smaller meals so that you're not depriving yourself of foods that you like," Hoffman said. "This will help control the carbohydrate load while still allowing everyone to eat the foods they enjoy."
(Xinhua) 07:33, November 23, 2017
A worker from the Foreign Languages Press puts the second volume of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" in order, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2017. The second volume of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book on governance has been published in both Chinese and English, the publisher said Tuesday. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)
BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Inside a spacious factory building in the southern outskirts of Beijing, printing machines have been roaring and running around the clock for two weeks to publish a new book by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"About 500 of us workers have been working extra hours since Nov. 4," said Zhao Qing, an employee at Beijing Shengtong Printing.
The company was contracted to print 1 million copies of the second volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," a collection of 99 of Xi's speeches, conversations, instructions and letters, as well as 29 photos of the Chinese leader from between Aug. 18, 2014 and Sept. 29, 2017.
Since the Chinese and English versions of the book hit the market on Nov. 7, major bookstores in Beijing, including those in the city's busiest shopping areas of Wangfujing and Xidan, have displayed them prominently.
"The first print run is about 5.46 million copies," said Xu Bu, president and chief editor of Foreign Languages Press, the book's publisher. "In the past few days, orders have flooded in and we expect more to come."
Sales are likely to exceed those of the first book, which was published in September 2014 and has sold about 6.6 million copies worldwide in 24 languages.
In addition to Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese versions from the Chinese publisher, another 15 languages versions of the first book were translated and published by local publishing houses, with Chinese editors supervising the final draft.
Cooperation with local publishers helped make the book suitable for diverse cultures and traditions, Xu said.
"Such a global promotion plan is rare for books by Chinese leaders. The second volume will follow suit," he said.
According to Xu, Foreign Languages Press has worked with international publishing house Lagardere Services to distribute the book through bookshops at major international airports and will promote it through Chinese embassies and other Chinese organizations abroad.
"We would also like to attract foreign readers who live in China or travel here," he added.
Although they have the same title and almost identical covers, the second volume comes at a different time -- "a new era."
For David Ferguson, English editor of both books with Foreign Languages Press, the fundamental difference is that the second volume has been brought under a single overarching philosophy: Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
"Western audience sometimes do not quite understand how important aphorisms and axioms are in Chinese political discourse," he said. "When a Chinese leader comes up with a new idea, it matters to everybody in the Party and the wider society."
Citing the subtle difference between "for a new era" and "in a new era," Ferguson said that the former suggests China is in control, while the latter indicates that it is reacting to something imposed by external forces.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn, U.S. expert on China studies and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, shared Ferguson's observation about China's political discourse, noting that articulation between theory and practice in China is greater than other major countries.
"A founding theory of the Party is needed to develop certain specific policies that emerge out of it," he said.
The two books by Xi have offered outsiders a resource to understand China's new guiding philosophy.
"Within the books, you can see the historical development of Xi's idea," Kuhn said. "You can see it inducing itself as these ideas come together, building up to what has been crystallized as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."
The two books give readers "a rich exemplification" of the specific elements that compose the thought, Kuhn added.
"The new book is not only well received by our institutional clients but by many ordinary readers," said Xu Jin, employee at the Beijing Xidan Book Building.
"I am touched by General Secretary Xi Jinping's words in this book. I find some of his expressions appealing, and the language he uses is charming, gentle and approachable," a college student surnamed Lyu told Xinhua at the Xidan bookstore.
Although the two books are mostly collections of Xi's speeches and written instructions, they are organized by topic and include only the most important articles or the most essential excerpts, with footnotes helping foreign readers to understand the cultural context, according to editors.
"The main reason why foreigners should read these books is that they are the first time that a Chinese leader has sought to capture his whole philosophy and communicate it to the international audience in so many languages," Ferguson said. "There is everything you need to know about where China is now and where China is trying to go."
NORWALK A Norwalk mans alleged unnerving behavior in July is still catching up with him after he was arrested again Wednesday on additional charges.
Pedro Estrada-Rivera, 37, of Couch Street, was arrested in July after police were called to Dunkin Donuts on North Main Street on a report of a man harassing a female employee by staring at her and spinning a pocket knife menacingly in her direction.
The employee told police that Estrada-Rivera was staring at her through the window, spinning a knife, and winking and sticking his tongue out at her. When the employee, accompanied by a co-worker, brought the garbage out at the end of the night, Estrada-Rivera reportedly followed them.
Through further investigations and follow-up interviews, the female employee told police Estrada-Rivera had showed up two weeks earlier and behaved similarly, making her uncomfortable. She told police Estrada-Rivera followed her to the garbage can where he grabbed her, made sexual comments in Spanish and threatened her.
A driver passing by noticed the situation stopped to help, the employee told police.
Police issued a second warrant for Estrada-Riveras arrest, which was served on Wednesday when he was transported to Norwalk from the Bridgeport Correctional Facility where he has been since the first arrest in July.
In July, Estrada-Rivera was charged with second-degree threatening, second-degree stalking, and second-degree breach of peace.
His arrest Wednesday levied additional charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and breach of peace.
Unfortunately she did not call police the first time, said Lt. Paul Resnick of the Norwalk Police Department.
A $10,000 bond was issued for the two new charges and Estrada-Rivera appeared in court Wednesday.
kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
DPRK calls U.S. relisting it as "state sponsor of terrorism" serious provocation: official
(Xinhua) 07:42, November 23, 2017
PYONGYANG, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday slammed the United States for relisting it as a "state sponsor of terrorism," calling it a serious provocation and a violent infringement upon the country's dignity.
A spokesman for the DPRK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that since 1979, the United States has been labeling the countries that are not obedient to it as "state sponsors of terrorism" and in 1988, Washington listed the DPRK as a "state sponsor of terrorism" before removing it from the list in October 2008.
He said that the label of "state sponsor of terrorism" is just a tool of American-style authoritarianism that can be attached or removed anytime in accordance with the United States' own interests.
"This is clearly an absurdity and a mockery of world peace and security," said the spokesman.
He said the DPRK values international justice and peace and consistently stands against all forms of terrorism and any sponsorship of terrorism.
"We do not have anything to do with terrorism and we do not care whether the United States puts a cap of terrorism on us or not," he said.
The spokesman said that by doing so, the United States "openly revealed to the whole world its intention to destroy our ideology and system by using all kinds of means and methods."
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday designated the DPRK as a state sponsor of terror, vowing to slap sanctions on the Asian nation.
Dear Annie: Ive been dating Tim for about a year. When we first started dating, I was intimidated by how pretty some of his female friends were, but that feeling faded when I got to know them. Theyve all been warm and welcoming that is, except for one girl.
Ive always gotten a weird feeling from Meg. She hasnt been mean exactly, but shes always just been a bit standoffish. I cant put my finger on what it is. Shes been perfectly polite and not obviously cold. But something makes me wonder whether she and Tim used to have a thing or she likes him now.
Oddly, this didnt start really bugging me until about a month ago, and Im thinking that may be because Tim and I have been spending a little less time together. Ive been really busy with work, and so has he, and our schedules dont line up great.
Ive been afraid to bring this whole thing up with him. I dont want to drive him away by acting jealous. Plus, hes given me no reason to worry. He is very trusting of me and doesnt mind that some of my best friends are guys. He proudly introduces me to everyone as his girlfriend. And perhaps the ultimate sign of trust in this day and age: He never hesitates to let me use his laptop.
Yet I still keep thinking about Meg and wondering whether the two of them text, and when he leaves the room, Im tempted to look at his phone. I know; its bad! I havent given in to the temptation, but if this feeling keeps up, Ill probably cave eventually. Am I being paranoid? How can I tell?
A Little Green
Dear A Little Green: When you find yourself acting like a private investigator with your partner, redirect that magnifying glass to examine yourself and your relationship instead. I dont think Meg is the problem. I think that you were having some anxiety about the relationship and that shes what your mind latched on to.
Still, because its been bothering you this much, its worth gently raising the topic with Tim. Tell him youve always felt a little intimidated by Meg, and ask whether there was ever anything between them. He wont get defensive if you present it as an earnest question and not as an accusation. Communication and trust go hand in hand, and if you can learn to speak openly and listen carefully to your partner, deeper trust will follow.
Dear Annie: When you divorce your spouse, are you supposed to refer to your in-laws as ex-in-laws, as in my ex-brother-in-law? My neighbor says yes, but I thought my in-laws would always be my in-laws, even after a divorce.
Just Curious
Dear Just Curious: In conversation, you can refer to them however youd like. But your neighbor is correct: Legally speaking, your in-laws are no longer your in-laws after a divorce. It might feel less awkward to say my ex-husbands brother than my ex-brother-in-law.
Dear Readers: Recently, I printed a letter from Overwhelmed in Michigan, who complained that his wife doesnt help enough around the house. His letter hit a nerve, it seems, as I received many responses from readers. Here are a few of my favorites.
Dear Annie: Overwhelmed in Michigan really hit home! Im 67 and grateful every day for the good fortune of living to enjoy my retirement years. Overwhelmed appears to be a workaholic who expects others to buy into his inability to smell the roses. Maybe Overwhelmed should calculate how much his partners cooking, cleaning and other services have contributed to his lifestyle over the years.
The complaint against his wife and niece relates to a scene at the end of the movie Mary Poppins. Maybe Overwhelmed needs to stop the rat race he has created and say lets go fly a kite with his wife before its too late.
Enjoying Retirement
Dear Enjoying Retirement: Youre not the only one who thought Overwhelmed should go fly a kite. Read on.
Dear Annie: I am writing to Overwhelmed in Michigan. My wife is the same a bit negligent around the house but attentive in her relationships with loved ones. If her kids call and need a baby sitter, she goes instead of cleaning the house. We had a close friend who had cancer, and my wife organized all our friends to be there for her and was always ready to do whatever was needed.
When our friend died, my wife was there helping with the arrangements and consoling the family.
Everyone thinks shes the most wonderful person in the world. And you know what? So do I.
Mr. Overwhelmed, if your wife wants to go fly a kite with the grandkids, put down your tools and join her. Hold off on the grumbling. Youll be so much happier.
Happily Married in New Hampshire
Dear Happily Married: Beautifully said. Thanks for writing.
Annie Lane, a graduate of New York Law School and New York University, writes this column for Creators Syndicate. Email questions to dearannie@creators.com.
Dear Annie: My husband and I have both been married before, and our children are from our first marriages.
My husbands daughter lives close by, and she brings her kids to our home often, which we all enjoy. The problem is that every time they show up even when they know we are preparing a meal for them, even prior to big holiday meals they get out of their car with empty bags and partially consumed beverages from a popular fast-food chain.
This drives me insane! My husband just shrugs and says that theres a reason they are all overweight and that nothing we say or do will change their behavior.
When his daughter asked me not to always make a dessert to accompany our otherwise healthful meals because she was worried about how big the kids are getting, I had a heart-to-heart with her about how awful the fast food is for the kids.
Her reply was that she just cant say no to her kids and is just too tired to cook. I told her that is why we are trying to help by making meals for them. No change. What now?
Fed Up in Florida
Dear Fed Up: Its considerate of you to cook healthful meals for your family, and it was thoughtful of you to have a heart-to-heart with your daughter-in-law about this sensitive issue. Your husband might consider periodically encouraging her to stay strong in teaching her children better eating habits, reminding her that shes the boss and that her children in fact need her to be the boss.
But in the end, theres nothing you can do to force her to stop buying fast food. The only person you can control is yourself. The sooner you accept this the sooner youll be able to relax and enjoy the time with your family.
Dear Annie: I must disagree with your assessment that no problem means the same thing as youre welcome. The phrase no problem carries with it the implication that if the task had created a problem for the server (or whoever uttered it), perhaps she might not have carried it out so nicely or at all.
Youre welcome, on the other hand, has a much more gracious implication: that the person would have done this task for you no matter the cost to herself.
Words matter, and there is no use pretending that they dont carry a lot of freight. Better to use them thoughtfully.
English Major
Dear English Major: I see no evidence that no problem carries that implication, but I love a good linguistic debate, so Im printing your letter followed by a different viewpoint.
Dear Annie: Out of Touch was annoyed that a popular response to thank you is no problem. My husband and I were annoyed by that also, until I realized that the traditional replies in French are jeten prie, which is somewhat equivalent to dont worry about it, and de rien, of nothing. In Spanish, de nada also means it was nothing.
So maybe its not a millennial thing. Maybe its cultural, global stuff and millennials are really sophisticated! OK, I went too far with that.
Ann-Marie
Dear Ann-Marie: Merci beaucoupor the language lesson.
Annie Lane, a graduate of New York Law School and New York University, writes this column for Creators Syndicate. Email questions to dearannie@creators.com.
So, how are those summer vacation plans coming?
If things arent looking so good for you to get away from home this year, its probably not because you dont have the time.
According to a survey by Harris Interactive the American worker left an average of 9.2 days of vacation unused in 2012. That was up from 6.2 unused days in 2011.
More than likely you keep pushing a vacation to the back burner because you just dont have the money. After all, a vacation can be very expensive. These days, youll spend thousands for a family trip to Disney World, including airfare if you dont live in Orlando.
Of course, there are a number of ways to cut the cost of a vacation, but could you get that cost as low as $150 per adult? You just might be able to pull it off if you change your expectations a bit and adopt a new kind of vacation attitude.
Volunteer vacations are not new, but theyve received more attention since Americans are no longer flushed with a lot of discretionary income.
For the cost of getting there and a reasonable amount for your food, like $150 to $300 for a week, you throw your sleeping bag in the car, drive to a nearby park and spend a week in the wilderness rebuilding trails with other nature lovers.
Dont know where to look? Go to the VolunteerMatch website, which has an impressive database of opportunities and groups that have been vetted for compliance with U.S. tax and charity laws.
The site lists not just the well-heeled agencies but also the small organizations that are doing really interesting, innovative work but might not have the funds to advertise.
Doug Cutchins, author of Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others, notes in an interview with Forbes magazine the changing demographics of those taking volunteer vacations: The stereotype used to be people right out of college or people who were retired. But were seeing a lot of mid-career people. ... This is a way for people to go on vacation and also feel really good about it.
Working in a national park is one of the cheapest and most rewarding volunteer vacations you can find, according to Cutchins. He recommends trips organized by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Colorado Trail Foundation and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation in Montana, among others.
Families see the money-saving and stress-reducing benefits of going on this type of vacation.
If you cant afford a trip this year, save up for next year. Although most trips within the United States are on the cheaper side, those wishing to go abroad may need more time to save, as the trips tend to range anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 and up.
Volunteer this year. Itll do you and others a lot of good!
Travel tips, tricks and hacks
I love to travel, which has become one the best unintended consequences of my life as a writer, speaker and blogger.
Travel always involves challenges. Thats why I have adopted an attitude that no matter how well Ive planned, if something can go wrong, it probably will. And if it doesnt, I consider that a travel bonus.
Over the years, Ive collected a bunch of really great travel tips some fun, some crazy, but all very useful, if only to avoid a headache or two.
ROLL; DONT FOLD. Instead of folding your clothes, roll them tightly. Theyll take up less space in your luggage, and that can save you from having to pay extra baggage fees.
SCAN EVERYTHING. Before you leave, scan the front and back of every item in your wallet, including your passport. Email the images to yourself. Now youll always have a digital copy handy, in case you lose something. This will not be a substitute for your passport, ID or credit cards, but youll have all of the pertinent information you need to keep going.
EMPTY BOTTLE. Bring along an empty water bottle. Once you clear security, fill it up and you wont have to pay $5.95 for a bottle. Refill as necessary during your trip. Just make sure its empty before you pass through security on your return.
NOTHING LEFT BEHIND. Make this the first thing you do when you walk in your room: Take a hand towel from the bathroom and spread it out on the desk or countertop. This becomes the de facto place for all of your things that you have a place for at home. Put your room key, car keys, sunglasses, rechargers, wallet everything on the towel. Now everything is visible and in one spot, rather than scattered about the room. As you come and go, return these items to their place on the towel. When youre ready to check out, theres no searching and nothing left behind.
SECRET USB PORT. If you should happen to forget (or lose) the wall plug for your phone charger, check the back of the TV in your hotel room. These days, most have a USB port in which you can recharge your phone or other device.
CHARGERS TO LEND. If you lost or forgot the charger for your computer or phone, go to the front desk. There will be a huge variety that others have left behind. You should be able to borrow the one you need.
HAND-WASHING. Need to wash underwear or other clothing items? Shampoo is the perfect substitute for detergent. Its great for getting out a grease spot, too. After all, thats what shampoo is made to do remove grease from hair.
TRAVEL SAFE. A travel mug makes a great travel safe. If you must leave small valuables in your hotel room, pop them into the mug. It will be fairly inconspicuous and an unlikely target for thieves.
SIGN THE DOOR. When you leave your hotel room, even if for just a few minutes to get something to eat, place the do not disturb sign on the door. It will appear to housekeeping and others that you are in the room for as long as the sign remains. This adds a layer of security should you leave your computer or other valuables in the room.
ALWAYS COMPARE. When booking air travel, always use a flight-comparison website. There are several, such as Skyscanner and Kayak. These sites help you find the best airline and cheapest price for your dates and routes. But do not book your flights through these sites. Instead, delete your browser history, and then book directly with the airline. This way, if you have a flight cancellation or other problem, you can rebook right there at the airport (or train station, bus station, etc.) through customer service. If youve booked your tickets with an internet travel site, good luck. Youre going to need it.
Mary Hunt, founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, writes this column for Creators Syndicate. Send tips or address questions to: Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740, or email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com.
On Nov. 19, 1977, I stood on wooden risers at Ben Gurion Airport waiting to see if the circling plane carrying Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was really going to land.
Israelis were in a state of shock and disbelief that the head of the largest Arab country had made a historic decision to visit Jerusalem. He was the first Arab leader to do so since the establishment of the Jewish state.
Next to me, an Israeli foreign ministry staffer was sobbing. Another asked me if I thought the Egyptian plane might actually be carrying a bomb that would explode on landing, killing the entire Israeli political leadership assembled several rows below us. Instead, Sadat disembarked, advanced toward the Israelis, shook hands, and wrapped his arms around the bulky ex-Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Forty years later, as the Mideast implodes, that moment still stands as a turning point for the region. In my office, I keep a framed copy of a poster that was tacked on every Jerusalem building, wall, and light post, displaying Israeli and Egyptian flags topped by the world Peace in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. The Egyptian leader hoped peace would extend to the entire region.
His dream didnt come true. But Sadats trip opened the door to a broader peace, under the right conditions: If Arab and Israeli leaders emerge who have the guts and foresight he did. That holds true for the future, even if the current landscape looks very bleak.
What was so striking about Sadat was that he had a clear vision and was pragmatic about how to get there. Israels hawkish prime minister, Menachem Begin, also had the courage and pragmatism to agree to return the Sinai to Egypt, the prerequisite to cementing a peace.
(The only Mideast leaders to display such pragmatism since were Jordans King Hussein, along with Israeli premiers Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Olmert, and to a lesser extent, Ehud Barak. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat did so briefly, but then reverted to the pursuit of illusions.)
Sadat recognized that, after heavy military and economic losses in 1967 and 1973, most of the Egyptian public had lost interest in fighting on behalf of the Palestinians. He believed his army had regained its honor by crossing the Suez Canal in 1973, which ultimately led to his decision that the time was ripe for a dramatic overture to the Israelis.
The Egyptian leader hoped his stunning move would persuade Begin to return all lands captured in 1967 from the Arabs, including Gaza and the West Bank. Begin nixed that idea even before Sadat had concluded his emotional visit to Jerusalem.
Yet that trip created openings, some seized, some not, that deeply affect the stability of the region until today.
On the side of missed chances, I list the opportunity that Sadats visit did present to the Palestinians. His trip ultimately led to the 1978 Camp David Accords, brokered by President Jimmy Carter, that provided a road map for Palestinian autonomy on the West Bank and Gaza, at a time when there were hardly any Israeli settlements. The accords called for an elected self-governing authority and negotiations over final status of those territories. Some West Bank Palestinians believed that elected authority could garner international recognition and pressure on Israel to contemplate the establishment of a Palestinian state.
But the Palestinian Liberation Organization the outside leadership that spoke for the diaspora was opposed to going this route because it didnt include them. A possible chance to move toward two states side by side was missed at a time when the region was far more stable.
Yet the opportunity seized Begins recognition that a signed peace with Egypt was more important than Sinai has provided Israel with 40 years of stability, by removing the military threat on its southern border. That peace has lasted through Sadats assassination, the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, the election of a Muslim Brotherhood government, and an effective return to military rule under current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Even though the peace is cold, and Egyptian civilians almost never visit Israel, the military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries is close.
Some see parallels to Sadat with the emergence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who shares Israels strategic enmity toward Iran; there are all sorts of rumored contacts between the two countries as well as sharing of military intelligence. The Trump administration hopes MBS might godfather an Arab-Palestinian-Israeli peace.
Yet the youthful MBS lacks Sadats seasoning and experience, and is operating in a far more fragmented region. Although he takes big chances, hes unlikely to make dramatic public moves toward Israel. Nor is Israels leadership open to the compromises on the Palestinian issue that the Saudis would require.
Still, as the 40th anniversary of Sadats visit reminds us, one should never rule out the unexpected. But best to remember the unexpected may produce something better, or something worse.
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 08:13 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a56454 4 Editorial #Editorial,IDX,#IDX,security,investment,foreign-direct-investment Free
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian attended the opening trade at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) on Monday and made a speech to assure investors of security in the country despite the holding of elections in 171 provinces, regencies and cities next June.
But any concerns among investors likely pertain not to physical security or violence but to doubt about the legal security of trades on the IDX caused by the South Jakarta District Court ruling on Tuesday that made Goldman Sachs Internationals purchase of 425 million shares of property developer PT Hanson International on the IDX null and void.
The court ordered Goldman to pay Rp 320.8 billion rupiah (US$24 million) in damages to businessman Benny Tjokrosaputro, the founder of PT Hanson and to return the shares to the Indonesian businessman. The panel of judges rejected Tjokrosaputros demand for $1 billion in reputational (immaterial) damages.
The court simply rejected Goldmans claim that it had legally bought the shares in legitimate transactions through the negotiated board of the IDX from American hedge fund Platinum Partners between February and December 2015.
The question then is, how could the transactions, which had been settled on the IDX and cleared by PT Kliring Penjaminan Efek Indonesia (clearing and settlement) and PT Kustodian Sentral Efek Indonesia (securities depository) turn out to be not clean and clear, and how could the shares be claimed by a third party totally unconnected to the Goldman-Platinum share deal.
How could a highly reputable United States investment bank, which is backed by a well-resourced research department and runs a big office in Jakarta, have been unaware that the 425 million shares had been tied up in a repo agreement between Tjokrosaputro and Platinum?
Yet more disturbing to the credibility and security of transactions in shares listed on the IDX is the question as to why the Hanson shares pledged in the repo deal had not been registered with the IDX and had not been subject to trading restrictions. We hope these questions will be clarified in the additional legal proceedings within the next few months, because Goldman immediately announced it would appeal the courts ruling.
How will IDX be able to attract more foreign companies to list their shares on the IDX if legitimately executed trades can later be subject to legal action by unconnected third parties?
On the other side, Goldman seems to have been not entirely forthcoming on its financial dealings with Platinum for the Hanson shares conducted between February and December 2015. These transactions raised eyebrows, because financial news media in New York throughout 2014 revealed that Platinum had suffered severe financial distress due to alleged fraud by its executives.
In December 2016, federal agents in New York arrested top Platinum executives and charged them with fraud to the tune of $1 billion. The latest news reports from New York suggest the Platinum Partners fund is now in a liquidation process.
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Linkedin Fahmi Ramadhiansyah (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 13:53 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6aa45 3 Opinion Indonesian-politics,politics,#politics,social-media,#SocialMedia,digital-technology,Facebook Free
Media has long been accused of worsening political polarization throughout history. Multiple media reports, as echoed by the Oxford Internet Institute in 2017, have investigated how the forces of social media such as Facebook and Twitter may have influenced the 2016 United States election and propelled Donald Trump to the presidency.
How exactly does an advanced digital technology influence political dynamics worldwide? And how is it manifested in the Indonesian context?
Social media provides a convenient platform both for politicians and their audiences to shape the face of political events. Politicians are known to steer voters towards their political agenda before an election. What is new is the use of technology to alter voters attitude regarding the election.
Researchers have used the term computational propaganda to explain the accumulation of social media platforms, autonomous agents, and big data tasked with the manipulation of public opinion. The news site Rappler investigated the Philippiness 2016 presidential election and discovered a machine of paid trolls, fallacious reasoning and propaganda techniques that had helped shift attitudes towards both candidates.
A survey by the Indonesian Information and Telecommunications Society (Mastel)in 2016 revealed social media as the main channel of hoax dispersal in Indonesia. These findings reaffirm the powerful role of digital technology in manipulating political dynamics.
On top of that, social media also enables citizens to influence the election, which is unparalleled to the pre-internet period. This is particularly true in the case of algorithms, which allows political news to be segregated based on its users behavior on social media that reflects their political spectrums.
The Indonesian researcher Merlyna Lim from the Digital Media & Global Network Society called this dynamic as algorithmic enclaves. This phenomenon occurs as a result of constant interactions with algorithms, attempt to create a superficial shared identity online for sharing with each other, defending their opinions and protecting their resources from both real and perceived threats.
In other words, a significant amount of content will never appear in a users newsfeed. To illustrate, Facebook displays an algorithmic selection based on several factors, which includes how the users have interacted with similar posts in the past by methods as simple as viewing the post, and also how much other people in their network have done the same. Unfortunately, this feature has a rather precarious side effect to political polarization.
Therefore opinions that do not match ones own are not equally reflected in peoples respective social media. Social media algorithm prevents most alternating opinions to be delivered to users, while in the age of post-truth where false news runs unchecked, one can be blinded to alternating opinions that do appear on their newsfeed.
The manifestation of this phenomenon can be observed most vividly in the Jakarta governor election earlier this year. In this case, Indonesians witnessed how social media turned into a double-edged sword. On one side, social media managed to accelerate freedom of expression, enabling political discussion to flourish around the election. Sadly, social media also allowed hateful messages to disperse online, spreading fears among users. Merlyna argues that this mutual shaping between users and algorithms is an example of algorithmic enclaves that eventually generate multiple forms of tribal nationalism. The polarization between the two camps was so prominent that it silenced the rest of the society.
To conclude, social media has transformed into a platform where post-truth politics and computational propaganda overlap amidst the technology of algorithm, which change politics for good.
Alas, irresponsible utilization of social media as a political tool will further intensifies divisions between political groups, and even worse, magnifies narrow-mindedness among society. To some extent, it is safe to claim social media algorithm to contribute to the growing political polarization in Indonesian society.
Nevertheless, blaming social media alone is erroneous as politics and social media is also strongly entangled with its users. Hence, instead of waiting for social media platform to discover a technology which enables equal and reliable representation of political news, this problem might reiterate the indispensability of digital literacy among the cyber citizens.
Media impartiality might still be long way down the road, yet it is much more feasible that common sense, rationality and simple fact-checking should be applied whenever a user is being encountered by online political news.
The ability to filter vast amount of digital information should be a pre-requisite for all internet users in a world where social media is intertwined with electoral politics.
***
The writer is a research associate and content writer at the Center for Digital Society (CfDS), Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.
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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.
(Xinhua) 07:45, November 23, 2017
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A convicted child sex trafficker from the U.S. state of Colorado was sentenced to 472 years in prison on Tuesday, the longest sentence for a human trafficking case in the history of the United States.
Considered the leader of a human trafficking ring, 31-year-old Brock Franklin was found guilty of 30 charges out of the 34 counts against him this March, including soliciting for child prostitution, sexual assault and kidnapping.
Local KDVR TV reported the indictment showed Franklin recruited young girls and women, and forced them into prostitution. There was physical abuse if they didn't cooperate to sell their services online.
The defense asked for the minimum sentence of 96 years to Franklin, but the judge sent him up for 376 years longer according to request of victims. Three girls and five women cooperated with prosecutors during the case.
According to local media, Janet Drake, representing the Colorado Attorney General's Office, summed up the jolt like so: "a 400-year sentence sends a strong message across the country that we're not going to tolerate this kind of violence to women and vulnerable populations."
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Linkedin Christine Cocca (The Jakarta Post) New York City Thu, November 23, 2017 09:09 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a58746 4 Art & Culture Ashley-Bickerton,contemporary-art,painting-exhibition,new-york Free
Internationally renowned Bali-based artist Ashley Bickerton, famous for his conceptual works of parodic iconography, has recently been featured in a series of solo exhibitions that look back on his restless career.
A show touted as the first United States survey featuring Bickertons work running through Dec. 16 at The FLAG Art Foundation in New York City brings together many of his most iconic works.
The Bickerton exhibit includes historically significant works like Tormented Self-Portrait (Susie at Arles), a 1988 sculpture now in The Museum of Modern Art collection and which established the Barbados-born artist as a force on the New York art scene, as well as pivotal works he created in Indonesia over the last two decades.
In the late 1980s, Bickerton, along with Jeff Koons, Meyer Vaisman and Peter Halley, was part of the Fantastic Four credited with leading the Neo-Geo movement.
Dissatisfied with his life, Bickerton left New York, traveling for several years through tropical countries until finally making Bali his home in 1993. Married to Indonesian attorney Cherry Saraswati Bickerton and with Indonesian children from a previous marriage, he has deep, permanent connections to his adopted homeland.
Despite his long residence in Indonesia and stellar reputation, Bickerton has garnered little domestic attention. It is surprising that an artist of his caliber has not been asked to exhibit at the National Gallery or been tapped to represent Indonesia in important international biennales, as is common practice in other countries.
Perhaps this says more about the issues of identity and belonging in contemporary Indonesia than it does about Bickertons place in Indonesian art history, which proudly claims Western artists like Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet and Le Mayeur.
Although the Indonesian art world seems reluctant to embrace him, Bickerton values his outsider status and explains his self-imposed exile: I tried not to be on the radar. I was getting away and I didnt want to compromise.
Bickerton also told the overflowing New York crowd on the opening reception of his exhibit that certain works grow easily in Bali.
The craftsmanship, materials and composition of his quintessentially Balinese works in the exhibition, such as LH 17 ( 2007 ) and Famili ( 2007 ), which were both created in Indonesia, feature elaborate wooden frames with inlaid coconut, mother of pearl and coins, showing the environmental influence of where they were made and are a powerful counterbalance to his US-produced works.
Bickerton has reemerged on the international art scene in recent years to garner renewed interest. Following on the heels of his major retrospective at Londons Newport Street Gallery (owned by artist Damien Hirst, a long-time friend), Bickerton says this show is more intimate with historical work that affords wild juxtapositions, bringing together those threads and arcs that I have expressed in different voices over the years.
By reconstituting his diverse output on a smaller scale, Bickertons exhibition at the FLAG allows visitors to explore his works as part of a cohesive whole.
Comprising 22 pieces dating from 1985 to the present, there are plenty of opportunities to examine his thinking over the past three decades. Several spaces contain only two or three works, giving each piece including several beautifully executed, muscular sculptures from the late 1980s room to breathe and reassert themselves in a new political climate.
Like someone whose tongue keeps probing a sore tooth, Bickerton returns again and again to issues of power, consumerism and stereotypes to understand our place within these systems.
The multimedia painting TITNW 1 (2010-2011), a dark image of children surrounded by neon signs and the artists own branded name, when seen alongside Good Painting ( 1988 ), are clearly a play on cultural artifice, something Bickerton has acknowledged as the thread that runs through my work from the beginning.
Bickertons art, full of bright colors and slick surfaces, can seem like simplified riffs on consumer culture. But when seen as part of a longer, multifaceted practice of art, his work holds deep truths about the experience of being human and the choices we make and those that are made for us.
At The FLAG Art Foundation, Bickerton returns to his artistic roots in New York, having spent over 20 years redefining his position on the world stage from his studio in Bali. Perhaps it is time for the Indonesian art world to claim him as an important force and welcome him, and his contributions, with open arms.
____________________________
For more information, visit flagartfoundation.org.
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Linkedin News Desk (Bloomberg) Thu, November 23, 2017 17:04 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a78e7b 2 Science & Tech Skype,Microsoft,China Free
Microsoft Corp.s Skype has vanished from Apple Inc. and Android smartphone app stores in China, becoming the latest victim in Beijings sweeping internet clampdown.
The internet phone and video service was no longer available on Apples iOS or on popular local Android stores such as Xiaomi Corp.s, though it still functioned as of Wednesday. The Ministry of Public Security notified Apple that a number of voice-over-internet-protocol apps didnt comply with local law and the U.S. company subsequently removed them, a spokeswoman for the iPhone maker said. Those apps, which enable voice calls among other things, remain in place elsewhere.
Its unclear why Skype, which has operated for years in China despite making little headway against more popular services like WeChat, was targeted. Under Xi Jinping, the Communist Party has tightened controls over online content and taken aim at messaging services in particular, requiring users to register their real names and threatening action against people who disseminate content deemed to threaten social stability. WhatsApp is periodically blocked in China, while the social network of its owner Facebook Inc. isnt accessible. Twitter and Google are similarly barred.
Microsoft said in a statement that Skypes removal was temporary and it was working to get it reinstated as soon as possible, without elaborating. The Cyberspace Administration of China and Ministry for Industry and Information Technology didnt respond to a faxed request for comment on the move, which the New York Times first reported.
Any instant messaging apps operating in China must follow the cybersecurity law, theres no question about it, said Zuo Xiaodong, vice-president of the China Information Security Research Institute, a government think-tank. It goes without saying whose regulations need to be followed if a companys own rules contradict Chinas law as long as it wants to continue to operate in the Chinese mainland.
Read also: Microsoft overhauls Skype to compete with Snapchat and iMessage
While Skypes removal triggered a flurry of online complaints, its unlikely to inconvenience the vast majority of Chinese online users whove taken up more popular chat and calling services such as Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat. As of Wednesday, rival messaging services from Signal to Telegram remained available for download.
China is in the throes of the biggest crackdown on freedom of expression and media in the internet era. Foreign companies complain of restrictions that hamstring operations and favor homegrown players. Police are shutting businesses and arresting civilians on message groups as Beijing plugs more holes in its Great Firewall blockade of blacklisted sites.
Xi has galvanized a nationwide machine in which corporations, cybercops and automated systems police content to preserve the partys seven-decade rule. As global giants from Alphabet Inc.s Google to Facebook Inc. explore entry, they have to weigh the benefits of tapping the worlds biggest internet market against the fallout from appearing to back a repressive regime.
Apple itself has come under fire, as critics accuse the worlds largest company of aiding and abetting censorship.
One of the key measures Beijings taken is a crackdown on virtual private networks, services that skirt censorship restrictions by routing web traffic abroad. Apple has removed 674 of such apps from its Chinese app store at the request of the local government, the iPhone maker revealed in a letter sent Tuesday to Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Leahy responded by calling for Apple to push back against Chinese suppression of free expression.
We are convinced that continued engagement is the surest way to effect change, Cynthia Hogan, Apples head of lobbying in the U.S., wrote in the letter. We express our opinions about the impacts of laws and regulations forthrightly to policymakers.
Topics : Skype Microsoft China
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 14:45 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6db49 1 City Muslim,rally,Conservative,ahok,212Rally Free
Thousands of protesters who took to the streets on Dec. 12, 2016 plan to stage a major gathering at the National Monument (Monas) to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the street protest that called for the prosecution of then Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy.
The chairman of an organization that dubbed itself as the "212 Rally Alumni", Slamet Maarif, said the group had applied for a permit to hold the event at Monas.
Slamet said hundreds of thousands of Muslims from Jakarta and beyond would join the gathering where they would hold a predawn (subuh) prayer before continuing with a rally and finishing with a midday (dzuhur) prayer. The event would also coincide with the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, falling on Dec. 1.
The Jakarta Police have called on the group to hold the event at the Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta.
"Others can suggest where we should hold the event, but the time and place has been decided. We are arranging all the permits," Slamet said as quoted by kompas.com.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Idham Azis maintained that the event should be held at Istiqlal mosque.
"If it is possible, please just hold the event at Istiqlal to ensure better security measures. The military and police will be ready to secure the event," he said.
Topics : Muslim rally Conservative ahok 212Rally
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 19:45 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a81688 1 City city-budget,religion Free
The city administration has said all religious institutions are welcome to ask for grants following the city administrations plan to grant billions of rupiah to religious institutions next year.
Based on the draft 2018 city budget, the administration has planned to grant Rp 1.42 billion (US$105.138) to 22 mosques and musholla (prayer rooms) and Rp 175 million to nine majlis taklim (Quran study congregations).
It also plans to grant Rp 288 million to three churches and Rp 1.05 billion to a Hindu institution.
Mental and Spiritual Education head Hendra Hidayat said all those religious institutions had submitted proposals to get the grants.
Any religious institution could ask for a grant as long as it had fulfilled all requirements set by the administration, he added.
If they want a grant, they should submit the application to the city administration, Hendra said on Wednesday.
Hendra said that after receiving the application, the agency surveyed the institution to see whether it deserved to receive a grant.
He added that the administration usually did not offer the full amount proposed by the institution, as in principle the grant was a stimulant fund.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 19:05 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a7f697 1 City 212Rally,ahok,anies-baswedan,anniversary Free
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his deputy Sandiaga Uno have been invited to the first anniversary of the 212 rally, a huge gathering of Muslims last year that pushed the prosecution of then governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.
The group holding the reunion event, which has dubbed itself the 212 Rally Alumni (after the first protest that took place on December 2, 2016) plan to celebrate not only the anniversary of the first rally, but also the birthday of Prophet Muhammad at National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta on Dec. 2.
Chairman of the 212 Alumni presidium Slamet Maarif claimed on Thursday that the event would begin with subuh (dawn prayer) and end with dzuhur (afternoon prayer).
He added that he had invited Anies and Sandiaga to the event.
Slamet said he had obtained permits to hold the anniversary at Monas Park, despite the polices suggestion for them to pray at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta.
Were set [on holding the event at Monas]. We have obtained all the permits, Slamet said on Thursday according to kompas.com.
Previously, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Idham Azis said the police and the military officers would guard the event should the participants insist on holding their anniversary at Monas.
Separately, Anies refused to comment on the planned event. Its enough, enough, he said.
He added that Monas could be used for religious events, but the event organizers should obtain the permits. (cal/yon)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 14:05 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6b8e3 1 City city-budget,anies-baswedan,criticism Free
Public criticism toward Jakarta's 2018 budget plan is necessary for transparent governance, said Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
The city administration is currently deliberating over the budget plan with the City Council.
The proposal has garnered strong criticism from the public because of its spike in spending in several areas.
"Please do examine the allocation. We are lucky that the [2018 budget] is examined by so many people," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.
A number of allocations in the budget plan have drawn the public's attention because of a spike in spending in several areas.
Anies has allocated Rp 1.6 trillion (US$118.3 million) in grants to 104 non-profit mass organizations, mostly Islamic ones including mosques, musholla (prayer rooms) and majlis taklim (Quran study congregations).
Jakarta mosques played a significant role in Anies' victory during the gubernatorial election earlier this year, when they called on Muslims not to hold funeral prayers for deceased Muslims found to have supported Anies contender, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is a Christian of Chinese ethnicity.
Meanwhile, the budget for the councillors working trips quadrupled to Rp 107.7 billion (US$7.9 million).
It also includes Rp 620 million to revamp a fountain at the council building in Central Jakarta and Rp 346.7 million for procuring automatic air freshener dispensers.
Anies said he hoped more people would keep an eye on the budget plan, to ensure it is well deliberated and transparent.
He further said the city's budget was from the people and, hence, Jakartans must take part in examining the deliberation.
"With more eyes watching, [God willing] the funds will be allocated for people's needs," he added. (agn)
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Linkedin (AFP) Sydney Thu, November 23, 2017 16:53 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a77ef1 2 Politics diplomacy,Australia,US,China,Trade Free
Australia warned on Thursday against American disengagement from Asia at a time of rising Chinese power as traditional US allies grow nervous about President Donald Trump's isolationist tilt.
In a major Foreign Policy White Paper -- the first to be issued by the Australian government in 13 years -- Canberra outlined its approach to the "Indo-Pacific" region amid "changing power balances".
"The United States has been the dominant power in our region throughout Australia's post-Second World War history. Today, China is challenging America's position," the 136-page document said.
"Navigating the decade ahead will be hard because, as China's power grows, our region is changing in ways without precedent in Australia's modern history."
Beijing said the white paper offered "an objective look" at Chinese-Australian relations but also contained "some negative" statements, and in particular "irresponsible" remarks on the South China Sea.
The report said Australia was "committed to strong and constructive ties with China", while strongly supporting the global leadership role of the US, a key ally.
"We believe that the United States' engagement to support a rules-based order is in its own interests and in the interests of wider international stability and prosperity," it said.
"Without sustained US support, the effectiveness and liberal character of the rules-based order will decline."
Trump was a lone protectionist voice at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam earlier this month, where he dished out more of his trademark "America First" rhetoric.
His withdrawal from American-led moves to open up global trade has seen China seeking to fill the gap.
Canberra cast itself as a middleman between the two superpowers, saying Australia would "encourage the United States and China to ensure economic tension between them does not fuel strategic rivalry or damage the multilateral trading system".
The report said Beijing and Washington have a mutual interest in managing the strategic tensions between them, "but this by itself is not a guarantee of stability".
It added: "Compounding divergent strategic interests as China's power grows, tensions could also flare between them over trade and other economic issues."
China's foreign ministry criticised the white paper's passages on the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing has built artificial islands capable of hosting military aircraft as it faces rival territorial claims from neighbouring countries.
The document says Australia is "particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China's activities" in the sea and opposes the use of artificial structures for military purposes.
"We hope that Australia will stop issuing irresponsible remarks," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.
China is Australia's largest trading partner, with Beijing's hunger for commodities helping the resource-rich nation avoid a recession for 26 years.
The US has long been a close ally of Australia, with Canberra sending soldiers to support US missions in Afghanistan and the Middle East, while Darwin has played host to US Marines who use the northern region of the country for training.
Topics : diplomacy Australia US China Trade
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Linkedin (AFP) Yangon Thu, November 23, 2017 22:54 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a85562 2 World Myanmar,Rohingya-Muslims,Bangladesh,refugees-camp Free
Bangladesh and Myanmar will start repatriating refugees in two months, Dhaka said Thursday, as global pressure mounts over a crisis that has forced more than half a million Rohingya to flee across the border.
The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world's largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing".
After months of wrangling, Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
Dhaka said they had agreed to start returning the refugees to mainly Buddhist Myanmar in two months.
It said that a working group would be set up within three weeks to agree the arrangements for the repatriation.
"This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working," Ali told reporters in Naypyidaw.
Impoverished and overcrowded Bangladesh has won international praise for allowing the refugees into the country, but has imposed restrictions on their movements and said it does not want them to stay.
Myanmar, meanwhile, has bristled at the growing chorus of global criticism.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a one-time heroine of the human rights movement whose halo has been badly tarnished, shot back Thursday at foreign interference in what she said was a "bilateral" issue.
"Western countries as well the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had portrayed the matter as an international issue by passing resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations," her office said in a statement.
"The principled position of Myanmar is that issues that emerge between neighbouring countries must be resolved amicably through bilateral negotiations."
Thursday's agreement is a "win-win situation for both countries", the statement added.
The tentative deal comes the day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who met with Suu Kyi in Myanmar last week, issued Washingtons strongest-yet denunciation.
"It is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said.
"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued."
The tide of desperate humanity that has poured over Myanmars riverine border into Bangladesh is thick with horrifying stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmars military and Buddhist mobs.
The Burmese army insists its crackdown has been proportionate and targeted only at Rohingya rebels.
Thursday's outline deal offered no detail on how many Rohingya will be allowed back and how long the process will take.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the process, including where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging.
The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.
They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services.
Tensions erupted into bouts of bloodshed in 2012 that pushed more than 100,000 Rohingya into grim displacement camps.
Despite the squalid conditions in the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many of the refugees say they are reluctant to return to Myanmar unless they are granted full citizenship.
"We won't go back to Myanmar unless all Rohingya are granted citizenship with full rights like any other Myanmar nationals," said Abdur Rahim, 52, who was a teacher at a government-run school in Buthidaung in Myanmar's Rakhine state before fleeing across the border.
"We won't return to any refugee camps in Rakhine," he told AFP in Bangladesh.
The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya.
The latest unrest occurred after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts on August 25.
The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities.
The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone.
Suu Kyi's government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse.
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Linkedin Ganug Adi Nugroho (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 17:18 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a798ac 1 National cats,blood-donation,surakarta,animal-cruelty Free
In a show of solidarity, 20 cat owners in Surakarta, Central Java, will donate the blood of their pets to another feline, Mengil, who is a victim of animal abuse.
Mengil was attacked by a stranger with a machete on Nov. 13. She was later referred to a pet clinic and had to have one of its legs amputated.
After the surgery, Mengils condition was stable. But on Monday, its condition deteriorated and it had to be given intravenous fluids. It suffered from anemia and was in need of a lot of blood, Dhayu Irawati, who coordinated the blood donation, said on Thursday.
Read also: Jobless woman in South Jakarta helps cats despite limitations
Dhayu said that the owners of 20 cats agreed to help out after she and Mengils owner, Kusuma Nastiti Ardiati, announced on Facebook and Instagram that they were looking for cat owners who were willing to donate their cats blood.
Hopefully 20 cats as blood donors will be enough, she said.
Mengil had one of its front limbs amputated following an attack by a human with a machete on Nov. 13. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
Read also: City rescues 3,521 stray animals
Veterinarian Yanida Talbot, who treated Mengil, said the cat lost a lot of blood after being amputated. Even though it only has three legs, Mengil can still walk. Cats can easily adapt to their own condition and environment, she said.
She said that, based on her examination of Mengils wound, she was convinced that Mengil was a victim of abuse and that her injuries were not a result of an accident.
Yanida carried out the surgery and the blood donation campaign pro bono. (ahw)
Read also: City struggles to deal with stray animals
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Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 20:15 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a82c7e 1 City Thousand-Islands-regency,Payung-Island,city-budget Free
The Jakarta Council rejected a budget proposal for Payung Island in the Thousand Islands regency on Thursday because they consider the island a tourism spot.
Dont allocate a budget for Payung Island. That is a tourism island and the fund might be used to develop villas. People can even drive cars there, said Bestari Barus, a member of the councils Commission D that oversees spatial plan and public works, as quoted by kompas.com.
He added that the island also did not have many residents.
The Water Management Agency allocated Rp 4.7 billion (US$348,000) for the island to establish reverse osmosis (RO) or water purification technology. The ROs are set to be built on eight islands.
Another reason was that tourism on the island had been developed by private parties and the planned ROs would benefit them instead of residents.
Meanwhile, the agencys head, Teguh Hendrawan, said the fund for the island was smaller compared to others and disagreed with Barus rejection of the budget.
Commission D head Iman Satria then announced that the RO budget for Payung Island would be removed and transferred to another program.
We agreed that the budget for Payung Island would be removed, Iman said. (wnd)
(Xinhua) 07:46, November 23, 2017
KATHMANDU, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese companies have joined hands with a Nepalese company to develop at least 1,000 MW hydropower projects in Nepal in the next five years.
The joint venture between the Chinese companies and Butwal Power Company (BPC) was launched in Nepal's capital Katmandu Wednesday evening.
Sichuan Provincial Investment Group Co. Ltd (SPIG), Chengdu Xingcheng Investment Group Co. Ltd (CXIG) and Qing Yuan Engineering Consulting Co. Ltd (QYEC) and BPC will first develop the 100MW Lower Manang Marshyangdi Hydroelectric Project, located at high Himalayan area of Gandaki zone in western Nepal.
"It will be followed by a number of other ventures," the Nepali company said in a press release.
BPC Chairman Padma Jyoti termed the cooperation a first step towards a long-term partnership as hydropower is long-term business.
Dr. Liu Guoqiang, chairman of SPIG board, said that the joint venture has opened a new platform for cooperation in energy sector under China's Belt and Road Initiative.
"We are also eager to cooperate in the areas of water management and health care sectors," he added.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 18:48 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a7ead6 1 National bali,Mount-Agung,tourism,Volcano,eruption,natural-disaster,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,ignasius-jonan Free
Despite increasing seismic activity at Mount Agung, a minister said tourists should not be afraid to visit Bali as the government has always been ready to give up-to-date information on the volcanos status to minimize the impact in the event of a major eruption.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said on Thursday that authorities were striving to monitor every development of Mt. Agungs volcanic activities.
The Bali administration and the National Disaster Management and Refugee Coordination Board [BNPB] will remain ready to give early warning if anything happens. So please stay calm. There is no need to worry too much, Ignasius said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta.
Authorities have also prepared scenarios to anticipate risks that may arise from the volcanos eruption, he further said.
The eruption has long been anticipated. People need to remain calm and follow every instruction issued by the BNPB and the Bali administration, because they have made preparations long before the volcano erupted, Ignasius said.
Mt. Agung erupted on Tuesday evening, forcing local residents to evacuate to temporary shelters. The eruption was still small. Several flights had been rerouted but not too many, said Ignasius.
Earlier, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said a travel advisory issued by the Singaporean government, which called for its citizens to avoid parts of Bali following the eruption, was excessive because only areas within a radius of 7.5 kilometers from the crater were considered dangerous.
Jonan previously said electricity and fuel supplies in Bali were adequate despite the eruption. (saf/ebf)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Thu, November 23, 2017 21:32 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a84824 1 Business finance-minister,central-bank,IMF,IMF-WB-meeting,bali,World-Bank Free
Around 7,000 participants have been registered to attend the 2018 IMF-World Bank Task Force Annual Meeting scheduled to be held in Bali from Oct.12 to Oct.14.
The meetings organizing committee head Peter Jacob of Bank Indonesia (BI) said on Tuesday the number of delegations from 189 countries participating in the annual meeting was predicted to exceed its target.
If we look at the number of delegations that have been registered as of today, we are optimistic that more participants will attend the meeting. We are expecting 15,000 people to attend the event, said Peter.
He was speaking to journalists from areas across Indonesia during a workshop held by BI in Jakarta from Nov.19 to Nov.21.
Peter said finance ministers and central bank governors from 189 IMF and World Bank member countries, as well as leaders of financial management institutions across the globe, would attend the Bali meeting.
He said that during an exhibition held by the Tourism Ministry at the 2017 IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting in Washington DC, the US, around 4,000 participants had conveyed their readiness to come to Indonesia for the following years meeting.
We have given the Annual Meeting the tagline Voyage to Indonesia, because people from 189 countries across the world will make a voyage to Indonesia for the event in October next year, said Peter.
A successful IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting will strengthen Indonesias position as an excellent location for organizing meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). (ebf)
Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor Mirza Adityaswara speaks at a journalist workshop held by the central bank in Jakarta from Nov.19 to Nov.21. (JP/Fadli)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 14:57 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6db5c 1 Business Chinese-workers,Morowali,central-sulawesi,clarification Free
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said the government will send a team to clarify rumors about the employment of many foreign workers, particularly from China, in the special economic zone (SEZ) of Morowali, Central Sulawesi.
"We will send a team to check on the development of Morowali, so that people will not [spread rumors]," he said in Jakarta on Thursday, adding that the team would be sent next month.
The SEZ development in the area is accompanied by rumors about an influx of illegal foreign workers, particularly from China.
Currently, a big nickel smelter co-owned by local company Bintangdelapan Group and Chinas Dingxin Group is under construction at the industrial park in Morowali.
Luhud said the team would also visit other industrial parks in Sulawesi, including Konawe in Southeast Sulawesi. (bbn)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 13:40 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a69f92 1 Business electric-car,batteries,South-Korea,Indonesia,collaboration Free
Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has met with Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Cho Tai-young on Thursday to discuss the countries' joint development of a lithium-ion battery for electric cars.
During the meeting, they agreed to send young chemical engineers to South Korea for further training.
"We will send young scientists from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to South Korea for an internship program," Luhut said, following the meeting at his office.
Indonesia plans to produce 2 million cars by 2025, 20 percent of which will be hybrid or fully electric cars.
Luhut added that Indonesia had abundant resources to produce lithium-ion batteries, while South Korea was one of the leading countries in battery technology, along with Japan.
"As we have a lot of materials to produce batteries [domestically], why should we import [them]?" he said. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 12:58 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a67b86 1 National Jokowi,virginity-test,Indonesia,discrimination-against-women Free
New York based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged President Joko Jokowi Widodo to order the chiefs of the National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI) to immediately ban virginity testing for female applicants, saying the practice is a form of gender based violence.
The decades old practice that includes a two-finger test to determine whether a female applicants hymen is intact was degrading and discriminatory, as well as harming womens equal access to job opportunities, HRW womens rights advocacy director Nisha Varia said.
The Indonesian governments continuing tolerance for abusive virginity tests by the security forces reflects an appalling lack of political will to protect the rights of Indonesian women, Varia said in a statement on Wednesday.
Indonesian women who seek to serve their country by joining the security forces shouldnt have to subject themselves to an abusive and discriminatory virginity test, she said.
Despite criticism from human rights campaigners, security forces continue to impose the test, classified as psychological examinations, on the grounds that the virginity test was for mental health and morality reasons, senior police and military officers told HRW.
All females who took part in the test told HRW that the experience of having doctors inserting two fingers into their vagina to check the level of vaginal laxity was traumatic, painful and embarrassing.
World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines issued in 2014 stated that virginity testing has no scientific validity. The discriminatory practice has also been internationally recognized as a violation of human rights.
The rights group further urged Jokowi to prohibit virginity tests by the Police and TNI, and establish an independent monitoring mechanism to ensure the two institutions comply.
By ending the practice, the Indonesian government would abide by its international human rights obligations as well as honor the goals of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which falls on Nov. 25, HRW said.
The Indonesian police and military cannot effectively protect all Indonesians, women and men, so long as a mindset of discrimination permeates their ranks, Varia added. (afr/dmr)
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Linkedin Rendi A. Witular (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 09:46 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a5940c 1 Business tax,Jokowi,robert-pakpahan Free
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has approved a proposal from Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to appoint Robert Pakpahan, 58, as the new director general of taxation.
An official at the Presidential Palace told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that Robert, currently the ministry's financing and risk management director general, would assume the role on Dec. 1 to replace Ken Dwijugiasteadi, who is retiring.
Prior to leading the financing and risk management directorate general, Robert spent his entire career at the tax office, one of the country's most powerful institutions.
Robert graduated from the State Accounting Academy (STAN) in 1985 and continued his bachelor degree there in 1987, and Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina University in the United States in 1998.
Aside from currently serving as member of the board of commissioners in a number of state companies, Robert is also known to have served as the Finance Minister's expert staff for state revenues, the tax office's director for business transformation and director for taxation. (dmr)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Thu, November 23, 2017 19:39 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a803ff 1 National Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,peace,tolerance,NU,Nahdlatul-ulama,NahdlatulUlama Free
President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said that the government appreciates the role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) as Indonesias biggest Islamic organization in promoting harmony among the countrys diverse religious and cultural groups.
According to the President, the NU has contributed significantly in boosting Indonesias global image as a country that is peaceful and tolerant, even though it comprises numerous tribes, ethnicities, languages and religions.
Every time I am among Nahdliyin [NU followers], especially the alim ulama [clerics], I feel a cool and calm atmosphere. Similarly, whenever I enter an NU pesantren [Islamic boarding school], I feel a calmness, Jokowi said on Thursday.
Im not the only one to feel that way; representatives of other countries who are with us now have felt the same thing.
(Read also: NU to discuss 18 key issues at national meeting)
Jokowi made the statement while opening an NU national meeting and major conference at the Islamic Center complex in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Thursday evening.
He added that during the recent visit of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, he told the Afghan leader that Indonesia was home to some 17,000 islands, more than 1,100 local languages and various religions and the archipelago was still able to remain united.
Jokowi said during their meeting, President Ghani expressed his hope that Indonesia could become a mediator to help settle conflicts in Afghanistan.
Indonesia is seen as a neutral country and this cannot be separated from NUs roles, Jokowi said. (ebf)
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 14:31 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6d2de 1 National Malaysia,forest-fires,Jokowi,Najib-Razak Free
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's efforts in tackling forest fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan and spare the neighboring country from air pollution.
Speaking during a joint press conference with President Joko Jokowi Widodo before the 12th Malaysia-Indonesia annual consultative meeting in Kuching , Malaysia, Najib said his country had not experienced haze for two years.
Thank you for the serious attention from Indonesia. The weather is now fresh, enjoyable, Najib said as quoted in the Presidential Palaces press statement on Wednesday.
Forest and land fires are perennial problems in Indonesia, with the latest fires in 2015 resulting in a choking haze blanketing numerous areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan, as well as Singapore and parts of Malaysia, costing the economy Rp 221 trillion, equal to about 1.9 percent of the countrys GDP.
In October, the National Disaster Management Agency claimed that Indonesia had improved its capacity to deal with land and forest fires following the 2015 disaster. Activists, however, have warned officials in Jakarta against complacency, saying that more needs to be done to address forest fires. (saf/ahw)
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Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23 2017
A mobbed couple from Tangerang, West Java, is set to tie the knot next month in a mass wedding held by local police.
The couple, identified only as R, 28, and M, 20, had a nikah siri (unregistered marriage) on Tuesday.
As the Tangerang Police planned to hold a mass wedding on Dec. 8 for the first time, they asked the couple whether they wanted to participate.
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 15:06 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a7199b 1 City Monas,religion,anies-baswedan Free
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan invited the Interfaith Communication Forum (FKUB) to City Hall for the second time on Thursday morning to announce that he would support any religious activities in the capital. He also told the representatives of various religions that the National Monument (Monas) compound was open for them anytime.
Each religion has the same opportunity to use the facility [Monas], Anies said after hosting a coffee morning attended by representatives from the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), the Council of Buddhist Communities (Walubi), the Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia (Matakin) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).
The use of Monas as a place of religious activities is in the spotlight as numerous Islamic sermons are set to be held there.
Monas technical management unit head Arista Nurbaya said a cultural event would be held on the grounds this Sunday, including a carnival and a performance involving 16,000 dancers in the morning, while an Islamic sermon would be given in the evening.
She added that other Islamic groups had already booked the Monas area for Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2.
A previous gubernatorial decree had banned any religious activity on the square until Anies changed the regulations to allow for such events.
(Xinhua) 07:50, November 23, 2017
NAIROBI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei on Wednesday launched new smartphones in Kenya, targeting high net worth individuals in the East African nation.
The Huawei Mate 10 mobile devices at a cost of 800 U.S. dollars will be sold exclusively through Kenya's largest online retailer, Jumia for two weeks and will be later rolled out in smaller outlets countrywide.
Adam Lane, the Senior Director, Public Affairs at Huawei Technologies said Huawei Mate 10 series has upgraded features that guarantee quality service and durability.
"The Huawei 10 series is a device that gives users a seamless experience. A key feature is the artificial intelligence processor that is adaptable with user's surroundings making the phone stand out in this competitive market," Lane remarked during the launch of Huawei new smart phones in Nairobi
He revealed that the new Huawei Mate 10 mobile devices that have 64 GB memory capacity will retail at 800 dollars while the Mate pro whose memory capacity is 128 GB will be sold at 900 dollars.
The Huawei Mate 10 mobile devices have state of the art features like cameras, slick touch screens, network processing unit and a battery with a longer power retention capacity.
Lane said the device has inbuilt dual 4G Simcard support while its dual camera technology can capture and process images at high speed.
Derrick Alenga, Retail Manager of Huawei Device Kenya, said Huawei Mate 10 series has advanced features that enhances its ability to multi-task and can guarantee users a shelf life of eighteen months without developing hitches.
"Huawei Mate 10 series is the first smartphone to be launched globally with unique features like a processing unit and artificial intelligence. It has a huge storage capacity," said Alenga
The launch of Huawei Mate 10 series is expected to shake up Kenya's smartphone market that has blossomed thanks to higher disposable incomes among the country's urban middle classes.
Sanaz Abaie, the head of category for mobile and tablets, Jumia Kenya, said that growth of e-commerce has ensured high net worth individuals have access to quality and affordable smartphones.
"Demand for high-end smartphones like Huawei Mate 10 series has surged in Nairobi and other major cities. Our platform will raise the visibility of these devices and make them accessible at an affordable price," Abaie said.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Yangon, Myanmar Thu, November 23, 2017 18:24 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a7d9fe 2 World Myanmar,Bangladesh,Rohingya,refugee Free
Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on Thursday paving the way for the possible repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state, officials said, as global pressure mounts over the refugee crisis.
More than 620,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since August, running from a Myanmar military crackdown that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing".
After weeks of tussling over the terms of repatriation, the two sides inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday following talks between Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali.
"Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding today," Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary of Myanmar's Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, confirmed to AFP.
He said he was unauthorized to provide more details.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay also tweeted that an "agreement on repatriation" had been signed, though he could not be reached by phone for further comment.
In brief remarks to the press, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Ali said: "This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working."
But the scope of the repatriation -- such as how many Rohingya will be allowed back -- and the timeline remain unclear.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the process, including where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging.
The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya.
The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.
They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services.
Topics : Myanmar Bangladesh Rohingya refugee
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, November 23, 2017 13:29 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6995f 2 World gang-slayings,US,Washington,immigration,trump Free
An ultra-violent Latino street gang that President Donald Trump has vowed to wipe out beheaded a man and cut out his heart before burying him in a park near the US capital, reports said Wednesday.
The victim, who has not yet been identified, was stabbed more than 100 times in the attack in Wheaton, Maryland just outside Washington DC, according to a statement by the Montgomery County Police Department.
Authorities have so far arrested Miguel Angel Lopez-Abrego, 19 and an alleged member of the MS-13 gang, on first-degree murder charges. Other suspects are being sought.
Charging documents obtained by Montgomery Community Media and WBALTV11 added the victim was decapitated and had his heart removed from his chest, in an attack planned for weeks and involving up to 10 people.
Detectives began investigating in September thanks to a tip from an informant who said he knew of a murder committed in the spring in a Wheaton park, the Washington Post reported, quoting court records. The informant led police to the gravesite deep side the park.
The grave was prepared before the attack, the paper said. It added that gang members lured the victim to the park and spoke to each other on walkie-talkies as he arrived, the paper added.
The charging documents do not cite a motive for the slaying, which investigators believe the attackers had been preparing for about two weeks, the Post said.
Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, is estimated to have 10,000 members in the United States.
The gang works as an umbrella grouping of units known in Spanish as "clicas," some of which are larger and more violent than others.
It has become a focus of Trump's crackdown on crime, which he claims has surged as a result of borders easily crossed by gang members.
Together, we're going to restore safety to our streets and peace to our communities, and we're going to destroy the vile criminal cartel, #MS13, and many other gangs...
'Hundreds arrested in MS-13 crackdown'https://t.co/Mp268d8RaU pic.twitter.com/mrynwnTuoO Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2017
Most members trace their heritage to El Salvador, Honduras or Guatemala, and among the members there are as many immigrants as there are US citizens. Many were born in the United States.
Authorities last week announced they had netted 214 members of the gang in a month-long nationwide sweep.
More than half of those picked up in the action which was led by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, were arrested on immigration violations. But 93 were dealt federal criminal charges including murder, robbery, drugs and racketeering.
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Linkedin (AFP) Sydney Thu, November 23, 2017 12:00 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a61538 2 Politics Papua-New-Guinea,refugee,journalist,Australia Free
Papua New Guinea police on Thursday arrested an Iranian journalist and refugee who had been acting as an unofficial spokesman for hundreds of men holed up in a closed Australian detention center, human rights groups said.
Behrouz Boochani was taken away during a police raid on the camp on PNG's Manus Island, according to rights groups and pictures posted by other detainees on social media.
Detainees said the police destroyed property and began forcing some of the around 400 refugees at the camp into buses to be transported to other transition centers on the island.
"We have confirmed that he has been taken away," Shen Narayanasamy of Australian activist group GetUp told AFP, speaking of Boochani.
She added that GetUp had received a photo of Boochani "being led away, handcuffed, by two police officers".
"We are very concerned about his welfare... He's become a voice on behalf of the men detained in this camp now for four years," she said.
"The police station and the jail inside Manus are places in which it's very difficult to get information."
Boochani had been regularly tweeting and talking to journalists by phone about the conditions in the camp.
Narayanasamy said his phone had been taken away from him, and other refugees were worried police now had a policy of arresting people who had spoken to media outlets.
Another detainee, Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz Adam, tweeted: "Please don't... text Behrouz right now he has been arrested by the police a few minutes ago."
Boochani gained international recognition for shooting footage on a smartphone inside the Manus camp for a film that was shown at the London Film Festival in October.
Global rights group Amnesty International called for his immediate release, saying that it "seems this is a deliberate attempt to isolate human rights activists from the wider group".
The refugees are barred from resettling in Australia, but Canberra has struggled to move them to third-countries including the United States.
The Manus camp was set up by Canberra to hold asylum-seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat. It was ordered shut on October 31 by a PNG court, but some 400 men have refused to leave.
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Linkedin (AFP) Sydney Thu, November 23, 2017 06:06 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a553bc 2 World PNG,Australia,refugee,shelters Free
Papua New Guinea police moved into the shuttered Australian refugee camp on the country's Manus Island Thursday in the most aggressive push yet to force hundreds of detainees to leave, inmates reported.
"Police have started to break the shelters, water tanks and are saying 'move, move'," tweeted Iranian Behrouz Boochani from inside the camp Thursday morning.
"Navy soldiers are outside the prison camp. We are on high alert right now. We are under attack," he said.
Other refugees posted photos to social media sites showing police entering the camp, which Australia declared closed on October 31, shutting off electricity and water supplies to the center.
The Manus camp was closed after a PNG Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional, and some 600 refugees were told to relocate to three nearby transition centers.
Around 400 of the asylum-seekers have refused to leave, saying they fear for their safety in a local population which opposes their presence on the island.
Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to reach Australia by boat to detention camps in Papua New Guinea's Manus Island and Nauru, and blocks them from resettling in Australia.
The camps' conditions have been slammed by human rights groups, which have also campaigned to have them shut amid reports of widespread abuse, self-harm and mental health problems.
Canberra has strongly rejected calls to move the refugees to Australia and instead has tried to resettle them in third countries, including the United States.
Topics : PNG Australia refugee shelters
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Thu, November 23, 2017 20:41 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a84671 1 National radicalism,intolerance,NU,Nahdlatul-ulama,NahdlatulUlama,information-communication-technology Free
Radicalism prevention and terrorist deradicalization are key issues the country needs to focus on, particularly amid rapid advancements in communications and information technology, the chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, has said.
Advancements in IT have resulted in many people being easily provoked by radical and intolerant groups. We [NU] will discuss this issue in our national meeting, NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj said on Thursday during the opening of the NU national meeting (Munas) and major conference (Konbes) in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), which ends on Saturday. Radicalism and deradicalization are among 18 issues to be discussed in the meeting.
Said further stated that NU praised the governments decision to issue the 2017 regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on mass organizations in July. Using the Perppu, authorities disbanded Muslim hard-line group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) for conducting activities that contradicted the state ideology, Pancasila, and Indonesian principles, he added.
(Read also: Jokowi praises NUs roles in building peace, tolerance)
Said explained that Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, had gained a positive reputation within the international community relative to other countries with large Muslim populations, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which have faced recent conflict.
He further said that NU fully supported the governments decision to ban mass organizations labeled radical and prevent terrorism and intolerant groups from developing in Indonesia. (ebf)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 10:42 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a5ecbc 1 Business Russia,food-and-beverage,SIAL-Interfood-2017 Free
The Russian Export Center has participated in SIAL Interfood 2017 at Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, held until Saturday, to introduce its food and beverages to Indonesians.
Eight Russian companies participated in the event, namely producers of wheat snacks Barkanoff, confectionery Uniconf, buckwheat snacks Makfa, wheat flour Petrovskie and frozen pancakes Lina.
The Russian trade representative in Indonesia Sergei Rossomakhov said food and agriculture products were among Russia's priority export commodities. The others were related to energy, mining, transportation, infrastructure, information and technology.
As Russia's economy is recovering [from crisis in 2014], we have been trying to reduce our dependence on oil exports, he told The Jakarta Post at the expo on Wednesday. Other agricultural products the country aims to export to Indonesia include various meats, chick peas, barley and millet.
However, its effort to penetrate the local market has faltered as importers have been waiting for approval for at least nine months from the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry, Sergei said. We hope Indonesia can be open to our products as were open to Indonesian products, especially palm oil, he added.
Russias import of palm oil products has increased in the past seven years, rising to 700,000 tons last year from 100,000 tons in 2009, Trademap data shows.
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Linkedin (AFP) Athens Fri, November 24, 2017 00:33 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a8749a 2 World greece,Germany,Immigrants,arrest Free
Greek police will help bolster airport checks in Germany in a dispute over hundreds of passengers allegedly caught flying out of Greece with falsified papers, a police source told AFP.
As of next week, Greek liaison officers will be stationed at airports in Frankfurt and Munich to help with passport checks, the source said.
The move follows a complaint by Germany's interior ministry that between January and October, around 1,000 people with falsified documents were intercepted at German airports after flying in from Greece.
Another two cases were found this week, the Kathimerini newspaper reported Thursday.
Greek police regularly crack down on forgery gangs, mainly based in Athens, which supply false passports to asylum seekers trying to leave the country.
But in recent days, German airport police have stepped up checks even on German citizens returning from Greek vacations, the police source said.
"They are even opening luggage. We heard of one person delayed for one and a half hours," the source said.
The source also said German authorities had not given Greece any specific details on the hundreds allegedly found carrying false papers over the past 10 months, which could have enabled Athens to run background checks on them.
German media reports have recently accused Greece -- which has struggled to accommodate the estimated 60,000 refugees and migrants on its territory for the past year -- of turning a blind eye to asylum seekers sneaking out.
The Greek migration ministry has strongly denied the reports.
Germany is a top destination for thousands of refugees and migrants trapped in Greece since a succession of European states shut their borders last year.
Even people granted refugee status by Greece have faced long delays in securing permission from German authorities to legally join their families.
Topics : greece Germany Immigrants arrest
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, November 24, 2017 00:10 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a8562d 1 Politics Mojokerto,East-Java,bribery,bribery-case,mayor,graft,graft-suspect Free
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Masud Yunus, the mayor of Mojokerto in East Java, a bribery suspect in a case implicating government officials and politicians in the municipality.
We found sufficient evidence to allege that the mayor bribed the Mojokerto Legislative Council speaker [Purnomo]. He [allegedly] committed the crime along with Wiwiet Febriyanto, an agency official," KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said during a press conference on Thursday.
The KPK had named Wiwiet and Purnomo suspects in the same case in June.
KPK investigators caught red-handed Wiwiet, the head of the Mojokerto Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency, engaging in an act of bribery allegedly involving the council's speaker and two suspects in an operation in June. They allegedly promised to pay around Rp 470 million (US$34,838) in bribes in the case related to the municipality's budget.
Febri added that the KPK issued a letter ordering for the start of an investigation into Masud on Nov. 17.
The Surabaya Corruption Court declared Wiwiet guilty of bribery in the case in a hearing on Nov. 10 and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment. Meanwhile, the trial process of the other suspects is ongoing in the same court. (ebf)
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Linkedin (Sin Chew Daily) Kuching Thu, November 23, 2017 10:24 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a5cb96 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Indonesia,palm-oil,European-Union,discrimination Free
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak points out that both Malaysia and Indonesia agree that the import limit imposed by European Union (EU) on palm oil is unfair and would join hand to counter this discriminative policy affecting 18 million farmers in both countries.
Malaysia will work hand in hand to counter discriminative policy launched by European Union against palm oil. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in a joint press conference, said the discriminative policy is unfair to 600,000 small estate holders in Malaysia and 17.5 million farmers in Indonesia. Both agree to seek for a solution.
Attending the 12th Malaysia Indonesia annual consultative meeting on Wednesday, Najib and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in a joint press conference, said both countries concur that the policy by EU is unfair to farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia and should not be continued.
Najib said the discriminative policy cast negative impact on oil palm industry and affect the income and livelihood of 600,000 small estate holders in Malaysia and 17.5 million in Indonesia.
He said leaders of both countries would seek for a solution and EU council chairman Donald Tusk was concerned with further action taken by the latter. He said Malaysia minister had met up with EU representatives. Indonesia would also be meeting with EU representative in Jakarta soon. Malaysia would send delegation to Indonesia.
Najib said on this issue, judging from the angle of ASEAN as a community, human rights should be defended.Entikong and Tebedu in Sarawak would re-open once agreement with Indonesia is signed
Once border crossing agreement and border trade agreement are signed, Entikong and Tebedu in Sarawak would open again.
Najib said during his discussion with Indonesian president Joko, both agreed to re-open Entikong and Tebedu to benefit people of two countries living at the border.
He said Sabah state government also requested to set up border posts at Serudong and Simanggaris. Discussion would be held in next border trade agreement.He said on principle, Malaysia agreed with a request made by Indonesia to increase the number of community learning centers in Sabah and Sarawak. Currently, Sabah has 68 and Sarawak 10. A proposal would be submitted after Sarawak and Sabah discussed with Indonesia.
Both countries also agreed to set up border post to prevent militant groups such Khalifa and Daesh. The defence ministry of both countries would discuss the number of border posts.
He said Malaysia and Indonesia also agreed to explore on the potential in the border area to find a suitable way for common development to benefit both countries. This involves high-value agricultural sector, free trade zone, small and medium industries and others.
Najib said both countries agree to resolve long-standing disputes on Sulawesi sea and other areas. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have positive response to Myanmar and Bangladesh achieving settlement on Rohingya issue
As Myanmar government reaches consensus with Bangladeshi government on Rohingya Muslim issue, both Malaysia and Indonesia reacted in a positive manner.
Najib said the issue of Rohingya refugee was brought up during Malaysia-Indonesia meeting and hoped that the issue is solved amicably when the agreement is signed. This issue does not only affect Malaysians and Indonesians but the global attention.
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Linkedin (AFP) Kuala Lumpur Thu, November 23, 2017 12:24 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a62b4f 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Uighur,Thailand,arrest,China,Immigrants Free
Malaysian authorities have arrested a Uighur Muslim man from China who was part of a group who made a dramatic escape from an immigration detention center in Thailand, police said Thursday.
Asri Yusoff, police chief in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah, said the fugitive was picked up near the border with Thailand's Sadoa district, where the Thai immigration center is located.
"The detainee, in his 30s, entered Bukit Tangga near the Malaysia-Thai border on foot," he told AFP by phone.
"He is in good condition and we are making arrangements to send him back to Thailand," he added.
Local people tipped off police which led to the Uighur man's arrest, Asri said, adding that police have stepped up border surveillance and are distributing posters of the escapees to the public.
A group of 25 Uighurs used blankets to climb out of their cells in a daring pre-dawn escape from their cell in southern Thailand on Monday.
Five of them were arrested in Thailand on the same day and one more was detained on Wednesday, according to the Thai police.
The arrest of one escapee in Malaysia indicates that some of the group may have crossed into the country.
The group was among hundreds of Uighurs, a Muslim minority that faces repression in western China, detained in 2014 in Thailand, sparking a tussle over their citizenship.
Uighurs intercepted in Thailand often say they are Turkish as Turkey shares ethnic links with them and accepts those who flee from China's restive Xinjiang region.
Thailand does not grant asylum to refugees but has said Uighurs can remain in Thai custody until their citizenship is established, with some 61 currently in detention across the country.
In 2015 Thailand forcibly deported 100 Uighurs to China.
Topics : Malaysia Uighur Thailand arrest China Immigrants
(Xinhua) 07:51, November 23, 2017
HONG KONG, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Conference for Electing Deputies of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) convened its first plenary session on Wednesday in preparation for electing 36 deputies to China's top legislature.
The plenary session, attended by 1,462 members of the electoral conference, elected a 19-member presidium, which will preside over the future meetings of the electoral conference.
The 19 presidium members, including HKSAR Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, as well as two former chief executives, Tung Chee-Hwa and Leung Chun-ying, then held their first meeting and elected Lam as the executive chairwoman of the presidium.
According to a bulletin released by the presidium, the nomination for deputies to the 13th NPC will start on Nov. 24 and end on Dec. 4. Election for the deputies representing HKSAR to the 13th NPC will be held at the electoral conference's second plenary session on Dec. 19.
The presidium bulletin also made clear that Hong Kong residents of Chinese citizenship aged 18 or above are eligible to contest for the candidacy of the NPC deputies. They need to obtain at least 10 nominations from the electoral conference members for their registrations to be effective.
According to the bulletin, the maximum number of the nominees by each electoral conference member will be 36.
Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the NPC Standing Committee Wang Chen called in a speech at the first plenary session for "comprehensively and accurately implementing the 'one country, two systems' principle and ensuring the right direction of the election."
Stressing the central government's "zero tolerance" for "Hong Kong independence" remarks and deeds, Wang said the election for HKSAR NPC deputies must be guided by a strong sense of "one country" and firmly observe the principle of "one country."
"Any attempt to endanger national sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government and the authority of the Basic Law of the HKSAR or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line, and is absolutely impermissible," Wang said.
The bulletin said, according to NPC deputy election methods, candidates shall declare in their registration forms that they uphold China's Constitution, the HKSAR Basic Law and the "one country, two systems" principle, bear allegiance to China and the HKSAR, and have not received directly or indirectly any form of funds in relation to the election from any foreign institution, organization or individual.
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 17:29 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a7af80 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Batam,coffee Free
A total of 1,000 local tourists and 200 international tourists attended Wonderful Batam Fiesta Coffee & Archipelago Cuisines event held at Kepri Mall, Batam on Nov. 10 12.
The event was initiated by Indonesian Non-Star Hotel Association and presented the best Indonesian coffee varieties such as kopi Gayo, kopi Medan, kopi Toraja and kopi Papua.
The event featured coffee exhibition, barista competition, manual brewing competition, community gathering and traditional food festival.
Throughout the event, visitors could try on the coffee they were interested in for a special price. Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world after water. It has become a lifestyle for most people.
Apart from the ones mentioned before, Indonesia still has many other varieties like Mandailing, Lampung and Luwak.
In Japan, kopi Toraja is considered as a luxury item. Around 40 percent of coffee that are available in Japan are kopi Toraja. The average drinkers are upper-class citizens, said Tourism Ministrys archipelago tourism marketing development deputy, Esthy Reko Astuti. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 14:31 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a6db41 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Medan,Kahiyang-Ayu,#firstdaughterwedding Free
After the wedding celebration of the first daughter Kahiyang Ayu with Bobby Nasution in Solo, Central Java, the celebration will continue with a ngunduh mantu (welcoming an in-law) tradition in Medan, North Sumatra, the grooms hometown, on Nov. 24- 26.
North Sumatra Police Chief. Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said that the ngunduh mantu celebration will showcase the culture of North Sumatra.
In this event, President Joko Widodo and his family will join a parade using a sado (horse-drawn carriage) from Medan International Convention Center (MICC) to the main location. The parade will feature a total of 15 sado from Berastagi, Karo regency.
Being involved in this party meaning we have a chance to promote the tourism in Berastagi and sado Berastagi, said sado driver named Santo Sembiring.
Meanwhile, both the bride and groom will ride a decorated motor rickshaw.
President Jokowi and the first lady will also travel using ulos-patterned shuttle cars.
All of the shuttle cars have been plastered with Mandailing ulospatterned stickers, said Ring Road City Walks operational manager Abu Bakar Sidik.
Additionally, a gold garuda symbol will be placed on the front part of the cars. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 10:35 1820 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a5dab0 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free
Six state-run tourism polytechnics namely STP NHI Bandung, STP Bali, Akpar Medan, Makassar, Palembang and Lombok Tourism Polytechnics have signed up a three-year partnership deal with School of Business and Management ITB (SBM ITB).
The partnership will run from 2017 until the year of 2019.
One of the programs included in the partnership was an event for tourism students called Tourism Business Ideas 2017 competition.
Themed Tourism Village, Service Business and Creative Products that Support Local Tourism, the competition was joined by 72 participants from all across Indonesia.
The total number of participants was 72 and the top 10 finalists were three groups from STP Bali, two groups from STP NHI Bandung, two groups from Akpar Medan, one group from Poltekpar Makassar, one group from Poltekpar Palembang and one group from Poltekpar Lombok, explained the Tourism Ministry's tourism development deputy Ahman Sya.
In the end, STP Bali took home the first prize with their theme of Agrorange Kintamani. Following behind were STP NHI Bandung that presented Casa De Bottelas and Poltekpar Makassar that Presented HI Housekeeping.
The final round was held at Golden Palace Hotel Mataram. The three winners were given cash prizes for development, Ahman added. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 11:37 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a60709 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,GenPi,Arief-Yahya Free
On Nov.26, Tourism Minister delivered a message to Indonesian Charms Generation (GenPI).
He mentioned the recent Karetan Market event initiated by GenPI Central Java that has been adopted by several GenPI chapters in different Indonesian cities namely Fishing Market in Lombok (GenPI NTB), Baba Boen Tjit Market in Musi River, Palembang (GenPI South Sumatra) and Siti Nurbaya Market (GenPI West Sumatra).
I keep on telling GenPI to always be innovative in hosting community activities. Millennials like things that are innovative and in order for GenPI to stay relevant, sustainable and able to attract as many followers and friends their events need to always offer something new, Arief said.
For market events, 70 85 percent are for the locals, 15 30 percent are for the GenPI community, the number isnt big enough for GenPI but its huge in the non-operational return, he added.
GenPI was initially formed as a supporting team for World Halal Tourism Award (WHAT) in 2015 and 2016. The first GenPI chapter was GenPI Lombok Sumbawa established on Oct. 3, 2016. The communitys work helped Indonesia to win 12 awards at WHAT from the total of 16 categories.
It was also GenPI who asked netizens to vote for Wonderful Indonesia video at the UNWTO award.
Following GenPI's success, Wonderful Indonesia Generation (GenWI) was formed and focuses on the overseas market. Members of both GenPI and GenWI are mostly social media-savvy millennials.
For their role to be more effective, I encourage GenPI members to become entrepreneurs in their hometowns. We already have online marketplace ITX that is available for all tourism industry players. Through ITX, GenPI can sell tour packages and become tour operators, souvenir sellers, homestay owners and others, Arief explained.
In his speech, Arief also explained about celebrity endorsers and digital influencers with GenPI belongs to the latter group.
Digital influencers like GenPI generally promote tourism because they want to, not because they are paid, that's whey they are authentic, credible and trustworthy. Whoever can generate User Generated Content (UGC) they must have higher credibility and trustworthiness, Arief said.
He moreover said that digital influencers are more engaging than celebrity endorsers and even though celebrities have a larger audience, digital influencers tend to be more relevant and effective in delivering a message to their followers. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Thu, November 23, 2017 19:39 1819 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2a810e0 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Russia,foreign-tourists,West-Nusa-Tenggara Free
As an effort to achieve the 2018 target of welcoming four million tourists, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Administration is aiming to attract Russian tourists.
Deputy of Indonesian Ambassador to Moscow, Russia Lasro Simbolon is on board with the mission and has invited NTB to take part in the Indonesian Festival in Moscow that will be held on Aug. 3 5, 2018.
Lasro said that Lombok in NTB, Bali and Yogyakarta are main destinations among Russian tourists when they travel to Indonesia. He also encouraged the NTB provincial administration to create bigger tourism promotions.
In 2016, there were 20 million of Russians who traveled overseas, but only a small percentage of this number went to NTB.
The Indonesian Festival in Moscow is the right event to promote NTB to the people of Russia, we are optimistic that the number of Russian tourists can increase up to 50 percent, said NTB tourism department head Muhammad Faozal.
This year, NTB is targeting to welcome 3.5 million tourists, up until October the number had reached 3.1 million people.
In 2018, NTB will have several tourism events such as Komodo Exercise in May. Then theres also The 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group that will take place in Bali. Lombok is expecting to welcome at least five thousand tourists from these two events. (asw)
(Xinhua) 07:52, November 23, 2017
BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A shortage of a life-saving blood cancer drug has prompted the Chinese health authorities to act on shortages in such much-needed medicines.
Shortages in domestically-made mercaptopurine, a drug used to treat children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia, were recently reported across the country.
As of Monday, a batch of 2.95 million tablets had been produced and were being delivered, an effort described as an emergency response by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Zhejiang Zhebei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. told Xinhua Wednesday that it has expedited production of 15,000 bottles of mercaptopurine tablets, which would reach hospitals across the country within a week.
The company based in Deqing City, east China's Zhejiang Province, is the only one of six authorized makers of the medication still making the drug.
Tan Guojun, deputy general manager of the company, described the demand in China as "small": around 50,000 bottles a year.
"Sales generate only about 1.5 million yuan (230,000 U.S. dollars), around 2 percent of our total revenue," Tan said, noting that the company's tablets sell for one fifth of imported medication.
He said the company had paused production to build a new production line for the pills.
On Friday Nov. 17, production resumed and by Tuesday evening, 15,000 bottles of tablets had been loaded for delivery.
"The company will continue to produce the medicine according to demand and ensure a stable supply of the drug," said Tan.
Reports of shortages in medicine in China are not unusual, most involving essential supplies of low-priced medicine, specialized or first-aid drugs.
"The quick resumption of mercaptopurine production is due to improved monitoring of drug shortages," said Zhang Feng, deputy director of the department of drug policy and essential medicine of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The health authorities had identified early warning signals for a mercaptopurine shortage earlier this year and sped up approval for companies to produce the medicine.
Zhang said resumption of the supply would have taken about six months without the early warning.
Niu Zhengqian, vice president of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Enterprises Association, said medicines with low prices and small demand faced shortages when production costs rose and profit margins fell.
"When the hand of the market does not work, government intervention is needed," said the commission's Zeng Yixin.
From Wednesday, several government agencies, including the commission and Food and Drug Administration, will consult pharmaceutical manufacturers on ways to handle 27 drugs on the shortage list. In the meantime, the government will extend monitoring from 500 medical institutions to include production and distribution entities.
"Shifting the focus from users to producers will be helpful," said Xiao Lu, deputy director of the Science and Technology Development Center of Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
The government should accelerate implementation of a system which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to give early notification if they plan to suspend production, Xiao said.
After last weeks unreliably narrated fiasco, Lucifer goes back to a time-tested classic in its eighth episode Chloe does Lucifer.
A strong case of the week where a murder reveals a shady secret in a highly exclusive celebrity dating app acts as the background under which Lucifer tries to understand the peculiarities of humanity and his own capability of change.
The episode starts with an adorable enough scene. Though suggestive and helped by the name of the episode, the dialogue between Chloe and Lucifer reveals that instead of a saucy night, they are having a nice night in playing Monopoly with Trixie.
That lays the foundation of this episodes drama, which is what constitutes being interesting and to what extent you should sacrifice doing what you like in order to appear such.
The murdered victim in the case, a computer engineer Kim Jones, is hastily deemed as boring by both Lucifer and her roommate. However, they soon find out that it was her who actually developed the app, while the current CEO, Mack Slater was the face of the campaign and the one who eventually ousted her from the company. She had wanted to lower the exclusivity of the app, but he wouldnt let her do that.
The episode stresses the unhappiness that stems from doing what you want and doing what you think is necessary in order to be glamourous online: from Kims roommate turning out to be a phony to Slater building his fortune on a womans success.
On that note, its incredibly powerful to see three very different women Chloe, Ella and Charlotte play such a massive part in the investigation.
Ironically enough, it is through social media that they manage to find the murder weapon a home dumbbell, which fits Ellas description perfectly.
While the episode does carry an undercurrent of a strong message, the humour is not lost either, when both Lucifer and Chloe show up to Slaters home with the intention of seducing their way into Slater's house.
Elsewhere, Amenadiel helps Linda get to terms with her husbands death, a nice continuation from last weeks episode. Moreover, with Charlottes new appointment as a public defence, we will definitely be seeing more of the new her.
The scenes where Ella just straight up avoids her are not only funny but also hint at future developments.
That is always great to see, as Lucifer excels at putting different characters together and making them bounce off each other with great dialogue and sincerity. Charlottes increased presence at the precinct will definitely affect Lucifer and Dan.
New episodes of the third season of Lucifer are available every Tuesday on Amazon Prime.
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Zimbabwe's incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa was greeted with wild cheers by supporters at ZANU-PF headquarters as he made his first public appearance after being sacked by former president Robert Mugabe on November 6.
During a public address made at the headquarters, Mnangagwa thanked Zimbabweans for receiving him back into the country.
"Today we are witnessing the unfolding of democracy in our country... I appeal to all genuine, patriotic Zimbabweans to come together so that we grow our economy," he said.
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said earlier on Wednesday that Mnangagwa will replace ex-president Robert Mugabe who resigned Tuesday. Mnangagwa is expected to be sworn in on Friday.
The ruling ZANU-PF party on Sunday reinstated Mnangagwa into the party and nominated him to replace Mugabe as party leader.
"They all feel its the right thing to keep doing what theyve always done as a band, make new music"
US President Trump's granddaughter, Arabella, sings a song in Mandarin (Screenshot)
As we all know by now, US President Donald Trump proudly showed off a video of his granddaughter Arabella singing in Mandarin and reciting classical Chinese poetry during his first official visit to China.
The Hello, Grandpa Xi. Hello, Grandma Peng video was Trumps way of trying to build a more personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who gave Arabella an A+ for her performance.
The video of his granddaughter singing and reciting poems in Mandarin also played a starring role at a state dinner in Beijing. In a moment, we will view a video of my granddaughter, Arabella, reciting traditional Chinese songs and poetry about your countrys serene beauty and treasured customs, Trump said on November 9 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Indeed, whether shes singing Chinese songs or reciting Chinese poetry, Arabellas language skills are quite impressive. After all, Arabella has been learning Mandarin for years. She started learning Mandarin when she was just 18 months old, studying both with a Chinese nanny and also at private language school. Now, all three of Ivankas children study Mandarin, according to media reports.
But recently, the daughter of another American businessman has been giving Trumps talented granddaughter a run for her money. The Mandarin-speaking girl who has stolen the spotlight of late is a blond-haired girl nicknamed Happy, the daughter of world-renowned investor Jim Rogers.
This screenshot shows the daughters of Jim Rogers speaking Mandarin Chinese
Close your eyes and listen to her and you will think she is a native Chinese speaker. Happy sounds just like a professional Chinese news anchor. In fact, her Chinese is so good that many Chinese people have trouble believing their ears. Rogers daughter speaks better Mandarin than most Chinese people, said one net user. She makes me feel inferior. But wont Trump lose face from this? a net user joked.
For years, Rogers has been encouraging his daughters and other children to learn and practice Mandarin because, in his opinion, America is on the decline and the future belongs to China. If the 19th century belonged to Britain, and the 20th century to the United States. Then the 21st century will surely belong to China, he said. Make sure your kids learn Chinese.
Jim Rogers
As Rogers pointed out, there is good reason why the worlds elite, from the Trump family to royal families, are rushing to teach their kids Mandarin. In his opinion, Mandarin will become the next global language so learning it will give children an advantage in life in the 21st century. But rather than send his children to a private language school in Manhattan, Rogers moved his family from New York to Singapore so that his children could learn both Chinese and English in a Mandarin-speaking environment.
In his book A Gift to My Children, Rogers wrote about the importance of Chinese. We moved to Asia so that both of you could attend Chinese schools and use Mandarin in everyday life while experiencing both Asian and Western cultures, he wrote. Probably the best advice I can give to anyone, anywhere in the world, is to have your children and grandchildren learn Mandarin.
Judging from Happys performances, it appears that Rogers decision to immerse his children in a Mandarin-speaking environment has paid off. Not only do both his daughters speak fluent Mandarin, but the family has a passion for the future of Asia. If you want to engage with the Chinese, the more you know about China, the better, he said.
In recent years, a growing number of Americans have realized that Mandarin learning is a must. The US Department of Education reported that Mandarin is the second most popular dual-language program implemented by individual states in 2013, with 14 states reporting Chinese programs.
According to a report by Quartz, the US, with some help from China, has been trying to level the playing field so that even students whose families dont have a lot of resources have a chance to learn Mandarin.
In 2015, for example, the US government initiated the 1 Million Strong initiative, which aims to encourage one million American students, from kindergarten to high school, to learn Mandarin in five years. If our countries are going to do more together around the world, then speaking each others language, truly understanding each other, is a good place to start, said former president Barack Obama when announcing the initiative with President Xi.
Many activists of different political parties were injured in clashes while normal life was hit in Left-ruled Tripura as the BJP, Congress and other parties called a shutdown on Thursday to protest the killing of a journalist by a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) trooper.
Around 25 activists of different political parties including BJP and CPI-M were injured following the clashes in various places across Tripura, a police official said.
Police said around 600 activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties were arrested for picketing in front of government offices in different parts of the state.
Most of the government, semi-government, private offices, educational institutions, shops and business establishments were closed due to the strike called by the BJP, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura.
Banks and financial institutions were also closed in view of the shutdown, which was opposed by the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front.
All vehicles, except those of security forces, went off the roads. The band did not affect flights and train services in and out of Tripura.
The strike was successful and spontaneous, state BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb said.
Security forces led by senior police officials have been deployed across the state to prevent any untoward incident.
According to police, TSR Second Battalion Rifleman Nandu Kumar Reang shot dead Sudip Datta Bhowmik, 50, at Radha Kishore Nagar, 25 km from Agartala, following an altercation on Tuesday. Reang was the bodyguard of Second Battalion Commandant Tapan Debbarma. The slain journalist had gone to meet Debbarma at the battalion headquarters.
Police have arrested both the trooper and the Commandant. The Chief Judicial Magistrate here sent the duo to 10 days in police custody.
The state government, which has handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), also constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
Bhowmik, who was a reporter with Syandan Patrika and television channel Vanguard, is survived by his wife, a government teacher, and two children.
Most of the local newspapers left their editorial blank on Thursday with a thick black border to register their strong protest over the killing.
Numerous theories and claims have surfaced regarding the reason behind the journalists killing, the second incident involving a media man in the state. Earlier, 28-year-old TV reporter Santanu Bhowmik was hacked to death while covering an event of a tribal party at Mandai in western Tripura on September 20.
Syandan Patrika editor and Tripura Newspaper Society President Subal Kumar Dey alleged that his reporter was targeted by the commandant as the former had written many stories against him in the newspaper.
It was a pre-planned cold-blooded assassination and they tried to hide the body to destroy evidence. Bhowmik was killed as he had exposed the TSR commandants illegal acts, Dey told the media.
Police, however, claim Bhowmik had stolen an envelope containing a huge amount of money or some confidential documents from Debbarmas table while the latter was in the toilet after their meeting in the office chamber.
Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, who is now in Delhi, has said that he will submit a report to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Bhowmiks killing.
With the state Assembly polls due in February, the journalists murder has heated up the political atmosphere in the Left-ruled the state.
The ruling CPI-M criticised the BJP for politicising the killing of the journalist.
The bandh called by BJP is totally undemocratic. It would hamper normal lives and especially the annual examinations started in schools and ongoing revision of electoral rolls for the next Assembly elections, CPI-M Central Committee member Gautam Das said.
The Congress has demanded a high-level inquiry into the murder. The BJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
Various journalists organisations in the northeast including the Tripura Working Journalists Association, Tripura Journalists Union (TJU) and the Agartala Press Club have also denounced the killing and demanded a probe.
The TJU has also demanded the resignation of the state Home Minister, a portfolio held by Sarkar.
The owner of a plastic factory, which collapsed on Monday and leaving 13 people dead, was arrested by the Punjab Police on Wednesday.
Inderjit Singh Gola, owner of the factory, who had gone underground since Monday, has been arrested, Ludhiana Police Commissioner R.N. Dhoke said here.
The victims included six firemen and a municipal corporation official. Several people were trapped under the debris of the collapsed five-storeyed building, located in a congested part of the Industrial area near Cheema Chowk.
The factory building, which was engulfed in a major fire on Monday morning, collapsed later in the afternoon following a powerful blast.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered a detailed inquiry by the Patiala Divisional Commissioner into the incident and announced compensation for the kin of those killed.
The two injured men, identified as Rohit Kumar and Sunil Kumar, are undergoing treatment at CMC Hospital Ludhiana. The rescue operation continued on Wednesday. Teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Army, Punjab Police, the Fire Department and a local NGO were engaged in rescue work.
The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has summoned the principal and three staff members of a private school in Delhi, where a four- year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her classmate.
The commission is in receipt of a complaint regarding the sexual assault of a minor in your school during school hours. Considering the seriousness of the matter you are asked to appear before the commission on November 27 and bring along the two teachers concerned and the aaya, the notice issued to the school read.
The child rights commission has also issued a notice to the police stations SHO seeking an action taken report within seven days.
Sexual assault by classmate
A four-year-old boy was booked by Delhi police for raping his classmate in a private school in south-west Delhi. The incident reportedly occurred on 17 November.
The case has been lodged against the boy, who is likely to be the youngest accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376 of Indian Penal Code.
According to media reports, the minor victim was allegedly sexually assaulted by the boy with sharpened pencils and his fingers. Later, the girl went home and narrated her ordeal to her mother, after she kept complaining of abdomen pain.
According to media reports, the four-year-old girl said the boy from her class unbuttoned her pants and used his fingers to assault her in the classroom and washroom of the school.
She was taken to a hospital, where doctors confirmed sexual assault on her. A medical-legal was made first and later a police case was registered against the four-year-old boy at the Dwarka south police station.
Family allege negligence by school
The mother of the girl has also alleged inaction by school authorities, she had complained to a schoolteacher via a text messages regarding the incident and the school reportedly did not assist the family.
The school authorities even refused to share any details of the four-year-old boy and his family
She was later told by the authorities to file a written complaint on Monday, according to media reports.
However, the school authorities denied the allegations of negligence and non-cooperation in the complaint filed by the mother.
We are cooperating with the police, and the video footage and other evidence sought from us have been provided to them. All necessary actions are being taken to help the investigating agency to probe the alleged incident, the schools legal adviser S Rajapa said.
(With agency inputs)
Not many old photographs of Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and his deputy Acharya Balkrishna, of their youth days, are available in public domain. According to Ashram people the duo met in a cave in Gangotri to become lifelong friends.
Baba Ramdev is in Assam these days to conduct Yoga camp. Acharya Balkrishna was thrilled to find an old photograph from a home he visited Nalbari in Assam on Sunday. Terming it a treasure, Balkrishna says, I had the chance to visit old homes in Nalbari Boroland and we found this piece of heritage.
The photograph shows Baba Ramdev wearing sunglasses and standing on an attentive position in front of a bus. His close aide also features on the photograph, standing with Acharya Karamveer and Veernath Yogi.
Balkrishna shared the photograph on his twitter account claiming the photograph was taken some 25 year back when they headed for north-east to promote Yoga and do service to the nation.
There are many stories about the early days of Baba Ramdev and his deputy. Visit Kirpalu Ashram in Haridwar and local residents will tell you, They used to peddle cycle some years back. Many other will tell you about Baba Ramdev selling medicines on cycle. Some will even claim that Ramdev used to perform small rituals in home with his brother Ram Bharat.
In a span of two decades, Patanjali Yogpeeth has made astonishing growth in the economical world. Patanjali Yogpeeth general secretary Acharya Balkrishna was rated as 19th richest Indian by Forbes, with. The net worth business was assesses to be 6.55 billion dollars.
The photograph shows Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev in their twenties. During their 1992 tour Ramdev and his aide stayed in local village, offering basic infrastructure. And in one decade Baba Ramdev has made Patanjali a house hold name in India through his consumer products.
The BJP on Wednesday termed as good the Shia Central Waqf Boards draft proposal for resolution of the Ayodhya dispute which advocates construction of Ram Mandir on the contested property and asked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to specify partys stance on the draft.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told reporters here that the Shia Waqf Board had put forward a good suggestion in its submission to the Supreme Court on Saturday that a Ram temple be built in Ayodhya and a mosque in Lucknow.
Its a good suggestion to resolve the issue, said Rao, who is here to campaign for the BJP candidates for the next months assembly elections.
The BJP is of a clear opinion that a glorious temple of Lord Ram be built in Ayodhya, but does the Congress have to say? We demand that Rahul Gandhi make his partys stand clear by breaking his silence, he said.
The Shia Central Waqf Board on Monday issued a draft proposal on the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute, in which it argued for construction of Ram Mandir at the contested property, while writing to the state government for a mosque in Lucknow.
The draft proposal was presented by Waqf Board Chairman Wasim Rizvi and the priest of All India Akhara Council, Narendra Giri, before the media. It was earlier submitted to the Supreme Court on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said mobile phones along with Jan Dhan Bank and Aadhar schemes have greatly helped in reducing corruption and bringing transparency.
Addressing the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in the national capital, Modi said the Union government was using mobile power to empower the countrys citizens.
Three factors, first financial inclusion through Jan Dhan Bank accounts, second Aadhar platform and third mobile phones, have greatly helped reducing corruption and bringing transparency, Modi said.
Stressing that technology breaks barriers, Modi said it only validates the Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means world is one family.
We in India, give primacy to the human face of technology and are using it to improve what I call, ease of living, he said.
The internet, by nature, is inclusive and not exclusive. It offers equity of access and equality of opportunity, he added.
Modi also praised the Indian Information Technology sector and said that the countrys talent has been recognized world-wide.
Indian IT companies have made a name for themselves globally, he said.
The theme of the two-day conference this year is Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development.
Incepted in 2011 in London, second GCCS was held in 2012 in Budapest with focus on relationship between internet rights and internet security, which was attended by 700 delegates from nearly 60 countries.
The third edition of GCCS was held in 2013 in Seoul with commitment to Open and Secure Cyberspace.
The fourth version GCCS 2015 was held on April 16-17, 2015 in The Hague, Netherlands which saw participation from 97 countries.
The statement said representatives from 124 countries will participate in the two-day event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met visiting Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe here in the national capital, officials said.
Neighbourhood first, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. He added that Modi received Wickremesinghe at Hyderabad House and that both countries share strong and close relations based on mutual trust and respect.
The Sri Lankan PM who arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit will hold bilateral talks with PM Modi and will also call upon President Ram Nath Kovind.
As per reports, Wickremesinghe and Modi will hold wide-ranging talks on strengthening ties between the two nations including ways to boost trade and security cooperation.
Talks on the issue of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lanka and the growing presence of Chinese Navy around the Island nation are also likely to take place between the two leaders.
Earlier in the day, Wickremesinghe participated in the opening ceremony of the fifth Global Conference on Cyber Space (GSSC) at The Aero City in the national capital which was inaugurated by PM Modi.
Sri Lanka is one of the major recipients of development credit given by India, with total commitment of around $2.63 billion, including $458 million as grants.
Indian aid includes development projects in areas like education, health, transport connectivity, small and medium enterprise development and training in many parts of the country through grant funding.
Prime Minister Modi had visited Sri Lanka in May during which he attended the biggest Buddhist festival Vesak Day as its chief guest.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister will wrap up his visit on Friday.
Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeeds release order by a Pakistani judicial body shows how Pakistan is hoodwinking the international community on the issue of terrorism, government sources said on Wednesday.
It is also reflective of Islamabads duplicity in tackling terrorism, they said and asked Pakistan to walk the talk on its assurances to the international community over dismantling terror infrastructure and not allowing its soil to be used for terror acts.
The sharp reaction came within hours of the Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court ordering Saeeds release on the expiry of his 30-day house arrest which is going to expire in a couple of days.
Saeeds release may also coincide with the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which at least 166 people were killed.
The release order only shows that Pakistan provides free space to terrorists to indulge in acts against other countries. And in case of Saeed, a designated terrorist, it also shows how Pakistan is hoodwinking the international community on the issue of terrorism, a source said.
Pakistan keeps giving assurances to the international community that it is making all efforts to tackle terrorism but it never implement its assurances in reality and this (Saeed) is one example, another source asserted.
The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah head, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January.
The government is ordered to release JuD chief Hafiz Saeed if he is not wanted in any other case, said the Pakistani board which was headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan.
Saeed may walk out free in a couple of days if the government does not detain him in any other case.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attacks case and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad.
The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attacks.
Saeed was put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.
Ten LeT militants killed 166 people and wounded hundreds in Mumbai in November, 2008. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught.
Kasab was executed after a court found him guilty and handed down death sentence.
As the British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC) cleared Padmavati for release in the UK on December 1, the Supreme Court (SC) will on November 28 hear a fresh plea seeking to stall the release of the film abroad.
The filmmakers have deferred the release of the film in India, the protesters seeking to delay the ban outside India as well and filed a fresh petition in the apex court which was accepted.
However, sources close to the makers of Padmavati have said that there are no plans to release the film abroad as of now even as BBFC said that the film will be released uncut in the UK.
Starring Ranveer Singh (as Sultan Alauddin Khilji), Deepika Padukone (as Rani Padmavati, in the lead) and Shahid Kapoor (as Maharawal Ratan Singh), Padmavati is being distributed internationally by Paramount Pictures.
The magnum opus sets out to tell the tale of Rani Padmavati the legendary Mewar queen known as much for her beauty and intelligence as she was for her courage, her husband Maharawal Ratan Singh a glorious Rajput ruler and a warrior king who fought till his last breath to defend his kingdom and his wifes honour and Sultan Alauddin Khilji an ambitious and obsessive invader.
In India, Padmavati is in the eye of a storm following protests from conservative groups over alleged tampering with historical facts. Bhansali has been denying the contention.
The release of the film, which was earlier slated for December 1 in India, has been deferred as the filmmakers are yet to secure a censor certificate.
Union minister KJ Alphons was confronted by an enraged woman passenger at the Imphal airport over the delay in her Kolkata-bound flight she was taking to rush to Patna to attend a funeral of her relative.
Alphons on Wednesday said he was not responsible for the delay of the flight due to VVIP security protocol after a video footage of the passenger identified as a lady doctor arguing and directing her ire at him on seeing the minister at the Imphal airport went viral.
The video of the incident that happened yesterday showed the woman complaining to Alphons about the flight being delayed due to VIP movement.
Alphons, who is Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, had come to Imphal to attend the Northeast Development summit which was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind yesterday. President Kovinds aircraft was due to land in Imphal around the time of departure of the Kolkata-bound aircraft.
I have to reach Patna. The body is waiting, otherwise the body will decay. I am a doctor, I know that. The body is still at home, the woman can be heard pleading with Alphons, who tries to soothe her anger. She was also heard asking Alphons to give in writing what time her flight would take off.
The woman was booked on an IndiGo flight from Imphal to Kolkata from where she had to take a connecting flight to Patna.
On her repeated insistence to give her in writing as to what time the flight would depart, the minister is heard saying he does not have the authority to do so.
When contacted, Imphal Airport Director S K Panigrahi told PTI over phone at Kolkata that three flights were delayed due to the visit of President Kovind to the state yesterday.
The commercial flights were delayed since the Presidents flight was scheduled to arrive, he said, adding none of the flights were cancelled.
The airport director said the three commercial flights were delayed between 90 minutes and two hours.
According to Alphons, he approached a woman crying at the airport and who could be seen in the video losing her cool.
She was crying and I wanted to know what happened. She started saying that she had to go to Patna to attend a relatives funeral which was scheduled in the afternoon. She was distraught because her flight was delayed and she feared the body will decay.
As a representative of the government of India, she wanted me to intervene, Alphons told PTI, amid allegations that he was the cause for the delay of the flight.
He was accompanied by some of his ministerial colleagues.
I can understand her anguish but as I told her, the Presidents flight was landing and as per protocol no other flight can land or take off at that time.
This protocol is in place for the past 70 years and not made by this government. I tried to tell her that her flight will leave as soon as the Presidents flight lands, but she was really in distress, Alphons said.
The minister also said that he was not in favour of protocols that encourage VIP culture and that he has also informed officials that a pilot jeep should not be assigned for him.
China has launched the Anti-lost Iris Network Platform for Chinese Kids on Nov. 22, Science and Technology Daily reported.
At present, the iris patterns of over 40,000 Chinese kids have been input into the system.
It only takes several seconds for the platform to safely collect the iris patterns of a kid. Iris recognition is more stable and accurate than facial and fingerprint recognition technologies.
In the future, a database of iris patterns of Chinese kids under the age of 12 will be established to assist police, education officials, and civil affairs departments in locating missing kids.
Om Dasrathaye Vidmahi, Sita Valabhai Dhimahi, Tanno Rama Prachodyat
Vivah Panchami is a sacred Hindu festival that commemorates the wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita. On this auspicious day, Lord Rama lifted the gigantic heavy Shiva dhanush (bow) and string it. Princess Sita was married to him and devtas showered flowers from the heaven to greet and bless the newly-wed couple.
Vivah Panchami falls on the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha during the month of Margashirsha in the Hindu calendar. The day holds immense significance in Nepal, Janakpur and some parts of Northern India.
The celebration is witnessed by thousands of pilgrims from India and other parts of the world in Ayodhya, the birth place of Shri Rama. During the day, a grand procession leaves from one temple to another and ends with the magnificent enactment of this divine wedding ceremony. The idols of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita are embellished with beautiful clothes and expensive jewellery to give them a look of bridegroom and bride, respectively. Devotional songs in praise of lord Rama are sung by devotees. The festivities are notable in other Lord Rama temples in different parts of the country.
Ramleela that depicts the life of Lord Rama and Maa Sita is also observed in many regions.
At Janakpur, special rituals and pujas are held across temples including the renowned Dashrath, Ram and Janki temples. Here the celebrations continue for seven days with immense zeal and devotion. On the day of Vivah Panchami, devotees take holy bath in renowned lakes like Gangasagar and Dhanushsagar.
Vivah Panchami is marked as the auspicious day to celebrate the union of two bodies into one soul for the seven life cycles one goes through before he/she attains salvation.
Om Janak Nandinaye Vidmahi, Bhoomi Jaye Dhimahi, Tanno Sita Prachodyat.
Germany is in limbo, in itself a testament to the political turmoil that confronts Angela Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) three months after the general election that had yielded a fractured mandate, if tilted in favour of the Chancellor. Negotiations to cobble a three-party coalition of the Christian Democrats, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens have come a cropper. The FDP has withdrawn from the effort owing to differences on the two pivotal issues of migration and environment. Indeed, Germany is in crisis as the migration issue festers in Europe and barely a week after the climate-change conference in Bonn. Parties and politics are now in a state of deadlock and the outlook is grim. On closer reflection, one of three possibilities might emerge ~ Ms Merkel might try to form a coalition with the Social Democrats, now in the Opposition. However, this is an option that the SPD has ruled out. She could form a minority government, as never witnessed in post-war Germany. Yet another option is to hold fresh elections, which at this juncture appears a possibility.
The resultant uncertainty could destabilise governance in general. Now that the talks have failed, Ms Merkel is reported to have indicated that fresh elections are preferable to a minority government, which can carry within it the seeds of its own denouement. Ergo, the uncertainty is considerable and the suspension of governance symbolises the failure of the democratic engagement in a nation that has been described as Europes powerhouse. The impact is bound to be felt in the echo chambers of the European Union, currently grappling with a welter of contentious issues ~ the eurozone, security, migration, Vladimir Putins meddling in the US elections, relations with Turkey, the right turn in Austria, and the democratic jitters in Poland and Hungary, not to forget Brexit.
Arguably, the impact of the political crisis will be quite the most critical for Ms Merkel herself. After 12 years at the helm, there has been a palpable erosion in her influence within the country. This was pretty obvious in the psephological swing during the election on September 24 when her party won barely 33 per cent of the votes. Her Chancellorship had suffered a severe jolt with the refugee crisis in 2015. The world must give it to her that alone in Europe it was Ms Merkel who offered a humane response to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. In point of fact, the migrants issue and Europes attitude generally had served to weaken her position ahead of the election. Germanys political fragmentation reflects a wider phenomenon across much of Europe. Traditional parties are being challenged by new groups both on the left and the right, and polarisation has become more pronounced in the aftermath of the 2010-11 banking collapse and eurozone crisis. In a way, Germany exemplifies the continental drift.
Amid mounting global pressure, Myanmar on Thursday agreed to take back tens of thousands of Rohingyas who fled the country to Bangladesh following a military crackdown that has been dubbed as ethnic cleansing by the US.
Over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmars violence hit Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh since August when the military intensified crackdown against alleged militant outfits of Rohingya Muslims.
Following weeks of talks, the two neighbours today signed an Arrangement on return of displaced Myanmar persons sheltered in Bangladesh, a foreign office statement said here.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Myanmars Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe signed the agreement in Naypyidaw.
The Arrangement, the statement said, stipulated that the return (of Rohingyas) shall commence within two months while a Joint Working Group would be established within next three weeks and a specific bilateral instrument (physical arrangement) for repatriation will be concluded in a speedy manner.
Bangladeshi officials familiar with the development said the agreement was being negotiated with Myanmar for the past few months while it was nearly finalised yesterday at Naypyidaw by senior officials of the two countries.
Putting pressure on Myanmar, the US yesterday declared as ethnic cleansing the violence against Rohingya Muslims in the country and warned that the Trump administration could impose new penalties on the Buddhist-majority country.
Also, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to both Bangladesh and Myanmar this week and held talks with their top leaderships to resolve the Rohingya crisis, one of the worlds most dire refugee crisis.
Wang had proposed initiatives including three phased solution so as to fundamentally resolve the Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh and Myanmar had agreed to his proposal.
The statement said the foreign minister earlier today called on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and discussed issues of mutual cooperation in areas of trade, energy and connectivity under Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM).
In brief comments to media, Ali described the deal as the first step while Myanmar said it was ready to receive the Rohingya as soon as possible.
We are ready to take them back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the forms back to us, foreign news agencies said quoting Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary at Myanmars ministry of labour, immigration and population.
Ali also handed over three ambulances for Rakhine State, the scene of atrocities, as gift from the government of Bangladesh to Myanmar.
Zimbabwes incoming President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday thanked Zimbabweans and the military for their support.
In his first public address to supporters upon his return to Zimbabwe from exile, Mnangagwa said he was humbled by the outpouring of support after he was sacked by former president Robert Mugabe two weeks ago, Xinhua news agency reported.
He immediately pledged to serve the people, saying all Zimbabweans need to unite and grow the economy for employment creation.
We want peace in our country, we want jobs for our people, he said.
Mnangagwa, due for swearing in on Friday, said Zimbabwe needs the support of the international community in order to rebuild its battered economy.
He said he had already begun to receive pledges of support from several foreign countries.
Zimbabwe, he said, was witnessing the founding of new democracy after the military helped to depose long-serving former president Mugabe from power.
He also praised the military for the peaceful manner in which it handled its operation that culminated in Mugabe resigning Tuesday, ending 37 years of his grip on power.
He said he had survived many attempts on his life by Mugabes administration, including his poisoning in August while at a ZANU-PF rally.
Exactly 16 days ago, I received a letter firing me from the government of Zimbabwe as Vice President. Within two hours I was informed about plans to eliminate me. Realizing that on the 12 of August this year I was subjected to poisoning which resulted in my being airflifted to South Africa and again I thank you Zimbabweans for your prayers.
I survived that poisoning, Mnangagwa told hundreds of cheering supporters at the ZANU-PF headquarters in the capital.
He also thanked the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda for resisting pressure from some quarters that wanted to derail the process of ousting Mugabe from power.
Pakistans Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties after his leave of absence was approved by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Dar was relieved on Wednesday of his three roles, including his portfolio in the Finance Ministry and has been informed of the decision. The matter and the contents of the letter, earlier sent by Dar, were also discussed by Abbasi with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He would remain a federal minister and a leave of absence of three months has been granted to Dar, Geo News reported.
Dar, who is receiving medical treatment in London for a heart condition, has an arrest warrant issued against him after he missed multiple court appearances on charges that he had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income.
Following the move, Abbasi will look after the Finance Ministers duties until a replacement is found. Sources told Dawn that Dar had advised the PM to constitute an advisory committee to look into economic issues in his absence.
Dar sent a three-page letter to the PM Office on November 20, stating that he wishes to seek relief for now from looking after the three divisions that he has been heading for approximately four years.
In it, he narrated his health condition, saying that his surgeon had asked him to avoid international air travel.
An accountability court in Islamabad had earlier declared the Finance Minister a proclaimed offender, rejecting his plea for exemption from appearance.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had announced last week that Dar will be reinvestigated in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case. It initiated reinvestigation into the case to fulfil legal requirements in the light of the Supreme Court verdict in the so-called Panama Papers case, the anti-graft body said in a statement.
Dar denied any wrongdoing. He said cases against him were politically motivated and aimed at getting the Sharifs punished through him.
Russia has joined in the search for an Argentine military submarine that went missing with 44 crew in the southern Atlantic a week ago, the media reported on Thursday.
Argentine President Mauricio Macri said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, had phoned him on Wednesday to offer to deploy a survey vessel and crew with experience of similar operations, reports the BBC.
The ARA San Juan vanished while returning from a routine mission to Ushuaia, near the southern-most tip of South America, when it reported an electrical breakdown.
It last made contact with naval officers on land on November 15.
A navy spokesman said the search had now entered a critical phase, amid fears that oxygen supplies may be running low.
He told the media that the Navy was investigating reports of a loud noise detected in the area a few hours after the ARA San Juan went missing.
He described it as a hydro-acoustic anomaly and refused to confirm whether there had been an explosion.
The US, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay and the UK are among the countries that have sent either ships or planes to help with the search, the BBC reported.
The US Navy has deployed two underwater vehicles which use sonar to create images of the seafloor.
A NASA research aircraft has also flown over the search area but failed to spot anything.
Can they get rabies?
The hysteria around rabies often causes misconceptions, including which animals can and cannot exhibit rabies.
The Massachusetts Department of Health says birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects cannot get or spread rabies.
Other animals are split into categories on which animals should be submitted for testing following an animal bite. The local board of health or animal inspector should be called if you think you should submit an animal for rabies testing.
ALWAYS: Bat, bear, beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, fox, otter, raccoon, skunk, woodchuck. These animals should always be tested if a human or pet is bitten.
SOMETIMES: Cat, cow, dog, ferret. Test following exposure if a 10-day quarantine of the animal is not possible, or if the animal is already sick.
RARELY: Alpaca, chinchilla, deer, domestic rabbit, goat, guinea pig, horse, mink, moose, muskrat, opossum, pig, porcupine, sheep, squirrel, weasel. These animals are occasionally found to have rabies but bites from these animals have never resulted in a human case of rabies in the U.S.
NEVER: Chipmunk, gerbil, hamster, mole, mouse, rat, shrew, vole, wild rabbit. These animals are almost never found to have rabies and bites from these animals have never resulted in a human case of rabies in the U.S.
The Massachusetts Department of Health has a complete guide on rabies, at www.mass.gov/dph/rabies.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing traditional driving behaviors, and its deep integration with urban transport has also attracted broad attention.
AI is ushering in a more effective and safer era for urban transport, said Peng Jinzhan, chief architect of Beijing-based self-driving car start-up UISEE Technology.
At the 19th China High-Tech Fair, Chinese facial recognition technology developer SenseTime unveiled its latest driver fatigue monitoring system. The system is able to read and analyze drivers facial expressions and will issue precautions and alerts if fatigue is detected.
In addition, a complete smart system for urban transit using AI technology will be established. AI has already been applied to traffic control in eastern Chinas city of Hangzhou.
In October 2016, Chinese tech giant Alibaba launched a pilot program called City Brain in Hangzhou. The internet-connected program conducts real-time analysis for the citys transport resources in a bid to more effectively allocate public resources and promote sustainable urban development.
Statistics show that average driving speed in pilot areas increased 15% after the launch of the program, and the average time of congestion is down 9.2%.
In the citys Xiaoshan District, ambulances are given a green light at all intersections through smart dispatching, which has cut the average arrival time for ambulances by half.
In addition, the system reports more than 500 traffic accidents in the downtown area daily, with an accuracy of 92%.
However, more work is needed before AI and traffic control are deeply integrated. According to Peng, self-driving is a core scenario of AI application in transport, but theres still a long way to go in terms of environmental perception, intelligent decision and planning, and smart control.
Organization: Catholic
Relief Services (CRS)
Duty Station: Kampala,
Uganda
Reports to: Chief of Party
SOCY Project
About US:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-profit
organization which implements the commitment of the Bishops of the United
States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at
the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and
as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values
and our commitment to serving those in need.
About SOCY Program:
The SOYC program, which will improve the health, nutrition, education
and psychosocial wellbeing of vulnerable populations, as well as reduce abuse,
exploitation and neglect to a minimum of 625,000 children and 101,500
households in 17 districts in central and western Uganda, based on PEPFAR
approved districts. CRS, the lead applicant, has formed a consortium that
combines global institutional capacity in OVC programming with deep local
knowledge: core partners include, Action for Community Development (ACODEV),
African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect
(ANPPCAN), TPO Uganda1, and Futures Group.
Job Summary: The Information
Communication Technology for Development Officer (ICT4D) will provide technical
support to the SOCY project teams in selecting and implementing ICT4D solutions
as well as building capacity to utilize these solutions. The ICT4D Officer will
play a role in strengthening the capacity of CRS project staff as well as SOCY
Implementing partners to effectively use new and existing information systems
to better manage delivery of quality services. Additionally, the ICT4D officer
is a key member of the ICT4D community within CRS and will be active in
promoting the smart and effective use of technology to support CRS programming.
Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:
Offer technical support for existing ICT4D solutions
such as Commcare, eValuate and Farmbook within Uganda Country program.
Provide training and mentoring to SOCY staff to
enable independent use of ICT4D technology components
The jobholder recommends ICT4D strategies,
policies and procedures by evaluating organization outcomes; identifying
problems; evaluating trends; anticipating requirements
Build the capacity of the Consortium partners to
use, manage and maintain ICT4D technology.
Provide technical support during implementation
of Commcare data collection tools.
The incumbent will also assess ICT4D capacity of
local implementing partners within the districts.
Provide procurement support for ICT4D
infrastructure
Develop an interface that other stakeholders,
such as the Local Implementing Partners, can use to conduct their work
effectively
Work closely with MEAL teams to develop data
reporting dashboards and templates for the SOCY project
Design analysis templates for assessments and
surveys with the MEAL Specialist based on harmonized templates
Identify and address ICT4D training needs for
the SOCY project
Render support in the technical development of
MEAL processes and standards within the project
Maintains professional and technical knowledge
by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications;
establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices;
participating in professional societies.
Qualifications, Skills and
Experience:
The ideal candidate for the Catholic Relief
Services (CRS) Information Communication Technology for Development Officer
(ICT4D) job opportunity should hold a Bachelor of Science in ICT or related
field
ITIL Foundation Certification desired.
Knowledge Project Management knowledge/
Certification
A minimum of five years of work experience in
setting up and managing ICT-based knowledge and information management systems.
Previous exposure and experience in training and
mentoring staff in ICT Experience in managing IT projects Data collection tools
Knowledge of Data analysis tools: i.e. Iformbuilder or Commcare, Knowledge of
data visualization tools such as Excel, PowerBi, Zoho, tableau or any other
related tools will be an added advantage.
Strong understanding of SQL and general
relational database management technologies. Certification preferred. Good
understanding of data modeling.
Broad knowledge and understanding of software
development concept and methodologies.
Experience in implementing donor-funded projects
Ability to transfer skills and knowledge
through, training, mentorship and accompaniment
Demonstrated ability to work with and in teams
Exceptional organizational skills
Excellent written and oral communication
Strong conceptual and analytical skills
Ability to think innovatively and strategically
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
Serves with Integrity, Models Stewardship, Cultivates Constructive
Relationships, Promotes Learning, Trusting Relationships, Professional Growth,
Partnership, Accountability
How to Apply:
to send their cover letters, CVs and three work references (names and contact
information only) to
Please include job position as subject line of the Email. All suitably qualified and interested Ugandan candidates are encouragedto send their cover letters, CVs and three work references (names and contactinformation only) to ug_recruitment@crs.org Please include job position as subject line of the Email.
th November
2017 by 5:00PM Deadline: 30November2017 by 5:00PM
find us on our facebook page For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com orfind us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
But the tribe has a long way to go
The Centre has approved a three-year budget for its flagship public health programme almost 20 per cent lower than what the health ministry said was needed, according to sources and previously unreported government documents.
The federal finance ministry in August renewed the National Health Mission with $20 billion of funding between 2017-20, against the health ministrys estimated requirement of $25 billion, the documents showed.
Officials familiar with the plan said the finance ministry reduced planned funding because of other spending priorities and because of state governments poor track record of spending the health budgets theyve been allotted in the past.
The finance and health ministries did not respond to several requests for comment.
The National Health Mission is one of the worlds largest health programmes and forms the backbone of public services in India. It provides everything from free drugs to immunisation services to millions of rural poor.
The Centre government has hiked federal funding for the overall health budget this year as part of a plan to improve care and meet a 2025 goal of raising health expenditure to 2.5 percent of GDP from the current 1.15 percent.
The National Health Mission typically accounts for about half of the federal health budget and officials said the lower spending approval would make achieving the governments 2025 target more difficult.
NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
After focusing on maternal and child health for years, the programme had planned to broaden its priorities to tackle the rising threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Faced with the lower funding, the health ministry has reduced its three-year allocation to tackle NCDs such as cancer and diabetes to $1.4 billion, close to half of the estimated need of $2.4 billion, the documents showed.
The Lancet, a British medical journal, last week said NCDs caused a disease burden in India like never before. More than 60 percent of deaths in the country during 2016 were due to non-communicable diseases, up from about 38 percent in 1990, according to the publication.
While funding for such diseases up to 2020 will be higher than in recent years, the lower-than-planned approved funding will slow government efforts to tackle these diseases, two government officials said.
The cutbacks in NCDs (spending) are dangerous ... this can potentially stall the NCD screening and management plan, said Oommen C. Kurian, a health researcher at the New Delhi-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation.
India this year introduced free NCD screening for patients in 100 districts, with plans to eventually cover the country.
Beyond non-communicable diseases, spending on strengthening the health system - such as improving district hospitals and patient transport services - will be an estimated $4.3 billion between 2017-20, a third lower than the ministrys request.
Planned funding for immunization will be $2.9 billion versus $3.2 billion requested.
The spending breakdown for different schemes will be finalised once the health ministry is allocated funding in Indias annual budget.
HEALTH VS OTHER PRIORITIES
Modis government has taken steps to improve public healthcare including a 27 percent budget hike this year to $7 billion, accompanied by cuts to prices of critical medical devices and drugs.
Shamika Ravi, a health expert at Brookings India, said Modis government was also pursuing fundamental structural reforms to improve healthcare, such as the ranking of district hospitals and empowering state medical officers.
There is a lot of background work happening, said Ravi, who is also on Modis economic advisory council.
However, critics say more needs to be done to address the underfunded and overburdened public health system.
Some 900,000 children in India died before turning five in 2016, the highest in the world, The Lancet estimates.
In March, health officials faced criticism from other government departments for the National Health Mission's inefficiencies and were asked to rework the renewal proposal for 2017-20 after they drew up spending estimates of $33 billion. (For story click here )
The health ministry revised the cost to nearly $25 billion, but the finance ministry reduced estimates by another $5 billion while approving the plan, the documents showed.
The estimates were pared back because Modis government has other priorities and because the finance ministry wants to control spending as it seeks to balance fiscal deficit targets while boosting growth, several government officials aware of the process said.
Its about political priorities - you have programmes on roads, on infrastructure, on ports, said one of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The government is also concerned states do not have the governance capacity to spend large health budgets efficiently, officials said. A shortage of workers, bureaucratic bungling and slow procurement processes have plagued the states health systems.
More than $1.4 billion in health budgets was unspent by states by 2015-16, Indias federal auditor said earlier this year.
Reuters
The alleged suicide of a student at Chennai's Sathyabama University triggered violent protests across the campus on Wednesday, with over 300 students participating in it.
Police and college authorities claimed that a section of students, upset over the death of fellow student, was involved in arson on the university campus yesterday.
The enraged students set fire to property at a hostel building and damaged lights and electrical accessories, the authroties added.
The deceased, identified as Ragamounika, was a native of Hyderabad. She was found hanging in her hostel room, they said.
Agitated students reportedly claimed that the girl was humiliated by the university staff.
In view of the incident, security has been beefed up around the area, police said, adding that the girl's body was sent for post-mortem and further probe into the matter was under way.
In the backdrop of the 73-day-long Doklam standoff, the Indian Army has decided to significantly ramp up road infrastructure along the Sino-India border and tasked its Corps of Engineers (CoE) to vigorously work on it to ensure swift movement of troops whenever necessary.
Official sources said the CoE has already initiated a series of steps including placing orders for the latest versions of various mountain-cutting and road-laying machines and equipment besides procuring assault tracks for the fast movement of troops.
The sources said the Army Headquarters ordered over 1,000 dual-track mine detectors to enhance CoE's mine detection capability.
Over 100 excavators with the latest features were also being procured to increase the existing capability of the engineers to lay operational tracks along mountainous regions in the Northern Sector.
The sources said over 50 short-span bridges and a sizeable number of assault tracks for quick movement are also being procured to increase their mobility.
India and China share a 4,000 km-long border. As per the plan, the Army engineers will initially lay roads in mountainous terrains and if necessary, they will be further strengthened by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
In 2005, the Border Roads Organisation was asked to construct 73 roads in the strategically important regions along the Sino-India border, but there was a huge delay in implementation of the project, which apparently left the Army unhappy.
The officials said enhancing infrastructure along the sensitive borders was part of the government's overall strategy to boost combat readiness of the armed forces.
The Army has been focusing on enhancing infrastructure along the Sino-India border following the Doklam standoff.
Soon after the face-off ended, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had expressed serious concern over China's "muscle flexing" and said these conflicts can expand into an all-out war.
Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28.
Recently, the Army also finalised one of its biggest procurement plans for infantry modernisation under which a large number of light machine guns, battle carbines and assault rifles would be purchased at a cost of nearly Rs 40,000 crore.
The 237-year-old CoE provides key combat engineering support and maintains connectivity in key border regions for speedy movement of troops and artillery. The first company of CoE was raised in 1780 and the organisation celebrated its raising day on November 18.
In response to Pakistan's offer to allow retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife to meet him, India has conveyed that his wife would like to travel along with her mother-in-law for the meeting. India has also sought sovereign guarantee from Pakistan to ensure their safety, security and well-being and also that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their visit and stay in Pakistan,'' the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.
The ministry spokesperson added that India had also asked that a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad should be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting.'' Pakistan had, earlier this month, offered to allow Jadhav's wife a meeting with him. There have been many pending requests with Pakistan for Jadhav to meet his mother. India has made around 15 requests for consular access to Jadhav, which have not been granted.
Officials say that the request for the diplomat to accompany the women is not the same as consular access to Jadhav, because in this request he will only accompany, and not be having his own talk with the prisoner.
India has also made it clear that this offer of Pakistan does not absolve it from the violations it had committed of flouting the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Human Rights and not following the due process in treating Jadhav, who remains incarcerated in Pakistan and faces death sentence through a farcical process and on concocted charges.''
The MEA said India would pursue all measures with full vigour for the final release of an innocent Indian.''
It may be recalled that India had filed a case against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice in May seeking a stay on Jadhav's execution. India had been asked to file its memorial or statements by September 13, while Pakistan to file its counter memorial by December 13. India has accused Pakistan of having flouted the Vienna Convention regarding Jadhav's arrest and summary trial. Pakistan has maintained that Jadhav was planning terror attacks, and that he was a spy.
Pakistan's softening of stance with India's offer to arrange a meeting with his wife is a run up to December 13, when Pakistan files its counter memorial. Clearly, a continual denial of any access to family members (a humanitarian move) would look bad in Pakistan's report card.
The final decision in the case is not likely to be taken this year at least. India is worried that there is pressure on Pakistan by its army to execute Jadhav.
India joined a select global club of nations with advanced weaponry when the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out a launch of the 2.5 ton BrahMos cruise missile from a fighter aircraft, the Sukhoi 30 MKI, on Wednesday. The supersonic missile, with a range of 400 km and a speed of Mach 2.8, is reported to have acquired the target, a ship in the Bay of Bengal, with the required accuracy.
This demonstration of the BrahMos in its air-launched avatar makes the missile multi-platform and three-dimensional, in that it can now be launched from land, sea and air and offers a range of platform options to the Indian military, depending on the operational exigency. The DRDO, which has been steering Indias overall integrated missile development programme since the mid 1980s, and the IAF are to be commended for this achievementthat of enabling India with an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) of the supersonic category. The BrahMos flies at 2.8 times the speed of sound, hence it is supersonic; whereas the earlier generation of cruise missiles were subsonic or flew below the speed of sound (1,235 kmph).
Cruise missiles have been part of the inventory of the major powers during the Cold War and their most distinctive feature is that they cruise in a horizontal flight path, which is often terrain hugging and acquire the target with advanced guidance features that allow for the highest degree of accuracyin metres by way of circular error probability (CEP). In the US-led war for Kuwait in January 1991, the Tomahawk missiles were used in a lethal manner.
While cruise missiles in the Cold War could be fitted with a nuclear warheadfor instance, the nuclear-tipped Tomahawk that the US Navy fitted on submarines (hence known as submarine-launched cruise missile [SLCM]) as part of deterrence capabilitiesboth the US and the former USSR decided not to invest in nuclear cruise missile capability. The conclusion that had been arrived at after rigorous operational analysis was that the existing index of deterrence stability was degraded with the introduction of the relatively short-range cruise missile and its inherent detection-evading characteristics. By extension, though both sides had the technological capability to do so, they did not invest further in supersonic cruise missiles, much less the nuclear-tipped variants.
MaidenTest Flight : The Worlds fastest Supersonic Cruise Missile #Brahmos created history after it was successfully flight-tested from the #IAF frontline Fighter Aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea based target in the Bay of Bengal, 22 Nov 17.@DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/doOsvqznGC Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 22, 2017
How does the addition of the ALCM add to Indias overall military capability and is this a triad in terms of nuclear deterrence? The BrahMos ALCM definitely enhances Indias overall trans-border ordnance delivery or strike capability and the Wednesday test is illustrative of this. The Sukhoi operates at heights of 3,000 metres and more and would have launched the BrahMos about 400 km away from the designated target. The fact that the target was acquired in under seven minutes from that altitude gives one an idea about the potency of this capability. With a conventional warhead and this level of accuracy, it can be used in a number of operational exigencies where a single high-value target is to be neutralised.
Currently, the IAF is among the very few air forces in the world to have demonstrated this kind of ALCM capability in the supersonic range and this has its tactical advantages. However the word triad may be misleading, for the former is used in the traditional nuclear deterrence calculus and, as of now, there is no evidence to suggest that India will invest in the cruise missile for deterrence purposes. The Cold War experience had revealed the inherent destabilising nature of the cruise missile and this needs to be internalised not just by India but Pakistan and China, the other regional powers with weapons of mass destruction.
The DRDO, which has been subjected to considerable adverse comment for not being able to deliver on what it has often promised to the Indian military has reason to be proud of this success. The integration of a heavy 2.5 ton missile onto a fighter aircraft is a major technological challenge and the cooperation with Russia has paid rich dividends. Moscows valuable help in this domain must be acknowledged. But the penchant to overstate the strike capability of the BrahMos in its ALCM mode would be imprudent.
Speak softly when you acquire a lethal missile is sage counsel.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to withdraw FIRs filed against first-time stone pelters in the state.
The decision was announced by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Twitter. It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone pelting, she tweeted.
The demand for amnesty to protesters, booked for various offenses during 2016 uprising, was made by several delegations who met Centre's special representative Dineshwar Sharma.
The Centre's nod for withdrawal of charges against first-time offenders has come after Sharma brought the issue to the notice of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Lauding Sharma, the chief minister said it is encouraging to see that his recommendations are being taken seriously by the Centre.
According to sources, Mehbooba-led PDP-BJP government has decided to withdraw cases against first-time offenders in view of the improved situation in Kashmir where more than 190 militants, including several top commanders, have been killed by security forces this year.
It remains to be seen how far the withdrawal of cases helps improve the situation on the ground in Kashmir as the 2016 uprising happened despite Omar Abdullah announcing similar steps when he was the chief minister of NC-Congress coalition in 2014.
Sources close chief minister, who is also the state's home minister, said the move is aimed at countering the negative perception about the PDP government due to the killing and blinding of civilians in 2016 especially in PDP's stronghold of south Kashmir.
The Centre had announced four major confidence-building measures (CBMs) for Jammu and Kashmir based on the preliminary recommendations of Sharma which included manifold increase in compensation for loss of lives and property in Pakistan shelling and firing in border areas, improved compensation for policemen killed in anti-militancy operations and 800 additional MW electricity to the state during winter.
The amnesty to first-ime stone pelters will cover 4,500 youth. Over 11,500 cases have been registered against stone pelters since July last year.
The government is also working on a proposal to provide jobs for people who have lost eyesight due to pellets. The state government has already contacted many victims and asked them to provide details for availing jobs. A monetary package is also being worked out for the others who have suffered less damage to their eyes.
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The annual calendar and the chronograph are two very useful complications, but putting them together creates a big challenge: chronographs usually have at least two subdials to record the elapsed hours and minutes, and the annual calendar requires separate displays for the day, date and month. With a case measuring only 40.5mm in diameter, however, Patek Philippe had to find an original solution to accommodate these five different elements on the dial. Luckily the brand has prior form in its Nautilus collection, where the chronograph function has already been shown on a single subdial, with elapsed hours around the centre and minutes on the periphery. It chose to use the same idea (albeit with the scales inversed) on the Ref. 5960/1A model that was first presented in stainless steel in 2014, with the annual calendar indications shown around the upper half of the dial. The result is a harmonious balance in which the two different functions are clearly separated in the upper and lower halves of the dial.
Ref. 5960/01G, white-gold case / right side of the case Patek Philippe
For 2017, Patek Philippe has added a second model in stainless steel to the collection. Reference 5960/1A-010 inverses the dial colours of its predecessor, offering an ebony black opaline dial with contrasting white gold hour markers and surrounds for the day, date and month apertures (note also the subtle red number 1 seen at the start of every month). Reference 5960/01G introduces a white-gold case to this complication for the first time, matched with a blue dial, still with the gold markers, and a vintage-style brown calfskin strap with contrasting stitching. The stainless-steel model retails for 45,000 Swiss francs, with the premium for the precious metal of white gold taking the price up to 58,000 Swiss francs.
Ref. 5960/1A-010, stainless steel case / left side of the case Patek PHilippe
The Reference 5960 is powered by the self-winding calibre CH-28-520 IRM QA 24H, which offers a fly-back chronograph function and the annual calendar with day-night indicator. The mainspring is rewound by a 21-carat red-gold oscillating weight and ensures a power reserve of up to 55 hours. The movement is equipped with Patek Philippes patented Gyromax balance wheel and Spiromax balance spring and is certified with the Patek Philippe Seal, which, as part of its strict standards, requires the movement to be accurate to between -3 and +2 seconds per day one of the most stringent criteria in the entire industry.
Patek Philippe Playing with the devil from Worldtempus.com on Vimeo.
Another glass ceiling was shattered on Wednesday as the Indian Navy inducted its first woman pilot.
Shubhangi Swaroop, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, will soon be flying maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
Three other women cadets, Astha Segal from New Delhi, Roopa A. from Puducherry and Sakthi Maya S. from Kerala, also created history by becoming the country's first women officers at the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) branch of the Navy.
After their naval orientation course, all the four women, who are in their early 20s, had passed out of the Ezhimala Naval Academy at a glittering function in Kannur on Wednesday that was attended by Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.
For Swaroop, who is the daughter of a navy commander, it is a dream come true on being selected as a pilot.
Though Swaroop is the first woman naval pilot, the Navy's aviation branch has had women officers operating as air traffic control officers and as 'observers' in the aircraft who are responsible for communication and weapons, Southern Naval Command spokesperson Commander Sreedhar Warrier told mediapersons.
The NAI branch is responsible for auditing and assessing the state of the weapons and ammunition of the Navy.
All the four will be undergoing subsequent professional training in their respective chosen branches before being employed on duty, Commander Warrier explained.
Swaroop will be trained at the Air Force Academy at Hyderabad, which trains pilots of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, he said.
Helping hand: Vidhya Joshi, who met with an accident in Mumbai, with her daughter. She swears by the Minimal Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis | Amey Mansabdar
Debasish Sarkar's ears perked up, as he was busy checking a damaged irrigation pipe that runs near the Bhogdoi River at a tea estate in Assam. Instinctively, the 35-year-old welfare officer looked back, and lo and behold, an elephant towered behind him. Before he could blink, it moved closer, wrapped its trunk around his legs and tossed him in the air. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a small herd of jumbos, including four calves, a few metres away. The elephants would have come from the nearby Gibbon Reserve Forest, says Sarkar. They came the previous day, too, and broke the pipes.
Though the herd was kind enough not to trample him, Sarkar was badly injuredhe had fractures on his ribs and hip, and had dislocated his right hip. He was admitted to a private hospital in Assam, but was shifted to Fortis Hospital in Kolkata two days later. By the time Sarkar was brought here, his blood pressure had dropped dramatically, recalls Dr Ronen Roy, consultant, orthopaedics and joint replacement, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, Kolkata. He had a rupture in his liver that had to be treated. He was stabilised, and then the dislocation was treated before he was operated on for the fractures.
Roy and his team had a tough time fixing Sarkar's hip joint. However, advancements in imaging technology made their job easier. New imaging technologies have made surgical navigation systems a lot more efficient. Contrast imaging and video inputs helped us to perform the surgery with ultra precise cuts, says Roy.
CT scan with 3D imaging, too, is a powerful tool in assessing fractures. CT with 3D reconstruction helps in planning and treating complex fractures. It enables you to visualise the various fragments clearly and make it easier to approach and fix fractures more accurately, with lesser surgical trauma. This gives better results and quicker rehabilitation, says Roy. Thanks to these tools, Sarkar was up and running in about two months.
The advances in fracture care look promising. Gone are the days when fractures needed huge plaster casts and patients had to be on bed for months. Now patients are operated and, within no time, they are mobile, says Dr Sachin Bhat, orthopaedic surgeon at SRV Mamta Hospital, Goregaon, Mumbai.
New techniques like Mini-mallyInvasive Plate Osteosynthesis, where a fracture is fixed with plates and screws with very small cuts, could offer hope for accident victims. In Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis, we make small incisions, and the plate is slid over the bone under the muscle and screws are inserted with small cuts, explains Bhat. The major advantage of this procedure is that there is minimal blood loss. So, there is less morbidity, and it requires less hospital stay. There is less pain and quicker healing, as the fracture biology is handled carefully. Movements of the joints close to the fracture are started immediately, thereby reducing stiffness and possible disability.
Vidhya Joshi, who works for Talwalkars Gym in Mumbai, would vouch for these 'screws and plates'. She met with an accident in July while riding to work on her scooter. There was a plastic temporary barricade put up for road cleaning on the Andheri bridge on Western Express Highway. I banged into it and fell on the ground, says the 40-year-old. She fractured her upper tibia bone, just below the right knee, and was operated upon, using Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis. Post surgery, she didn't have her knee in a cast and it was mobilised immediately.
But, orthopaedics has seen much debate over surgical techniques in the past few years. Dr Yash Gulati, senior joint replacement and spine surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi is all for knee surgeries without tourniqueta device for stopping blood supply to an artery during surgery. Total knee replacement without tourniquet eliminates many complications and leads to quick recovery with greatly reduced pain, he says. But, using tourniquet has been a tradition and people are not willing to change in spite of evidence, he rues. His argument: if we don't use tourniquet for hip or head surgeries, then why use it for the knee.
Not that orthopaedic surgeries haven't seen any advancements. Amputations owing to diabetes or circulatory or vascular problems have reduced because of newer medicines and advanced techniques of endovascular surgery. But, road accidents continue to be a major cause of amputations. Amputees who require prosthesis have much to look forward to. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University in the United States have come up with a mind-controlled prosthetic hand that allows the user to move each finger individually. In India, bionic limbs, equipped with sensors and microprocessors, have become a real game-changer. The microprocessors can control limb movement. For instance, the knee automatically bends and straightens when the patient walks, making it a normal process for him, says Bhat.
Also, new medicines to treat conditions like osteoporosis have given excellent results. For instance, Teriparatide is now preferred over conventional treatment involving Calcium and Vitamin D3.
Regenerative cell therapies are gaining popularity in cities like Bengaluru. A doctor who endorses one such therapy claims patients suffering from joint-related ailments can avoid surgery if they are diagnosed within the first three stages. The promise of 95 per cent improved cartilage health, that too non invasively, sounds too good to be true. Dr Shah Alam Khan, professor, department of orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, brushes aside these tall claims. There is a lot of quackery and less of science when it comes to regenerative medicine, particularly in branches like orthopaedics, he says. Therapies like platelet injections are offered as a panacea for a multitude of conditions including osteoarthritis. But, what is the scientific evidence regarding the efficacy of the same? Having said this, we cannot rubbish regenerative therapies altogether. But to believe in their godly nature of response is inanity par excellence!
A group of artists has erected a Holocaust memorial outside the home of a nationalist politician who suggested Germany should end the decades-long tradition of acknowledging and atoning for its Nazi past.
The Center for Political Beauty, known for its provocative stunts, said Wednesday that its members placed 24 concrete blocks on a property adjacent to the home of Alternative for Germany lawmaker Bjoern Hoecke over the weekend.
The concrete blocks are modeled after those at the countrys main memorial in Berlin to the six millions Jews killed by Nazi Germany.
Hoecke, who heads the nationalist AfDs caucus in the Thuringia state assembly, caused uproar in January when he described the Holocaust memorial in Berlin as a monument of shame.
The 45-year-old told an audience in Dresden that Germanys stupid policy of tackling its Nazi past was paralyzing the country and called for a 180-degree turn.
Hoeckes comments were widely condemned, including by prominent members of his own party who called for him to be expelled. One of his critics, AfDs former figurehead Frauke Petry, has since left the party after accusing it of flirting with far-right extremism.
Hoecke didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. But fellow AfD lawmaker Andre Poggenburg in a statement Wednesday accused the Center for Political Beauty of criminal behavior for observing Hoeckes house in the village of Bornhagen over the past 10 months.
The group said it planned to publish information obtained from its surveillance unless Hoecke kneels down before the memorial in Berlin or Bornhagen to ask for forgiveness for Germanys past crimes.
This is unacceptable and I expect the police and judicial authorities to immediately ensure that these fascist methods are stopped, and the activity is prosecuted and punished, Poggenburg said.
Local authorities said the memorial itself appeared not to breach any laws or regulations.
Gerald Schneider, the deputy head of Eichsfeld county, said authorities hadnt received any complaints yet. But they will probably come, he told The Associated Press.
Lea Rosh, a journalist and activist who was instrumental in lobbying for the Berlin Holocaust memorial, welcomed the stunt.
This is a wonderful idea, German news agency dpa quoted her as saying.
The Center for Political Beauty gained attention two years ago for bringing the body of a migrant who had drowned in the Mediterranean Sea to Berlin, to protest what it described as the closure of Europes borders to people in need.
(AP)
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain issued a joint statement late Wednesday designating two Islamic organizations and 11 individuals as being involved in terrorist activities and linking them to the Arab Gulf state Qatar.
The announcement comes as the third edition of a terrorism list first announced by the four countries in June, shortly after a diplomatic crisis arose between them and Qatar.
In the official statement, the four countries said that the two organizations, the International Islamic Council and the International Union of Muslim Scholars, use Islam as a cover for various terrorist activities, adding that both receive direct Qatari support.
The four states stressed that Qatari authorities continue to support and fund terrorism, as well as promote extremism and hate speech, adding that Qatari authorities have not undergone steps to suspend such activities.
11 people were also included on the updated list, among them five Egyptians, who are mostly prominent members of now-banned Muslim Brotherhoods Guidance Office.
Mahmoud Ezzat, the MB's deputy Supreme Guide who fled Egypt in 2013 after a crackdown on the group, is among those included in the list.
The batch also includes the Brotherhoods Mohamed Gamal Heshmat, Yehia Sayed Ibrahim Moussa, Kadri Mahmoud El-Sheikh and Alaa Ali El-Samahi.
The figures mentioned, all fugitives, have been handed a number of sentences by Egyptian courts stemming from their convictions in terrorism-related activities.
In June, the four Arab states severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs.
Doha has denied the accusations.
Shortly after severing ties, the four countries released the first edition of the list that included what it described as several terrorism financiers, including businessmen and politicians.
The list included Youssef El-Qaradawi, the 90-year-old Egyptian-Qatari scholar and spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
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Egypt's interior ministry said on Thursday that police killed three members of the Lewaa El-Thawra terrorist group in a raid on an apartment in Beheira's Wadi El-Natroun, 100 kms from the capital.
The ministry says the three terrorists, identified as Yehia Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed Abdel-Hady and Mohamed Fathy, shot at police when they attempted to apprehend them.
Abdel-Rahman was convicted in absentia in a 2016 terrorism case and was handed a 10-year jail term, according to the statement.
The apartment where the terrorists were staying was used to hold meetings and manufacture explosives.
The ministry said that its raid foiled a plot by the terrorist group to carry out a number of attacks against police and army personnel.
The ministry added that nine members of the group were also arrested in a series of raids in Cairo, Giza, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh.
The statement said that police conducted raids on a steel forge in Cairo's El-Salam City, as well as an apartment in Kafr El-Sheikh and a farm in Beheira, which were used by terrorists to make car bombs and IEDS.
Police found at the sites two car bombs, a large number of weapons, ammunition, IEDS, and cameras.
The statement added that the terrorists were instructed by Muslim Brotherhood leaders to carry out car bomb attacks.
In November 2016, Lewaa El-Thawra claimed responsibility for the October 2016 assassination of high-ranking Egyptian army officer Adel Rajaie.
Throughout the past months, police announced in a series of statements that they conducted raids on terrorist hideouts, killing or arresting members of terrorist groups.
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Environmental woes: Glencore chairman Tony Hayward
Glencore chairman Tony Hayward, formerly of BP, must regret agreeing to an interview with the Bristol Cable magazine.
Thinking he was to be quizzed about renewable energy, he found himself ambushed about Glencore's appearance in the recent Paradise Papers. 'This isn't what we agreed to talk about,' he groans.
Shouldn't muntjac-in-the-headlights Hayward avoid all media, even student rags? His handling of the infamous BP oil spill remains a case study in how not to handle a crisis.
Pensions expert Baroness Altmann tweets: 'Interesting experience on way to Glasgow. Put things through security including shoes. Waiting for tray to come through and only one shoe came out! Hopping mad!' Poor dear.
Presumably hordes of handsome Glaswegian princes tussled like rutting stags to reunite evergreen Ros, 61, with her errant slipper.
Panmure Gordon commentator David Buik says Amanda Staveley needs to increase her 300million bid for Newcastle United if she's to get Mike Ashley to sell.
A fan tells Newcastle's Evening Chronicle: 'He's obviously one of big Mike's drinking buddies trying to drive up the price.'
The thought of chalk-striped Buik, 73, a clubbable Old Harrovian, joining 11-pints Ashley on the raz is as wonderful as it is absurd.
Former Bank governor Lord (Mervyn) King interviewed outgoing Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen in New York this week.
Noting both her husband and son are also economists, Merv, 69, asked what she did to take her mind off the field. Matronly Janet, 71, replied: 'Now why would you want to do that?'
Not only did her family discuss economics at the dinner table, she said, they also took academic papers to the beach. Must remember to give casa Yellen a swerve next time I'm in Washington.
Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam says he's not seen Arsenal play since 2011 in protest against the club's long-serving manager, Arsene Wenger.
9.6million-a-year Thiam, 55, is part of the 'Wenger Out' brigade, which wants rid of the Frenchman. No sign of a 'Tidjane Out' campaign among restless Credit Suisse shareholders yet, thank goodness.
How remarkable that almost a decade after the financial crisis the Government still holds a 71 per cent stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Cowardice by Chancellors, afraid of the political fall-out if shares were sold at a loss, has left the taxpayer ever poorer.
The cost of bailing out RBS is far beyond the initial injection of 45.8billion by Gordon Browns government.
The longer the bank has been held on the Government books the higher the financing costs, now put at 12.1billion, have become.
Money pit: The cost of bailing out RBS is far beyond the initial injection of 45.8bn by Gordon Browns government
Even worse has been the political shadow of state ownership.
The Government has suffered the slings and arrows of disgraceful bonus payments made to top executives and investment bankers. It also has rightly shared blame for the Global Restructuring Group fiasco which is far from over.
The over-enthusiastic way in which GRG put many small firms into bankruptcy and grabbed assets for itself was highway robbery. This unedifying spectacle is about to enter an endgame.
The Budget Red Book pledges to recommence the sale of shares in RBS in 2018-19. Chancellor Philip Hammond looks ready to absorb the red ink if necessary. This may be realpolitik more than anything else.
To leave RBS in Government hands with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell outside Number 11 Downing Street would be an act of foolhardiness.
Just as RBS is starting to purr again it would find itself in the hands of Left-wing extremists determined to turn it into an instrument of the state.
I have long taken the view that RBS should have been restructured and initial tranches of shares sold, even at a loss.
That would have been a small price to pay for running down the financing costs and restoring a genuine free market in the shares. The whole episode tells us why public ownership of substantial commercial assets ends up as messy as a bread and butter pudding.
Brydon plot
Last time the Bank of England directly interfered in governance at a City firm was when Mervyn King summoned chairman Marcus Agius and senior non-executive Mike Rake of Barclays in July 2012 and ordered the sacking of chief executive Bob Diamond over Libor rigging.
The suggestion by dissident shareholder TCI that the Bank or Financial Conduct Authority step into the row at the London Stock Exchange is therefore not without precedent.
The LSE sits at the heart of the City and its derivatives-clearing arm LCH Clearnet handles trillions of dollars of transactions each week. Indeed, regulatory risk was among the reasons why the burghers of Frankfurt were reluctant to support the Deutsche Boerse merger with the LSE.
The pitifully slow response of the LSE to the assault on its chairman and board, and the decision to dispense with the services of chief executive Xavier Rolet clearly involve systemic risk.
Letting the clock slowly tick towards a circular and an extraordinary general meeting ought not to be an option.
The LSE reportedly has lined up its finance boss David Warren as a temporary replacement for Rolet.
It should not be difficult to parachute in an alternative chairman, such as non-executive David Nish, to replace Donald Brydon.
When the chairman of the Stock Exchange has to scare up a round-robin letter to the FT from friends to defend his position, you know he has lost the plot.
Among those defending Brydon is Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail. She seems to forget that her companys privatisation, led by Brydon, was botched and criticised by the National Audit Office.
The City authorities need to give Brydon and Rolet marching orders, to end one of the ugliest City battles of recent times.
Housing hero
Credit must go to the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid for forcing the hand of the Chancellor on Britains housing crisis.
Philip Hammond has been deeply sceptical of any reforms that might incur the wrath of Tory voters fearful of development in their own backyards which might destroy rural views, strain resources and potentially hurt values.
The Government looks to have taken Javids proposals for building close to suburban transport hubs to heart.
The measures may fall short of his bid for a 50billion housing fund but have set the cause on a much better trajectory.
Chancellor Philip Hammond is to crack down on VCT and EIS investment tax breaks being handed out for safe ventures rather than genuinely risky and innovative firms.
Wealthy people can get substantial tax relief for backing young and adventurous businesses, but he wants to prevent them milking the system by using investments that aren't all that risky.
In the Budget, Hammond said he would double investment limits to an annual 2million for those putting money in 'knowledge intensive' companies, while ensuring existing vehicles are 'not used as a shelter for low-risk capital preservation schemes'.
Tax breaks: Wealthy people can get substantial tax relief for backing young and adventurous businesses
The Government has grown concerned about asset backed investing, where for example a business is run out of a freehold or leasehold property, which would help offset or even neutralise any risk investors are taking.
Venture Capital Trusts and Enterprise Investment Schemes are the main vehicles for investing in new and enterprising businesses, and doing so can help slash income tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax bills by significant sums.
However, they are only suitable for wealthy people with sizeable holdings, where risky ventures will make up only a small part of a large portfolio. See below for how they work, what tax benefits they offer and who they are aimed at.
Tilney Group managing director Jason Hollands said pre-Budget concerns about cuts to EIS and VCT tax income relief of 30 per cent proved unfounded, and instead we got 'technical tinkering' with their investment criteria following major changes two years ago
'There will be a crack down on these tax-aided schemes being used for lower risk capital preservation deals and a doubling of the amount that can be invested into Enterprise Investment Schemes but only where these meet the strict criteria of being categorised as knowledge intensive companies.
'The devil is always in the detail and in respect of VCTs, proposals announced alongside the Budget aim to tackle VCTs adopting lower risk capital preservation strategies rather than ploughing cash into genuine, growth companies to help them expand.
'The Government understandably wants these tax-aided schemes to be used for incentivising genuine risk-capital into younger companies that can generate jobs and prosperity, not for enabling someone to get a nice tax break for investing in things like crematoria maintenance contracts with local authorities.'
Tracyann Kneen, senior product technical manager at Nucleus, said: 'Most notable is a doubling of the limit on the amount an individual may invest under the EIS in a tax year up to 2million, provided any amount over 1million is invested in one or more knowledge-intensive companies.
'This potentially increases the relief to 600,000. This is an unexpected move: instead of cutting the tax benefits this offers a very generous tax advantage to a relatively small group of individuals.'
How do VCT and EIS tax breaks work?
Venture Capital Trust: A 30 per cent income tax credit is available when you invest up to 200,000 a year in new share subscriptions and hold them for at least five years.
So, if you bought 10,000 of shares, you could get a 3,000 reduction in your tax bill - but this would be repayable if you sell the investment within five years. All gains and dividends are tax free.
Enterprise Investment Scheme: This involves making a direct investment in small firms, and you get a 30 per cent income tax credit on investments of up to 1million a year. Today's Budget said the annual investment limit would rise to 2million for knowledge intensive firms.
EIS investments must be held for three years - not for five as with VCTs. However, in practice there is no market to sell unquoted shares, so you are likely to end up having to wait for an 'exit event' such as the sale of the firm.
Dividends are taxed - although such firms rarely pay them anyway. But several other important tax benefits are available.
Investments are not subject to inheritance tax after the first two years, making them attractive to people whose estates are big enough to qualify for this 40 per cent levy. Read more here about how to cut an inheritance tax bill.
You are also eligible for loss relief. This means if the investment does badly you can claim for losses at your marginal income tax rate, which makes this aspect particularly attractive to 45 per cent taxpayers.
Meanwhile, you can also use an EIS investment to defer a Capital Gains Tax liability on the sale of another asset, such as shares or a buy-to-let property.
Jason Hollands of Tilney Group explains: 'By reinvesting the gain made on these assets into EIS, you can defer payment of any CGT bill (as well as get the 30 per cent income tax credit) until the EIS shares are sold and the earlier gain recrystallises.'
When an investor dies, their CGT liabilities disappear entirely, he adds.
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme: This is a third type of extremely high risk investment scheme for start-ups not covered by today's Budget changes.
You can get 50 per cent income tax relief on investments of up to 100,000 a year and held for three years.
This tax break can be 'carried back' if required and set against the investor's bill in the previous year as well as the current one. Loss relief and inheritance tax treatment is the same as with EIS.
'After three years, gains on SEIS are exempt from CGT. Taxable capital gains from other investments receive 50 per cent relief if invested in SEIS,' says Hollands.
Autumn Budget: Chancellor Philip Hammond wants to ensure investment vehicles are 'not used as a shelter for low-risk capital preservation schemes'
Who are these investments suitable for?
All these schemes are highly risky and tend to be targeted at wealthy and sophisticated investors, so it would be sensible to get financial advice before you take the plunge.
Hollands explains that VCTs can be accessed by ordinary investors but are not going to be suitable for everyone.
'They might be considered by those already fully utilising Isas and pensions but with additional cash to invest. They should only be considered by higher or additional rate [45 per cent] taxpayers and with sizeable portfolios of mainstream investments, so that VCTs will only represent a modest exposure overall.
He says investors in VCTS must be able to take a long-term view of at least five years.
Hollands adds: 'Seed EIS and EIS are regarded as only suited for sophisticated, high net worth investors and therefore cannot be marketed to retail investors.
'Providers cannot accept applications for these unless they are signed off by a regulated adviser or the investors has been certified as meeting the sophisticated investor criteria.'
Dulux owner Akzo Nobel again looks vulnerable to a takeover after plans to merge its paint business with a US rival fell through.
The paint makers talks with US rival Axalta collapsed after Japanese firm Nippon Paint made a bid for Axalta.
The planned 23billion tie-up would have boosted Dulux and deterred further unwelcome takeover offers.
Dulux owner Akzo Nobel 's talks with US rival Axalta collapsed after Japanese firm Nippon Paint made a bid
But the collapse will raise fears US firm PPG might be back to Akzo with a fourth takeover offer next month.
Akzo rejected three bids from PPG earlier this year but a cooling-off period is about to come to an end.
It said it would now continue selling or seeking a stock market listing for its speciality chemicals division, which has an estimated value of up to 8billion.
It promised to return the vast majority of proceeds to shareholders.
New chief executive Thierry Vanlancker said: We remain focused on our strategic options to continue to develop our business and improve profitability in the future.
Nippon is said to have made an all-cash offer for Axalta at a premium to Axaltas closing price on Monday at $33.54.
It was enough for Axalta to end negotiations with Akzo, a source told Reuters.
It marks the end of a difficult year for Akzo, which has about 3,500 workers in the North East, Glasgow and the Midlands.
The London Stock Exchange is lining up an emergency stand-in boss in case the vicious spat at the top of the firm forces the current chief to walk out.
LSE finance chief David Warren has reportedly been told to prepare to take over in to replace current boss Xavier Rolet should the Frenchman leave early.
The drastic step has been taken as a row between chairman Donald Brydon and billionaire hedge fund boss Sir Christopher Hohn escalates.
LSE chairman Donald Brydon is locked in a high-stakes battle with hedge fund boss Sir Christopher Hohn over the departure of the LSE's French chief exec Xavier Rolet (pictured)
Hohn has called on regulators to remove Brydon from his post over the departure of the LSE's imperious boss Rolet, 58. Hohn, 51, wants Rolet to stay and claims he is being forced out by Brydon.
The investor is asking shareholders to vote to reverse the decision and sack 72-year-old Brydon instead.
Its bosses' fates will be decided at a meeting of shareholders later this year, which was called by Hohn's business The Children's Investment Fund (TCI).
TCI, which has a 5 per cent stake in the LSE, this week claimed Rolet is being threatened with a 'character assassination' by his own board if he refuses to go quietly. It asked the Bank of England to step in and oust Brydon.
GERMAN THREAT TO CITY CLEARING HOUSE FRANKFURT-based Deutsche Boerse has launched an audacious bid to snatch the city's trillion-pound euro clearing business for Germany. LSE-owned LCH Clearnet has handled an average of 2.6trillion trades a day so far this year including euro-based trades. But Eurex Clearing, which is owned by Deutsche Boerse, has signed up 24 banks in a profit-sharing scheme to prise business away from LCH. The clearing of euro trades in London has been especially contentious since Britain voted to leave the EU, with the Germans desperate to bring the business to the Continent.
In a letter on Tuesday night, Hohn said Rolet 'is being improperly threatened by the board with severe reputational damage'.
Warning Brydon that legal action could follow if 'you were to put your personal interests before the interests of the LSE', Hohn said: 'The corporate governance crisis which you have presided over has led to significant operational risk for the LSE which cannot be tolerated in a systemically important financial institution.
'It seems to us that the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority both need to immediately intervene to instruct the board to appoint a new chairman who should be tasked with solving this corporate governance crisis.'
Yesterday, former colleagues of the chairman rallied to his support. Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene was among the City big hitters to ride to the defence of Brydon, describing him as a 'courageous' leader.
The comments came in a letter to the Financial Times. Its other signatories included David Challen, former senior independent director of engineer Smiths Group, and Ruth Markland, ex-senior independent director at accountancy software firm Sage Group.
All have previously served on boards with Brydon, who chaired the Royal Mail until 2015. They said: 'Each of us has found Mr Brydon to be focused on creating shareholder value, with excellent governance, and to be willing to take courageous decisions in defence of both.'
Brydon and the board are preparing a potentially explosive dossier for shareholders, which outlines the reasons behind Rolet's departure. The chief executive has run the company for eight years, during which time its value has surged from 800million to 13.3billion.
But despite his reputation for boosting investors' coffers, the LSE boss is also seen as prickly and unwilling to tolerate dissent allegedly falling out with previous chairman Chris Gibson-Smith.
Rolet announced his departure last month. It came after a failed attempt to sell the LSE to German rival Deutsche Boerse. He is due to leave next year after a successor has been found.
Yesterday, LSE shares fell by 0.2 per cent, or 7p, to 3803p.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has appointed housing minister Mostafa Madbouly as acting prime minister after PM Sherif Ismail left on a three-week to Germany to undergo gastrointestinal tract surgery, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
Madbouly was appointed minister of housing in the cabinet of then-PM Ibrahim Mahlab in February 2014, and was reappointed to the same position after Ismail succeeded Mahlab in September 2015.
The 51-year-old Madbouly is an architect and urban designer who served as the director of the UN's HABITAT Regional Office for Arab States from 2012 until 2014.
Madbouly holds a PhD in urban planning from Cairo University and a postgraduate diploma in urban management from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies in Rotterdam.
He also served as chairman of the General Organisation of Urban Planning from 2009 till 2011.
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Shares in travel food retailer SSP Group soared after investor appetite was boosted by strong full-year results.
SSP operates food and drink businesses at airports and train stations in the UK and abroad, with Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza among its brands. It also runs outlets for firms such as Burger King and Starbucks.
The company is run by Kate Swann, who headed WH Smith for ten years until July 2013.
Shares up: SSP operates food and drink businesses at airports and train stations in the UK and abroad, with Upper Crust and Ritazza among its brands
She has been named one of the most powerful women in business and was paid 3.7million in 2014 after SSP floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Profits jumped 38 per cent year-on-year to 148.7million while revenue grew by 19.5 per cent to 2.4billion.
Sales were up 3.1 per cent, driven by strong growth from its new businesses in North America and Asia.
Sales in North America leapt by 42 per cent, compared to just 5 per cent in the UK and it recently launched a joint venture in India, TFS, which has contributed 2.9 per cent toward SSPs revenue since the acquisition ten months ago.
SSPs shares have soared 190 per cent since it joined the market in July 2014 and it was the best-performing large stock in European markets yesterday morning, ending the day at 658p, a rise of 8.4 per cent, or 51p.
Swann said: We have grown our presence across the world, particularly in North America and Asia and we are pleased with the performance of our new business in India.
We have invested significant capital in the business this year, our highest to date, and at the same time we are returning cash to shareholders.
The new financial year has started in line with our expectations and, whilst a degree of uncertainty always exists around passenger numbers in the short term, we continue to be well placed to benefit from the structural growth opportunities in our markets.
Bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland is finally being sold back to private owners a decade after it was saved in the financial crisis.
The Treasury stumped up 46billion of taxpayers money in 2008 to prevent catastrophe at RBS, which came within hours of going bust.
Almost a decade later, the Natwest owner is still losing money every year and the publics 71 per cent stake is worth just 23.7billion.
Nationalised: The Treasury stumped up 46bn of taxpayers' money in 2008 to prevent catastrophe at RBS, which came within hours of going bust
Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday announced he would start selling shares by March 2019, even though he is unlikely to get back what was spent on the rescue.
It means RBS will have been publicly owned for around a decade longer than expected when the Labour government decided to nationalise it.
A share sale is not seen as possible before RBS settles a long-awaited US fine for mis-selling toxic mortgage debt, which some analysts fear could be as large as 9billion.
Bosses at the bank hope to have reached an agreement over this bill by the end of the year, paving the way for a return to private ownership.
Critics have long argued that the lender would be better off outside Government control, enabling it to recover more rapidly and compete with rivals on a level playing field.
But unless shares stage an almost unprecedented recovery, taxpayers will lose billions when the stock is offloaded.
The Office for Budget Responsibility watchdog estimates the state is 26.2billion in the red after saving the stricken bank.
The Treasury said that it intends to sell 15billion of stock in sales beginning by March 2019, about two-thirds of its remaining shares in RBS.
Shares in the bank dipped 1.4 per cent, or 3.7p, to 269.5p.
Fast-fashion store Quiz has seen online sales accelerate after raising 100m from its debut on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year.
Web sales at the Glasgow-based retailer jumped by 205 per cent to 13.8million in the six months ended September 30, boosting overall revenue by 35 per cent to 56million and earnings to 5million an increase of 7 per cent.
Fashion hit: Web sales at Glasgow-based retailer Quiz jumped by 205 per cent to 13.8m in the six months ended September 30
The brand, which positions itself alongside the likes of online retailers Boohoo and Asos, has 70 stores and 149 concessions in the UK and Ireland.
Strong results were also lifted by the continued expansion in the UK and the opening of three stores in Spain and franchises in 20 countries.
Quiz launches a US website next year, but restructuring meant that profits were flat, at 3.7million.
MBABANE Parmalat Swaziland is demanding over E200 000 from Moneni Spar.
This is in respect of goods allegedly sold and delivered on or about the months between July 2017 and September 2017.
Parmalat Swaziland (PTY) LTD has since filed an application at the High Court where it is demanding the payment of the money from LC. Von Wissel (PTY) LTD trading as Fresh as Moneni Spar.
Parmalat, the applicant in the matter, is a company duly registered and incorporated in terms of the company laws of Swaziland and has its place of business at the Matsapha Industrial Site while Moneni Spar, the defendant, operates at the Carson Centre Extension 6 along the Siteki main road in the Manzini region.
The total figure that the applicant wants is E206 548.02 which the application stated was for the goods delivered at the defendants own special instance and request which were now due, owing and payable but despite demand the defendant had refused, failed and or neglected to pay.
These are allegations contained in the particulars of claim whose veracity is still to be tested in court and the defendant is yet to file its papers in the event it is disputing the claim against it.
According to the papers, the applicant also wants interest on the aforesaid amount at the rate of nine per cent a tempora morae, calculated from the date of issue of the summons.
The defendant was further informed that if it disputed the claim and wished to defend the action it was expected to within 10 days of service upon it of the summons file with the Registrar of the court a notice of intention to defend and serve a copy thereof on the plaintiffs attorneys.
LOBAMBA - Its gloves off once again between Cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).
This transpired yesterday afternoon in Parliament where the entire Cabinet did not show up for a sitting which had been called by the Speaker, Themba Msibi.
The reason forwarded by Cabinet was that they had been kicked out of the House of Assembly by the MPs and therefore, there was no reason for them to turn up.
On two occasions last week, Cabinet which was led by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Paul Dlamini, was excused from the House to go and address the issue of the non-payment of the elderly who had turned 60 this year and payment of the Phalala Fund Referral Scheme service providers.
As a result of Cabinets failure to pitch, only two items that were on the Order Paper were worked on by the MPs, as the rest of the business needed the input of ministers.
It was clear by 3pm that no minister was about to show up in Parliament as there was not a single BMW X5 (ministers official vehicles) parked in the space reserved for them.
It was at this point that the Speaker asked the media and other government officials to leave the chamber and they engaged in a two-hour long caucus.
During this period, this reporter attempted to call several ministers who directed all questions regarding their absence to the Head of Government, the Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini.
MBABANE A man of Ndlunganye is allegedly refusing to reverse E300 000 that was mistakenly deposited into his bank account
The money was reportedly deposited into his Standard Bank Swaziland on November 15, 2017.
According to the depositor of the money, Musa Mamba, the man, Melusi Mavimbela, had already started withdrawing some of the money for his personal gain.
He did not state, in his court papers, how much had been withdrawn to date.
He alleged that even the intervention of the police did not help as Melusi had refused to avail himself to discuss the issue.
Mamba has since filed an ex parte application (application filed without the knowledge or informing the other party involved) at the High Court.
He is seeking an order authorising Standard Bank Swaziland to forthwith withhold withdrawals of the funds. Melusi is also expected to show cause why the amount of E300 000 that was paid into his account should not be reversed and paid back to Mambas account held with First National Bank (FNB) Swaziland.
In his application, Mamba stated that on November 15, 2017, he erroneously transferred from his bank account held with FNB Swaziland an amount of E300 000. He alleged that he made the erroneous transaction by electronic transfer into Melusis account held with Standard Bank Swaziland, being Account number 9110002038342.
According to the applicant (Mamba) the money was to be paid to three siblings, namely; Temakholo Mavimbela, Buyisile Mavimbela and Melusi Mavimbela.
I linked the accounts of all the three siblings, however, when doing the transfer to Melusis account I punched in the whole amount, alleged Mamba.
MBABANE While his colleagues were discussing national issues in the House of Assembly yesterday, Lobamba Member of Parliament (MP) and businessman Michael Masilela was locked in a police cell.
The MP missed yesterdays Parliament sitting and had to spend the night behind bars after he was arrested by Royal Swaziland Police (RSP) officers at his home yesterday morning.
Masilela was arrested and charged for alleged fraud in that he allegedly defrauded another businessman in a transport business joint venture money amounting to E3 million.
The MPs business partner has been identified as a Masilela but the two are said not to be blood relatives. The police from the Fraud Unit are said to have arrested the outspoken legislator at around 7am yesterday and booked him at the Mbabane Police Station.
Dressed in black pants and a white and blue checked shirt, Masilela was found in his cell at around 4pm yesterday. The legislator is yet to make an appearance before court in relation to the charges levelled against him.
As such, he remains a suspect unless the court proves otherwise.
Masilela is alleged to have entered into a joint venture with the other businessman, who is said to be from the Hhohho Region, some few years ago. The deal, it has been alleged, was that they would contribute money for the purchase of buses and would then share the profits.
It is alleged that the businessman made two deposits into the agreed account for the proposed deal, with one being E1.7 million and another amounting to E1.3 million. However, it is alleged that things went sour when the businessman never received his share of the profits, something which caused disharmony between the two partners.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will in the coming days visit Turkey's sometimes uneasy NATO ally Greece, a top official said Thursday, the first visit by a Turkish head of state to its neighbour in 65 years.
Erdogan had himself, as prime minister, visited Greece in 2004 and 2010 but the trip will be the first by a Turkish president since Celal Bayer went to the country in 1952.
Turkey and Greece have a history of uneasy relations dating back to the creation of the modern Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.
But Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, has sought a more pragmatic relationship with Athens based on trade and tourism rather than nationalism.
"Our president will be the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu, said without specifying the precise timescale, quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
"I think that this visit will have significant results," added Cavusoglu, who was born in Greece.
Ties between Ankara and Athens have also been aided after Alexis Tsipras, who is believed to enjoy a warm personal relationship with Erdogan, became prime minister in 2015.
Greece and Turkey both joined NATO in 1952 but the thaw between the two countries only began in earnest in 1999 after destructive earthquakes struck both nations within weeks of each other.
They also cooperated closely in the 2015 migration crisis, with Greece backing an EU deal for Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.
However there are still many bones of contention.
Athens is unhappy over Turkey's upkeep of Byzantine monuments in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia which is officially a museum but has seen an uptick in Muslim activity in the last years.
Greece has also been rattled by Erdogan's sometimes angry tirades against the post World War I treaties that set the countries' modern borders and meant almost all the Aegean islands are Greek territory.
Turkey, meanwhile, is unhappy that Greece has given sanctuary to suspects wanted over the 2016 failed coup, notably eight troops who escaped by helicopter on the putsch night.
Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops following the 1974 invasion in response Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.
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ALBANY Former U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat who represented parts of the Hudson Valley, Catskills and Southern Tier, died Wednesday. He was 79.
His death was confirmed in a statement from Rep. John Faso, the Kinderhook Republican who represents much of Hinchey's former district.
Faso called Hinchey "a fierce defender of the environment" who "left an important mark on New York State from his years as Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Conservation."
"I served with Maurice in the state Assembly and knew him to be an articulate and dedicated proponent of the causes he believed in and the people he served," Faso said.
Hinchey had been suffering from a rare brain disorder that was taking away his ability to speak and caused Parkinson's-like symptoms, his family said earlier this year.
The illness, frontotemporal degeneration, manifested after Hinchey overcame colon cancer almost five years ago. There is no medication to cure or treat FTD, which is a form of dementia.
The disorder affects an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 Americans, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
"He's not a person to ask, 'Why me? Why me?'" Hinchey's wife, Ilene Marder Hinchey, said earlier this year.
The Saugerties lawmaker joined the state Assembly in 1975, serving until 1992. He was elected to Congress that year. He served in Washington until 2013.
Hinchey was one of the first members of Congress to oppose the war in Iraq and was known for his environmental efforts, including efforts to rid the Hudson River of PCBs.
Calls to rape crisis centers are surging around the country amid an unprecedented public outpouring of survivors' stories about sexual misconduct.
Managers of crisis hotlines say the barrage of news implicating men in some of the most powerful positions in Hollywood, politics and the media is compelling women from all walks of life to speak out about their own traumatic experiences with sexual assault.
Advocates for sexual violence prevention see the national conversation as a hopeful moment that could bring lasting change. It is also a challenging one in the short term, with a spike in demand that is straining the resources of about 1,300 rape crisis centers around the country that provide free, anonymous, around-the-clock counseling and other support services. Many centers are scrambling for funding, new staff members and volunteers to meet the demand.
"The good news is we were able to help a record number of people last month," said Scott Berkowitz, president or the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network, a national hotline. "The bad news is that there are even more that came to us and left before we could reach them because our wait times were too high."
He said it's typical to see an uptick in calls when there is a big news story or a scandal but the past year has brought significant and sustained increases in demand for counseling and support.
The first came after The Washington Post published video of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump bragging about groping women to the former host of "Access Hollywood." The second came in October with the report of decades of sexual harrassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and then a #MeToo campaign went viral with many people sharing their own stories of sexual harassment or violence.
In all, the network responded to 19,432 survivors in October, a 10 percent increase from the month before. In addition to a general hotline and live online chat line, RAINN operates hotlines for the Department of Defense and the Peace Corps.
At peak traffic last month, when #MeToo was trending, some people waited online or on the phone for up to three hours, Berkowitz said. In response to the demand, the network recently trained a group of 20 new people. It now has 150 people working for its call center and is planning to hire 18 more, he said.
Requests for counseling are up at Doorways for Women and Families in Arlington County in Virginia, which saw a 15 percent increase in calls to its hotline last month. The D.C. Rape Crisis Center has seen a similar increase in calls the hotline now receives well over 400 calls a month and a 20 percent increase in requests for therapy.
Indira Henard, executive director of the center, said many survivors are referencing the headlines when they call. The daily reminders are creating stress and instability for many, she said.
"Everywhere they turn, there is a reminder. Every time they are on Facebook and Twitter, they are being triggered. In their news feeds, there is another article and then another," she said. "Every time something happens, it activates what is in your nervous system."
Amanda Lindamood, director of training and community engagement who manages the hotline at D.C. Rape Crisis Center, said this "overexposure" to trauma is affecting survivors as well as those who are working to help them. She is concerned about burnout for those taking calls because they are encountering more trauma now on the phone lines and are inundated with the topic in the news when they're off like the rest of the public.
The uptick is happening across the country. In Cleveland, the volume of calls jumped 50 percent at the height of the #MeToo campaign, said Sondra Miller, president and chief executive of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
Miller said the center has heard from distraught parents who found #MeToo on their children's social media profiles and did not know how to respond. And it has heard from survivors who are feeling pressure to publicly share their own stories, even if they don't feel they are in a "healthy place" to do that, she said.
The hotline gets a lot of calls at night, she said. "People are having trouble sleeping or having flashbacks or nightmares or anxiety or depression. They want someone to help them through the next few hours," she said.
Rape crisis center managers say they are also seeing a surge in interest from people who want to help. Job and volunteer applications are up at many centers. Many are launching fundraising drives heading into the holiday season with hope that growing awareness about sexual assault will translate into contributions to boost their services.
The Trump administration is expanding its goals in Syria beyond routing the Islamic State to include a political settlement of the country's civil war, a daunting and potentially open-ended commitment that could draw the United States into conflict with both Syria and Iran.
With forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russia and Iranian allies now bearing down on the last militant-controlled towns, the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria could be imminent along with an end to the U.S. justification for being there.
U.S. officials say they are hoping to use the ongoing presence of American troops in northern Syria, in support of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to pressure Assad to make concessions at United Nations-brokered peace talks in Geneva. The negotiations there are set to resume at the end of November, after sputtering along for more than three years without result.
Assad's forces, with crucial aid from Iranian-sponsored militias, have regained control over much of the rest of the country in their separate war with Syrian rebels fighting to end his autocratic rule.
An abrupt U.S. withdrawal could complete Assad's sweep of Syrian territory and help guarantee his political survival an outcome that would constitute a win for Iran, his close ally.
To avoid that outcome, U.S. officials say they plan to maintain a U.S. troop presence in northern Syria where the Americans have trained and assisted the SDF against the Islamic State and establish new local governance, apart from the Assad government, in those areas.
When political negotiations began in Geneva more than three years ago, the rebels with some assistance from Western and Sunni Arab backers controlled a hefty amount of Syria and were in a far better position to demand Assad's removal as part of a settlement.
Russian airpower and Iranian-allied ground forces, however, have sharply turned the tables to Assad's advantage both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. Both Russia and Iran have also indicated they plan to stay.
In addition to extending its presence in Syria, the administration is also seeking new cooperation with Russia. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement backing the Geneva process. The two leaders spoke again by telephone Tuesday, just hours after Putin was photographed embracing Assad when the two met in the Russian resort of Sochi.
Russia, together with Iran and Turkey, is also hosting its own political conference this week on Syria, a gathering that could lock in positions that would make U.S. objectives in Syria harder to achieve.
U.S. officials emphasized that an ongoing U.S. military presence in Syria is necessary to ensure that Islamic State remnants are mopped up, and that repopulated communities are stabilized under local governance. "The fight with ISIS is not over," one official said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
But the official, one of several who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing planning and initiatives, described the indefinite mission of U.S. forces as "two-fold."
The Islamic State's original expansion was enabled by the vacuum of authority left by the Syrian civil war, the official said.
There have been calls for a community CCTV system to be installed in Borrisokane under a new Department of the Environment scheme and that Tipperary Council should pick up the bill.
The call was made by Cllr Joe Hannigan who said the town was a major through traffic point with three main roads passing through it.
The town stands at the crossroads for traffic coming from Nenagh and heading to Galway or on to Birr or Athlone.
Cllr Hannigan made his call at Nenagh Municipal District Council following the recent aggravated burglary in Coolderry, Roscrea, in which an elderly man was attacked and beaten.
However, his suggestion that the council foot the cost was rejected by district manager Marcus O'Connor, who described the scheme as badly designed.
He pointed out that there had only been a take-up of the scheme in two or three towns nationally.
It is a policing matter. I can't understand why the Department of Justice hasn't taken the lead. It would improve the function of the Gardai, he sad.
Under the scheme, the Department pays 60 per cent of the installation cost, with the local community paying the balance.
The contribution is too high and a lot of money to expect people to fork out, said Mr O'Connor. The first port of call (for funding) shouldn't be the local authority, but nationally.
Mr O'Connor said the council shouldn't be picking up the tab for something that is designed badly. It's a policing matter. Give them the resources.
He agreed CCTV was needed, but told Cllr Hannigan it would have to go through County Tipperary Joint Policing Committee.
We can't do a solo run because others will be looking for it, he said. That's council policy.
However, Cllr Hannigan maintained that he understood that the 40 per cent balance was to be paid by the local authority.
He urged that the council take the lead on the matter.
A serious opportunity is being missed. Borrisokane is a criticial junction and we have to be vigilant, he said.
Cllr Hannigan was shot down on his assertion that just because it went into Borrisokane, it wouldn't mean other Tipperary towns would look for CCTV.
Newport needs it as well and so does Ballina, interjected Cllr Fiona Bonfield.
That's bull, replied Cllr Hannigan.
Cllr Hannigan's call was supported by Cllr Michael O'Meara, Cllr Ger Darcy and MDC Cathaoirleach Cllr John Carroll.
Borrisokane would be an ideal project. There is a huge volume of traffic. It would help the Gardai monitor movement, said Cllr O'Meara.
Cllr Darcy said that every tool should be used to catch criminals in rural areas. CCTV was particularly needed in Borrisokane.
Cllr Seamus Morris said that rural Ireland was under daily attack with criminals going around with complete impunity from being caught or punished.
He said that people were afraid to leave their homes to go on holidays.
Cllr Morris stated that rural areas were now being used for drug drops.
However, he pointed out that the gangs can't operate without local people casing places.
Cllr Morris further reminded people to be careful what they buy at some car boot sales.
If people are buying cheap goods at car boot sales, some of it has to have been stolen he maintained.
He didn't believe that the crime rate had dropped but that people were fed up.
We haven't enough Gardai. We used to have Gardai who lived in their communities but that has changed for the worse., said Cllr Morris. There are not enough Gardai on the streets.
He said that when people were arrested and convicted they should be put into prison. Some of these people have 20, 30, 40 convictions and they are given bail and back out terrorising communities, he said.
It was agreed that the issue of CCTV should go to the JPC.
A number of drug searches were carried out in Nenagh in recent days, and there were two seizures of small amounts of cannabis in the town on Thursday of last week.
And local Gardai are warning car owners not to leave any valuables in their vehicles after the window of a a car was smashed in an apparent burglary attempt at Ormond Street, Nenagh, on Friday last.
Nothing was taken from the vehicle,
As Christmas approaches, gardai are putting up extra checkpoints, resulting in the arrest of a female motorist on suspicion of being under the influence of an intoxicant on the Limerick Road, Nenagh, last Friday.
In Newport on Saturday, a male motorist was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
On Sunday in Nenagh a man was arrested for dangerous driving at Summerhill.
The same individual was later arrested in Ballycommon on suspicion of drink driving.
Two males were arrested for breaches of public order in Roscrea on Sunday.
Gardai in Nenagh have also made an appeal to all gun owners to renew their firarms licenses. Those who fail to do so face the threat of prosecution.
A packing company appeared in a Magistrates Court in Victoria, Australia, yesterday, in connection with an accident in which a Tipperary woman received serious injuries.
Annie Dunne from Nenagh, suffered extensive injuries when her hair got caught in a mechanical conveyor belt at a packing shed in Shepparton Victoria, 200km north of Melbourne, as part of her conditions to obtain a second work permit for Australia when the accident happened on November 7, 2015.
Kalafatis Packing, the firm that runs the farm, appeared in Shepparton Magistrates Court, Victoria yesterday (Wednesday) on charges in relation to the 2015 incident at its packing shed in Shepparton East. According to Independent.ie, the company could face a maximum fine of $379,000 AUS, or 244,000.
Ms Dunne was cleaning the conveyor belt which was used to deliver pears for distribution when her hair became entangled in a rotating drive shaft. She suffered extensive damage to her scalp resulting in permanent loss of half of her hair and had only one ear. She had to get a prosthetic ear as a result.
Kalafatis Packing lawyer David Schiers told the court that the accident "shocked everyone". "This was the first serious accident at Kalafatis in 60 years, it shocked everyone," Mr Schier said.
He also said that language barriers among the staff could have contributed to the accident. "The person who is supervising might be Chinese, and the person picking up fruit might be Irish, so there can be difficulties with language," he said.
The court heard that at the time of the accident there was no requirement to isolate or shut down the conveyor belt during cleaning. It also heard that interlock guards, which would have added a layer of protection along the conveyor belt, had been removed and not replaced at the time of the accident.
Documents shown to the court showed that after investigations into the worksite there were a number of basic failures of safety. This included a lack of a lockout procedure for maintenance and cleaning of equipment, as well as guarding deficiencies along the conveyor belt where the accident took place.
Since follow-up visits from WorkSafe, Kalafatis had implemented changes based on the problems safety inspections raised, Mr Schier told the court.
A further plea and sentencing will take place on January 11 at Shepparton Magistrates Court, and the work-site will be inspected to see the improvements first-hand. The labour hire firm - T&R Contracting Shepparton Pty Ltd - pleaded guilty in January 2017 at Shepparton Magistrates Court to failing to provide a safe working environment as it had not provided instruction and training to the young backpacker. It was fined A$60,000 (42,000) and had to pay another A$8,000 (5,150) in legal costs.
Russia said Thursday that the US decision to add North Korea to its terror blacklist was a "PR move" that could allow the situation on the peninsula to escalate into a global "catastrophe".
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called US President Donald Trump's move to place North Korea on the list of state sponsors of terrorism "another scaremongering act and PR move" that would not reduce tensions on the ground.
"The answer to the question whether such actions help in lessening the tensions is clear: no, they do not."
"These sorts of actions push the situation (around North Korea) to the extreme, this can end with a big catastrophe not only of a regional but also of global scale," Zakharova told journalists in Moscow.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the North Korea crisis with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono during his visit to Russia on Friday, Zakharova said.
"They will concentrate on bilateral relations but the international situation will be discussed, including the situation in the Korean peninsula as well as the Syrian question," Zakharova said.
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A second leaflet drop is taking place in Dublin this morning as part of ongoing search efforts to locate missing University of Limerick student Stephen Cullinan who was last seen on November 2.
Members of North Tipperary IFA, Toomevara GAA club, neighbours and friends travelled to Dublin this morning to meet at the Irish Farm Centre in Bluebell to help in the ongoing search efforts for Stephen who has not been seen for three weeks.
The 25 year old computer science student left his student accommodation in Castletroy on Thursday November 2 before heading to Dublin where he was last seen on St Stephen's Green in Dublin.
Tomorrow marks three weeks since Stephens disappearance. Your support is hugely appreciated. https://t.co/3uJdv00uv7 Brian Cullinan (@brianmcullinan) November 22, 2017
His father, North Tipperary IFA chairman Tim Cullinan, has said that despite extensive searches of the city there had been no further sightings of him.
Stephen is described as 5ft 11in, of medium build with short, fair hair. He was last seen wearing a hoodie and jeans and wears glasses.
Mr Cullinans last contact with his family was on November 2 when he called his mother, Margaret.
His phone has since been switched off and cannot be traced. The search for Stephen is being conducted by Gardai at Henry Street Garda station in Limerick and the public are urged to contact them on 061-212400 or any Garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.
Actor Aoibhin Garrihy and former winner Milo McCarthy (14) have joined forces urging the public to nominate their Tipperary heroes for a People of the Year Award before nominations close.
The final date for submitting nominations is Friday, December 1st the last chance for the public to nominate Irelands heroes for this years Awards.
Now in its 43rd year, the awards, which are organised by Rehab Group, will be broadcasted on RTE One on Saturday, March 3rd from The Mansion House.
At todays final call in Dublins Herbert Park Hotel, Aoibhin and Milo urged the public to nominate their Tipperary heroes family, friends and colleagues and those ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.
Aoibhin described the awards as one of the highlights of her social calendar and urged the public to nominate somebody who deserves recognition.
Aoibhin added: Ive been a huge fan of the show for many years. Its a great night out, myself and John (husband) always attend the awards and look forward to it every year. We wouldnt miss it, you meet such incredibly brave people who have done amazing things. Its such a fantastic national celebration which recognises some truly amazing people across Ireland, from all communities and backgrounds. We all know people who deserve recognition, so I hope people get nominating their heroes.
Milo McCarthy (14) revealed he was stunned when Games of Thrones star Liam Cunningham presented him with the Young Person of the Year Award in 2016. The little hero received the award after he raised nearly 18,000 for Syrian refugees by busking on the streets of Cork City and his hometown of Midleton
He added: It was a total surprise, I had no idea Liam was presenting the award to me. He was very nice and congratulated me when we spoke after the show. I still get spotted in Cork as the guy who busked to raise money for refugees. Its such a great experience, so Id urge everybody to nominate their heroes. There is so much negativity in the world, so its good to shine a light on all that is good.
It is quick and easy to nominate someone for a People of the Year Award. You can nominate online at www.peopleoftheyear.com or by emailing peopleoftheyear@rehab.ie
The closing date for entries is midnight Friday, December 1st. All the winners are nominated by the Irish public and finalised by a panel of adjudicators. As well as a number of general awards, people can nominate their Young Person of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, International Person of the Year and the Community Group of the Year.
[November 22, 2017] CHTF 2017 Gathers Enterprises From 27 "One Belt, One Road" Countries
Echoing the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, the 19th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF 2017) which concluded on November 21, invited over 30 countries and international organizations, including Argentina, Belgium, The Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Iran, Lithuania, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Sweden, UK and EU, to exhibit jointly at the "One Belt, One Road" Pavilion, setting a new record in its history. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171122005015/en/ The Bavarian delegation sent 11 enterprises including leading hi-tech players such as Pfaff-Silberblau, a pioneer in mechanical drive and hoisting parts and solutions under Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products, as well as four newcomers including the most innovative startup NavVis. The Korean delegation once again broke its record in terms of the number of exhibitors. National IT Industry Promotion Agency NIPA), Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), Daejeon University Entrepreneurship Center, Korea Smart Innovation Campus, Korea Hi-tech Delegation all exhibited smart and interconnected solutions at CHTF, covering IT, communications, biology, healthcare, beauty, robotics, AR&VR, IOT, ICT, security and energy.
Chinese President Xi's visit to The Czech Republic in 2016 has enhanced the political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries. This year, the Czech Embassy to China and Czech Investment Promotion Commission jointly led the biggest-ever delegation to CHTF with the country's most advanced hi-tech products. During the fair, Czech Technology and Investment Environment Roadshow was held, where the Greater China Director of Czech Invest introduced its investment environment and Czech entrepreneurs introduced Czech technologies, such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, renewable energy, IT and AI. In addition, Sino-Brazilian Innovation Center exhibited again. A buyer delegation led by the President of South Brazil Chamber of Commerce and Industry also visited CHTF. Besides Latin American countries, Eastern European countries, such as The Czech Republic and Estonia, added new blood to the international exhibitors. Russian Science and Education Department, Germany's Bavaria State and Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Walloon Region of Belgium have sent delegations to CHTF for 19 years. Other veteran delegations were from Australia, Greece, Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia, Poland, the Netherlands, and EU. CHTF provided a platform for them to promote products, reach Chinese enterprises and organizations, carry out cooperation and finally achieve mutual development.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171122005015/en/
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[November 22, 2017] With the Acquisition of Cylande Group, Cegid Gives Rise to a World Leader
LYON, France, Nov. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cegid announces the acquisition of Cylande, a leading provider of software solutions for retail, further strengthening the group's position at the forefront of the retail technology market. The combined company, which posted almost 100 million in sales last year, now supports over 70,000 stores in 70 countries globally. This acquisition underpins Cegid's ambitious growth plans as it looks to accelerate its development in the rapidly evolving retail sector. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/609089/Cegid_Logo.jpg ) The acquisition of Cylande strengthens Cegid's position as one of the major global IT solution providers for retail. Together, Cegid and Cylande's combined offer means they are well placed to pursue the necessary investments in research, technology and human capital required in order to meet the challenges of today's retailers, and capture new markets across the globe. "It was clear that not only were our complementary product portfolios well aligned, but the combined offer also allows us to capitalise on the diversity of our existing customer base, the industry expertise of our employees and the international presence of both companies. This, along with Cegid's leading Cloud technology, makes this newly expanded group a key player that is strategically positioned to address the challenges of the retail market today", said Pascal Houillon, Chief Executive Officer of Cegid.
Jean-Pierre Paugam , founder and current president of Cylande, will support the new group as a consultant in strategic affairs. Stephane Escriva will provide long-term support to Cegid as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Cylande. Cegid intends to keep and develop the solutions portfolio, thereby securing the investment choices previously made by Cylande customers. Cylande products will be incorporated into the Cegid retail product portfolio.
Cegid will implement its merger and consolidation knowledge, as it had already done successfully in its previous acquisitions. Nathalie Echinard, Managing Director of Retail at Cegid, will manage the new entity. About Cylande: Founded more than 30 years ago, Cylande is now a leading provider of retail software solutions. The Group helps retailers and specialty brands in France and abroad to develop their business. The United Retail portfolio offers a wide range of omnichannel solutions that handle all distribution channels, all store sizes and all types of distribution networks. Cylande has a proven value proposition and the company works with more than 180 world-renowned brands reflecting Cylande's successful strategy and high-quality solutions. Recognised international clients include Etam, Petit Bateau, Truffaut, Armand Thiery, Bio C Bon, Groupe Eram, Nocibe, Sergent Major/Natalys/DPAM, Devred etc. The company operates directly in France, China, Portugal, Poland and the Ivory Coast. The scope of Cylande's activity acquired by Cegid represented, in 2016, 31M of sales and 340 employees. For more information, visit www.cylande.com About CEGID : A leader in the digital transformation, Cegid offers management systems and cloud services to help customers improve their performance. The Cegid group offers a wide range of solutions for financial management, tax, and human resources as well as business applications aimed at the retail, manufacturing, wholesale, and services sectors, the accountancy profession, and public sector organisations. Driven by an ambitious innovation policy, Cegid solutions integrate new uses that involve cloud services, mobile technology, data analysis, digitisation, and collaborative business platforms. Cegid is an international group with 120,000 customers in 75 countries, 2,200 employees and generated a turnover of 307 million in 2016. For more information, please visit: www.cegid.com Follow Cegid on social media: https://www.facebook.com/CegidWorldwide https://www.linkedin.com/company/cegid https://www.twitter.com/Cegidgroup SOURCE Cegid
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[November 22, 2017] Media Invite [Final Call]: Dennis Kucinich to Join Jim Rogers as Keynote Speaker at The MillionaireAsia Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Summit
SINGAPORE, Nov. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The former chairman of the Government Oversight Sub-Committee on Domestic Policy during the 2007-08 financial collapse will join Investment Legend Jim Rogers as they address Blockchain tech, cryptocurrencies and the future of money. Dear Editor, The MillionaireAsia Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Summit will be held in Singapore on 29 November 2017. The investor focused conference on cryptocurrency and Blockchain technology will be headlined by investment legend Jim Rogers, who will be speaking on 'The Future of Money', and Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich who will address the topic of 'Government Regulation Dynamics of Emerging Global Markets (including Cryptocurrency): how to swiftly put self-regulatory best practices standards into place'. Former US Congressman Dennis Kucinich (1997-2013) served as chairman of the Government Oversight Sub-Committee on Domestic Policy during the 2007-08 financial collapse. As Chair he uncovered and investigated the lapses, failures and illegal activities that led to the sub-prime meltdown, and the lack of oversight by the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Congressman Kucinich scrutinized top executives of the US government, Wall Street and the banking industry in his hearings. This puts him in a unique position to talk about governance and internal standards while helping to facilitate a timely conversation within the Cryptocurrency and Blockchain space. For a full list of confirmed spekers, and their topics click here.
Please do let us know if you would be interested to include an event listing and/or editorial highlighting the illustrious speakers at this event. To attend this event please mail [email protected] for media accreditation. About the MillionaireAsia Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Summit
Rapid advances in digital technology are transforming the financial services landscape, with Cryptocurrencies leading the foray with combined market capitalization skyrocketing from US$18 billion at the start of the year to US$100 billion in July. This threshold break is due largely to Bitcoin which recently hit a record high of over US$6,000 (over SG$8,000) with a market cap of over US$70 billion. Interest in Blockchain technology and Cryptocurrencies has also spiked, with numerous industries set to be disrupted, including Government, Legal, Insurance, Real Estate, Travel, Energy, Banking and Financial Services and many more. Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is suggesting that banks invest in cryptocurrencies and has urged the fintech industry to provide solutions for consumers related to trust, security, financial services, and privacy in this area. Addressing this rising interest, The MillionaireAsia Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Summit will offer top-level keynotes from industry experts, solution-based case studies with a focus on learning and building partnerships in the Blockchain space, panel discussions on raising capital through ICOs and sound investment advice from both sides of the crypto pond. Who should attend? This summit is targeted at Cryptocurrency investors, corporations planning an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), government officials in charge of monetary policy & regulators, analysts and media covering Cryptocurrency and Blockchain, disrupted industries including Banking & Financial Associations and anyone interested to find out more about Blockchain technology, its applications and potential. For registration and more information on The MillionaireAsia Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Summit please visit: http://millionaireasia.com/blockchain-cryptocurrency-summit/ For Media Accreditation: Please email [email protected] or call +65 6838 5010 to RSVP by Friday, 24 November 2017. SOURCE MillionaireAsia
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[November 23, 2017] GAC Motor debuts GM8 MPV to redefine China's upmarket MPV landscape
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 23, 2017 /CNW/ -- China's fastest growing automaker, GAC Motor, has lined up the most deluxe new releases including the brand's first MPV GM8, smart electric concept car iSPACE and self-driving GE3 at the 2017 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition on November 17, highlighting advanced design concepts and forward-looking technologies. Targeting the high-end market, the GM8 was created on GAC Motor's level C platform that has integrated the world's top resources and cutting-edge technologies. The grandeur of the new MPV is not only reflected on its spectacular exterior design, but also luxurious captain's seating, intelligent technologies and excellent security features. "The Chinese auto market is seeing a growing demand for spacious and practical MPV that can accommodate family and business needs," said Yu Jun, president of GAC Motor. "With the all-around GM8, GAC Motor aims to refresh the high-end standards of Chinese MPV market and redefine its landscape in the new age of high-end vehicles." GAC Motor's high-end lineup composed of MPV GM8, sedan GA8 and luxury SUV GS8 has officially landed, making the company the first automaker to cover the mid- to high-end sedan, SUV and MPV market with a complete layout of luxury Class C vehicles. The GM8 MPV is expected to release in China on December 30 with a price range of 180,000-270,000 yuan (USD 27.000-41.000).
Through extensive research on the young generation's driving habits and lifestyle, GAC Motor debuted iSPACE, an electric concept car highlighting a groundbreaking concept of "car stops, life starts," which views the vehicle as a mobile living space that can switch between driving and living modes easily.
GAC Motor's second-generation self-driving vehicle, WitStarII, revealed at the 2017 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition was developed based on the company's first electric vehicle, GE3. It adopts high precision sensor solutions, including 64-beam Lidar, 360-degree camera and 77G millimeter wave radar that will work under different road conditions. By taking a lead in creating new life with science and technology, GAC Motor has completed a high-end product lineup to meet the future trends while constructing a green and low-carbon auto lifestyle with the advantages in the new energy sector. Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) and North America International Auto Show (NAIAS), attended GAC Motor's grand release at the 2017 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition and officially invited GAC Motor to join the show next January. GAC Motor is expected to return to NAIAS in 2018 with a blockbuster lineup, including GM8, GA8, GS8, new mass-production sedan GA4 and an all-new concept car. Yu Jun noted that the company's strategic goal has always been creating a world-class Chinese brand that reaches the global market. So far, GAC Motor has established a global sales and service network in 14 countries covering Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and North America. "GM8 marks a new milestone that completes our high-end product lineup, we are entering an all-new era as we position our brand towards the high-end market," he said. "We are building the first North America R&D Center in Silicon Valley this year and planning to enter the North American market by 2019." About GAC Motor Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group that develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories, achieving a year-to-year growth rate of 96 percent in 2016, the highest among all Chinese brands in the corresponding period. GAC Motor now ranks the highest among all Chinese brands for five consecutive years in 2017 China Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The company aims to form a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles by 2017 and of 1,000,000 vehicles by 2020. For more information, please visit:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gac_motor Contact:
Sukie Wong
+86-186-8058-2829
[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gac-motor-debuts-gm8-mpv-to-redefine-chinas-upmarket-mpv-landscape-300561370.html SOURCE GAC Motor
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[November 23, 2017] NetCents Technology Signs Five Year Contract With Aliant Payments Systems, a Half a Trillion-Dollar Annual Volume Payment Processor
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NetCents Technology Inc. ("NetCents" or the "Company") (CSE: NC / Frankfurt: 26N), is pleased to announce a five (5) year revenue sharing agreement with Aliant Payment Systems ("Aliant") that will see Aliant offering a white-labeled NetCents cryptocurrency processing solution to their network of nearly 7,000 US-based merchants. Through this agreement, NetCents is white labelling Aliant its streamlined cryptocurrency processing widget. The NetCents platform will be the underlying technology that processes all of Aliant's cryptocurrency transactions and give access to their nearly 7,000 merchants to automatically accept the NetCents Coin as a settlement option after the coin is released into the NetCents ecosystem December 1, 2017. Aliant Payment Systems has been in business for more than 20 years providing processing services to a variety of industry segments including small businesses, retail outlets, restaurants, petroleum/convenience stores, and merchants in high-risk industries. Annually, Aliant processes over $560 billion and has 15.5 billion transactions. 50 acquiring banks worldwide have authorized Aliant to be the final say and approval on onboarding new merchant accounts, both national and international, into their system - all while offering flexible terms and conditions to business owners. Clayton Moore, Founder and CEO of NetCents stated, "Our agreement with Aliant allows their merchant network access to both our proprietary digital currency platform and the NetCents Coin. With almost 7,000 merchants in their network, processing over $500 billion a year in transactions, it will provide NetCents with multiple points of distribution over the coming months." Eric Brown, CEO of Aliant payments said, "Aliant Payments was proud to be one of the first payment processors to offer merchants the ability to accept payments in bitcoin, and now we're excited to offer a digital currency solution that is opening to multiple coins. We look forward to showing merchants what digital currency can do for online payments and what NetCents is doing for businesses transferring value globally."
About Aliant
Aliant Payment Systems is an international merchant services and credit card processing company, with corporate offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Aliant provides credit card processing and payment processing accounts for businesses worldwide, with a highly professional management staff who offer 14 years of experience in account set up, customer service and development. Aliant has aligned itself only with the finest in the industry when it comes to providing merchant services. Additionally, Aliant offers a complete line of credit card machines and ATMs to offer the highest in convenience and efficiency to your business and its customers. http://www.aliantpayments.com/ About NetCents NetCents is a next-generation online payment processing platform, offering consumers and merchants online services for managing electronic payments. The Company is focused on capturing the migration from cash to digital currency by utilizing innovative Blockchain Technology to provide payment solutions that are simple to use, secure and worry-free. NetCents works with its financial partners, mobile operators, exchanges, etc., to streamline the user experience of transacting online. NetCents Technology is integrated into the Automated Clearing House ("ACH") and is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC, which ensures our consumer's security and privacy. NetCents is available for deposits from 194 Countries around the World, providing you with the freedom to choose to Pay. Your Way. For more information, please visit the corporate website at http://www.net-cents.com or contact Gord Jessop, President: [email protected]. On Behalf of the Board of Directors NetCents Technology Inc. Clayton Moore, CEO, Founder and Director NetCents Technology Inc. Suite 880, 505 Burrard St (Bentall 1), Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M4 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information 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 events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, 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. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Please visit the corporate website at http://www.net-cents.com or contact Gord Jessop, President: [email protected].
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[November 23, 2017] Microsoft, Heungkong Group and China Nansha Free Trade Zone launch the Microsoft Cloud Incubation Program
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 22, 2017 /CNW/ -- The "New Era of AI Leads the Future of the Cloud" themed Artificial Intelligence Summit was held in Nansha District, Guangzhou, China on November 17, 2017, as part of the local government's efforts to further promote the development of a new sector encompassing the next generation of information technology, Artificial Intelligence and Biological medicine (AIB). The event attracted over a dozen internationally renowned technology and financial firms, including Heungkong Group, Microsoft (China), iFLYTEK, Tricorn (Beijing) Technology, Malong Technologies and Megvii. Hosted by Heungkong Group, in partnership with Microsoft (China), with the help of the administration committee of Nansha Development Zone, the summit brought together a number of Chinese government officials and senior business executives. The attendees included CPC Central Committee United Front Work Department former minister and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Party Committee former secretary, Hu Deping; Guangdong Province Party Committee United Front Department deputy director, Li Yangchun; Guangzhou Municipal Committee Standing Committee member; Nansha Development Zone (China Nansha Free Trade Zone) Party Committee secretary; Nansha Development Zone administration committee director and Nansha District Committee secretary, Cai Chaolin; Nansha District Committee deputy secretary and Nansha District chief executive, Zeng Jinze; Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce vice chairman, Lu Xiaozhou; Industry and Information Technology Commission of Guangzhou Municipality chief engineer, Hu Zhigang; Nansha Development Zone administration committee deputy directorXie Ming; Heungkong Group chairman, Chi Keung Lau and president, Mei Hing Chak; Microsoft (China) COO, Horace Chow and vice president of Microsoft for Greater China, Teng Wen. In addition, former Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, was invited to the event as a keynote speaker.
On May 3, 2017, Nansha partnered with Microsoft (China) and Heungkong Group to roll out the Microsoft Cloud & Mobile Technology Incubation Program - Guangzhou Cloud & Mobile Application Incubation Platform (Microsoft Cloud Incubation Program). The incubation platform was formally launched at the summit, where 11 AI teams that had passed the reviews during the roadshow were formally invited to participate in the incubation program. To date, the platform has recruited 18 prominent AI teams, all of which have been given rent-free office space at the Heungkong International Financial Center in Nansha for four to six months during which they will be "incubated'. "The incubation platform, which serves as the technological key in helping Nansha realize its vision in terms of AI, provides the district with an unprecedented opportunity to establish and grow its own AI industry," said Cai Chaolin. "Nansha plans to speed up the construction of a 100 billion yuan (approx. US$15 billion) AI industry cluster by taking full advantage of its role both as a free trade zone and as a government-designated self-innovation demonstration zone, with the aim of creating a new, future-oriented AI-plus smart city."
As Microsoft's 18th incubation platform and the first that targets cutting-edge technology in artificial intelligence, the Microsoft Cloud Incubation Program is highly valued by Microsoft. At the summit, Horace Chow expressed gratitude to the government and Heungkong Group and said they are looking forward to promoting the incubation platform in Nansha. Keeping in line with what the district has dubbed its "1+1+10" series of policies, a program to transform the area into one of Guangzhou's key commercial and industrial hubs, Microsoft has promised to proactively facilitate innovation across the board with a focus on cloud computing, the internet of things, big data and artificial intelligence, helping boost the development of innovative companies. As one of China's top 500 privately held firms, Heungkong Group, as part of its plan of transforming itself into a company of the future, has shifted a key part of its focus to the technology sector. In her speech, Mei Hing Chak said that Heungkong Group started to establish a presence in Guangdong Free Trade Zone four years ago, in line with China's reform and opening up strategy. With a prime focus on innovative financial service platforms, and a strategy which incorporates big data, AI technologies and the Chinese government's Internet Plus initiative which advocates adoption of the Internet and modern technologies by the country's traditional industry sectors, the group has been assisting companies in their industrial transformation, helping them find new growth paths. By application of a clever approach whereby Heungkong Group will leverage herd behavior to good effect by having all of the AI startups in one place, the firm has joined hands with Guangzhou Nansha Industrial Investment Fund Management to further the development of the sector through the joint launch of a 100 million yuan (approx. US$15 million) Artificial Intelligence venture capital fund. The firm expects to enhance the success of the effort by putting its 27 years of experience in a diverse range of industries and more than 20 years of experience in finance to use. The fund will mainly provide strong financial support for entrepreneurial teams and start-ups in artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and intelligent manufacturing. An executive at Heungkong Group, responsible for the fund, said that the group is also willing to participate in the 10 billion yuan (approx. US$1.5 billion) Artificial Intelligence industry fund, initiated by the governments of Guangzhou and Nansha District and leverage its capital and operational strengths to promote the development of Artificial Intelligence in Nansha. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-heungkong-group-and-china-nansha-free-trade-zone-launch-the-microsoft-cloud-incubation-program-300561378.html SOURCE Heungkong Group
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[November 23, 2017] Leger survey on the shopping experience - Videotron rated best telecommunications retailer in Quebec
MONTREAL, Nov. 23, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Videotron's focus on customer experience has paid off with a number 1 ranking on the list of the best telecommunications retailers in Quebec for the seventh time. According to a Leger survey published in Les Affaires, Quebec-based Videotron's 130-store Quebec-wide retail network was rated tops in overall in-store customer experience. "The quality of the service at our stores reflects the dedication of our customer-facing employees," commented Jean Novak, President of Videotron Business Solutions and Senior Vice President, Sales Network of Videotron. "Our motivated employees and community-rooted franchise partners are the keys to our success. We owe this distinction to them." Year in year out, Videotron staff's top priority is to provide each customer with efficient and friendlyservice that meets his or her specific needs. Driven to constantly reinvent itself, Videotron frequently tests new approaches, including new customer service models at its retail locations. This signal honour confirms that Quebecers notice and appreciate our ongoing effort to deliver the best possible customer experience.
The Leger survey analyzed, evaluated and rated a total of 199 retail chains with locations in Quebec, based on the views of thousands of consumers. About Videotron
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of September 30, 2017, Videotron was serving 1,649,000 cable television customers, including 1,603,900 Digital TV subscribers. The Club illico over-the-top video service had 347,400 members. Videotron is also the Quebec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,654,100 subscribers to its cable service as of September 30, 2017. As of the same date, Videotron had 990,300 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,205,400 Quebec households and organizations. For the twelfth consecutive year, Videotron ranked as Quebec's most respected telecommunications company in the annual Leger survey.
Follow us on the Web | facebook.com/videotron
Follow us on Twitter | twitter.com/videotron SOURCE Videotron
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[November 23, 2017] One of the Most Popular Global Cartoons Gets Group-IB Brand Protection
MOSCOW, Nov. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Group-IB, one of the global leaders in providing high-grade Threat Intelligence and best-in-class anti-fraud solutions vendor, has been protecting the brand of the Masha and the Bear animated series against the distribution of illegal products on the Internet. The cartoon's YouTube channel is consistently ranked among the top five most popular in the world, while one copy of the video "Recipe For Disaster" has received over 2.5 billion views on YouTube, making it the site's seventh-most viewed video of all time. During the first three months of cooperation, Group-IB has blocked online sales of products to the value of $67,000. In 2016, the sale of goods under animated brands brought $118 billion to their creators all over the world. Bloomberg estimates 2015 revenue from the sale of goods under the Masha and the Bear trademark to be around $240 million. "We select partners to manufacture products under our name very carefully, control the quality of branded products and do not cooperate with producers of low-quality goods," says Dmitriy Loveyko. "But as the popularity of our characters grows, the problem of counterfeit distribution is becoming increasingly pressing. By working with Group-IB, we areexpecting to considerably reduce illegal online sales and redirect the traffic to the official stores."
During three months of cooperation, Group-IB specialists have detected over 100 online stores and several thousand advertisements offering goods under the Masha and the Bear brand, including toys, clothes, shoes, stationery, backpacks, life-size puppets and puzzles. A quarter of these advertisements are offering wholesale supplies. In order to solve the counterfeit distribution problem, Group-IB uses its proprietary Brand Protection system, which automatically detects websites offering products under the Masha and the Bear brand in real time and identifies illegal sales on the basis of preset criteria and machine learning technology. The system tracks violations, classifies them depending on potential economic damage and allows eliminating them quickly. Due to well-established interaction with major Russian and global trading platforms, the advertisements are blocked semi-automatically. In three months, Group-IB has managed to block 97 percent of illegal offers identified through the pre-trial process.
"The principal risk behind counterfeit products is the low quality of goods, which may adversely affect the health of children and their parents. Unfortunately, reputational losses in such cases are suffered by brand owners," comments Andrey Busargin, director of brand protection in Group-IB. "That is why it is very important to protect customers against illegal sellers and prevent the distribution of counterfeit goods. And modern technologies allow us to do that very effectively." About Group-IB Group-IB is one of the global leaders in preventing and investigating high-tech crimes and online fraud. The company is recognized by Gartner as a threat intelligence vendor with strong cybersecurity focus and the ability to provide leading insight to the Eastern European region and recommended by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Company is a permanent member of the World Economic Forum. Group-IB's experience has been fused into an ecosystem of highly sophisticated software and hardware solutions to monitor, identify and prevent cyber threats. Group-IB runs the largest computer forensics laboratory in Eastern Europe, as well as an official computer emergency response team, CERT-GIB. In 2017, the company was recognized by IDC as a leading player on the Russian threat Intelligence services market. More information at http://www.group-ib.com. Evgeny Gukov
+7 968 865 6916 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/one-of-the-most-popular-global-cartoons-gets-group-ib-brand-protection-300561341.html SOURCE Group-IB
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A suicide bomber struck in a crowd of people in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Thursday killing at least eight, officials said, in an attack that underscored worsening security.
The bomber approached the crowd of dozens on foot in provincial capital Jalalabad as they were demonstrating in support of a local police commander who had been sacked and calling for his reinstatement, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.
"Unfortunately, eight people were killed, all of them civilians," he said.
A further 15 people including children were wounded in the explosion, he added.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
Provincial health director Najib Kamawal confirmed the toll and said some of those wounded were in a serious condition.
Both IS and the Taliban are active in Nangarhar province.
Afghan and US officials have stepped up their attacks against IS and recently said it is steadily losing territory, with fighters largely confined to two or three districts in Nangarhar from around nine in January.
But the group has intensified attacks across the country, particularly in the east and in the capital Kabul, recruiting followers and in some places challenging the Taliban on its own turf.
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By Azernews
By Kamila Aliyeva
Sochi - Russia's Black Sea resort city - hosted a trilateral meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 22.
Wednesdays talks followed Syrian President Bashar al-Assads surprise visit to Russia on Monday for talks with Putin.
The meeting, which lasted two hours, between the three powers, all deeply involved in the Syrian conflict, is set to pave the way for a settlement of the conflict and define Syrias future as a country.
By hosting the meeting, Russia decided to take the central role in a major diplomatic push to finally end a civil war and try to leave its ally - Bashar al-Assad - in power.
Large-scale hostilities against terrorists are coming to an end, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Federation, Iran, and Turkey, it became possible to prevent the disintegration of Syria, Putin said, opening a trilateral meeting.
The Russian leader stated that the militants in Syria suffered a decisive blow, and that there was a real chance to end the long-term civil war.
Putin further noted the special role of the Presidents of Turkey and Iran in the Astana process, as without their participation a political settlement in Syria would be impossible.
Less than a year ago, we initiated the Astana process, assumed the responsibility to guarantee the implementation of agreements, promote the intra-Syrian dialogue under the auspices of the UN, he said.
Putin noted that Astana gathered representatives of the government and the armed opposition at one table for the first time.
The Russian leader also said that following seven rounds of meetings, the fateful decisions for Syria have been adopted and are being implemented: the ceasefire regime is being observed, four zones of de-escalation have been established and are functioning in key regions of the country.
Putin also expressed hope that Russia, Iran and Turkey will make every effort for the effectiveness of the National Dialogue Congress.
The three-way summit endorsed the plan for a Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Russia in December. The meeting is intended to help frame a constitution for an integrated Syria, including the terms of presidential elections in which Assad would be entitled to stand.
The Syrian people will have to determine their own future and agree on the principles of the state system. It is obvious that the process of reform will not be easy, and it will require compromises and concessions from all its participants, including, of course, the government of Syria. I hope that Russia, Iran and Turkey together will attach the most active efforts to make this work as productive as possible, the Russian leader said.
In addition, Putin suggested thinking about the joint development of a comprehensive program for the restoration of Syria.
Given the colossal scale of destruction, it would be possible to think together about the development of a long-term comprehensive program for the revival of Syria, he suggested.
Putin expressed confidence that the success of the upcoming reforms will largely depend on the solution of the social and economic problems of Syria, the restoration of industry, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education systems.
The humanitarian aspect, including targeted assistance to the population, demining of the liberated territories, rendering assistance in the return of refugees is equally important, according to the Russian leader.
He also noted that after the creation of de-escalation zones, thousands of refugees have already begun to return to their homes.
Speaking about the creation of a comprehensive program for the revival of Syria, the Russian leader said that experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran have conducted serious preparatory work on the meaningful filling of the talks.
Therefore, I am confident that the discussion will be substantive and effective, and the agreements reached will serve to further restore peace and security in Syria, strengthen its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, will help to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, the Russian head of state concluded.
Russia, Turkey and Iran have to concentrate their efforts on long-term normalization in Syria and the country's reconstruction in the post-war period, he stressed.
We can confidently say that we have approached a new stage that opens the door to a real political settlement process. I believe that our efforts should be focused on ensuring long-term normalization in Syria, first of all, I mean the process of political settlement with the finalization of these negotiations within the framework of the Geneva process and on the promotion of the settlement of the country in the post-conflict period," Putin said.
He stressed that the meeting is aimed at solving this particular task. The participants will discuss in detail further joint steps to consolidate and develop the recent positive changes in Syria.
Putin added that the participants in the trilateral meeting will exchange views on how to give a powerful impetus to the political settlement on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. He recalled that this document envisages the launching of a broad intra-Syrian dialogue involving all ethnic, confessional and political groups of the population, without exception.
In the course of the talks, Rouhani said the main foundations of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS aka ISIS/ISIL) have collapsed, but the fight against terrorism is not yet over. He added that fighting against terrorism is necessary in Syria until eradicating all its cells in the country. Moreover, Rouhani argued it was unacceptable for foreign troops not invited into Syria by the government to remain in the country.
The Iranian president further said that grounds are prepared for political settlement in Syria. The Syrian national sovereignty should be respected, Rouhani said, adding that interference of foreign powers in the country would not be legitimate.
Those who created, funded the IS terrorist group in the Middle East will face repercussions of terrorism, he said. Rouhani also emphasized that the Islamic Republic will stand against plots to create split in the Middle East.
Iran is acting based on UN regulations to ensure stability and security of the region, he said, adding that Iran is serious in fighting against terrorism. The Iranian president further called on international community to focus on alleviating the suffering of Syrian people and reconstruction of the country.
Erdogan, in turn, hailed a key meeting on the fate of Syria.
We have agreed on an inclusive, free, fair and transparent political process under the leadership of the Syrian people, he said at the end of the summit.
The stance of the Syrian regime and the opposition will play a key role in the future of the political process, Erdogan said, adding that Turkey would not accept existence of terrorist groups in Syria in the process, in an open reference to the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).
No one should expect us to be under the same roof with terror organizations that target our national security, he said. The Turkish leader also said the steps for the ceasefire were reviewed.
In a joint statement which followed the talks, the three sides called on the Syrian government and moderate opposition to participate constructively in the planned congress, to be held in the same city.
However, the date and the list of invitees were not specified. The list of participants has been a sticking point, with Turkey which objected the participation of some Syrian Kurdish groups.
Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, which support Bashar Assad, are the guarantor countries who brokered a December ceasefire in Syria, that led to the Astana talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire.
Astana talks also involve Kazakhstan - as an organizing country, sides to the Syrian conflict - governmental and opposition, and observers from the U.S., United Nations and Jordan.
To date, seven rounds of negotiations on the ongoing Syrian conflict were held in Astana.
The seventh international meeting focused on approving the provision on a working group on the release of hostages, prisoners, the transfer of bodies of the dead and the search for missing persons. The parties also considered combating international terrorism and humanitarian demining in Syria.
Guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime - Russia, Turkey and Iran - had agreed on May 4 in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to establish "de-escalation zones" in war-torn Syria. De-escalation zones in Syria allowed to significantly reduce the scale of the conflict and contributed to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Syria.
While the Astana process is separate from the UNs Geneva talks on Syrian crisis, the attendance of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura links the Kazakh platform to broader international efforts.
Syria has been locked in civil war since March 2011. All previous efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution were ruined, with the opposition demanding Assad leave power, the government insisting he stay on, and neither side able to force the issue by achieving a military victory.
According to UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, around 500,000 people have died in the conflict while half the population has been driven from their homes.
By Trend
China has imported about 10.3 million tons of iron ore from Iran since March 20, accounting for 95 percent of the Islamic Republics exports of the mineral over the seven-month period.
According to the latest statistics by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the countrys exports of iron ore to China over the mentioned period valued at $571.461 million.
The report further mentioned that Iran in total exported 10.8 million tons of iron ore over the seven-month period valued at $592.8 million.
Some 15 countries including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Slovenia, Afghanistan, Germany, the UAE, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Russia and Japan were among the main importers of Irans iron ore.
Irans iron ore in this period valued at $55.37 per ton on global markets.
- Revenues of USD 212.60 million, Net Earnings of USD -260.48 million.
- The company reported an adjusted net loss of $5.9 million in the most recent quarter.
- Year-on-year change in operating cash flow of -83.66% is about the same as the change in earnings.
A very special thanks to some of the brighter denizens of our blog community who keep us abreast of all the important financial news that's significant for Kansas City . . .Accordingly, while there are some encouraging signs for McClatchy stock -For those who pick or bet against stocks on the basis of charts . . .You decide . . .
Amazon's cloud business, in its march toward $20 billion in annual revenue, has nabbed top clients in areas ranging from energy and technology to financial services and government. Heading into its annual re:Invent conference in Las Vegas next week, Amazon Web Services has found a partner to help the company crack a massive industry that's been slower to adopt the cloud: health care.
Egypts largest cigarette manufacturer, the Eastern Tobacco Company, announced that an increase in the price of cigarettes produced by Egyptian companies is set to start on Thursday in accordance with recent amendments to the value-added tax (VAT) law.
In an official statement, the company said cigarette prices are set to increase between 12.5% and 21.7%, or by EGP 2 to EGP 3.5 per pack.
The amendments, which were approved by parliament on Tuesday at the government's request, are a part of broader economic reforms aimed at narrowing the nation's gaping budget deficit.
It remains unclear whether the increase will also apply to cigarettes produced by foreign-owned companies such as BAT-Egypt and Philip Morris International, which both use Eastern Company factories to manufacture their locally-sold products.
Government officials have stated the new hike in cigarette tax will benefit social protection programs, including the country's national health insurance system.
Minister of Finance Amr El-Garhy said on Tuesday that the new tax hike is expected to generate between EGP 7-8 billion in revenue.
The Egyptian pound has lost about half of its value since Egypt floated its currency in November of last year, which has resulted in increased prices for many products.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Tuesday, students at Primitivo Garcia Elementary School honored a Kansas City hero with songs and dance. They've never met their hero, his face decorated on the hallways, but know of him well. His name is Primitivo Garcia, the namesake of the school.
Missouri's New Waiting Period Law Is Already Driving Women To Seek Help Elsewhere Missouri women seeking an abortion regularly head to the Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois, 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. More than half of the clinic's patients come from Missouri, many looking to bypass their home state's mandatory three-day waiting period - one of the longest in the country.
Progressive media offers a progress report on a controversial Missouri move to make infanticide just a bit harder despite the fact that. . . Here's more from the vantage of politicos who think that murdering children is a civil right:
Flyover Country Identity
Embracing (or Rejecting) The Midwest What does it mean to be a Midwesterner? It's a hard question to answer, but there's definitely something unique about this land between coasts. From our hardworking ethic to our passive-aggressive attitude, we discuss the characteristics, attitudes and habits (both good and bad) that define being Midwestern. Guests:
Talking Northland Future Tonight
If we want to replace the Buck O'Neil Bridge, tolls aren't the way A proposal to collect tolls on Kansas City's Buck O'Neil Bridge should be stopped in its tracks. The idea surfaced recently, as the city searches for ways to pay for its share of replacing the state-owned bridge. It could cost $200 million or more for a new bridge.
Search For Kansas City Justice
Reward increased as police continue search for Kansas City man's killer Saturday marks one year since a Kansas City man was robbed, shot and killed near 49th and Bellefontaine, and investigators are still looking for a suspect.
Snail Mail Brookside Debacle
Closed Brookside post office problem for customers - KSHB.COM KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The front door at the Country Club Station post office in Brookside is temporarily closed. USPS officials blame the results of a safety inspection. Two and a half weeks after an emergency shutdown of the Country Club Station on Nov.
After The Fact Political Bravery
Sebelius: Clinton WH "doubled down" on "abusive behavior" "Not only did people look the other way, but they went after the women who came forward and accused him," says Kathleen Sebelius, the former secretary of Health and Human Services and Kansas governor. "And so it doubled down on not only bad behavior but abusive behavior.
Tiger Trouble Over Fees
Tuition waivers for Mizzou employees may be in jeopardy The University of Missouri System tuition waivers for employees could be jeopardized under certain versions of the tax overhaul plan being debated in Congress.
Today's Murder Tribute
Hundreds gather for KCK student's vigil Breaking News 15 year old December Htoo was a standout student at JC Harmon High School in Kansas city, Kansas. He was found shot to death over November 17, 2017 inside the laundromat where he worked at called Maple Hill Laundry. Today hundreds of people have gathered to remember December with balloon release and a candle light vigil.
Tonight we take a quick moment to consider all things Kansas City along withbefore the holiday.Take a look:And this is thefor tonight . . .
Greece's National Bank announced on Wednesday its operating profits (pre-provisions) grew 11 pct in the January-September period to 633 million euros, reflecting the positive performance of net commission income (+52 pct on an annual basis) and a significant reduction in operating spending (-9.0 pct on an annual basis).
The bank said domestic deposits rose by 500 million euros on a quarterly basis and by 1.2 billion euros since 2015 with the introduction of capital controls in the country. Borrowing from the ELA mechanism fell by 4.6 billion euros so far this year to just 1.0 billion euros in October, while funding form the Eurosystem was 4.7 billion euros, from 12.3 billion at the end of 2016.
National Bank added that an expected completion of dis-investments in National Insurance, Banca Romaneasca and Vojvodjanska Banka will strengthen its liquidity by around 1.7 billion euros.
NPEs continued dropping in the third quarter of 2017 to 200 million euros compared with the second quarter, reflecting successful loan restructuring and write-offs. The growth rate of new NPEs remained negative in the third quarter of 2017 to -119 million euros from -14 million in the second quarter. National Bank said it was exceeded a target set by the Single Supervisory Mechanism to reduce NPEs in 2017.
Consolidated results from continuing operations recorded a loss of 178 million euros in the nine-month period.
"National Bank of Greeces results demonstrate increasing balance sheet strength, underscoring the Banks comparative advantages ahead of the domestic economic recovery. NBG was the first Greek Bank to re-access the markets through a covered bond issuance in October; the Bank raised 750 million euros at 2.9 pct yield, with the majority of interest coming from international investors. The transaction served NBGs strategic objective of re-establishing a recurring presence in the international debt capital markets. At the same time, the issue accelerated the path to full disengagement from the ELA, currently at 1 billion. The completion of all agreed divestments will achieve this goal decisively, as well as boost capital significantly. In terms of asset quality, NPE reduction continued unabated for a sixth consecutive quarter, with the stock of NPEs dropping by a cumulative 3.5 billion euros since 2015. Notably, curing contributed more than half of this quarters NPE reduction. NPE coverage remains at a sector-high of 57 pct in Greece, enhanced by 40bps compared to the previous quarter. Regarding P&L performance, NBG managed to increase domestic core PPI by 11% year on year, despite sustained deleveraging that impacted NII, displaying fee income recovery and solid cost reduction trends. CET1 ratio stands at 16.8 pct, excluding the positive impact of the agreed capital actions expected to complete by early 2018. These will provide additional capital buffer that will be utilized in the upcoming regulatory exercises," Leonidas Fragkiadakis Chief Executive Officer mentioned in an announcement.
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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: athenswalk License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ANA-MPA
Italy will take part in the next Cyprus-Greece-Egypt summit to be held in Crete in the first half of 2018.
"It is important to have partnerships with both EU member states and countries in the wider region, with a view to taking joint actions for problems faced by countries," Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Chistodoulidis noted , adding that the trilateral meeting with Jordan will be attended by the Jordanian king and the Greek prime minister.
Moreover, the Energy Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Israel will meet on December 5 with the European Commissioner responsible for the EastMed pipeline.
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
Source: ANA
Data released this week by the Bank of Greece (BoG) indicate that average spending per tourist on holiday in Greece over the first nine months of 2017 dropped to 536.3 euros.
The figure is almost exactly half of the amount spent by a tourist on holiday in Spain during the same period, as the latter reached 1,075 euros per person. The same figure for Cyprus was around 733 euros over the January-August period.
The gap in spending per tourist, between Greece and its two Mediterranean competitors, for instance, continues to worry Greek tourism professionals and relevant chambers. Two explanations given for the result, in broad terms, are that tourist-related prices have fallen in Greece and that the country attracts holiday-makers with a smaller pocketbook.
On the slightly brighter side, the figure for Greece was up by 0.5 percent, compared to 2016, but still lower than the 602.5 euros figure posted in 2015 the annus horribilis of the crisis' years in the country.
In total, tourism-related revenue in Greece over the Jan-Sept 2017 period was estimated by the BoG as 10.3 percent higher than the corresponding figure in 2016, standing at 12.994 billion euros.
Arrivals also grew in 2017, up until September, with 23.535 million tourists arriving in the country, up from 21.345 in the same period of 2016.
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: Mstyslav Chernov License: CC-BY-SA
The Forum will feature government and business leaders from Greece, Europe and the United States, and top executives from the investment, financial and business communities
The 19th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on Monday, December 11, 2017. This is an International Summit about Greece in New York organized in cooperation with the New York Stock Exchange and major global investment banks.
The Forum will feature government and business leaders from Greece, Europe and the United States, and top executives from the investment, financial and business communities. The timing for this Forum is optimal. After years of recession, Greece is slowly returning to a period of economic growth and aims to position itself as an attractive investment and business destination.
This Forum will provide the audience with a unique blend of informational, marketing and networking opportunities. December mark's the 19 year milestone of Capital Link's commitment to raising awareness about Greece as an investment destination, to a wider investor universe.
The conference will feature the developments and reforms in the Greek economy and the Greek government programme for the economy and investments. Also, the latest trends in the capital markets and specific sectors with topics such as Government and Corporate Bonds, energy, infrastructure development, real estate, tourism, banking, non-performing loans management, and global shipping.
The Ambassador of Greece to the USA, Hon. Haris Lalacos will provide opening remarks for the Forum.
The Ambassador of the United States in Greece, Hon. Geoffrey R. Pyatt will provide his remarks on "Energy & Geopolitics: The New Landscape".
The Forum will feature this year:
H.E. Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic who will send the Government's message to the
international investor Community via webcast
Five Greek Government Officials:
Hon. Euclid Tsakalotos, Minister of Finance, Hellenic Republic, who is the Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Hon. Dimitris Papadimitriou, Minister of Economy & Development, Hellenic Republic
Hon. Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism, Hellenic Republic
Mr. George Tziallas, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development, Ministry of Tourism
Mr. George Pitsilis, Governor, Independent Authority for Public Revenue, Hellenic Republic
They will discuss the developments and outlook of the Greek Economy and business and investment opportunities in the country.
Six global investment banks
Citi, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, UBS, and the Greek Investment Bank Axia Ventures Group Ltd.
Four Greek Systemic Banks:
Alpha Bank - Mr. Vassilios Psaltis, General Manager and CFO
Alpha Bank - Mr. Theodoros Athanassopoulos, Executive General Manager Non Performing Loans Wholesale Banking
Eurobank Ergasias SA - Mr. Nikolaos Karamouzis, Chairman & Chairman of Hellenic Bank Association
National Bank of Greece - Mr. Leonidas Fragkiadakis, CEO
National Bank of Greece - Mr. Vasilios Kotsiras, Head of Funding Solution & Structure Finance
Piraeus Bank - Mr. Christos Megalou, CEO
Piraeus Bank - Mr. George Georgakopoulos, Executive General Manager, Non-Core Business & Restructuring Portfolio
Senior Representatives From Greek, European & International Organizations:
Mr. Nicola Giammarioli, Head of Strategy and Institutional Relations, European Stability Mechanism (ESM)
Mr. Francesco Drudi, Principal Adviser, European Central Bank
Mr. Declan Costello, Director, European Commission, Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs
Dr. Martin Czurda, CEO, Hellenic Financial Stability Fund
Mrs. Rania Ekaterinari, CEO, Hellenic Corporation of Assets & Participations
Mr. Ioannis Kaltsas, Head of Division, European Investment Bank
Ms. Sabina Dziurman, Director Greece & Cyprus, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
International Investors:
Calamos Investments - Mr. John Koudounis, CEO
Invesco, WL Ross & Co. - Mr. Stephen Johnson, Managing Director
Waterwheel Capital Management - Mr. John Wollen, Founder, Portfolio Manager
Hayman Capital Management - Mr. J. Kyle Bass, Chief Investment Officer
Amerra Capital Mr. Thor Saleh, Managing Director
Corporate CEOs from Greece and the United States
Other Participating Companies & Organizations:
Allen & Overy LLP A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm Alpha Bank Amerra Capital Apollo Management International LLP Astir Palace Vouliagmenis Danaos Corporation Eldorado Gold Corporation Enterprise Greece Eurobank Ergasias SA EY First Athens Corporate Finance Fitch Ratings Inc. Greek National Tourism Organization Grivalia Properties Hellenic Bank Association Hellenic Corporation of Assets & Participations SA Hellenic Financial Stability Fund Hellenic Petroleum SA Intralot Lambadarios Law Firm Lamda Development Levant Partners Libra Group Marriott International Inc. McKinsey & Company Moody's Investor Service Mytilineos Holdings SA National Bank of Greece NBG Pangaea REIC Noble Energy Oliver Wyman ONEX Technologies, Inc. Opap OTE Group of Companies Papastratos Philip Morris International Piraeus Bank Public Debt Management Agency of the Hellenic Republic Public Power Corporation SA (PPC) Reed Smith Seaspan Corporation Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP Star Bulk Carriers Tsakos Energy Navigation Tellurian, Inc. Watson Farley & Williams Zepos & Yannopoulos
Global Shipping Companies:
Danaos Corporation, Seaspan Corporation, Star Bulk Carriers, Tsakos Energy Navigation
ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
As in previous years, the Forum will provide delegates with unique networking opportunities through one-to-one meetings with listed and unlisted companies, as well as, with members of the Greek government delegation.
SPONSORS
Citi and Tsakos Energy Navigation are Lead Sponsors of the Forum for nine years in a row.
In Cooperation With: New York Stock Exchange
Platinum Sponsor: Piraeus Bank
Gold Sponsors: BNP Paribas, EY, Goldman Sachs, National Bank of Greece, OTE Group of Companies, UBS
Grand Sponsors: Allen & Overy LLP, A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm, Astir PalaceVouliagmenis, Axia Ventures Group Ltd, Credit Suisse, Papastratos, Reed Smith, Shearman & Sterling, Watson Farley & Williams
Sponsors: Alpha Bank, Calamos Investments, Danaos Corporation, Eldorado Gold Corporation, Enterprise Greece, Eurobank Ergasias S.A., First Athens Corporate Finance, Greek National Tourism Organization, Grivalia Properties, Hellenic Petroleum SA, Intralot, Lambadarios Law Firm, Lamda Development, Levant Partners, Libra Group, McKinsey & Company, Mytilineos Holdings SA, NBG Pangaea REIC, Oliver Wyman, ONEX Technologies, Inc., Opap, Public Power Corporation S.A.Hellas, Zeppos & Yannopoulos
2017 HELLENIC CAPITAL LINK LEADERSHIP AWARD
The "2017 Hellenic Capital Link Leadership Award" will be presented to Mr. Andre Calantzopoulos, CEO Philip Morris International for his outstanding contribution to Greece, during an official dinner at The Harvard Club, on Monday, December 11, 2017.
The keynote speaker will be Mr. Jonathan R. Cohen, Deputy Assistant Secretary European and Eurasian Affairs U.S. Department of State.
Honored Guests:
Hon. Euclid Tsakalotos, Minister of Finance, Hellenic Republic
Hon. Dimitris Papadimitriou, Minister of Economy & Development, Hellenic Republic
Hon. Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism, Hellenic Republic
Mr. George Tziallas, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development, Ministry of Tourism
Mr. George Pitsilis, Governor, Independent Authority for Public Revenue, Hellenic Republic
The Dinner is sponsored by EY .
GREEK DAY AT NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
Within the context of the 19th Annual International Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum, the New York Stock Exchange will organize in cooperation with Capital Link a special celebration of "Greek Day at NYSE", on Tuesday December 12, 2017. Minister of Finance Hon. Euclid Tsakalotos and the Greek Delegation, Greek companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and companies which participated in the Forum, will ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange, an event of unique visibility throughout the world. The event will be broadcast live on major news stations in the United States and abroad to an audience of millions of viewers worldwide.
For further information, please contact:
NEW YORK // Mrs. Olga Bornozi & Mrs. Eleni Bej
Tel. +1 212 661 75 66 - Email: contact@capitallink.com
ATHENS // Mrs. Maira Kitova
Tel: +30 210 610 9800 - Email: contact@capitallink.com
For more details and extensive information, please visit:
The CAPITAL LINK website: www.capitallink.com
The CAPITAL LINK FORUM website: www.capitallinkforum.com
ABOUT CAPITAL LINK
Capital Link is an Advisory, Investor Relations and Financial Communications firm. Besides the customized Investor Relations programs tailored to each specific client, Capital Link is also known for the organization of large scale high quality maritime and investor forums in key industry centers, such as in New York, London, Athens, Shanghai, Limassol and next year in Singapore. Capital Link organizes fourteen conferences annually, of which seven are focused on the maritime sector. Capital Link's events draw the elite of the financial, investment and maritime communities and provide a unique combination of superior informational content, marketing and networking opportunities. Capital Link's global marketing platform enhances the visibility and reach of these events during the year on a global scale that lasts well beyond the date on which each event is held, becoming a continuous reference point for market participants.
Capital Link's efforts have been recognized by the 2011 Lloyds's List Greek Shipping Awards, in 2012 and 2013 by the InterContinental Finance Magazine and in 2016 by the Wealth & Finance Magazine, Also, by the International Propeller Club of the United States and AHI-American Hellenic Institute.
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
Source: newgreektv.com
Travelers to Myanmar are worried that their money may be funding the military operations
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced Wednesday (Nov 22) that Myanmars Rohingya population was being subjected to ethnic cleansing, accusing the security forces of perpetrating horrendous atrocities against the Muslim minority.
After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, Tillerson noted.
His comments, which come after Tillerson visited the country last week, are the strongest condemnation yet by the United States of the militarys crackdown against the Rohingya, which has triggered a major refugee crisis.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled the mainly Buddhist country since the military launched a counter-insurgency operation in Rakhine state in late August, heading to neighboring Bangladesh, which is one of the worlds poorest nations.
No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued, Tillerson stressed in a statement.
Source: AFP
Read full story here.
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Corto Maltese 1999 License: CC-BY-SA
Iran-based Zarand Iranian Steel Company (Zisco) signed a contract with the Czech Republic's OSTROJ to import machinery and engineering services in the field of underground coal mining, said a report.
A European bank was also present at the signing ceremony of the agreement, added Iran Daily News report.
The joint stock company OSTROJ is a leading manufacturer of mining machinery suitable for deep mining conditions plus a range of other engineering products. With over 60 years of manufacturing experience, the company is able to provide turnkey solutions and a full range of coalface equipment for coalfaces, including longwall mining operations.
As per the contract, 720,000 tons of coal per year is expected to be mined from Khomroud mine in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman, it said.
Zisco is one of the subsidiary companies of the Middle East Mines Industries Development Holding Company (MIDHCO), added the report.
Zimbabweans celebrated late into the night after Robert Mugabe resigned as president,a post he held for 37 years.
His ally turned rival, former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is expected to return from neighbouring South Africa and could be appointed as the new president, said a BBC report.
Mugabe's resignation came in the form of a letter read out by the speaker of parliament as the house began impeachement proceedings against him.
Mugabe - who had so far resisted pressure from the public, the army and his own party to step aside - said he was resigning to allow a smooth and peaceful transfer of power, and that his decision was voluntary.
The announcement abruptly halted the impeachment hearing. Lawmakers from the ruling party and opposition roared with glee, and spontaneous scenes of joy erupted in the streets with people dancing, singing, honking car horns and waving flags.
The play will reach audiences abroad after five highly successful seasons in Cairo
Related Cairo staging of The Forty Rules of Love gets to the heart of the script and audience
The succesful Egyptian theatrical play Forty Rules of Love, directed by Adel Hassan, will be staged in Luxor for three days starting 28 December.
Afterwards, the play will go on tour in Tunisia and Morocco, with dates yet to be announced, according to Al-Ahram Arabic Gate.
The Forty Rules of Love is currently running in its fifth season at Cairos El-Salam Theatre as it continues to attract waves of interested audiences.
The play was recently staged at the Bahrain International Festival for Music, becoming the first theatre performance to be included in the music-focused annual event.
Hassan has attributed the plays ongoing success to the "love" present on set, from the scriptwriting, to the passion of the actors and faith in the play.
The Forty Rules of Love centres the medieval Sufi mystic Jalaluddin El-Rumi and his influential relationship with Shams al-Din of Tabriz.
Based on the eponymous bestselling novel by Elif Shafak, the plays script was adapted by Rasha Abdel-Moneim, with Yasmine Emam and Khairy El-Fakharany.
Stars of the play include Bahaa Tharwat, Fawzia, Ezzat Zein, Dina Ahmed, as well as members of the Arabic Mawalweya troupe.
Music and lyrics are by Mohamed Hosny, set design by Mostafa Hamed, lighting by Ibrahim El-Forn, and costume designs are by Maha Abdel-Rahman.
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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British Airways is celebrating 85 years of flying into Kuwait with the launch of several new products including its new luxurious Club World sleep proposition by spring 2018 and revamped catering menus.
The airline has launched 22 new routes this year, expanding its network of onward connections for customers from Kuwait
The UK's flagship carrier launched its inaugural flight to the Middle East and arrived in Kuwait in October 1932. More than eight and a half decades later, British Airways now operates 93 flights a week between its hub at London Heathrow and the Middle East during its winter schedule.
Remaining a key market for the airlines global network of more than 200 destinations, British Airways has confirmed that plans to roll out its new luxurious sleep proposition by spring 2018 and revamped catering menus will be introduced to Kuwait during the year, among other investments.
Our services in Kuwait are among one of the first regional operations to receive the new Club World sleep offering in 2018, following our 400-million ($528 million) investment in this cabin, remarked Robert Williams, the head of sales (Asia Pacific and the Middle East) at British Airways during his recent visit to Kuwait.
"We have a long legacy of flying to Kuwait and will continue to invest in our product and services to ensure our customers living there enjoy the best of British hospitality in the air and on the ground," stated Williams.
The commitment forms part of the airlines multi-million-pound investment plans that focuses on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all, announced earlier in the year by British Airways CEO Alex Cruz.
Set to roll out over the next five years, the UK carrier will take delivery of 72 new aircraft and introduce new interiors on 128 aircraft within its existing fleet.
Reiterating Cruzs comments shared at the recent World Travel Market in London, Williams pointed out that British Airways would continue to offer more low fares, ensuring that the airline remains competitive for customers in the global market.
He added that there are plans to expand its route network to destinations on customers' most wanted list.
British Airways luxurious sleep proposition includes the airlines partnership with The White Company to offer exclusively designed bedding within its premium cabin.
"Club World guests will be offered a large luxuriously soft pillow and white cotton pillowcase, a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim, a specially developed luxury duvet, as well as a padded mattress cover giving an extra layer of comfort," explained Willaims.
Additionally, The White Company has also designed new Club World amenity kits that will come in elegantly designed bags which contain products from the retailers 'Restore & Relax Spa Collection', as well as a super-soft jersey eye-mask, offering a further touch of luxury in the sky.
Enhancing the customer dining experience, British Airways will roll out a new culinary boutique service, with display trolleys allowing customers to select dishes from a choice of freshly prepared starters and desserts served on beautiful new table settings.
"While significant investment is being made in our premium cabins, we are dedicated to ensuring that British Airways is for everyone," observed Willaims.
"We recognise the need to create product options that cater to different travel budgets to stay ahead of the new competitive forces within the aviation industry," he added.
According to Willaims, the economy catering will see investments to provide customers with an upgraded service on long-haul, fast Wi-Fi will be introduced across all cabins on both its short-haul and long-haul routes, and self-service check-in and biometric boarding gates will continue to be introduced at London Heathrow.
Furthermore, British Airways is also developing options for a new Club World seat that offers direct aisle access by 2019.
Back in 1932 our motto was To Fly. To Serve and this is ethos is a living reality at British Airways, remarked Williams.
"With a network of more than 200 destinations, we offer some of the best onward connections via London Heathrow to Europe and North America for our customers in Kuwait. We will be adding new routes to our network in 2018, widening the global access for residents in Kuwait and wider Middle East," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is reviewing a proposal from Poland's PGNiG company to develop Sumar oilfield in western Iran, a report said.
The plan was discussed in a session attended by NIOC's director for Combined Planning Karim Zobeidi, members of the consultative commission of reserves management and a number of related experts, reported Irna.
The proposal is based on two-dimensional model seismology data and includes a production well.
Asmari formation, a major oil reserve in Iran mainly composed of carbonate entities, in the oilfield has the capacity to produce up to 3,800 barrels of oil per day.
GE Power said it has been awarded a major contract worth over $400 million to develop 14 electric substations on a turnkey basis in Iraq.
As per the agreement signed with Iraqi Ministry of Electricity (MoE), the company will also supply critical equipment such as transformers, circuit breakers and other outdoor items to rehabilitate existing substations and bring much-needed power to areas facing significant electricity shortages across the country.
The project represents a strategic milestone for GE in Iraq, and will also see the company support the MoE to secure funding through various financial institutions, including export credit agencies and commercial banks, said the company in a statement.
GE Power had previously provided power generation equipment for some of the power plants that the substations will be connected to, including the 3 GW Basmaya Power Plant.
The current agreement includes four substations critical to distributing power from the facility, which is also being equipped with eight of GEs nine FA gas turbines, four GE C7 steam turbines and GEs leading digital industrial applications, it added.
Mussab Al Mudaris, the spokesperson of the Iraqi MoE, said: "The agreement represents a major milestone in our efforts to strengthen Iraqs power transmission sector, through a comprehensive grid project across the nation."
"Our focus remains on providing our people with the most reliable and advanced technology to meet their daily needs, and to accomplish this we need strong partners in this journey of development and reconstruction. GE has the technology, global capabilities and local presence to ensure the successful and sustainable execution of the project," stated Al Mudaris.
As per the contract, GE will develop the substations to connect power plants spread across the governorates of Ninawa, Salah Al Din, Al Anbar, Karbala, Baghdad, Qadisiyyah and Basra to the national grid.
Several of the locations, in conflict-affected areas, are continuing to recover and are in immediate need of reliable power infrastructure.
Mohammed Mohaisen, the president and CEO of GE Powers Grid Solutions business in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and Turkey said: "A holistic approach to national infrastructure building is vital, from the provision of technical expertise to working with partners, such as Export Credit Agencies, in securing long-term financial solutions."
"This agreement is a continuation of our firm commitment to driving industry and infrastructure forward in Iraq, working with the MoE in finding sustainable and effective solutions to some of the countrys most pressing issues," he stated.
GE has three offices in the country - in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra and the company continues to deliver advanced technology and expertise for the development of critical energy, healthcare and transportation infrastructure in the country, noted Mohaisen.
Today, GE-built technologies generate up to 50 per cent of Iraqs power and the company employs about 300 people in the country, more than 95 per cent of whom are Iraqi nationals, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
KBR has announced that the Socar-KBR Limited Liability Company (SKLLC) joint venture has been awarded a Front-End Engineering Design (Feed) contract for the topsides of the Absheron Early Production Project. The platform will be located at Socar's Oil Rocks facility and will deliver gas and condensate into the Socar network.
This award marks the 3rd award to the SKLLC joint venture since its inception in mid-2015. SKLLC was formed to help further Azerbaijan's ambition for creating a world-class Azerbaijan based engineering company.
Socar and Total signed a framework agreement in late 2016 on the main contractual and commercial principles regulating the programme for the first phase of development of the Absheron field. At the first stage, the field development includes drilling one well at a depth of 450 metres. The extraction will amount to 1.5 billion cubic metres of gas a year, which will fully flow to the domestic market of Azerbaijan, as well as significant amounts of condensate. First gas could be produced in 2019.
SKLLC, a local Azerbaijani company, is built on the combined 110 years of experience between KBR and Socar. The joint venture partners KBR's experience in the Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey region and its proven tools, systems and procedures with Socar's operational knowledge and experience in the oil and gas sector. KBR has been working in Azerbaijan for over 24 years, giving it unrivalled experience and knowledge of local onshore and offshore greenfield and brownfield assets.
"We are proud to bring the unmatched experience, vision, and leadership of SKLLC to this strategic project," said Jay Ibrahim, KBR's President for Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Azerbaijan is an important market for KBR and our strong Azerbaijani and international team members are dedicated to success for the region."
"Our local engineering capability is growing day by day and currently more than 75 per cent of our team is local Azerbaijani staff," Ibrahim continued. "We are happy to see positive impacts of this growth on the local engineering market and oil and gas industry and I am confident that SKLLC will be a home for Azerbaijan engineers where they can enjoy working for various projects and deliver many more successful projects for clients in the region," Ibrahim continued.
The value of the contract will be booked into the backlog of unfilled orders for KBR's Engineering & Construction business segment in Q4 of 2017. -- Tradearabia News Service
Gulf Petrochem Group plans to expand trading operations in Europe, Middle East and APAC Gulf Petrochem Group (GP). It has further strengthened its global trade with the addition of a dedicated Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa Trading Desk at its office in Rotterdam.
Three dedicated professionals with extensive local market knowledge and sectoral experience have joined the Trading Desk to support clients in boosting trade with the promising markets in Africa. Ngari Githitho has joined GP as Trader Petroleum Products, East Africa, and will report to Avik Ghosh, Global Head - Fuel Oil & Distillates, while Yolanda Nell and Gert Nell have joined as Bunker Traders, South Africa in GP Global ARA BV.
Both will be based in Rotterdam, and report to Chris Todd, Head Bunkering, West of Suez. Prerit Goel, group director at Gulf Petrochem Group, said: The addition of a dedicated Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa Trading Desk will further support our global client base providing them informed insights into the trading dynamics of the region. The two regions have tremendous growth potential and are central to the new global trade links that are being fostered, especially with Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative. The regions have a strong role in meeting global demand for commodities and serve as a vibrant market for developed and developing nations in meeting their demand for raw materials.
The new Trading Desk is underpinned by the extensive market knowledge of the three team members who have over 20 years of experience in the region. Githitho was previously associated with Mena Energy DMCC as Trader - Middle Distillates looking at Physical Oil Trading for Middle Distillates in East & West of Suez.
He has exposure to calculating arbitrage economics for East of Suez to West and vice versa, to take advantage of the spot opportunities arising. He has also worked as Manager - Commercial Trading Operations managing Cross Barrel Commercial Trading & Operations, and with Mogas International Kenya Ltd in Trading & Finance Operations as well as with Standard Chartered Bank as Manager Import LC Desk.
Nell was associated with Bomin (Mauritius) Ltd as Senior Physical Bunker Trader. Apart from trading, she was responsible for project support, compliance, legal & accounting structures.
She managed the coordination of physical operations with Cargo & Bunker supplies. She has also worked in the capacities of Operational & Administrative Manager and Accountant.
Nell was also previously with Bomin (Mauritius) Ltd as General Manager and Bunker Trader. He was responsible for meeting with government officials for negotiations and establishing a new group physical supply in new countries. He successfully built the Sub-Sahara supply network, covering 25 new countries, 50 new ports and more than 500 supply contacts. -- Tradearabia News Service
Argentina Navy/EPA(NEW YORK) -- Family members of the 44 sailors aboard a missing Argentine sub were told that their loved ones were believed to be dead, one of the family members told ABC News Thursday.
Itati Leguizamon, whose husband German Suarez was aboard the ARA San Juan, said the families had been given the grim news.
Outside the ship's destination in Mar del Plata, where family members gathered, a brother of one of the missing sailors was heard screaming "They killed my brother!"
The news came as Argentine naval officials said that a sound that was detected during the desperate search for the sub, which vanished last week in the South Atlantic Ocean, was consistent with an explosion.
The vessel was last heard from Nov. 15 and officials feared that it would run out of oxygen soon.
According to the Argentine navy officials, the sound, described as "consistent with a non-nuclear explosion" that was "abnormal, singular, short, violent" was detected just three hours after the last known communication.
The sound, which occurred about 270 miles east of the Gulf of San Jorge in the southern part of the country, was picked up by U.S. sensors and international agencies that are capable of detecting nuclear explosions.
According to the officials the site of the detected noise has a radius of 77 miles and a possible depth of approximately 650-10,000 feet.
The officials do not believe the sound resulted from an attack or terrorism and said there was an indication on the morning of the last known communication of an electrical fault in the vessel.
According the officials, there would not be a debris field because an explosion at that depth would be considered an implosion.
Rescuers had been searching a 186,000 square mile area off the coast and rough weather had hampered their efforts.
The vessel had been en route to Mar del Plata from a base in Ushia, Argentina.
Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
During excavation work at the north-eastern area of Aswan's Komombo temple as part of a project to decrease subterranean water, an Egyptian mission from the Ministry of Antiquities has recently discovered a Hellenic-era limestone block engraved with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
A carpentry workshop was also discovered by a German-Swiss mission led by Cornelious von Pilgrim on Aswan's Elephantine Island in Aswan, where two New Kingdom-era axes were found.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explains that preliminary studies carried out on the block reveal that it dates back to the era of Macedonian King Philip III Arrhidaeus, the step brother of Alexander the Great, who succeeded his brother to the throne.
The block is 83cm tall, 55cm wide and 32cm thick. The inscription shows the cartouche of King Philip III and a prayer to the crocodile god Sobek of Komombo. The upper part of the block depicts the goddess Nekhbet and its lower part bears an image of King Philip wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt.
The two most notable artefacts found at the workshop on Elephantine Island are axes made of bronze or copper. The axes were found in a small pit in one of the uppermost floors of the structure. The artefacts have been dated to the reign of either Thutmosis III or during the early rule of Amenhotep II.
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One of the axes, which was most likely used as a construction tool, is symmetrical with elongated lugs; this type of axe started to appear in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. The axe, which is heavily corroded and cracked, is similar to a type of splayed axe with straight sides that became common at the time of the 18th Dynasty.
The second axe is clearly of foreign, likely Syrian, origin, and is the first of its kind to be found in Egypt. The axe head has a hole where it can be mounted on a shaft; a technology that was never adopted by Egyptian manufacturers.
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The axe has four spikes on the opposite sides of the blade, which corresponds to the Nackenkammaxten type of axe, which has only been known to originate from the northern Levant and Syria, Von Pilgrim told Ahram Online.
Von Pilgrim added that two almost identical pieces have been found at a sanctuary of stratum VIII in Beth Shan (North Palestine) and in a tomb in Ugarit (Syria).
However, the Levantine pieces are dated slightly later than the artefacts from Egypt, which could possibly be explained by the longevity of such precious weapons or tools and their eventual depositing in sacral and funeral contexts.
Von Pilgrim added the axe from Elephantine is the earliest example of such an axe ever found, adding that it is safe to assume that it was used as a construction tool on Elephantine.
The Syrian axe, however, may have found its way into Egypt during the direct contacts, or conflicts, between Egypt and Mitanni during this period. The discovery of this Syrian axe in Elephantine could add to the study of contact between Egypt and Mitanni, the North African nation's rival in Syria during the Thutmoside period.
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Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
Rejecting objections from Sahara, the Supreme Court today appointed the Bombay High Courts Official Receiver as a Receiver of Sahara Groups flagship property Aamby Valley near Pune that has been ordered to be auctioned.
A three-judge Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra said the arrangement shall remain in force till the auction process was over. It directed the Official Receiver to ensure that the property was properly maintained and no encroachment took place so that valuation did not reduce and auction took place in a peaceful manner.
The Bench passed the order after it was informed that attempts were being made to encroach upon the area. Some residents too complained that essential services, including water supply, were disrupted to scuttle the auction process, senior counsel Arvind Datar said.
However, on behalf of Sahara, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi denied the allegation. Its wrong to say we have declared a lockout. We have school there...our people are still working there. Over 2,000 people are working there, Rohatgi said.
You (Sahara) are out. The property was ordered to be attached and auctioned, CJI Misra said warning that Sahara chief Subrato Roy could be sent to jail again if attempts were made to interfere with the auction process.
Angry over non-payment of money, the top court had on April 17 decided to sell Aamby Valley worth more Rs 34,000 crore belonging to the Sahara group to recover money owed by the company to investors.
Reserve price fixed at Rs 37,392 crore
Tribune News Service
Mohali, November 22
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today unveiled the draft Punjab Start-up and Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2017, underlining the governments commitment to support women start-ups.
While delivering the inaugural address at the Road to GES programme at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali, ahead of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017, scheduled to be held in Hyderabad later this month, the Chief Minister said women were more committed in terms of dedication towards industrial entrepreneurship and his government was doing everything possible to encourage them.
The start-up and entrepreneurship development policy would go a long way in boosting the states efforts to promote entrepreneurial culture, especially among women, he said.
The government will assist women start-ups in every possible manner by giving them financial and other support. GES will be a platform to connect with entrepreneurs, domain expertise and mentors from across the world, he said.
The Road to GES, focused on celebrating and empowering women in entrepreneurship. It was organised by NITI Aayog in partnership with FICCI and ISB.
Inviting suggestions and feedback for the draft policy, the Chief Minister said his government was focused on making the state competitive for industrialists, and the draft policy, along with the industrial policy brought out earlier, would facilitate industrial development in the state.
The CM said his government was focused on empowerment of women and was enhancing their participation in decision-making, having already increased womens reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban LocaL Bodies to 50%.
Women empowerment was critical to the development of the state, said Capt Amarinder, adding that during his meetings with captains of the industry, he had told the ICICI Bank MD and CEO, Chanda Kochhar, that the best way to help Punjab was to enhance the income of women.
Rajinder Gupta, Regional Chair, FICCI; Chairman Trident Group; and vice-chairman, Punjab State Planning Board, underlined the role of women in fostering the social and industrial growth.
The women entrepreneurial community should be provided with all safety nets to create a self-sustained path of development, he said.
Pravin Sawhney, Editor, FORCE
This could well be India's opportunity to manage China. In an interesting gesture, China has offered to assuage India's sovereignty concern on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has also proposed to start a series of dialogues for an "early harvest" on the disputed border issue, provided India agrees to consider finding common ground between its Act East policy and other development strategies, and the BRI.
Both Chinese proposals have come from its Ambassador in India, Luo Zhaohui. "We can change the name of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Create an alternate corridor through Jammu and Kashmir, Nathu la (pass) or Nepal to deal with India's concerns," he said at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Earlier, he wrote in this newspaper (November 16), making a connection between the BRI and Act East policy. In what may not be a coincidence, the Russian Ambassador in India, Nokolay Kudashev, said that China and India should talk on the BRI and set aside their differences in favour of economic cooperation.
The timing of the Chinese offer is opportune. In December, the foreign ministers' trilateral meeting between India, China and Russia is to be held in Delhi followed by the 20th round of border resolution talks between special representatives of India and China. The Chinese interlocutor, Yang Jeichi, has been elevated as member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China.
Indias military anxiety
India should consider the Chinese offer since it could address India's two core concerns: military and strategic. Let's start with the military anxiety. Given the unbridgeable gap between the Indian and Chinese military power; the fact that the disputed border is neither agreed on maps nor ground; that the terrain favours China owing to better infrastructure and acclimatisation of troops; and above all, that the border has a military moniker called the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which can be shifted by military force by the powerful side, India is constantly worried about intrusions and transgressions by Chinese troops.
This is why, departing from protocol, PM Narendra Modi, during Xi Jinping's visit to India in September, 2014, publicly sought clarification on the LAC at the joint press conference. Unlike the present LAC, transgressions on an agreed LAC a de facto border would be an act of aggression tantamount to a declaration of war. Since China did not want to lose the advantage of exercising military coercion by sauntering across the LAC at will, it rejected Modi's proposal. This proposal, which is the best that India could get short of the border resolution (which is unlikely anytime soon), could be the "early harvest" hinted by Luo in exchange for India considering the BRI.
Strategic concerns
Moreover, India has two strategic concerns the said and the unsaid. The said one is about the CPEC which passes through territory held by Pakistan, but is claimed by India. China has responded by saying that a mutually acceptable route could be formulated. The unsaid concern, which is the trickier, is this: India believes that joining the BRI would limit its strategic options necessary for its rise. The best option, India believes is to partner with the US, and other like-minded democracies and friendly nations, in ensuring that the present regional architecture does not get upended by the BRI.
India, therefore, has announced its Act East policy with connectivity, trade and security as its three pillars. Its other development strategies include Sagarmala, Spice Route and Mausam initiatives, the Asia-Africa sea corridor with Japan, and the Quadrilateral India, the US, Japan and Australia dialogue for strategic and maritime cooperation. Moreover, the US, by renaming the Asia-Pacific as the Indo-Pacific has sought maritime partnership with India from East Asia with the pivot in ASEAN across the Indian Ocean Region. The US has also proposed connectivity on land and sea to counter the BRI.
Important issues
While all this appears exciting, India should consider three issues:
1 Its national power (economic, military and technological) does not compare favourably with China; the Indian Navy warships lack long-legs, numbers and endurance. Not to forget its limited annual allocations and an unenviable shipbuilding industry.
2 The BRI is a strategic threat since it impedes India's rise by getting its neighbourhood and "extended neighbourhood" on board the BRI. Soon, this would translate into military threat for India (on land and seas) since the People's Liberation Army would develop defence ties with nations that have joined the BRI to protect its own people, assets, infrastructure and interests there.
3 The US administration, with its withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and 'America First' policy, has handed over the economic leadership of the Asia-Pacific to China. This has resulted in a review of the regional balance-of-power by US' allies Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, who are gravitating towards China.
Since these nations are hedging their bets, does it make sense for India to position itself as China's rival, especially when China is a power which cannot be contained? India's interests would be better served by considering the Chinese double offer. Strategic hedging or as the foreign secretary, S Jaishankar, recently said, "rigidity of positions no longer holds" should be adopted soonest.
Last month, the Haryana government turned teachers into preachers. Now, the Bihar government wants them to be missionary photographers. Primary and middle schoolteachers have been instructed to click people defecating in the open an activity fraught with the danger of turning unsavoury as part of the states Open Defecation-Free campaign. Teachers in our country seem to be a dispensable lot, notwithstanding the fact that strengthening of the education sector should be a priority as most of our woes can be traced back to lack of proper schooling. Come any odd scheme, and the governments zero in on tutors to commandeer their services. While Census and poll duties have routinely been assigned to them, the present governments push for its agendas is leading state governments to assign teachers to jobs that have little to do with their primary work of building the building blocks of the nation the children.
By engaging tutors for sundry work, the authorities betray a worrying oversight regarding the long-term and urgent task of meeting the challenges in school education. This distraction of teachers from secular pedagogical work to other engagements will only render their already poor report card poorer. The authorities seem to have consigned to the bin the Annual Status of Education Report-2016 released in January that revealed disappointing levels of basic learning (reading, arithmetic, etc) in primary students. Worse, the poor situation of both teachers and the taught persists even after 2009 when the Right to Education Act came into being.
Often, as in Tamil Nadu these days, government teachers find themselves constrained to protest for a hike in their paltry wages. A Madras High Court judge has admonished them for the strike since only five of their students had secured medical seats. And, those criticising the judge on social media are facing the law. Admitted, the teachers must show results, but the government too must provide them the optimum environment. Only then can they feel themselves involved and accountable for the performance of the children.
Sumedha Sharma
Tribune News Service
Gurugram, November 23
Bus conductor Ashok Kumar has stepped out of jail after being granted bail, but the trauma is far from over as he is yet to recover both physically and mentally.
Claiming to have been drugged and electrocuted to force a confession, he said the Gurugram police had ruined his life. My legs do not move properly and my brain feels sluggish all the time. Everybody encourages me, but somewhere down in my heart I know that I will never be the same again. I may never be mentally and physically fit to earn again, he said.
Following the CBIs statement of not having any evidence to prove his involvement in Pradyuman Thakur murder case, a local court had granted him bail.
Recalling his ordeal, he said, I can say I faced hell. When I picked the bleeding child in my arms to take him to hospital, I had never thought that it would change my life. After a few hours of being asked simple questions in school, I was taken to the police station.
Reliving his shocking experience, he said, I was calm thinking I would be made witness. They slapped me and said I would have to admit that I was the murderer. I resisted and soon they started injecting something which made me forget everything.
Recounting his trauma, he said, I was not able to make out what I heard and said yes repeatedly. When I resisted in my senses, they gave me electric shocks. For days I was tortured and asked to say only yes. After I was sent to jail, I behaved like a mad man, said inmates. I still feel mentally unwell.
Ashok reached home last night and remained uneasy, screaming in his dreams. According to his family members and other villagers, his health was deteriorating by the hour as he kept complaining of constant chest pain.
The village is pooling money to take him to a cardiologist. He has chest pain and his legs, back and neck are numb. A local doctor said his treatment would cost around Rs 2 lakh. After donating for his bail, villagers are collecting money to save him. I wish those who thrashed him get severe punishment, said his wife Mamta.
Nitish Sharma
Tribune News Service
Ambala, November 23
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that the government would organise job fairs across the state to provide regular employment to the Saksham youth. The Saksham-II scheme was also being implemented, under which all graduate and postgraduate applicants would be given skill training.
He was addressing youths attending the Chief Ministers Dialogue programme under the Saksham Yuva Yojana at the Panchayat Bhawan in Ambala City on Thursday.
The Chief Minister said the scheme provides help for three years to youths who fail to get jobs soon after completing education. It is not a permanent job, he added.
He said that till now 49,995 youths had applied under the Saksham Yuva Yojana. Of these 43,246 applications were approved and 31,389 youths given work in different government departments, boards and corporations. Young people have been given government jobs without discrimination and on the basis of merit. In the last three years, more than 13,000 government jobs have been given solely on merit, he added. He said that to provide maximum job opportunities to the youth, the government was also focusing on industrial development. Several youths raised issues being faced by them under the scheme. Girls and women urged him to send them in groups instead of alone for the survey work within 15 km. The Chief Minister directed the officers concerned to take appropriate action. Later Khattar, while talking to mediapersons, said compared to large industries, employment opportunities were more in micro, small and medium industries and the government was making serious efforts to promote these units.
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 22
Acting on a petition alleging mining activity in Bhiwanis Dadam area, prima facie in violation of the time concession granted by the Supreme Court, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued directions against the removal of minor minerals.
Justices Surya Kant and Avneesh Jhingan asserted that the Bench was constrained to direct the Principal Secretary (Mining), Director (Mining), Bhiwani DC, SSP and Mining Officer of the area to ensure that minor minerals were not allowed to be removed from the site forthwith.
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The order would remain in force till issues raised in the writ petition regarding non-payment of compensation and other dues, indulgence in unauthorised mining and misuse of land belonging to adjoining owners was settled. The Bench directed the DC and the SSP to deploy force. The duty magistrate was told to monitor stocked minerals.
Any defiance of directions will lead to suo motu contempt of court proceedings, the Bench asserted. The CBI, through its Director, was impleaded as party.
The directions came on two petitions, one of which alleged ruthless transportation of extracted minerals and movement of hundreds of trucks.
Tribune News Service
Kurukshetra, November 23
At least 60 craftsmen and artists invited for the International Gita Mahotsav here have reportedly taken ill in the past few days allegedly due to poor-quality food being served to them.
They gathered at Brahma Sarovar this afternoon and urged the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) to initiate action against the food contractor. Most of the artisans and folk artists had been staying at Jat Dharamshala and food was being prepared and served there. The KDB had been bearing the cost of stay and food.
Dr Saurabh Kaushal, posted at Brahma Sarovar, said at least 60 artists and craftsmen were treated for stomach-related ailments during a temporary medical camp.
None of them was required to be referred for further attention, he said. He said there was a need for strict vigil on hygiene levels where food was being prepared and water supplied to them.
According to information available, food contractor Ramji Lal of Ambala had secured the contract at a rate of Rs 111 per person for three meals a day.
Official sources said there was a need to check whether or not the contractor was able to provide good-quality food at such a low rate.
Visiting delegates also said they were being forced to eat at dhabas nearby or food courts at Brahma Sarovar due to poor-quality food.
Sanjiv Bansal, a participant from Jaipur, complained of dysentry and nausea for the last few days. He said he had been attending Gita Jayanti for several years, but there was no complaint about food earlier.
Kolkata resident Shyamal Ghosh alleged that the guests at Jat Dharamshala were being served stale food. Denying the charge, the food caterer claimed that he had been maintaining hygiene and quality.
KDB Chief Executive Officer Pooja Chanwaria said the district health authorities had been asked to take food samples on a regular basis. They were ensuring that good-quality food was served to guests, she said.
Boston
Scientists have designed a soft robotic system with artificial muscles that can assist cardiac function in children who have one-sided heart conditions.
Soft robotic actuators, designed and programmed to perform lifelike motions, have recently emerged as an attractive alternative to more rigid components that have conventionally been used in biomedical devices.
Earlier this year, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital in the US had developed a proof-of-concept soft robotic sleeve that supports the function of a failing heart.
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However, the researchers recognised that many paediatric heart patients have more one-sided heart conditions.
These patients are not experiencing failure of the entire heart - instead, congenital conditions have caused disease in either the heart's right or left ventricle, but not both.
"We set out to develop new technology that would help one diseased ventricle, when the patient is in isolated left or right heart failure, pull blood into the chamber and then effectively pump it into the circulatory system," said Nikolay Vasilyev, a researcher at Boston Children's.
Researchers including those from Harvard University in the US revealed their soft robotic solution.
Although other existing mechanical pumps can help propel blood through the heart, they are designed so that blood must run through the pump itself, exposing blood to its unnatural surface.
"Running blood through a pump always requires a patient to be placed - permanently - on anticoagulant medication to prevent blood clotting," said Vasilyev.
"It can be very difficult to keep the right balance of medication, especially in paediatric patients, who are therefore at risk of excessive bleeding or dangerous clotting," he said.
Using external actuators to help squeeze blood through the heart's own chamber, researchers designed a system that could theoretically work with minimal use of anticoagulants.
"We've combined rigid bracing with soft robotic actuators to gently but sturdily help a diseased heart chamber pump blood effectively," Vasilyev said.
In animal studies, the soft robotic system contributed significantly to the diseased ventricle's ability to eject blood.
The researchers speculate that the system's effectiveness is due in part to its integration with the septum, which plays a key role in the heart's ability to pump blood.
The system also made significant improvement in its ability to draw blood into the ventricles, which is just as important as the heart's ability to pump it out.
Based on these initial proof-of-concept results, researchers are working on key design modifications that can bring this system closer to use in humans, such as portability and miniaturisation of the components.
They also need to do longer tests in animals to see how the system impacts the heart over prolonged periods of time.
PTI
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 23
Made in China and assembled in Hyderabad, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has been running two electric buses from Manali to Rohtang Pass since September. The electric buses have become a hit but it has dented the Prime Ministers Make in India campaign.
The HRTC has signed an agreement with Goldstone Infratech, a Hyderabad company, this year for the supply of electric buses. The company is only assembling the buses in Hyderabad. These are made by Chinese company BYD Auto Industry, its largest manufacturer in the world, with which Goldstone has a tie-up, revealed sources.
As clamour for electric buses is gaining ground, the Chinese company is eyeing the growing Indian markets and the government wants these to curb vehicular pollution, said transport managers.
The electric bus market is huge as a 25-seater bus costs Rs 1.91 crore. Our saving grace is that the HRTC is paying 25 per cent of the cost while 75 per cent comes from the Centre, said an HRTC manager.
Facing the wrath of the green court on the rising pollution level, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Rajkot want the electric buses.
An electric bus uses re-chargeable lithium iron phosphate battery which are recharged at the company-run recharging station at Manali. According to the sources, the electric buses have been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).
Managing director, HRTC, Ashok Tiwari said the HRTC was running the two buses between Manali and Rohtang. The HRTC will get 23 more buses and will weigh option whether we can run these in Shimla and Dharamsala. But NGT insists that the HRTC should run these in Manali only, he added.
The bus costs Rs 1.91 cr
MC Thakur
MANALI, NOVEMBER 23
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the snow-bound Lahaul valley in over 100 vehicles today after the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) cleared snow from the Manali-Rohtang-Keylong highway yesterday.
As many as 112 vehicles crossed the rescue post at Koksar village in the Lahaul valley till 1 pm.
As the road is covered with a thick layer of snow due to extreme cold conditions, many vehicles got stuck mid-way and had to be pulled out by the BROs vehicles.
Border Roads Task Force Commander Colonel AK Awasthi said 112 vehicles had gone to Manali from Lahaul. The road surface is slippery and risky for vehicles. To ensure the smooth movement of vehicles, we are allowing one-way traffic. Vehicles from Lahaul were allowed to cross Rohtang and vehicles from Manali will cross Rohtang on Friday, he said.
The Commander said it was not an easy task to clear the road within a record time as severe cold and blizzards were the main challenge. Even machines do not work in such weather. At some stretch, we had to clear up to 4-ft snow. We had engaged snow cutters, four dozers and three JCB machines from Koksar and Marhi sides, he added.
Awasthi further added that the highway had been officially closed on November 15 but the BRO had cleared snow only to facilitate residents of the Lahaul valley.
The residents travel between Lahaul and Kullu to stock essentials before heavy snowfall cuts off the valley from Kullu.
He also said BRO officials would conduct a joint recce of Rohtang with Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti administration to see the conditions and decide if road should be closed to traffic. He said they would not clear snow from Rohtang if another spell of snow blocked it as it was not safe.
Vehicles from Manali move today
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 23
With requests pouring in from the state government for allowing transfers, promotions and tenders, the Election Commission has made it amply clear that there should be no dilution of the model code of conduct till December 20, bringing the namesake government to a complete halt.
The government functioning has virtually come to a standstill with the prolonged duration of the election code of conduct which came into force on October 12 and will end on December 20. Interestingly, during this period, the use of official vehicles by ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) too is barred, except within the state capital and that too from home to office and back. Requests by ministers for an official vehicle to ferry them to Shimla from their native places have been turned down by the General Administration (GAD).
On November 21, a directive was received from the ECI that there should be no dilution whatsoever in the code of conduct till it gets over on December 20. A total of 369 requests have been sent to the Election Commission by the state government, mainly concerning promotions, postings, tenders and notices for various works. The commission has so far granted approval in 48 of the 94 requests sent earlier while 46 are pending.
It has given its consent for some urgent works like tenders for the supply of pulses meant for public distribution under the subsidised ration scheme. Similarly, some works pertaining to the Electricity and Public Works Departments, which involve public use, have been given the go-ahead.
It was some days back that the Election Commission had directed the state government to constitute a screening committee headed by the Chief Secretary and Secretary (General Administration and Personnel) as its members to look into all such requests. They had been told to look into the merit of the case in consultation with the Secretary before forwarding the request for approval to the commission. As per data culled from the Election Department, 275 requests are pending before the screening committee.
With the code in place, the state secretariat wears a deserted look with hardly any minister barring Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes attending office off and on. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh too has been coming to office though there is no official work and meetings, except meeting visitors whose number too has reduced to a trickle. It is mostly political persons, mostly MLAs and former legislators and those who contested the elections who are seen meeting the Chief Minister and discussing poll prospects.
The offices of ministers have been locked by GAD so as to prevent their misuse by the staff and are opened only if a minister arrives.
Ministers barred from using officials vehicles
New Delhi, November 23
The Centres special representative Dineshwar Sharma will be in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow for his second visit to the state during which he will visit migrant camps in Jammu as well as epicentres of unrest in the Valley.
Sharma, who visited Srinagar and Jammu earlier this month, will be in the state for four days, spending two days in Jammu before going to Kashmir, officials said.
In Jammu, he will visit camps of migrants from Kashmir as well as those displaced from border villages following shelling from Pakistan. In Kashmir, he will visit the ground zero of unrest in south Kashmirs Pulwama and Anantnag districts, they said.
Sharma was appointed the Centres interlocutor on October 23 to hold talks with all stakeholders in an effort to find lasting peace.
He has already initiated a slew of measures, including withdrawal of cases against first-time stone throwers and improving the power situation in the Valley, officials said. Giving details of his Jammu visit, they said he would interact with Kashmiri Pandit families at the camps.
Around 60,000 Kashmiri Pandit families migrated in 1990 after the onset of militancy. Of these, 39,000 families based themselves in various camps in Jammu.
Sharma will also meet people who came from West Pakistan immediately after the Partition in 1947 and settled in Jammu. There are nearly three lakh such people.
Besides, he will visit camps housing those displaced from their homes in border villages to understand their plight and ensure that they are properly rehabilitated.
The high point of his visit, officials said, would be his interaction with youth and students in Pulwama and Anantnag. The districts were the epicentre of unrest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8 last year.
Pulwama also earned the notorious distinction of being the nerve centre of militancy with anti-insurgency operations being launched on a war footing in the area.
After his first visit to the Valley, Sharma had suggested that cases against 4,500 youth involved in stone-throwing for the first time be dropped in a bid to win hearts. PTI
Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service
Jammu, November 23
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has announced amnesty for the first-time stone-throwers of the Kashmir valley by initiating the process of withdrawal of FIRs against them.
The PDP-BJP governments announcement comes after recommendations of the Centres special representative on Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma. Sharma is set to start his second visit to J&K from tomorrow (November 24).
It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone-throwing. My government had initiated the process in May 2016, but it was unfortunately stalled due to the unrest later that year, Mehbooba wrote on Twitter on Wednesday night.
In a series of tweets, Mehbooba described it as a major confidence-building measure of the Centre.
This confidence-building measure reaffirms the Union Governments commitment towards changing the narrative in J&K and creating a reconciliatory atmosphere for sustained dialogue, she said.
In another tweet, the CM said, It is encouraging that the interlocutor has started on a positive note. His recommendations are being taken seriously by both the Central and state governments.
It is a ray of hope for these young boys and their families. This initiative will provide them an opportunity to rebuild their lives, she added.
Over 11,500 cases have been registered against stone-throwers since July 8 last year when trouble erupted in Kashmir following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in an encounter. Out of these, over 4,500 cases were registered against first-time stone-throwers.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, however, took a dig at her saying she took instructions from the Union Government while making a decision related to her government.
The Centres big amnesty push! Looks like Mehbooba Muftis only job is to take instructions from the Union Government. This should have been a state govt decision, Omar wrote on Twitter.
Pertinently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the Mehbooba Mufti government to withdraw cases against first-time offenders involved in the 2016 stone-throwing incidents.
Jammu, November 23
An FIR has been registered against two students of Badshah University in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem.
The students did not stand up when the national anthem was being sung at a function at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University on Wednesday where Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra was the chief guest, District Magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.
We have taken cognisance of the incident of disrespect of the national anthem by two students of Badshah University on Wednesday, he said.
Disciplinary action will follow. Law will take its own course, he said, adding that a report had been sought from the university authorities. PTI
New York, November 23
"Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke said it is frustrating for her to repeatedly answer questions related to nude scenes in the popular TV series.
The 31-year-old actor, who plays Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO series, said she was unsure why people still have to raise a hue and cry over sex scenes in the show, which is nearing its end.
"I'm starting to get really annoyed about this stuff now because people say, 'Oh, yeah, all the p**n sites went down when 'Game of Thrones' came back on.'
"I'm like, 'The Handmaid's Tale'? I f**king love that show, and I cried when it ended because I couldn't handle not seeing it," Clarke told Harper's Bazaar.
"That is all sex and nudity. There are so many shows centred around this very true fact that people reproduce.
People f*** for pleasure - it's part of life," she added.
Clarke, who features in the "Star Wars" spin-off "Solo", also talked about how Hollywood was obsessed with casting actors who have the perfect look.
"It got me angry. Well, no, not angry. 'Angry' is the wrong word. But it pushed me into another casting type; forced me to be an actor.
"Instead of playing Juliet and doing the light, airy stuff, I would be the granny who cracks wise, or a down-and- out hooker who has seen better days," she said. PTI.
Panaji, November 23
Actor Sidharth Malhotra is all set to take the centre stage at the closing ceremony of the ongoing 48th International Film Festival of India here.
The "Baar Baar Dekho" actor will be on his maiden visit to IFFI and will be seen performing on a medley of some of his biggest hits on the festival's closing day, November 28.
"It's my first time at IFFI and I'm really excited about performing there...I've heard such great things about the festival and I look forward to the experience," Sidharth said in a statement.
This year, Bollywood has dominated the festival with the presence of several top stars from the industry.
While Sidharth will be performing, Superstar Salman Khan will bring down the curtains on the festival, along with actor Katrina Kaif. PTI.
Mumbai/London, November 23
Padmavati has been cleared by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) without any cuts, but the producers say they are not planning to release the film without the Indian censor boards go-ahead, sources said on Thursday.
Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film was given a 12A rating by the BBFC which passed it for audiences in the UK without any cuts. The 12A rating mandates that the film cannot be viewed by a child under the age of 12 unless accompanied by an adult.
Padmavati (12A) moderate violence, injury detail, stated the official website of the British Censor Board.
All known versions of this work passed uncut, it said.
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However, sources at Viacom 18 said they were not planning to release the film anywhere in the world without the requisite clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The lavishly mounted film, starring Deepika Padukone in the title role, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, is a joint production by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Bhansali Productions.
The film has been cleared by the UK censor board without any cuts. But we are waiting for censor clearance in India. Till then we will not release the film anywhere, a source told PTI.
As the film was supposed to release on December 1, there are over 50 countries where this process (of certification) is on, he said.
Padmavati has been facing the wrath of various Rajput groups and political leaders, who have accused Bhansali of distorting history.
Many groups have been protesting amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Allauddin Khilji.
However, Bhansali said in an appeal that there was no dream sequence and it was all a rumour.
Historians are divided on whether Padmini actually existed. She finds mention in the 16th century epic poem Padmavat.
Earlier scheduled to arrive in cinema halls on December 1, the release date of the film has been postponed by the makers till further notice. PTI
New Delhi, November 23
A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a classmate on the premises of Delhi's Maxfort School in Dwarka.
As per the FIR filed by her parents, the girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school on Friday, last week, and the next day broke her silence on the assault.
According to the parents, she narrated the whole incident that took place during the school hours, wherein one boy of her class opened her pants, and put his finger inside her private parts. The girl tried pushing him away but to no avail, and could not ask for help as no staff member was around.
Accusing the school management of laxity, the parents have alleged that a school teacher and school coordinator, on being told about the incident, feigned ignorance and offered no concrete assistance. The school principal too did not provide any relief, and further refused to divulge details of the accused student.
After the doctors at Rockland Hospital examined the victim and confirmed it to be a case of sexual assault, the parents lodged a complaint at the Dwarka Police Station.
A case has been registered. ANI.
New Delhi, November 23
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made a pitch for information sharing and coordination among nations to fight the threat of digital space becoming a playground of terrorism and radicalisation, saying a fine balance can be struck between privacy and national security.
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The quest for an open and accessible Internet, he said, often leads to vulnerabilities like cyber attacks, and a major focus area should be training of well-equipped professionals to counter cyber threats.
Addressing the Global Conference on Cyber Space here, he said Internet, by nature, is inclusive, but the quest for an open and accessible Internet often leads to vulnerability like cyber attacks.
Stories of hacking and defacement of websites are the tip of an iceberg. They suggest that cyber attacks are a significant threat, especially in the democratic world.
We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals. Alertness towards cyber security concerns should become a way of life, the Prime Minister cautioned.
Global cyber attacks in May-June this year infected more than 3,00,000 computers, disrupting work at banks and multinational firms and shutting down port operations.
Stating that hacking may have acquired an exciting, even if dubious, overtone, he said cyber warriors need to be trained and well equipped to take on cyber threats.
We need to ensure that cyber protection becomes an attractive and viable career option for the youth, Modi suggested.
The Prime Minister put the onus on countries to take responsibility to ensure the digital space does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism and radicalisation.
Information sharing and coordination among security agencies is essential to counter the ever-changing threat landscape, he said. Surely, we can walk the fine balance between privacy and openness on the one hand and national security on the other.
The differences between global and open systems, and nation-specific legal requirements can be overcome, he stressed.
According to Modi, while emerging digital technologies could impact the future, important questions of transparency, privacy, trust and security may need to be addressed.
Modi further said his government has used the trinity of bank accounts, mobile phones and biometric identification number Aadhaar to better target subsidies and prevented leakages of nearly USD 10 billion so far.
Digital technology has become a great facilitator, giving farmers access to expert advice and good price, enabled small entrepreneurs to supply goods to the government, removed the requirement of pensioners to present themselves before the bank officer and given women jobs, he said.
We shall be happy to share our experiences and success stories with the global community, Modi added, inviting the global community to invest in Indian startups.
He went on to say cyberspace has transformed the world over the last few decades and digital technology today has emerged as a great enabler.
It has paved the way for efficient service delivery and governance. It is improving access, in domains from education to health. And it is helping shape the future of business and economy, the Prime Minister emphasised. Technology breaks barriers.
He made the point that digital technology provides the less-privileged sections of society a more level-playing field and on a macro-scale has contributed to emergence of a flat world, where a developing nation like India can compete on a level footing with developed nations.
Modi termed the governments Digital India initiative as the worlds largest, technology-led transformative programme. PTI
Gurugram, November 23
Bus conductor Ashok's family has alleged that the police authorities beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him to confess for the murder of Pradyuman in Ryan International School.
Police beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him to make him confess, Ashok's wife told ANI.
Ashok, accused in the Pradyuman murder case, was released on bail from Gurugram's Bhondsi jail late on Wednesday evening. He thanked the media for his return to his family and said he is in a lot of pain.
She said, Ashok told her that a madam asked him to keep the body (Pradyuman's body) in the car and that he just helped.
His wife said, Ashok had no idea that the police and the authorities will target him on the basis of that.
Ashok's wife alleged that the police also injected him. "The police asked Ashok to say, he committed the crime and he won't be in trouble because of that. They told him that the whole nation is distressed due to the case and so he must confess. The police told him it's a small case and they will cover it accordingly," said Ashok's sister-in-law.
Ashok's family also alleged that he was forced to put the child in the car and when his shirt got blood stained, he was asked to wash it.
"He got blood on his shirt, and the authorities asked him to wash his clothes and he was told that the child is fine, Ashok's family alleges.
They said when the child was admitted to the hospital and died there, Ashok was immediately captured, where he was tortured.
"The authorities from top down are working together and have forcefully made a poor man suffer. Now our lawyer will deal with them," said Ashok's family.
The Gurugram District Court granted bail to the bus conductor, Ashok, in the Pradyuman murder case, on November 21. The bail was reportedly granted with a Rs 50,000 security bond.
Pradyuman was found in a pool of blood with his throat slit inside his school, Ryan International, in Gurugram.
The incident sparked a public outcry after which the Gurugram Police arrested Ashok alleging him of killing the student. Ashok was arrested on September 8.
But the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is now probing the matter, gave him a clean chit and held a senior student responsible for the murder. ANI
New Delhi, November 23
The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has summoned the principal and three staff members of a private school where a four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her classmate.
The girl's mother had yesterday approached the police and alleged that her daughter was "inappropriately touched" by a classmate.
According to the mother, when the girl returned from school she complained of pain in her private parts. She was taken to a hospital where doctors confirmed sexual assault.
"The commission is in receipt of a complaint regarding the sexual assault of a minor in your school during school hours.
"Considering the seriousness of the matter you are asked to appear before the commission on November 27 and bring along the two teachers concerned and the 'aaya'," the notice issued to the school read.
Based on a complaint filed by the mother, a case was registered at the Dwarka (South) police station. The school administration was booked for negligence.
The school authorities, however, denied the allegations of negligence and non-cooperation in the complaint filed by the mother.
"We are cooperating with the police, and the video footage and other evidence sought from us have been provided to them. All necessary actions are being taken to help the investigating agency to probe the alleged incident," the school's legal adviser S Rajapa said.
The child rights commission has also issued a notice to the police station's SHO seeking an action taken report within seven days. PTI
New Delhi, November 23
A day after a judicial review board of the Lahore High Court ordered the release of terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed from house arrest, India called out Pakistan on its duplicity on terror.
Stressing that the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief was not just the mastermind but the prime organiser of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, His release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of the Pakistani government in bringing to justice perpetrators of heinous acts of terrorism, including by individuals and entities designated by the United Nations. It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists.
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In a setback to India, Hafiz will walk out of house arrest just ahead of the ninth anniversary of the 26/11 terror strikes, after the review board denied further detention of Saeed. TNS
Ahmedabad, November 23
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address eight rallies on November 27 and 29 in different parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat, where polling for the first phase of assembly polls will be held on December 9.
On the morning of November 27, Modi will address people in Bhuj town of Kutch district and later in the day in Jasdan town of Rajkot, Dhari in Amreli and Kamrej in Surat district, Gujarat BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav told a press conference here.
On November 29, Modi will address poll rallies in Morbi and Prachi villages near Somnath, Palitana in Bhavnagar and at Navsari in south Gujarat.
Each rally has been organised in such a way that people from five to six surrounding constituencies can also attend it, said Yadav.
The polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having a total of 182 assembly seats, will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.
While 89 seats of Saurashtra and south Gujarat region will go to polls in the first phase, the election in the remaining 93 constituencies in central and northern regions will be held in the second phase.
On November 26 and 27, several prominent BJP leaders will address rallies in different parts of state where the first phase of polling is scheduled to be held.
The star campaigners include Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states Yogi Adityanath and Vasundhara Raje as well as several Gujarat BJP leaders, said Yadav.
On November 26 and 27, our star campaigners will address rallies in all 89 seats going to polls in the first phase, he added. PTI
Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
In what could be a precursor to bringing live court proceedings to living rooms, the Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that video recording has started in trial courts and tribunals in several states with the help of CCTVs installed in courtrooms.
Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand told the top court that Chhattisgarh has installed CCTVs in trial courts of three districts while Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana have the facility in two districts each; Tamil Nadu in five districts and Sikkim in all trial courts.
Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Bihar, Rajasthan have initiated the process and were in communication with respective High Court and Ministry of Information and Technology, the ASG told the top court.
The report of Punjab and Haryana High Court showed that it has made a comprehensive plan to install CCTV cameras in all courts in four phases, the court was informed.
While lauding the Ministry of Justice for a "commendable" job, a Bench of Justice AK Goel and Justice UU Lalit said things needed to be tightened up as the process was very slow, particularly in Bihar. It sought to know why CCTVs were yet to be installed at Debt Recovery Tribunals and Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.
The Bench asked the Centre to explore the possibility of connecting live recordings with the National Judicial Data Grid and file an updated status report in the second week of December.
The government has suggested setting up of a task force to review and examine the recordings to see if there were any problems and accordingly take necessary corrective steps.
Departing from the age-old practice of not allowing video cameras in courtrooms, the Bench had on March 28 ordered that proceedings of at least two district courts in each state and union territory be recorded.
Maintaining that judges can't claim privacy in courtrooms, the Supreme Court had on November 21 favoured early installation of close-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in courts for recording of proceedings, saying it would be in larger public interest, discipline and security.
"What privacy? This is not a case of privacy. We don't need privacy here. Judges don't need privacy in court proceedings. Nothing private is happening here. We all are sitting in front of you," it had said.
Indian courts have been averse to the idea of recording of their proceedings and have dismissed several PILs that demanded it. Also, in the past many lawyers and litigants have been caught unauthorisedly using cameras in courts.
But the steps being taken under the supervision of the top court are likely to have far-reaching impact on transparency in judiciary as these could prove to be the first step towards telecast of court proceedings a common practice in many western countries.
The Centre had recommended introduction of audio-video recording of judicial hearings but the top court judges could not to take a concrete decision on the contentious issue on the administrative side.
The Law Ministry had supported installation of CCTVs, saying recording of proceedings was necessary to bring transparency in judiciary.
The Bench is seized of a petition by one Pradyuman Bisht seeking audio-visual recording of court proceedings to usher in transparency in functioning of courts.
New Delhi, November 23
Jet Airways plans to do away with first-class seats in its Boeing 777 planes that are operated for long-haul flights as it works on cost-cutting measures, a senior airline official said.
The carrier, earlier this week, told investors about its plans for strategic growth where the key focus would be on cost minimisation.
According to the official, Jet Airways is looking at doing away with first-class seats in B777 planes in order to increase the number of seats in them as part of larger cost reduction efforts.
Currently, the full-service carrier--in which Gulf carrier Etihad has a 24 per cent stake--has 10 B777 aircraft. These planes have eight first, 30 business and 308 economy class seats.
In a presentation to investors on November 20, the airline said it would increase the number of seats in B777 planes, to around 400 seats from 2019 onwards, from 346 seats.
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Asked about how the airline is going to implement the proposed increase in the number of seats in its B777 aircraft, a Jet Airways spokesperson said the initiative is one among several measures being evaluated by the carrier.
The airline plans to increase seats in its B777s from 346 to nearly 400, as part of its continued endeavour to reduce costs and realise higher revenue in the foreseeable future, he told PTI in an e-mailed statement.
Without divulging specific details, including the estimated cost for refurbishing these planes, he said the airline would share additional details at an appropriate time.
As per the presentation, the carrier will look to reduce maintenance expenses from January 2019 as well as bring down cost of sales and distribution and also focus on enhancing ancillary revenue by around Rs 250 crore.
Jet Airways has a fleet of over 110 aircraft, comprising B777-300 ERs, A330-200/300, next generation B737s and ATR 72- 500/600s.
It has 21 code share and 107 interline partners and about 15 per cent of the carriers passenger feed comes from partners.
Code sharing allows an airline to book its passenger on partner airlines and provide seamless transport to destinations.
An interline pact allows a carrier to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. PTI
Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
India has asked Pakistan to allow jailed Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhavs mother Avantika to accompany his wife for a meeting proposed by Islamabad.
A former Indian Navy officer, Jadhav has been lodged in a Pakistan jail on charges of espionage and sentenced to death without having been granted any consular access despite official requests since March last year. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar today elaborated on the conditions put forth by India in its response to the Pakistani note verbale offering a meeting.
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Talking about Indias positive response, Kumar said: We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the wife and the mother of Jadhav and that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their stay. We have asked that a diplomat of the Indian High Commission be allowed to accompany them at all times.
Meanwhile, hoping that Islamabad would facilitate the meeting, New Delhi also reiterated the intent to pursue all measures with full vigour so as to secure the final release of an innocent Indian.
Such a meeting offer does not absolve Pakistan of the violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Human Rights and not following the due process in treating Jadhav, who faces the death sentence through a farcical process and on concocted charges, underlined the MEA spokesperson.
Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
India has asked Pakistan to allow Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhavs mother Avantika to accompany his wife for a meeting proposed by Islamabad.
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A former navy officer, Jadhav has been lodged in a Pakistani jail on serious charges of espionage and sentenced to death without having been granted any consular access despite official requests since March last year.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar today elaborated upon the conditions put forth by India in its response to the Pakistani note verbale offering a meeting between Jadhav and his wife.
Talking about Indias positive response, Raveesh Kumar said, We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the wife and the mother of Jadhav and that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their visit and stay in Pakistan. We have further asked that a diplomat of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting.
On November 10, the Pakistan foreign office through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad announced, The Government of Pakistan has decided to arrange a meeting of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav with his wife, in Pakistan, purely on humanitarian grounds.
Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed last week it is considering Indias request. Sources suggest the development is being viewed in a positive light and the modalities for the process are under discussion.
Meanwhile, hoping that Islamabad would facilitate the meeting, New Delhi also reiterated the intent to pursue all measures with full vigour so as to secure the final release of an innocent Indian.
Let me underline that such a meeting offer does not absolve Pakistan of the violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Human Rights and not following the due process in treating Jadhav who remains incarcerated in Pakistan and faces death sentence through a farcical process and on concocted charges, underlined Raveesh Kumar.
India took Jadhavs case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague, which in May this year ordered a stay on the pending death execution till completion of hearing. Pakistan has to submit its response on the case to the ICJ by December 13.
Jadhavs mercy plea is currently with the Army Chief and according to sources will also go the Supreme Court before reaching the Pakistan Presidents office for a final decision.
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, November 23
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday intervened to allow a woman constable to keep her job after undergoing a sex change operation.
Constable Lalita Salve from the states Beed district had sought the permission of her superiors to undergo the procedure and applied for leave accordingly.
However, the police department rejected Salves application and warned her that she would be sacked if she went ahead with the surgery.
However, after reading reports of Salves plight, Fadnavis intervened and asked the Director General of Police to make an exception in her case so that she could continue in service as a male constable.
The police department had turned down Lalita Salves plea to continue in service as a male constable because the eligibility criteria for male constables are different, Fadnavis told reporters here.
Both men and women police constables have different height and weight requirements.
The chief minister said the constables request was considered since it was one among rarest of rare cases.
Salve, who has announced that she would take the name of Lalit after the surgery, is currently posted in the Majalgaon city police station in Beed.
She had sought a months leave for the surgery and had moved the Bombay High Court after her leave application was turned down.
According to sources here, Director General of Police Satish Mathur will soon give the go-ahead to Salve, who had joined the police force in 2010.
Salve, 29, in her petition had stated that she had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and advised sex reassignment surgery by doctors.
She had been undergoing counselling sessions with psychiatrists at the JJ Hospital, her petition said.
Islamabad, November 23
Pakistan on Thursday accused India of politicising humanitarian issues and said selective issuance of medical visas to its citizens was not a gesture of compassion but cold blooded politicking.
Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said the Indian policy of selective issuance of medical visa to Pakistanis was regrettable.
Addressing the weekly media briefing, Faisal said India continued to politicise humanitarian issues, which was more reprehensible as many patients have been consulting Indian doctors for a long time on their own expense.
No one is fooled by Indian gimmickry. This is not a gesture of compassion but cold-blooded politicking under which individuals are picked at will for political mileage, he said.
Faisals remarks came days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to grant a visa to a Pakistani woman for a liver transplant in India.
Her intervention came after Sadia, the ailing womans daughter, last week requested Swaraj for grant of a visa to her mother.
Swaraj has been adopting a humanitarian approach in granting visas to Pakistani nationals on medical ground notwithstanding strain in relationship between the two sides over a host of sticky issues, including cross-border terrorism. PTI
Sanjeev Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
The ordinance to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, which will bar wilful defaulters from bidding for their own companies under bankruptcy proceedings, got the Presidents approval on Thursday.
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The Ordinance aims to keep out persons who have wilfully defaulted, are associated with non-performing assets, or are habitually non-compliant and, therefore, are likely to be a risk to successful resolution of insolvency of a company.
In addition to putting in place restrictions for such persons to participate in the resolution or liquidation process, the amendment also provides such check by specifying that the Committee of Creditors ensure the viability and feasibility of the resolution plan before approving it. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has also been given additional powers.
Persons who will be ineligible to be a resolution applicant include wilful defaulters and those who have their accounts classified as non-performing assets for one year or more.
It also debars those who have executed an enforceable guarantee in favour of a creditor, in respect of a corporate debtor undergoing a corporate insolvency resolution process or liquidation process under the Code
Earlier, the regulations by the IBBI were also amended to ensure that information on the antecedent of the applicant submitting the resolution plan along with information on the preferential, undervalued or fraudulent transactions are placed before the Committee of Creditors in order for it to take an informed decision on the matter.
Along with other steps towards improving compliances, actions against defaulting companies to prevent misuse of corporate structures for diversion of funds, reforms in the banking sector, weeding out of unscrupulous elements from the resolution process is part of ongoing reforms of the Government, an official statement said.
These would help strengthen the formal economy and encourage honest businesses and budding entrepreneurs to work in a trustworthy, predictable regulatory environment, an official statement said.
New Delhi, November 23
India on Thursday expressed "outrage" over Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's imminent release from detention and dubbed it as an attempt by Pakistan to "mainstream" UN-proscribed terrorists.
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The Ministry of External Affairs said this confirms the "lack of seriousness" on Pakistan's part in bringing terrorists to justice and its nefarious designs to shield and support non-state actors.
"India, as indeed, the entire international community is outraged that a self-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a press conference here.
Describing Saeed as the "prime organiser" of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Kumar said the banned Jamaat- ud-Dawah (JuD) head is also responsible for unleashing numerous other terror attacks against Pakistan's neighbours.
"His release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of the Pakistani government in bringing to justice perpetrators of heinous acts of terror, including by individuals and entities designated by the UN.
"It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. It is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is for all to see," Kumar said.
Saeed will soon walk free after a Pakistani judicial body yesterday ordered his release from house arrest, in a setback to India's efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah head, who carries a bounty of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January. PTI
Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23
In a setback to the Union Government, the Supreme Court today struck down as unconstitutional a stringent provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, that virtually overturned the legal maxim bail is rule and jail an exception. A Bench led by Justice Rohinton F Nariman struck down Section 45(1) of the PMLA to the extent it said jail is rule and bail an exception.
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Section 45(1) imposed two stringent conditions for grant of bail in offences punishable with a jail term of more than three years under Part A of the Schedule. It required that the public prosecutor be given an opportunity to oppose any application for release on bail, that the court must be satisfied that there were reasonable grounds for believing the accused was not guilty and that he was not likely to commit an offence while on bail.
The Bench said the conditions for bail under Section 45(1) were arbitrary as these violated the accuseds right to equality and right to life and liberty, virtually making it impossible to get bail.
Terming it manifestly arbitrary, discriminatory and unjust for making the bail procedure harsh, burdensome, wrongful and discriminatory, the court struck it down on the ground that it provided for a procedure which is not fair or just and would, thus, violate both Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (right to life and liberty).
In fact, the presumption of innocence, which is attached to any person being prosecuted of an offence, is inverted by the conditions specified in Section 45, the Bench said, declaring it unconstitutional.
The top court set aside all orders denying bail to accused in various cases that relied on the conditions prescribed in the Section 45(1) of PMLA.
It directed trial courts to hear all such bail matters afresh and decide these at the earliest without considering the conditions under the Section 45(1), that have been declared unconstitutional.
Considering that persons are languishing in jail and that personal liberty is involved, all these matters are to be taken up at the earliest by the respective courts for fresh decision, it directed. Passed by Parliament in 2002, the Act came into force on July 1, 2005.
The verdict comes as a setback to the government which had defended the provision, contending it was an effective tool to deal with the black money menace. The order came on petitions challenging the validity of Section 45 that made bail an exception.
New Delhi, November 23
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on November 28 a fresh plea seeking a direction to makers of the Bollywood film Padmavati not to release it outside India on December 1.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said it would hear on Tuesday the plea that alleged that the makers of Padmavati misrepresented facts before the court with regard to Censor Boards approval on releasing songs and the promo.
We will take it up on Tuesday. You (advocate) file a writ petition, the bench told advocate ML Sharma who mentioned his fresh plea for an urgent hearing.
Sharma alleged that grave damage would be done to social harmony if the movie was allowed to be released outside India.
He also sought criminal prosecution of the makers of the movie for allegedly misrepresenting facts so that the songs and promos were cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Earlier, the apex court had dismissed his plea seeking to delete certain alleged objectionable scenes from the movie.
The bench had observed that the CBFC had not yet given certificate to the movie and the apex court could not injunct a statutory body from doing its duty.
The counsel for one of the respondents had earlier told the court that the films promo was released and it had got the requisite CBFC approval.
Sharma had approached the court seeking a direction for removal of all scenes of alleged character assassination of Queen Padmavati from the movie before its release.
Viacom 18, the makers of the film, had earlier said that they had deferred the movies release which was originally scheduled for December 1.
The set of the movie was vandalised twice--in Jaipur and Kolhapur--and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was roughed up by members of Karni Sena during the Jaipur schedule of the film earlier this year. PTI
Agartala, November 23
As some of Tripura newspapers left editorials blank to mark their protest against the killing of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik, editor of the Tripura Times said the killing of two journalists in two months is a matter of serious concern.
As far as institutional protest is concerned, we have left the editorial page blank for todays edition of our newspaper. Murder of two journalists within two months is a matter of serious concern, Manas Paul, editor, Tripura Times, told ANI.
The protest has gathered steam two days after Commandant of 2nd Tripura State Rifles, Tapan Debbarma, was arrested in connection with the alleged murder of the journalist.
The Tripura journalist fraternity on Wednesday had expressed disappointment with the national media for showing lack of interest in the killing of journalists in Indias North-East region.
Sujit Chakraborty, eminent journalist and ex-secretary of Agartala Press Club, said, The killing of Sudip didnt get prominent coverage by the national media. Except some small news items, they ignored the heinous crime. Had it happened in major cities, it would have got wider publicity by both national print and electronic media.
Sudip Datta Bhowmik was allegedly shot dead by Commandant of 2nd Tripura State Rifles, Tapan Debbarma, on Tuesday inside the battalion headquarters of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) in RK Nagar.
Sudips murder was a cold-blooded killing. He was killed inside the Circle Officers room, Bhowmiks brother told ANI.
Just two months ago, a journalist, Santanu Bhowmik, was killed while covering a road blockade agitation of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). ANI
Guwahati, November 23
Facing flak over his remarks that life-threatening diseases were a result of past sins, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said he was quoted out of context and apologised to those hurt by the "absolutely mindless controversy triggered by few political desperados".
His remarks that some people suffer from diseases such as cancer because of sins committed in the past and that it is "divine justice" have sparked sharp reactions.
In a press release, Sarma said, "My speech on divine justice and karmic deficiency is being quoted out of context.
In their bid to trivialise and sensationalise, no one is looking at the content of my whole speech and intent."
"It was said in the context of helping poor students of government schools and as request to teachers not to neglect them. It was also a message to indicate district education officers not to harass teachers, he said.
"But the way a section of national media, local media and few in Congress party are now playing with the story, I am pained to say will cause agony among cancer patients and their relatives," he said adding he lost his father, friends and relatives to the disease.
Slamming Sarma for his remarks, Congress leader P Chidambaram had yesterday tweeted "Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person," referring to his joining BJP from Congress ahead of the Assam assembly elections in 2015.
Sarma took to Twitter earlier in the day to get back at Chidambaram by referring to his quitting the Congress in 1996.
He also mentioned Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's pet, saying "After all #Pidi likes privileged people".
"Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believes in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life. Don't you believe that too? Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all.
"By the way sir when did you rejoin @INCIndia ? As far as I know you were in Tamil Maanila Congress. Privileged people can indulge in any activity right from Chit Fund to Inxmedia, can switch party. After all #Pidi likes privileged people," the Assam minister had tweeted.
Addressing a function where appointment letters were distributed to teachers here yesterday, Sarma had said, "God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe the background you will come to know that it's divine justice. Nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice."
Assam Congress leader Debabratta Saikia and AIDUF leader Aminul Islam yesterday criticised Sarma's statement and demanded that he apologise.
Some cancer patients said they were saddened by the health minister's remarks at a time when it is an established medical fact that there are scientific reasons and various other parameters responsible for the disease.
B B Borthakur, the medical superintendent at the state- run Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute, seeking to downplay Sarma's remarks told PTI "I don't think the minister made the remark on scientific basis but in a social context. I don't think it is a matter to be made into a controversy. It is not a matter to be given so much importance."
In his statement, Sarma also said a "philosophical discourse" (by him) purely to help poor students is being misused and which in turn is causing "avoidable anxiety" among surviving cancer patients and their close ones.
"I still believe divine justice will catch up with each and every one of us for trying to cash in on someone else's pain to gain political mileage and cheap publicity."
"I reiterate at no point my statement was intended to cause any pain to cancer patients. However, if owing to the blatant distortions, it has caused any anxiety and problems to anyone, I hereby offer my unconditional apology for the pain," he said.
"Detachment from life, karmic action and rebirth are some of the core principles of Hindu philosophy developed over last 5000 years. Western thought process can never dominate or dilute the spirit and eternal meaning of our philosophy," he reasoned.
Continuing with his defence, Sarma said, "Science has not been able to give answer to many of our perennial queries and therefore at our last moment, we are asked to pray GOD."
"While I am not against science, I strongly believe there is strong merit in spirituality and teachings contained in Bhagvad Gita as well as those of our ancestors. The purity of the philosophy and its essence help us in bringing sanity and balance in life," he said.
Sarma claimed his passion for work in containing cancer is well known in Assam. He said cancer treatment facilities including free chemotherapy and Rs 2 lakh financial help for each of the affected, the state-of-the-art hospital with PET CT, banning of chewable tobacco and starting of a grid hospital in the state were his "humble contribution" as the health minister.
The Assam minister today posted another tweet on the issue. "You have to realise difference between sin and karma.
Politics can come and go. But what is written in Bhagavad Gita is for me the final truth.
"Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speak little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That is our philosophy," he said.
Responding to a journalist's tweet that laws of karma should not be used to explain cancer in today's day and age, he tweeted, "Was my speech on cancer? Who told you? I simply asked a new batch of teachers to work sincerely & work for the poor.
"In that context I argue that if we do not work sincerely in next life we might face karmic deficiency & that may lead to sufferings. What is insensitive about this?" He went on to add, "Go through my speech. I never said that sin causes cancer. It was a speech to motivate teachers to serve the poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next life. Science cannot promote human value.
Religion might." PTI
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 23
The fate of two Punjabi youths among 600 illegal migrants is uncertain after the Papua New Guinea police today stormed the Manus Island detention centre and whisked them away in buses, more than three weeks after the centre was decommissioned.
Papua New Guinea is a country in southwestern Pacific.
Ravinder Singh and Manjit Singh were part of a large group living on the island since July 2013. Their residential address in Punjab is unknown. As per their TV and radio interviews, the immigrants travelled in separate boats to Australia in 2013, but were denied entry as Australia disallows migration to the country via boats.
Ravinder and Manjit spoke extensively to SBS Radio of Australia on their pitiful state in the detention centre hours before the police action.
They said travel agents in Punjab had promised them migration to Australia, but abandoned them in Malaysia. Later, a Pakistani agent in Malaysia tricked them into travelling to Australia in a boat, but they ended on Manus Island. They claimed to have lost nearly 15,000 US dollars (Rs 9.7 lakh) each in trying to migrate to Australia.
The two also said the local population wanted migrants out. The stand-off, going on for years, had escalated last week when water and electricity supply to the centre was snapped.
The police action triggered an outrage on social media and media outlets, as the immigrants, including a journalist identified as Behrouz Boochani, claimed they were beaten up and forcibly taken away. The journalist was later released.
Papua New Guinea officials posted videos showing a new and swanky accommodation prepared for 600 migrants calling them asylum-seekers. There was no report that the migrants had reached the place till the filing of the report.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, November 23
The Central Government has agreed to bear 50 per cent cost of the state governments ring road project proposed for Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani, Kashipur, Rudrapur and Udham Singh Nagar.
At a meeting with the Union Minister of Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari in Delhi, it was agreed that the Centre and the state would provide funds in equal ratio for the project, said Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik.
Further, the state will bear the cost of land acquisition for the project. In addition, the Centre has also agreed to help the state in covering the costs of preparating DPRs for the project.
The Centre has also approved Rs 1,300 crore World Bank-funded horticulture project and village-based small-scale industries.
The screening committee of the Union Ministry of Finance has cleared three projects related to horticulture and horticulture-based small scale industries.
Director of Horticulture Dr BS Negi said the project worth Rs 700 crore for the advancement of horticulture activities would help double farm income through diversification.
Los Angeles, November 23
Detectives in San Diego are investigating the mystery death of a man who hit the headlines in 2010 when former President Jimmy Carter helped negotiate his release from North Korea.
An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer found the body of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, 38, ablaze Friday in the citys Mission Bay Park, police said, adding that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation indicates the death is not a homicide but rather an accidental death or suicide, said Todd Griffin, a spokesman for the citys police department.
Gomes, an English teacher who had recently moved to San Diego from his native Boston, was arrested in North Korea for illegally entering the country from China in January 2010.
He was sentenced to eight years of hard labor and he attempted suicide while in custody, according to North Korean state news agency KCNA.
Carter traveled to the secretive east Asian nation in August of that year to call on its leadership to release the high-profile prisoner and Gomes was granted a rare amnesty by then leader Kim Jong-Il.
Gomes, who was working in South Korea prior to his arrest and was described by colleagues as a devout Christian, wrote about his ordeal in a 2015 autobiography entitled Violence and Humanity. AFP
Sydney, November 23
Australia called on Thursday on the United States to build a strong presence in Asia and bolster ties with like-minded partners while warning against Chinas rising influence.
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A more insular United States would be detrimental to the liberal nature of the worlds rules-based order, the government said in a 115-page foreign policy white paper.
Australia believes that international challenges can only be tackled effectively when the worlds wealthiest, most innovative and most powerful country is engaged in solving them, the government said.
The white paper is a guide for Australian diplomacy and provides a roadmap for advancing its interests.
The election of President Donald Trump represented a step towards a more isolationist world, which could be negative for Australias export-dependent economy, commentators have said.
Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement in January, shortly after he took office.
Strong and sustained US engagement in the international system remains fundamental to international stability and prosperity, the government said in the paper.
Without such engagement, the effectiveness and liberal character of the international order would erode. Australia is one of the staunchest US allies and troops from the two countries have fought alongside each other in all major conflicts for generations.
But the economic growth and power that the United States has enjoyed since the end of the World War Two is now being challenged by China, Australia said.
Australia and China have close economic ties but China is suspicious of Australias close military relationship with the United States.
Tensions, benefits
Australia warned in the paper of risks it faces, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region due to a shift in the balance of power.
While the government recognised the economic benefits from Chinas rise, it was also trying to wish China away, said Jane Golley, deputy director at the Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University.
To actually drop the word Asia from Asia-Pacific undoes three decades of diplomatic effort, Golley said, referring to the use of the phrase Indo-Pacific which came up 120 times in the paper. Asia-Pacific was not used once.
The United States and some of its allies have recently been talking up their vision of the Indo-Pacific, instead of the Asia-Pacific, in a play on words aimed at undermining the influence of China.
There is a small reference to Chinas geo-economic strategy in the paper but the emphasis is on the tensions that could create, rather than the economic benefits, Golley said.
Well have to see how China reacts to this but theyre not going to like this policy.
Relations between Australia and China sank to a low point this year after Australia rejected high-profile Chinese investments, citing national interest.
Australia has also shown little enthusiasm for Chinas ambitious Belt and Road initiative, which aims to connect China to Europe and beyond with infrastructure projects.
The initiative was mentioned just once in the paper.
We are not embracing the future, Golley said.
We are holding on to the past and reaching on to the life jacket rather than thinking of building a whole new ship. Reuters
Beijing, November 23
Chinas internet regulator had said it will purge the evil influence of its former top official who the ruling Communist Party has put under investigation for suspected corruption.
The official, Lu Wei, was suspected of serious discipline breaches, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced on Tuesday.
Lu, a colourful and often brash official by Chinese standards, was at the height of his power seen as emblematic of Chinas increasingly pervasive internet controls.
The Communist Party referred to him as the first tiger taken down after a congress in October, when President Xi Jinping pledged that his anti-graft campaign would continue to target both tigers and flies, a reference to elite officials and ordinary bureaucrats.
Lus former agency, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), held a meeting on Wednesday in which it called its former chief a typical two-faced person who had seriously polluted its political environment.
Lu Wei cannot represent CACs image. He precisely undermined CACs image, the agency said in statement published late on Wednesday.
The CAC would draw profound lessons from Lus breaches and thoroughly purge Lus evil influence, it said.
The CCDI said in a separate commentary on its website on Thursday that the investigation of Lu was a potent sign that the party would not let up on its fight against wayward officials.
One must not think that no one will ask today about yesterdays crimes, the CCDI said.
It was nonsense to think the party would let bygones be bygones, it said.
Xi has waged war against deep-rooted corruption since taking office five years ago, punishing hundreds of thousands of officials.
Lu worked his way up though Chinas official Xinhua news agency before becoming head of propaganda in Beijing and then moving to internet work in 2013. He later became a deputy propaganda minister.
But his downfall, foreshadowed by his June 2016 replacement as head of the internet regulator and the loss of his other posts, is unlikely to signal a reversal of internet control policies, which have been tightened under his successor, Xu Lin.
The government has blocked sites it thinks could challenge party rule or threaten stability, including sites such as Facebook and Googles main search engine and Gmail service. Reuters.
Beirut, November 23
Prime Minister Saad Hariri told supporters here on Wednesday that he will remain in Lebanon and defend the nations stability.
Hours after suspending the resignation he announced on November 4 from the capital of Saudi Arabia, he spoke to a crowd of roughly 2,000 people gathered outside his residence in central Beirut.
I shall remain and continue with you, so we can be the line of defence for Lebanon, its stability and Arabism, Hariri said, according to Efe news agency.
The Prime Minister also thanked his supporters.
This is a moment of truth with you. This is a moment of history and geography, this is a moment of Saad Rafic Hariris heart ... who stands among you and for you, to summarize everything in one word: thank you, thank you and thank you! he said.
We have nothing more precious than our country. Our principle never changes and our motto remains: Lebanon First!, he concluded.
The speech from his balcony came hours after Hariri said he had accepted a request from President Michel Aoun to put his resignation on hold.
Hariri met with Aoun and parliament speaker Nabih Berri following the Independence Day military parade.
I offered my resignation to the president, who wished that I keep it pending to allow for further deliberations on its causes and background, Hariri said.
Hariri, a dual Lebanese-Saudi citizen, arrived back in Beirut late Tuesday after an extended absence, most of it spent in Riyadh.
The Lebanese government - from Aoun on down - refused to accept Hariris Nov. 4 resignation and demanded that he return to Beirut to explain his decision.
Amid suspicions that he was being held against his will in the Saudi capital, Hariri traveled to Paris last weekend and made brief stops Tuesday in Egypt and Cyprus before returning to Lebanon. IANS
Panama City, November 23
Latin America and the Caribbean is the most violent region in the world for women, the United Nations said today, highlighting Central America and Mexico as particularly dangerous.
In a report presented in Panama, UN Women and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) found assaults on women persisted in the region despite severe laws aimed at curbing the phenomenon.
The issue of violence against women in Latin America is critical. Its the most violent region in the world against women outside of conflict contexts, Eugenia Piza-Lopez, head of UNDPs gender mission in Latin America, told AFP.
The rate of sexual violence against women outside of relationships is the highest in the world in the region, and the second-highest for those who are in, or were in, a couple, the report stated.
Three of the 10 countries with the highest rates of rape of women and girls were in the Caribbean, it said.
Femicidethe killing of womenoccurred on a devastating scale in Central America, it said, explaining that two out three women murdered died because of their gender.
In some countries it has become a severe crisis. In the Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) and Mexico the problem of femicide and violence against women has reached epidemic levels, in many cases with links to organised crime, Piza-Lopez said.
Central Americas Northern Triangle is considered the most dangerous area in the world outside war zones, mainly because of rampant gangs and drug cartels.
The UN report noted that 24 of the 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have laws against domestic violence, but only nine of them have passed legislation that tackles a range of forms of other violence against women in public or private.
It also said that 16 of the countries had femicide on the books, and a few punished newer types of crimes, such as cybercrime, political violence, or acid attacks.
Despite those advances, though, the plague of violence continues to be a threat to human rights, public health and public safety, it said.
The UN recommended strengthening institutions and policies in the region, and allocating resources to empower women. It also advised that patriarchal cultural norms that maintain gender inequality needed to be addressed.
The report added one third of women worldwide have been a victim of violence in their relationship or of sexual violence by people outside their relationship. AFP.
Kuala Lumpur, November 23
Malaysian authorities have arrested a Uighur Muslim man from China who was part of a group who made a dramatic escape from an immigration detention centre in Thailand, police said on Thursday.
Asri Yusoff, police chief in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah, said the fugitive was picked up near the border with Thailand's Sadoa district, where the Thai immigration center is located.
"The detainee, in his 30s, entered Bukit Tangga near the Malaysia-Thai border on foot," he told AFP by phone.
"He is in good condition and we are making arrangements to send him back to Thailand," he added.
Local people tipped off police which led to the Uighur man's arrest, Asri said, adding that police have stepped up border surveillance and are distributing posters of the escapees to the public.
A group of 25 Uighurs used blankets to climb out of their cells in a daring pre-dawn escape from their cell in southern Thailand on Monday.
Five of them were arrested in Thailand on the same day and one more was detained yesterday, according to the Thai police.
The arrest of one escapee in Malaysia indicates that some of the group may have crossed into the country.
The groups were among hundreds of Uighurs, a Muslim minority that faces repression in western China, detained in 2014 in Thailand, sparking a tussle over their citizenship.
Uighurs intercepted in Thailand often say they are Turkish as Turkey shares ethnic links with them and accepts those who flee from China's restive Xinjiang region.
Thailand does not grant asylum to refugees but has said Uighurs can remain in Thai custody until their citizenship is established, with some 61 currently in detention across the country.
In 2015 Thailand forcibly deported 100 Uighurs to China. AFP.
London, November 23
A Pakistan-born man was on Thursday jailed for six years in the UK for preparing acts of terrorism after being arrested in an undercover police operation last year.
Mubashir Jamil had told an undercover police officer he wanted to wear a suicide vest and press the button, the Old Bailey court in London heard during his trial.
The 22-year-old was arrested in April last year, a few days before he planned to leave for Turkey, after messaging the officer on a mobile app in which he also revealed that he wanted to fight for the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group in Syria.
If you or some brother you know can put an explosive belt on me and tell me how to press, as soon as possible for security reasons, I can do something in the UK even tomorrow after I find a good target, he told the undercover officer using the name of Abu Hasan.
Jamil had denied the charge of preparing acts of terror and claimed that he was hearing voices and wanted to go to Syria to be exorcised of the jinns that were plaguing him.
The court was told that he had suffered bouts of mental illness and the judge ruled that a part of his six-year sentence will be served in a secure hospital.
Jamil, a warehouse worker for the online retailer Amazon, was a former A-grade student from Challney High School for Boys in Luton, near London.
He became obsessed with the idea of martyrdom after surfing the internet for execution videos and ISIS propaganda, his trial was told.
Jamil, who moved to the town of Luton from Pakistan with his family when he was two years old, had planned his trip to Turkey carefully and deliberately changed his appearance, shaving off his beard after reading ISIS guidance online about how to be a secret agent in a non-Muslim country.
Judge Peter Rook said his crime was only in part explained by his mental health disorder and described him as dangerous.
He handed Jamil a hybrid order, meaning he will continue to be treated in a secure hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to prison.
Jamil will also have to serve a further five years on extended licence, or under police monitoring, on his release.
The undercover officer who entrapped Jamil had posed as ISIS handler Abu Hasan to persuade Jamil to send him a copy of his passport, photographs of himself and even a copy of the boarding pass for a flight to Turkey leaving on April 30, 2016.
Jamil was caught red-handed chatting to Hasan online as counter-terrorism officers burst through his bedroom door in Luton on April 27.
It emerged in court that before becoming radicalised around April 2014, he had spent most of his free time at the home he shared with his mother, younger brother and younger sister, playing computer games or surfing the web.
His research became more sinister around November 2015, when he trawled the web for slick propaganda videos produced by ISIS.
In March 2016, he was sent an ISIS application form by someone using the handle abdullah9996 on Telegram, the encrypted messaging app used by the network.
The contact led him into the web of the undercover operation planned by the UKs counter-terrorism officers. PTI
United Nations, November 23
Widespread atrocities against Rohingya Muslim women and girls have been orchestrated and perpetrated by Myanmars military and may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict said on Thursday.
Pramila Patten, who met many Rohingya victims of sexual violence in Bangladesh camps during a visit this month, said she fully endorses the assessment by UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein that Rohingya have been victims of ethnic cleansing.
Patten said at a news conference that the widespread use of sexual violence was clearly a driver and push factor for more than 6,20,000 Rohingya to flee Myanmar. It was also a calculated tool of terror aimed at the extermination and removal of the Rohingya as a group, she added.
Myanmars government has denied committing any atrocities as has its military. The government refused a request from Patten to visit northern Rakhine state where many Rohingya lived.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar doesnt recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic group, insisting they are Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country. It has denied them citizenship, leaving them stateless.
The recent spasm of violence began when Rohingya insurgents launched a series of attacks on August 25. Myanmar security forces then began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages that the UN and human rights groups have called a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Patten said that during her visit to camps for the displaced, she heard the most heartbreaking, most shocking, and horrific accounts of abuses committed cold bloodedly with unparallelled hatred against the Rohingya community.
Patten, a former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, said sexual violence including gang rape by soldiers, forced public nudity and sexual slavery and it was clearly being used as a tool of dehumanisation and as a form of punishment.
She said a number of eyewitnesses reported rapes of the most extreme and brutal nature, which included the tying of women and girls to a rock or tree before being gang raped by multiple soldiers, and many were literally gang-raped to death.
Some girls who were raped in their houses were left to die when their houses were torched, she added.
Witnesses also said that even before August 25, Myanmar troops would throw Rohingya babies into fires or into village wells to contaminate the water and deprive residents of drinking water, Patten said. AP.
Washington, November 23
Top American counter-terrorism and South Asian experts have expressed outrage over the release of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who is also a UN-designated terrorist, with one of them asking to "rescind" Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO-ally (MNNA).
"Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally," Bruce Riedel, a top US expert on security, South Asia, and counter-terrorism told PTI.
"In a word, the release is an outrage," Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official and currently with the Council on Foreign Relations told PTI after Lahore High Court ordered that Saeed be set free.
"Before long we will read news reports of Hafiz Saeed leading more rallies with thousands of people," she said.
Saeed is a UN-sanctioned individual terrorist who leads a UN-sanctioned terrorist organisation, Ayres said alleging that Pakistan does not see fit to follow through on its obligations to uphold UN Security Council (UNSC) terrorist designations.
"Pakistan cannot credibly claim to be fighting terrorism while failing its most basic security obligation to UNSC designations," Ayres said.
Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former Ambassador to the US, attributed this to the mixed messaging coming from the Trump administration in the last few weeks.
US officials were trying to signal to Pakistan that if it takes action against Haqqani network, that could be seen as a positive move and "may thwart" tougher actions against Islamabad, as promised by President Donald Trump in his new South Asia policy, he said.
"In the process they (the US) may have inadvertently made the Pakistani think that the US only wants action against the Haqqani network and not against groups like LeT that are acting against India," he said.
"My fear is that mixed signals will lead to a situation in which Pakistan fails to take decisive action against Afghan-oriented and India oriented terrorist groups," Haqqani told PTI in response to a question.
The United States, a State Department official said, is aware of media reports regarding Pakistan's ordered release of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed from house arrest. In May 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.
Saeed was also individually designated by the United Nations under UNSCR 1267 (UN Security Council Resolution) in December 2008 following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. LeT and several of its front organisations, leaders, and operatives remain under both State Department and Treasury Department sanctions, the State Department noted.
"The United States reiterates its stance that LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens," a State Department Spokesperson told PTI. PTI
Mack LTF leads a Fruehauf insulated van at the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, Pa. Both vehicles were built in 1950. Glossy paint, chrome trim and whitewall tires make the old Mack look better than new. Photos: Tom Berg
Mack Trucks museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, houses more than Mack trucks. For instance, on a tour of the place last September, I found this 67-year-old tractor-trailer rig, and it was a wowzer (if thats a word).
The trailer's a 1950 Fruehauf insulated van with fluted stainless steel sides and nicely painted sills, undercarriage and running gear. Its maroon color matched the fenders and chassis on the tractor, a 50 Mack LFT conventional.
Both belonged to F. W. Kyes, a fleet that ran out of Summerhill, New York, and had been loaned to the museum by a descendant of the owning family. Both had been lovingly restored and, it appears, enhanced to better than new. The Fruehaufs sides had been shined to a mirror finish, though with some dents here and there, and everything else was spotless.
The tractor sported chrome trim that was certainly not original, but who knows, it might have been added along the way. I dont recall ever seeing fender-mounted auxiliary mirrors in the 50s, but then I didnt grow up in New York. And those whitewall tires will roll right over the proverbial top. Anyway, this rig looked show-stopping, and probably is when its parked at truck beauty shows. Its also photographer-stopping, as you can see.
Like most vans of the era, this one has a rounded nose. Though it might help lower wind resistance, the curved noses primary purpose was to allow sharp turns without bumping the tractors cab when two units were close-coupled.
Informational placards listed specifications of both vehicles. One says that the 32-foot insulated van has all the interior and floor required to make it a refrigerated trailer by adding a cooling unit. Do that and it might almost be usable today as a city delivery pup. Almost, because its antiquated air brakes wouldnt be compatible with a modern tractors system, unless of course you also used the old Mack to pull it.
The museum does have a lot of other Mack tractors and trucks on display, and theyre changed regularly. There are also long shelves of memorabilia and drawers of engineering drawings and corporate files. Theres enough to keep a visitor engaged for many hours, or many days if one were researching an article or book.
The museum's also got an original Mack bus, one of the companys first products, built for sight-seeing duties in New York City, close to Brooklyn where two brothers, Gus and Jack Mack, established the company in 1900. And, did you know that the firm was originally called International Motor Co.?
My visit was with a troupe of other reporters who were in Allentown for the introduction of Macks new Anthem model, which has been covered in TruckingInfo.com and HDT. If youre ever in A-town, the Mack Trucks Historical Museum, faithfully staffed by volunteers who are retired Mack employees, is worth a stop. So are other automotive museums in the area. Find em on line, and plan to spend at least a couple of days enjoying yourself.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks to a racous crowd at the launch of the new Semi Class 8 truck in California on Nov. 16, 2017. Photo: Jack Roberts
In Part I of this two-part series, I looked at what Tesla taught us about trucking's near-term future. But as remarkable as the Tesla Semi launch was, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the truck, the company, and the technology itself.
Orders for the new Semi are already hitting the books. But fleets lacking deep pockets and a thirst for experimentation are going to need some hard data on several key operating points before they can make a decision on giving Tesla trucks a try:
1. How will Tesla batteries perform in real-world trucking conditions?
Diesel trucks are unbelievably tough. And that toughness allows them to deliver goods consistently in a whole host of conditions many of them bad, such as wind, ice, rain, and snow. Which brings up several rather pertinent points: How will the Tesla truck perform in a headwind, for example? Or a crosswind? And what impact will extremely cold conditions have on the vehicles battery systems in terms of range and power output?
And how will performance degrade over time, as the batteries wear out and their charging capacity is gradually reduced? Will there be a system in place to quickly swap out batteries? And how much will new batteries for the truck cost?
2. When will that network of 'megachargers' be ready?
One important aspect of Teslas vision for a long(ish) range electric truck is the ready availability of high-speed charging stations that can give the truck an additional 400 miles of range in about 30 minutes. But those megachargers dont exist right now, and Tesla has given no indication as to how far along its high-speed charging capabilities are, or what its timeline for releasing truck-specific megachargers is.
3. What About Dealer Support?
Musk made a point during his presentation at the Semi launch to note that an electric truck has far fewer moving parts than one with an internal combustion engine and transmission. And he even got an enthusiastic round of applause when he announced that the Tesla Semi would be guaranteed for 1 million miles of service.
But, as any fleet executive or driver will tell you, trucks are marvelous at finding new and highly creative ways to break down usually in the most remote locations possible, at the worst possible time of the day or night.
What then?
Tesla is going to have to address its lack of a comprehensive dealer network, in one way or the other, in order to support its trucks. It might logically choose to partner with an existing service provider of some sort, or develop a proprietary network of its own. But more than one hard-charging truck builder has burst onto the North American market only to quickly drop out because its customers couldnt find parts or had no way to get repairs made in a timely fashion.
4. Whos going to train techs on Tesla?
Somebody is going to have to work on Tesla trucks at some point. Just who will that be, though?
Electric trucks may, in fact, be far simpler to maintain than diesel-powered ones. But these are still highly complex machines stuffed to the gills with cutting edge technology. Not to mention an electrical system that can fry a facilitys power grid along with a careless technician or two if theyre not handled properly.
Which means that in the absence of some sort of national dealer network, Tesla is going to have to offer fleets training so that they can maintain these trucks themselves. And while this is hardly a monumental undertaking for Tesla, it may prove to be absolutely vital for the successful launch of a viable commercial truck especially if a nationwide dealer network is not up and running when the first trucks hit the road.
5. Specs, specs, and more specs
In the days after attending the Tesla launch, my inbox blew up with friends and strangers alike in trucking asking me for details on a whole host of operational issues and details. People wanted to know torque numbers, tare weight, acquisition cost, baseline figures used to calculate operating costs and a host of other numbers they depend on daily to make decisions when specing and operating trucks.
Tesla has promised to make more detailed stats, specs and figures available later on as the truck nears production. But for now, many fleet executives feel they simply dont have the hard numbers they need to see to make any kind of a decision on buying and running a regional-haul Class 8 electric truck. Nor will they do so until they see those numbers.
It will be very interesting to see what the final, production version of the Tesla Semi looks like, and what kinds of operational numbers it posts as real-world operations begin.
Splashy launches and futuristic concepts aside, a production vehicle will reveal where the current meets the road, so to speak. Elon Musk believes he has a better way to move goods and make fleets money. Time will tell if he is correct.
Recommendations to improve and modernize Oklahomas higher education system are taking shape six months into an initiative launched to bring innovations and efficiencies to the status quo.
Dozens of education, business and community leaders are working in four subcommittees on what Chancellor Glen Johnson calls the first deep dive into higher education in three decades.
We hope to have a report ready right after the start of the legislative session in February, Johnson said during a legislative forum last week.
A frequent criticism of higher education is that is slow to change, said Chris Benge, the governors chief of staff.
A new report released today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, shows changes in the routes used by refugees and migrants to reach Europe during the third quarter of 2017.
Over the past months, the sea route to Greece has gained more traction, sea arrivals to Italy have reduced and we have seen migrants and refugees using increasingly diversified journeys to reach Europe, said Pascale Moreau, Director of UNHCRs Europe Bureau.
The number of crossings from Libya to Italy has dropped, with some 21,700 people arriving by sea to Italy between July and September, the lowest number for this period of the past four years.
According to the report, during the third quarter of the year, an increased proportion of those arriving in Italy had departed from Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria and the top three nationalities arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean routes were of Syrian, Moroccan and Nigerian nationality.
Greece has witnessed a rise in sea and land arrivals since the summer. In September, some 4,800 people reached its shores, the highest number in one month since March 2016. Some 80 per cent of sea arrivals to Greece were Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan nationals, out of which two thirds were women and children.
In parallel, Spain saw a 90 per cent increase of land and sea arrivals during the third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year. Most of these 7,700 arrivals were from Morocco, Cote dIvoire and Guinea, but land arrivals were mostly the fact of Syrian nationals.
The report also details crossings from Turkey to Romania via the Black Sea over the summer the first ones since February 2015 as well as a large increase in arrivals to Cyprus since the start of the year.
Despite the reduction of crossings via the Central Mediterranean route, thousands continue to attempt desperate and dangerous journeys to Europe, said Moreau. She noted with deep concern that as of 20 November close to 3,000 people are estimated to have died or gone missing at sea and another 57 known to have died along land routes in Europe or at Europes borders in 2017. The actual numbers are likely to be higher, she added.
The report also underlines the difficult situation of many women and girl victims of trafficking and of the more than 15,200 unaccompanied and separated children who have arrived in Europe so far this year.
It also shows that onward movements have continued over the past months as well as reports of push-backs from several countries. These practices should be investigated and eliminated, says the report.
UNHCR continues to call for greater access to safe and legal pathways, such as resettlement and family reunification, to Europe. It is also key to ensure that people can have access to asylum in European countries, noted Moreau. We are very thankful for the contributions made by States so far, however much more is needed to respond to UNHCRs call for 40,000 additional resettlement places requested last September for refugees located in 15 priority countries along the Central Mediterranean route, she added.
The full report is available here: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/60865
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Refugees and migrants arrive on the shores of the island of Lesbos in October 2015 after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
A new report released today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, shows changes in the routes used by refugees and migrants to reach Europe during the third quarter of 2017.
Over the past months, the sea route to Greece has gained more traction, sea arrivals to Italy have reduced and we have seen migrants and refugees using increasingly diversified journeys to reach Europe, said Pascale Moreau, Director of UNHCRs Europe Bureau.
The number of crossings from Libya to Italy has dropped, with some 21,700 people arriving by sea to Italy between July and September, the lowest number for this period of the past four years.
According to the report, during the third quarter of the year, an increased proportion of those arriving in Italy had departed from Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria and the top three nationalities arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean routes were of Syrian, Moroccan and Nigerian nationality.
Greece has witnessed a rise in sea and land arrivals since the summer. In September, some 4,800 people reached its shores, the highest number in one month since March 2016. Some 80 per cent of sea arrivals to Greece were Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan nationals, out of which two thirds were women and children.
In parallel, Spain saw a 90 per cent increase of land and sea arrivals during the third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year. Most of these 7,700 arrivals were from Morocco, Cote dIvoire and Guinea, but land arrivals were mostly the fact of Syrian nationals.
The report also details crossings from Turkey to Romania via the Black Sea over the summer the first ones since February 2015 as well as a large increase in arrivals to Cyprus since the start of the year.
Despite the reduction of crossings via the Central Mediterranean route, thousands continue to attempt desperate and dangerous journeys to Europe, said Moreau. She noted with deep concern that as of 20 November close to 3,000 people are estimated to have died or gone missing at sea and another 57 known to have died along land routes in Europe or at Europes borders in 2017. The actual numbers are likely to be higher, she added.
The report also underlines the difficult situation of many women and girl victims of trafficking and of the more than 15,200 unaccompanied and separated children who have arrived in Europe so far this year.
It also shows that onward movements have continued over the past months as well as reports of push-backs from several countries. These practices should be investigated and eliminated, says the report.
UNHCR continues to call for greater access to safe and legal pathways, such as resettlement and family reunification, to Europe. It is also key to ensure that people can have access to asylum in European countries, noted Moreau. We are very thankful for the contributions made by States so far, however much more is needed to respond to UNHCRs call for 40,000 additional resettlement places requested last September for refugees located in 15 priority countries along the Central Mediterranean route, she added.
Read the full report
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It is a special day in the canteen at the College Louis Pergaud in the Normandy town of Dozule. The room is brightly decorated and packed with more than 100 students finishing lunch.
The walls are covered with posters and information about Yemen, including its traditional food. There are illustrations and facts and figures about the rights of refugee women and girls and the procedures for reuniting families. The tables are decorated with cut-out signposts showing the distances to Iran, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The children turn and applaud as chef Saber Hajaj comes out of the kitchen. Saber, a refugee from Yemen, has prepared todays menu of chicken and rice seasoned with turmeric and Middle Eastern spices. For the children, these are new flavours.
When I cook dishes from Yemen here in France, I am also creating a bridge between the countries, says Saber. Doing this makes me especially happy.
France: Refugee chefs give schools a taste of something new (Kamilia Lahrichi, producer / Bela Szandelszky, camera-editor)
The event was part of the 2017 Refugee Food Festival, designed to allow refugee chefs to showcase their skills and share their culinary culture.
This is the first time the festival has come to schools in Normandy with the support of the French department of Calvados. The festival is a citizen-led initiative by a French NGO called Food, Sweet Food and was jointly organized along with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Over a week, three refugee chefs from Yemen, Syria and Iran cooked lunch for 1,500 students in four schools in Calvados.
I will tell my parent that I want to try to cook the same recipe at home.
The schoolchildren clear away their empty plates but keep the table mats, specially designed for the event, and fold them up to take them home. The mats show a map of Yemen and the distance from France, and give information on the definition of a refugee, how many refugees live in France and the reasons why they were forced to flee their homes.
I am taking the table mat because I want to show it to my parents, says Margot, one of the pupils. I will tell them that it was very, very good and that I want to try to cook the same recipe at home.
The event, taking place alongside the Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents, is part of a wider programme in the regions middle schools that includes presentations and conversations with refugees and UNHCR representatives, a virtual reality tour of Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan (entitled Clouds over Sidra), cooking lessons and a UNHCR photo exhibition called The Most Important Thing.
"When I cook dishes from Yemen here in France, I am also creating a bridge between the countries," says Chef Saber Hajaj from Yemen. Thierry Houyel
The Refugee Food Festival is part of a programme in schools that includes presentations and conversations with refugees and UNHCR representatives. Thierry Houyel
Lunch cooked by refugee chef Saber Hajaj gets the thumbs up from students at the College Louis Pergaud. Emmanuel Fossey
Students at the College Louis Pergaud view the UNHCR photo exhibition "The Most Important Thing". Thierry Houyel
A student experiences a virtual reality tour of Zaatari camp in Jordan entitled "Clouds over Sydra". Emmanuel Fossey
The initiative has been enthusiastically welcomed not only by the pupils but also by local politicians, education officials, teachers and, of course, the canteen staff.
Among the refugee participants who told their stories to the schoolchildren were Suzanna Kiliani and her husband, Nabil Attar. The two of them fled Syria with their two boys in 2015. One of their sons is now the same age as the pupils at the college.
Suzanna and Nabil believe it is important to talk to these French pupils about their experiences why they had to flee, how they came to France and how they have embarked on their new lives. They recall episodes from their life in Syria, such as childhood memories, their wedding day, their family and their careers before war broke out.
They also tell the story of leaving home, their first days in France and how they are trying to integrate.
"I had to leave everything behind so I decided to use my passion in my new life.
"The only thing they see or hear are news stories that do not give them the real picture, said Susanna. So, with my own experiences, I want to give them another story, which might be sad in some ways but in others is full of optimism.
Speaking to pupils at Charles Letot Middle School in the town of Bayeux a few days earlier, her husband Nabil said that, although their story was full of sadness, he wanted them to see that it was possible to start a new life. In Syria, he worked as a banker but his first job in France was washing cars.
And now today I am a chef because cooking is my passion and as I had to leave everything behind I decided to use my passion in my new life.
Such events and encounters create interest, curiosity and understanding among the pupils.
See also: Refugee Food Festival has European diners asking for more
I didn't know they had to do so many things during their journey and cross so many countries to get to France," says Lea, a middle school pupil.
Margot adds: It was really great it makes us want to get to know refugees.
Adopt common line, UN appeals to Syrian opposition
United Nations, Nov 23 (UNI) Syrian opposition groups meeting in Saudi Arabia should do all they can to unify ahead of a fresh round of United Nations-facilitated talks in Geneva, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has said.
The veteran negotiator was speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday at a meeting involving the principal opponents of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
After welcoming the wide spectrum of representation at the Saudi meeting, Mr de Mistura noted the very complicated environment in which it was taking place a reference to the crisis in Syria that has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions.
United Nations, Nov 23 (UNI) The military victory against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) is only one component of a complex battle that addresses the root causes of extremist ideology, the United Nations envoy for Iraq has said.
Daesh remains able and determined to continue devastating random attacks against the Iraqi civilian population, against civilians globally, Jan Kubis, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Daesh is down but not yet out even in Iraq, he stressed, adding that only by defeating its loathsome takfiri ideology, choking off its external support, and addressing the causes that prompted so many Iraqis to join or tolerate Daesh can this terrorist organisation finally be eliminated.
OPEC chatroom dead as Qatar crisis hurts Gulf oil cooperation
DUBAI/LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) OPEC's most powerful internal alliance, bringing together the oil producer group's Gulf members, is disintegrating fast.
As a six-month-old spat between Saudi Arabia and Qatar deepens, the organisation's Gulf ministers will have to scrap their tradition of meeting behind closed doors to agree policy before OPEC holds its twice-yearly talks, OPEC sources say.
"We used to have a WhatsApp group for all ministers and delegates from the Gulf. It used to be a very busy chatroom. Now it's dead," said a senior source in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Philippines president likely to return police to drugs war soon - spokesman
MANILA, Nov 23 (Reuters) There is a "strong likelihood" Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will lift a suspension on police from his war on drugs, his spokesman said on Thursday, a move likely to alarm activists who accuse police of committing murder under the guise of drug busts.
Amid international concern over the staggering death toll and several killings of youngsters, President Rodrigo Duterte last month suspended police anti-narcotics operations for a second time and put the country's undermanned drugs enforcement agency, PDEA, in charge.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reiterated Duterte's concern expressed last week that the drugs problem could intensify and gains might be lost with the Philippine National Police (PNP) sidelined.
Three Georgian military personnel wounded in Afghanistan
KABUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) Three Georgian military personnel serving with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan were lightly wounded when their vehicle was attacked near an airbase north of the capital Kabul, officials said.
None of their injuries was considered life-threatening, Resolute Support spokesman Capt. Tom Gresback said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
"During a recent patrol south of Bagram Airfield yesterday afternoon, three Georgian service members suffered minor injuries when a motorcycle-borne IED (improvised explosive device) was detonated next to their patrol," he said.
Tornado in Indonesia injures 35, damages hundreds of homes
JAKARTA, Nov 23 (Reuters) A tornado ripped through a densely populated area in Indonesia's East Java province on Thursday, injuring 35 people and damaging more than 600 homes, the head of the local disaster mitigation official said.
The tornado, with wind speeds of 70 km per hour (45 miles per hour), carved a path of destruction in the Sidoarjo area, lasting about five minutes, Dwidjo Prawito of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said by telephone.
A video posted on social media showed part of a roof being torn off a building as debris was hurled high into the air. Sidoarjo is south of Indonesia's second-biggest city of Surabaya.
Ukraine rebel leader says situation in Luhansk is attempted coup
MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) The presence of armed men in the streets of the capital of Ukraine's breakaway Luhansk region is an attempted coup by a fired local police chief, Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the self-styled "Luhansk People's Republic" (LNR), said on Wednesday.
Plotnitsky sacked Igor Kornet, the local interior minister, on Monday.
"How else can you call the situation when the person fired by court from his job is attempting to conduct some operations by force? This an attempt to seize power," Plotnitsky's website quoted him as saying during a meeting with reporters.
US calling Rohingya operation "ethnic cleansing" unhelpful-Russian envoy
YANGON, Nov 23 (Reuters) The US labelling of a Myanmar army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims as "ethnic cleansing" is unhelpful and could aggravate the situation, Russia's ambassador to the southeast Asian nation said on Thursday, criticising "excessive external intervention".
Rights groups have accused the military in mostly Buddhist Myanmar of carrying out mass rape and other atrocities during a ferocious military sweep launched in late August in retaliation for attacks by Rohingya Muslim militants in Rakhine State.
That drove 620,000 Rohingya refugees, many traumatised with gunshot wounds and burns, to flee to Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands who have sheltered there for years after previous spasms of violence in the former Burma.
The Southeast Asian transport market stands at $25 billion, while the payment market is estimated at $500 billion
Grab co-founder Hooi Ling Tan said that Grab will continue to explore the potential of new services in Vietnam, such as GrabFood and GrabShuttle. Most recently, JustGrab has been launched in Hanoi and Danang city, which combines both GrabTaxi and GrabCar in a single feature to provide faster e-hailing services.
In addition, Grab will expand its range of cashless payment offerings through GrabPay, which is slated to be launched in Vietnam next year. The ride-hailing firm is looking to get licences for GrabPay from the Vietnamese government.
In Southeast Asia, only 1.5 per cent of the local GDP in each country is spent on printing and recirculating cash. It costs money to collect all coins and paper bills to replace them. Also, it costs money for retailers to ensure that there is enough change for daily transactions. All of these problems can be solved by mobile wallet payments, according to Tan.
In fact, Grab has worked in collaboration with several banks in Vietnam, including Shinhan Bank, Techcombank, and Vietcombank. The banks aim to access Grabs customer database to promote credit card services. However, if Grabs electronic wallet system is green-lighted in early 2018, it will start aggressively implementing GrabPay in Vietnam.
GrabPay was launched in Singapore just a few weeks ago. We want Vietnam and Southeast Asia to have similar access to online payment technology, like customers in India and China, she said, noting that cash is the blood of the economy, so Grab will be careful to roll out this project to ensure healthy cash circulation.
The Vietnamese e-payment market is now home to around 20 companies, including MoMo, ZaloPay, and Samsungpay. GrabPays foray into Vietnam is projected to warm up the market that has huge potential but is still essentially untapped.
Grab has recently been under the spotlight for its tax payments in Vietnam. However, Tan stated that Grab has been locally registered and fully compliant with local tax policies since its launch in 2014.
The ride-hailing firm currently operates in five cities, providing four different types of services, including GrabTaxi, GrabCar, GrabBike, and GrabExpress. Grab is the first company to pilot e-hailing services in Vietnam.
HDBank's IPO is expected to take place sometime this month
According to Reuters, the IPO is expected to be conducted in November, however, HDBank has yet to disclose the official date.
Unlike other lenders in Vietnam, the bank does not seek a single strategic investor who would normally hold 15 per cent of the shares. Instead, it will court four overseas investors, offering less than 5 per cent of ownership to each. At present, numerous foreign investors from Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea expressed interest in becoming HDBanks foreign investors.
The pre-listing share sale is expected to raise $300 million for the bank, which counts Vietnams first female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao as its major shareholder.
After completing the auction, HDBank said that it would list on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange in early 2018.
HDBank reported bright business results. For the first nine months of 2017, HDBank reaped VND1.91 trillion ($84 million) in pre-tax profit, of which the parent bank earned VND1.7 trillion ($74.8 milion). This result, which is 1.5 times higher than the entire year of 2016, marked the banks highest achievement so far.
Assets under management reached VND174.5 trillion ($7.6 billion), a 26-per-cent increase from the same period last year. Bad debt takes up less than 1.14 per cent of all outstanding loans.
HDBanks return-on-assets ratio is 1.18 per cent, while returns-on-equity stood at 18 per cent as of the third quarter of 2017.
Stable apartment market
According to a report by Savills Vietnam, in the third quarter of 2017, the number of successful transactions involving the sale of apartments decreased by 17 per cent compared with the previous quarter, with some 5,660 apartments sold, even as selling prices also decreased in most segments.
However, experts predict that in the latter months of the year, especially at the time of the Lunar New Year, the real estate market will see more significant changes as customers often choose to buy a new house at this time to welcome the New Year, hoping for luck and fortune in their dream home.
Therefore, real estate transactions in all segments in the last months of the year see a significant increase against the beginning of the year. That is why the end of the year is always a time when investors race to launch their property products.
Many incentive programmes, such as lucky draws and gifting motorcycles, televisions, refrigerators, and even cars and overseas tours, are also introduced to attract the attention of customers.
Which project will "conquer" the customer?
When supply is abundant, homebuyers have more choices. Therefore, projects with reasonable prices, convenient location, full benefits, and attractive incentives receive special attention.
Regarding the high-end property market in Hanoi, especially in urban districts such as Thanh Xuan, attention is currently focused on a luxury apartment project recently introduced by TNR Goldseason, called 5 Seasons.
5 Seasons is a prominent high-end project in the heart of Thanh Xuan district
5 Seasons has a golden location right in the heart of Thanh Xuan district, ideally connected with many modern infrastructure facilities. In particular, 5 Seasons will enjoy a great advantage after the elevated railway system is put into operation in early 2018.
Traffic jams will be significantly reduced and the living conditions of the people in the area will become more convenient. Landlords can, therefore, take advantage of the opportunities to set higher rental prices in comparison with other places.
Nestled in the TNR Goldseason complex, 5 Seasons has inherited a vast green space, with 1,600 square metres of Manhattan Oak. The apartments at 5 Seasons are designed to get as much sunlight as possible.
With the desire to introduce the American lifestyle in Vietnam, the owner of 5 Seasons has set up a luxury hotel-standard system for the project. Besides this, future residents of 5 Seasons have the privilege of using nine utilities free for their lifetimetropical pools, gym and yoga, sauna and jacuzzi, and recreation room, as well as children's playroom, meeting room, seminar room, library, and modern reading room.
The spacious, airy tropical swimming pool at 5 Seasons
In addition, 5 Seasons offers its residents a series of 5-star services, such as reception, round-the-clock security services, free Wi-Fi in the lobby area, laundry, room clean-up, and business services.
Currently, an apartment with civil work under the 5 Seasons project is priced at $1.2 billion, while an apartment with complete interior furniture costs $1.6 billion. These prices are considered low for a project in the heart of Thanh Xuan district. Moreover, if a customer pays 100 per cent of the apartment value, he/she will receive a discount of up to 6.6 per cent on the purchase.
As revealed by the developer, the volume of transactions in phase one of 5 Seasons was higher than expected. Currently, the project is being constructed up till the eighth floor and is expected to welcome residents in March 2019.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin will host the summit with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani AFP/Alexei Druzhinin
Last week the "foreign agents law" was swiftly approved by the lower chamber of the legislature. It now needs President Vladimir Putin's signature to become law.
The move by the compliant parliament heavily dominated by Putin's loyalists comes after his threat this month that Russia would respond in kind to what he said were Washington's measures to restrict the freedom of speech of Russian media organisations operating on US soil.
Under the new legislation, US and other foreign media would have to present themselves as such on all paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of staffing and financing.
The Kremlin's council for human rights had recommended the Senate reject the bill, saying it was vaguely worded and difficult to reasonably enforce.
"Any foreign media could be labelled a foreign agent quite arbitrarily by the justice ministry of the Russian Federation," the council said in a statement Monday.
Russia's justice ministry said last week it had already contacted the US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to inform them they might have to start labelling themselves as "foreign agents".
RT television, which is funded by the Kremlin to give a Russian point of view on international affairs, confirmed this month it had registered as a foreign agent in the United States, meeting a deadline from the US Department of Justice.
Washington considers RT a propaganda arm of the Kremlin and told it to register its American operation under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which is aimed at lobbyists and lawyers representing foreign political interests.
General view of Mount Agung volcano from the Kubu sub-district in Karangasem Regency on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Nov 22, 2017. (Photo: AFP)
Mount Agung belched smoke as high as 700m above its summit late Tuesday afternoon, sparking an exodus from the settlements near the mountain.
Nearly 1,600 people died when Mt. Agung last erupted in 1963.
It stirred to life again in September, prompting about 140,000 people to leave the area. Many returned home after the volcano's activity waned, but thousands are now fleeing again.
Some 30,000 people remain displaced, officials said.
"There are 13 of us and we're afraid. Our neighbours have also fled," said Nyoman Sadi, a local resident who said she was leaving with her family.
Disaster officials have warned that fresh activity at Mt Agung could see it blow its top.
But the head of Indonesia's volcanology centre urged people to remain calm and said the mountain's alert level has not yet been raised.
"Yesterday there was smoke and steam as high as 700 metres, and last night there were tremors for quite a while - around three hours," Kasbani, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP on Wednesday.
"The mountain continues to spew smoke, but there hasn't been any big eruption so far."
Mt. Agung lies some 75km from Bali's tourist areas, which attract millions of tourists every year.
Flights have not been affected so far, but officials have estimated that concerns about an eruption over the past few months have cost the island at least US$110 million in lost tourism and productivity as many locals moved to shelters.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
In 2010, Mount Merapi on the island of Java - considered one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in the world - erupted after rumbling since 2006, killing more than 300 people and forcing 280,000 to flee.
Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island - which is currently at its highest alert level - has been active since 2013.
Uber is now the target of two state probes into its cover-up of a massive hack last year. ){Photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
Uber purportedly paid data thieves US$100,000 to destroy the swiped information - and remained quiet about the breach for a year.
That decision evidently came despite a promise by the firm to "adopt leading data security protection practices" in a settlement with New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman.
Schneiderman and his counterpart in Connecticut, George Jepsen, on Wednesday told AFP that Uber is the target of probes in their states over the hidden hack.
"None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over at the company in August, said Tuesday.
Two members of the Uber information security team who "led the response" that included not alerting users about the data breach were let go from the San Francisco-based company effective Tuesday, according to Khosrowshahi.
The Uber chief said he only recently learned that outsiders had broken into a cloud-based server used by the company for data and downloaded a "significant" amount of information.
Stolen files included names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers for riders, and the names and driver license information of some 600,000 drivers, according to Uber.
Uber paid the hackers US$100,000 to destroy the data, not telling riders or drivers whose information was at risk, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Co-founder and ousted chief Travis Kalanick was advised of the breach shortly after it was discovered, but it was not made public until Khosrowshahi learned of the incident, the source confirmed.
PROMISE TO PROTECT
In early 2016, Schneiderman announced a settlement with Uber stemming from an investigation into the company's handling and protection of riders' personal information.
The probe was prompted by word of a hack, and by reports that Uber executives were able to track the locations of riders in real-time using a tool known internally as "God View."
The settlement required Uber to better protect rider data, and pay US$20,000 for failing to tell drivers about the 2014 data breach in a timely manner.
Schneiderman's office determined that the earlier hack took advantage of access information posted by an Uber engineer at software development platform Github.
Computer security specialists interviewed by AFP said the recent breach apparently involved a similar slip with a password that was taken from Github and used to get into Uber data stored in the cloud at Amazon Web Services.
"The fact that attackers were able to compromise an Amazon Web Services account and not come away with credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other highly sensitive information could mean that Uber had controls in place to keep this kind of data very well-secured," said Covata vice president of security Mike Fleck.
"It's also possible that the attackers just didn't look very hard and Uber got lucky."
Hackers are known to take seemingly low-value information, such as email addresses, and build on them with what they can find or steal elsewhere to prey on victims, according to McAfee vice president of labs Vincent Weafer.
"On the hacker side, there is aggregation, tying disparate data sets together," Weafer said. "There is no such thing as benign information; we really have to take better care."
Law firm Keller Rohrback put out word on Wednesday that it is looking into the potential for a class action suit against Uber.
"By choosing not to disclose this massive data breach and attempting to mitigate the breach by paying the hackers to destroy the data, Uber has essentially rolled the dice with its customers' and drivers' personal identities," law firm partner Cari Campen Laufenberg said in a release.
State law in Uber's home state of California calls on companies to disclose big data breaches without unreasonable delay, meaning the handling of the hack could herald a rough stretch of road there.
The Taiwanese company is currently developing the $30 million Pacific Place, an office, apartment and retail block for lease on Ly Thuong Kiet street, in the capitals Hoan Kiem district. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2006.Instead of directly leasing to tenants and collecting monthly rental, Ever Fortune is selling long-term lease rights to individuals, both foreigners and Vietnamese, who can then act as sub-investors by leasing units at higher rental.This approach would help the company quickly recover investment capital while sub-investors, who find few opportunities in this saturated downtown area, can join the development and earn profits from sub-leasing units.Leasing rights for residential units at Pacific Place are being sold for $1,800 to $2,200 per square metre, for up to 40 years or the lifespan of the building. Office space will be rented at $23 to $25 a month, and sub-investors can enter three- to five-year agreements.Under Ever Fortunes calculations, a sub-investor who buys a two-bedroom apartment in Pacific Place can earn an annual return of 20 per cent compared to 4.8 per cent of bank interest rate if the unit is leased at $2,200 a month.But company general director Shu Hsin Hung said buyers could earn even greater returns since the actual monthly rental for such a unit in this prime location was higher than the rate the company had fixed.Sub-investors can also earn profits from buying long-term lease rights for the projects office and retail space.Both the developer and the investor enjoy a fruitful profit based on a very strong tenant market and can have a high expectation of the upward markets increment, Shu said.He added that this approach has been internationally popular and it will be especially more known in a capital of an 80-million population country. Through the practical reaction from the market, local but international-minded investors really know how to grasp the rare opportunity that they has never had before.Shu said for the past decades, this concept has been developed in various capitals all over the world and obviously, professional and international-minded investors have made huge profits from their investments.This method was recently employed by the Phu My Hung Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City, where the Khaisilk Corporation bought apartments and villas from the corporation to lease to expatriates.The Pacific Place would offer 191 luxury residential units of varying sizes. For a couple or family, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with floor areas ranging from 77 to 200sqm, would be available. A 46-sqm studio would meet the needs of business travellers who frequent Hanoi but prefer not to stay in a hotel.Pacific Place would also provide a convenient community for expatriates, with its modern luxurious facilities including a swimming pool, babysitting services, fully-equipped gynasium, restaurants, boutique outlets and massage and beauty parlours.An office area with 18,000sqm of rental space would stand alongside the apartment block, offering 1,200sqm per floor for clients in need of large office spaces.The building would offer a solution to parking to Hanois congested downtown area with plots reserved for up to 400 cars. These will be sold for long-term lease rights.The Pacific Place project was originally licensed in 1994 as a five-star hotel to a joint venture between Ever Fortune Industrial of Taiwan and two Vietnamese companies. It was delayed for various reasons until the foreign company bought out the local partners a few years ago.
Paul Manaforts flight records show he took frequent trips to Ukraine and Russia. Manafort is President Donald Trumps former campaign manager.
Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to President Donald Trump, was supposed to sell his $1 million to $5 million stake in the company Cambridge Analytica while he served in the administration as part of his ethics agreement but its unclear whether he sold the stake.
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Last week, after stopping an attack on E Corps New York storage facility, Elliot witnessed on television that the Dark Army has blown up 71 storage facilities across the country. Thousands are dead. The world has been shaken to its core. Everyone, including those in the Dark Armys orbit, will struggle to pick up the pieces and figure out whats going on and how to stop it.
eps3.6_frederick&tanya.chk covers the fallout from last weeks shocking conclusion. While these episodes of Mr. Robot are oftentimes mere plot-delivery systems, carrying the unfortunate burden of tying narrative threads together and establishing the next part of the macro story, this one is decidedly different. Written by Adam Penn, eps3.6_frederick&tanya.chk stews in the depressive atmosphere created by the Dark Army. It captures brief glimpses of shock and despair, people lashing out or receding inward after experiencing a trauma. When it does tie up loose ends, in the form of two beloved returning characters, its given the proper emotional weight. Mr. Robot emphasizes that these are unique, distressing times, and theres no guarantee that the good guys will ever win again.
Elliot, burdened by the guilt of inadvertently contributing to the attack, makes a beeline to Kristas house to confess his sins. Unfortunately, Mr. Robot takes over his mind when Elliot cant articulate the horrors for which hes responsible. Krista honestly tries to communicate with Mr. Robot, but hes already too far gone on a fiery rant. See, his revolution has been coopted by the Dark Army, which only wants to manipulate the people to line their pockets. Theyre string pullers, he says, who plan to use Tyrell Wellick like a pawn so that they can pin the attack on Elliot.
These sound like delusions of grandeur, Krista calmly replies. Shes not technically correct, but shes not exactly wrong, either. Sure, fsocietys Five-Nine hack was designed to return the power to the people, and yes, their cyberterrorism never targeted innocents. But the hack leveled society so much that it became vulnerable to larger, more dangerous fanatical attacks. Elliot clearly understands the implications of his actions, but Mr. Robot is still deep in denial.
Its only when Irving takes Mr. Robot for a joyride to a wealthy rooftop party that he finally sees how his revolution was doomed from the start. Irving points out that the only reason he was allowed to act at all is because rich people in power gave him permission. The wealthy will always have parties, even while thousands across the nation lie dead, because these things never affect them. Nothing ever quite changes. Face it, no matter how hard you try, thats always the end result, Irving says with a shrug.
Others characters are stuck languishing in homes and in jail cells. Santiago informs Tyrell about his dead wife and orphaned child. He tells him that if he reveals Santiagos involvement in the Dark Army that hell make sure his son becomes a statistic. Tyrell, following Irvings instructions from last week, will likely be set free after his lawyer finagled immunity for the location of those responsible, but he still lives with the pain knowing that hes partly responsible for his familys demise.
Meanwhile, Angela has entered a state of shock. She lifelessly stares at the disaster footage on television, often rewinding scenes of destruction to prove that the victims are no longer dead. Angela was a pawn through and through, used and controlled by Whiterose to ultimately further her own self-interest. Elliot and Darlenes protests were ultimately too late, and now Angela suffers from the guilt that travels like a virus.
But the weeks main tragic story involves Trenton and Mobley, two of the core fsociety members who booked it to the West Coast after feeling the heat from the FBI around the corner. The last we heard from them was at the very end of season two, when they discussed the possibility of undoing the hack and the damage they caused, only for Leon to arrive at their feet asking the time.
It turns out that Leon took Trenton and Mobley hostage and killed Mobleys roommate. Leon, a mere Dark Army chaperone, takes them to the middle of the desert to bury Mobleys roommate, but the whole time theyre worried that theyre about to be taken out. The two try to worm their way out of Leons grasp to no avail Trenton frees herself from her shackles and tries to drive away with Leons Cadillac, but, since she doesnt know how to drive, she immediately crashes. But Leon isnt there to murder them. Hes just there to supervise and get them out of their house while the Dark Army stages something more sinister.
Trenton and Mobley might be former fsociety members, but they were also the first ones to balk at Darlenes murder of Susan Jacobs. They realized long before Elliot, Darlene, Cisco, and the others that they were a part of something too large that will ultimately consume them. Theyre people who got involved for ostensibly the right reasons and realized a little too late that the whole thing was more rotten than they realized.
But they were still doomed from the start because anyone Mr. Robot touches inevitably meets a tragic end. As soon as we learn that Tyrell pinned the attack on Trenton and Mobley, it was only a matter of time before they were killed. Leon returns them to the Dark Army where Whiteroses second-in-command takes them to the garage in order to stage their suicides. He plants false information about a second attack at their feet and shoots them both in the head. The FBI arrives too late to save them.
In almost any other circumstance, it would be cheap for a show to bring back two old characters just to murder them, but Sunita Mani and Azhar Khans performances, along with Penns script, more than justify their roles in this episode. Its genuinely heartbreaking to watch Trenton and Mobley slowly realize theyre about to be killed and beg for their lives. Its painful to realize that theyre mere collateral damage for an organization thats on a roll with no end in sight.
The worst part is that its all just a pissing match between Whiterose and Phillip Price. Donning her Zhang persona, Whiterose calmly explains to Price at Mar-a-Lago that she was furious that he couldnt control Angela Moss or her lawsuit against her chemical plant. She installed him into power precisely so he could further her interests, not stymie them. All the chaos and destruction and death was because she simply wanted to teach Price a lesson. Youre actually gonna get away with this, Dom sadly remarks to herself as she pins Whiteroses name on the FBIs board. It looks like shes right.
Orphan Code
I assume that the post-credits scene at the end of season two took place just before the terrorist attack because otherwise the timeline is a little fuzzy.
A small thing, but Mr. Robot is at its worst when it tries to incorporate pop references into dialogue. Exhibit A: Mobleys rant featuring rapid-fire nods to Sam Kinison, The Shining, and Christian Bales hot-mic tirade.
What are the odds that Santiagos ailing mother will be used as leverage in the next few weeks?
Music Corner: The Knight Rider theme song plays over the opening credits. Gang Starrs Moment of Truth plays as Leon takes Trenton and Mobley to the desert. Robert Plants In the Mood, featuring drum work by Phil Collins, scores the scene when Mr. Robot confronts Irving in the body shop.
DeWanda Wise as Nola Darling. Photo: David Lee/Netflix
The title of Spike Lees Shes Gotta Have It now requires a parenthetical: (the movie) or (the Netflix series). The former came out in 1986, the latter debuts Thursday. Whats fascinating about both versions is how loose and playful they are. The original, an 86-minute sex comedy about a free-spirited painter named Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) who refuses to let men define her, was Lees debut feature and his pop culture breakthrough. At the time, a number of white critics condescendingly described him as a black Woody Allen, presumably because both filmmakers were skinny and wore glasses and made movies in New York; but there were few other defensible points of comparison, and Woody Allen damn sure never mock-begged the audience to buy tickets to his work, as Lee did in a hilarious trailer that found him standing on a corner selling tube socks, three fi-dollars. The movie had a patched-together quality characteristic of many notable American indies from that period, but it compensated with a fresh style and an unprecedented Afrocentric view of middle-class black life.
Lee and his then- (and still best) cinematographer Ernest Dickerson shot Fort Greene as if it were the hippest, most beautiful place on earth, filled the screen with fresh faces, gorgeous bodies, and striking camera angles (including direct address), and stocked the soundtrack with a mixtape of then-current hip hop, rhythm and blues, and original jazz compositions by his father, composer and pianist Bill Lee. The movies sexual politics didnt hold up under scrutiny more on that in a moment but this seemed like less of a deal breaker when measured against Lees audacity, talent, and relentless determination to make Afrocentric movies set in the real world, on his own unique terms. As Lees longtime champion Roger Ebert observed, Shes Gotta Have It was a rare feature about black folks that showed them relating, first and foremost, to one another, without mediating their existence to protect the sensibilities of a hypothetical white audience.
The Netflix version wont have the same cultural impact, and how could it? Over three decades, Lee inspired countless filmmakers, both visually and in terms of professional philosophy, who are now feature directors or showrunners themselves. This series cant help but feel like a latecomer to a genre that Lees first movie refined and made popular one thats now exemplified less by feature films than by web series and shows that started out as web series, like High Maintenance and Insecure. But its fun to see Lee, who is almost 60, goofing around and trying out new things as if hed time warped back to the moment he graduated from film school.
DeWanda Wise plays Nola, our guide and narrator through modern Fort Greene, a less funky, more gentrified place whose rising property values are the subject of much discussion. (Though hed doubtless be horrified to read this, Lees debut might have unthinkingly jump-started gentrification in that neighborhood; a lot of the white homeowners who bought property there in the 90s and aughts were in high school and college when Shes Gotta Have It came out.) Cleo Anthony plays Greer Childs, a preening playboy so cheesy that animated wedges of gruyere should trail him through the frame. Hes mostly a body to Nola, though his apartment is gorgeous, with lots of open space and striking, large-sized photographs, and a stereo system blasting Miles Davis. Anthony Ramos is Mars Blackmon, a motor-mouthed clown of a bike messenger played by Lee in the original movie; Nola likes Mars because hes unpretentious and makes her laugh, though she gets annoyed when he waxes rhapsodic about her apartment (this show is real-estate porn) and immediately asks if he can move in. Lyriq Bent is Jamie Overstreet, the buppie who presents himself as a thoughtful, sensitive, responsible man but has a controlling streak. Here, as in the movie, its not immediately apparent what Nola sees in Jamie, a character who seems to represent the monogamous, woman-as-possession scenario thats anathema to her. Or maybe on some level it isnt.
In the pilot, written and directed by Lee, the quadrangle of Nola and her lovers plays out more or less as it did in the original film, but with full color and more acrobatic sex scenes replacing Dickersons softcore splash panels of bare backs and breasts and climax-faces. But things detour pretty quickly after that, in ways that detractors of the movie might appreciate. Lees debut was criticized even at the time for reveling a bit too obviously in Nolas sexual availability, in a way that objectified a woman who said she did not want to be objectified; and the rape-as-punishment scene that drove Nola away from one of her lovers, then back into his arms, felt like a repudiation of everything the movie professed to stand for. Lee has been contrite about all this, and belatedly makes amends here by entrusting most of the episode teleplays to women writers (including Radha Blank, Eisa Davis, Lees sister Joie Lee, and playwright Lynn Nottage) and replacing the rape with an incident of street assault that becomes defiant fuel for Nolas art.
More so than a lot of Lee films, and this is saying a lot, Shes Gotta Have It is a hangout movie, built mostly around scenes of people talking in apartments, coffee shops, and on the street. Sometimes the conversations are germane to the plot and sometimes they refer to the culture at large, to American history or race relations or economics, or to the relationship between the series and the people watching it on their TV or laptop or phone (Lees fondness for theatrically florid, straight-in-the-camera monologues could be jarring on a big screen in the age of film, but it feels natural in the era of selfies). The series changes tone and genre so often that its hard to keep track of all the different iterations that it passes through as you watch it. Theres an explosion, and I mean literal explosion, of scatalogical humor a few episodes in that might give even the Farrelly brothers pause.
For the most part, Netflixs Shes Gotta Have It finds Lee operating in an entranced, scattered, digressive mode reminiscent of a mid-period work like Girl 6 or Bamboozled, or one of those long scenes in Jungle Fever where the story, such as it is, grinds to a halt so that the characters can discuss social or political issues. or so that Lee can properly worship a bit of architecture or a man or womans body, or let a song that he likes finish playing.
There are images, scenes, and devices in this show that Ive never seen before, including a type of edit that Im going to dub a hypertext cut, where Lee essentially pauses to answer an extra-dramatic question that might have arisen in your mind as you watched (for instance, whenever an original song ends, Lee cuts to a closeup of the album cover!). Thats impressive enough on its own that it overcomes some very circa-1986 Spike Lee declamatory line readings, many clumsy bits of exposition, and a strain of self-congratulation in the form of shoehorned-in references to other Spike Lee joints. Some of these are clever, like a painted Da Mayor sign on a stoop that harkens back to Ossie Davis role in Do the Right Thing. Others are squirm-inducing, notably a long discussion of the injustice of Al Pacino beating Denzel Washington for the best actor Oscar in the year of Lees Malcolm X. This kind of thing would be less irksome if there were, say, 80 percent less of it. But its also fascinating, in a back-asswards way, because it shows that Lee is as influenced as ever by Jean-Luc Godard, the French New Wave standard bearer who had a Brechtian and self-referential tendency from the start of his career and started turning subtext into text (sometimes actual text) more often as he got older.
I have no idea if Im enticing you to watch the show or actively driving you away from it, but thats Spike Lee for you: He does his thing, and you can take it or leave it, and its the take-it-or-leave-it attitude that inclines me to take it.
The Clay Pot
416 Franklin Ave.
254-756-2721
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays
Price: $-$$
Takeout: Yes.
Alcohol: BYOB, but beer and wine permit applied for.
On the menu: Vietnamese cuisine, including pho and bun nuoc (Vietnamese soups), clay pot dishes, noodle dishes, spring rolls. Beverages include bubble tea and Vietnamese coffee
Good to know: The Clay Pots new location has a spring roll bar and an outdoor patio complete with fountain.
Restaurant origin: Owners Thanh Le and Phong Le relocated their restaurant from its longtime Interstate 35 location near Baylor University to downtown, opening in October with a grand opening on Nov. 6.
Brown House Cafe
9110 Jordan Lane, Woodway
254-235-1251
On Facebook
Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays. Breakfast menu served 8-11 a.m., full menu after 11 a.m.
Price: $-$$
Takeout: Yes.
Alcohol: No. BYOB.
On the menu: Steaks, seafood, soups, sandwiches, salads. Desserts made fresh daily.
Good to know: Family home recipes used for many menu items, including chicken-fried steak, a customer favorite, and pies. Grilled salmon and catfish popular items on Fridays as is handmade chicken salad.
Restaurant origin: Owners Danny and Laurie Brown, who started with a cafe in McGregor in 2015, opened their Woodway location in July 2017.
Hecho En Waco
300 S. Sixth St., Suite B
254-732-0147
On Facebook
Hours: 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. daily.
Price: $$ (see below)
Takeout: Yes
Alcohol: Yes. Full bar available.
On the menu: Regional Mexican cuisine including enchiladas, carnitas, fajitas, quesadillas and moles.
Good to know: Dishes prepared with an eye to healthy eating with more vegetables, less fat. Specialty margaritas featuring cucumber, jalapenos, pineapple or avocado.
Restaurant origin: Owners Lupita and Pedro Leon opened their restaurant on Sept. 9.
Butter My Biscuit
1427 S. Valley Mills Drive (inside Kings Landing Games)
254-752-2333
On Facebook and Instagram
Hours: Full menu available 4-9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Saturdays; partial menu served during Kings Landing hours, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays.
Price: $ (see below)
Takeout: Yes. Curbside pick- up, catering also available.
Alcohol: Craft beer on tap with domestics, wine.
On the menu: Scratch-made biscuits with meal toppings or sandwich fillings, baked potatoes, soups, salads. 18 different add-ons for biscuits and potatoes.
Good to know: Buttermilk and Texas jalapeno biscuits served daily with other flavors including garlic parmesan, Guinness Irish tenor and sweet biscuits. Bacon pimento tomato sandwich on biscuit or sourdough bread is a customer favorite as are Saturday morning breakfast specials.
Restaurant origin: Owner and head chef Lee Bankston opened Butter My Biscuit in December 2016.
At first, Disney-Pixars latest, Coco, sounds a lot like the 2014 Fox film The Book of Life.
Both are animated features steeped in the aesthetics and customs of Day of the Dead: the Mexican tradition of creating elaborate altars, painted skulls and paths of marigolds to welcome the spirits of dead loved ones for a temporary visit to the world of the living. And both films focus on a young boy who follows his musical dreams at the risk of disappointing his family.
So it seemed like familiar territory, which made it all the more unexpected to find myself transported into a fabulously colorful, slightly psychedelic and entirely magical world where I was so wrapped up in the story about families connecting across generations that the tears on my cheek took me by surprise.
Pixar has always had a knack for tugging at the heartstrings of grown-ups while delighting younger viewers with good-natured characters and eye-popping visuals. Those elements are also at work here, but not since Up has an animated film delved so deeply into the web of relationships woven on the way to old age, nor has Pixar ever looked so closely at a specific cultural tradition.
The result is a rich experience for any audience: a story of family and culture, death and transcendence, all set to vibrant Latin music including a new song by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen) and awash in the brilliant colors and dazzling designs the imaginative talents at Disney and Pixar are known for.
Coco centers on Miguel (newcomer Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old with the heart of a musician born into a family of shoemakers whove banned music for generations. His great-great-grandfather was a guitarist who left his great-great-grandmother alone to raise their young daughter, Coco, and the Riveras forbade all music after that.
By the time Miguel comes along, Coco is the elderly matriarch of the family: a kind-faced collection of wrinkles who sits quietly in her room all day. Miguel feels disconnected from his family history and resentful that it would prevent him from being like his idol: Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), Mexicos most beloved musician.
As Miguels family prepares for the Dia de Muertos holiday, stacking a colorful altar with food, flowers and family photos, he defiantly takes off in pursuit of music, hoping to compete in a neighborhood showcase that would confirm his talents. But his attempts to procure a guitar accidentally lead him across the golden bridge into the realm of the dead.
In this otherworldly place, Miguel uncovers a mystery, connects with a quirky guy named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), and meets generations of relatives hes only known through old photos. He encounters magical alebrijes, fantastical spirit animals that help guide the lost. And he realizes that his musical dream could be more meaningful than he thought especially for Mama Coco but hell need his familys support to return to the land of the living.
With Coco (which is a bit of a misnomer, since its really Miguels journey), director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and screenwriter/co-director Adrian Molina have crafted a timeless and beautiful tale thats classically Pixar: playful, inventive and profound. Its a universal story of love and belonging set in a kaleidoscopic world of brilliant apparitions and lively, well-dressed skeletons.
The animation is exceptional: Realistic elements, like Mama Cocos gnarled, arthritic hands, look absolutely lifelike, while the spirit world is populated by buildings and bodies that defy gravity.
Like the multicolored, flying tiger-dragon that swoops through Miguels adventure into the land of spirits, Coco is a thrilling and joyous vision, a celebration of life and the loving tradition of the Day of the Dead.
When Hurricane Harvey hit in August, students and staff at University High School immediately started looking for ways to help people hit by the massive storm. But they wanted to be sure to address specific needs that could get tangible results, business teacher Lori Romero said.
When Romero told her students about a new deaf education teacher who had come to the district after being displaced by the storm, left homeless in Houston and separated from his wife, they knew where their help was needed, she said.
In an ongoing effort, University High students and staff have raised more than $1,500 through various fundraising efforts to help Victor Vodounou get back on his feet and eventually find a more permanent home in Waco.
But Vodounou needs about $5,000 for deposits and utilities and has been relying on spare beds and sofas of fellow employees since he started Sept. 25, he said through an interpreter. Hurricane Harvey struck the coast about a month prior, dropping more than 50 inches of rain in some areas.
Vodounou has been working with NeighborWorks Waco, a nonprofit that helps with affordable housing, to find the right place. He is spending his Thanksgiving as he has spent much of his time in Waco: relying on the kindness of others, he said.
He comes to work smiling, happy and with a pep in his step every day, Romero said. To go through something that traumatic and literally still be homeless, his family is homeless, and still have so much joy is a true testament to his own personal character. I cant say I would be able to do it either.
Romero only learned about Vodounous story after she scribbled out questions for him to answer a few weeks ago, she said. What he wrote back left her crying at her desk in front of her students, she said.
We were in the living room, and the water started rising, Vodounou signed, with interpreter Jamie Kenny translating to spoken English. It came up, higher and higher and I was like, We need to go, we need to get out. The water came up to about my hips in a matter of about 10 minutes, and it was too little too late to save anything.
Vodounou and his wife didnt heed the warning from family and friends. The couple and their daughter and son thought they would be safe because they were living on the first floor of an apartment complex in a part of Houston not expected to flood, he said.
Instead, they were lucky to escape with their lives when they made the choice to go up to the second story and wait to be rescued. But the couple lost their furniture, four cars, paperwork, clothes, appliances, basically everything, Vodounou said.
Once they were saved, he and his wife moved into a shelter at a Houston church.
Before the hurricane, he and his wife did mission work, he said. But when he learned financial help from FEMA would be limited because they were living in an apartment, and insurance would only cover part of their losses, he knew they had to find a better way to provide for their family, Vodounou said.
Luckily, insurance helped cover the damage to a couple of the cars, and the shelter organizers were letting them stay as long they helped pay for some of the amenities. But the shelter was going to start charging rent, and they needed to figure out what to do next.
So he and his wife started looking for school districts that had openings for deaf education instructors, he said. His wife found a substitute position working with deaf children in Houston, but when Waco Independent School District offered him a job, he jumped at the chance, Vodounou said.
He has been traveling to and from Houston every weekend to visit his family in the shelter since accepting the offer, he said.
Its just been a great surprise, Vodounou said. My first day here, I met with some of the interpreters and we introduced ourselves, let them know about our situation. The people here are just very welcoming and very helpful.
Vodounous story was shared through a schoolwide video broadcast and fliers, Romero said. Students, including senior Ana Balderas, helped gather money during lunchtime, sold T-shirts and organized a pie throw to support Vodounou, Romero said. Romero helped coordinate the effort, including launching a GoFundMe account for anyone who might want to donate outside of school, she said.
I just really wanted to help him, because I felt we do stuff here all the time to help others, Balderas said. In AVID, we did a fundraiser for the mom of one of the teachers. She wanted to buy a microwave, out of all the things she could have wanted, she wanted a microwave. I was like, Well, if were doing that for her, we could probably do something else together for this other man who also lost everything.
The fundraising efforts will continue at least through Thanksgiving break, Romero said. The timeline just depends on how much donors contribute, she said. She is hoping more people will step up to help as more people hear Vodounous story.
We have a little saying, UHS has heart, and thats how we showed we have heart and we really do care about our faculty and we do care about our staff and our student body, Romero said.
Billy "Bill" Jay Osburn, 81, of Waco, passed away on Tuesday, November 21, 2017. Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Saturday, November 25, at Pecan Grove Funeral Home, 3124 Robinson Dr., with the Rev. Jerry Freedman officiating. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, November 24, at the funeral home.
Bill was born January 30, 1936, to J.B. and Ollie Kate Osburn, in Waco, Texas. He married Pat Blackwell on September of 1974. Bill loved racing of all types. He started racing in 1962 at the HOT Speedway, and was inducted in the HOT Speedway Wall of Fame in 2013. Bill worked as a sheet metal worker for 50 years, retiring from Stewart Stainless. He enjoyed spending time with his family, whether sitting outside at their lake house in Mexia, Texas, or going to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren's sporting events. He and Pat were long-time members of Bethel Methodist Church in Robinson, Texas.Bill was preceded in death by his parents; son, James Michael Osburn; and sister, Jean Osburn.
Editor:
Today, a common trend in the United States is cohabitation, because it is often believed to be the equivalent of marriage.
According to an article written by Renee Stepler on the Pew Research Centers website on April 6, As marriage rates have fallen; the number of U.S. adults in cohabiting relationships has continued to climb, reaching about 18 million in 2016. This is up 29 percent since 2007.
This could be occurring for a variety of reasons. A very prominent reason is the financial aspect. For instance, say two individuals are dating but living in separate apartments while each paying $800 a month for rent. They move in together, with no intent to marry in the near future in order to save a substantial amount of money.
Another reason cohabitation is rising is due to age. Some people, especially younger adults, feel they need to live together awhile in order to determine whether or not marriage is an option. Other, particularly older adults, feel it is too late in life to marry or remarry, so they tend to cohabitate.
Although cohabitation may seem right to some people, I believe a strong marriage is very important and its tradition should be preserved. Marriage serves as an important building block for daily life by teaching citizens the significant values of commitment and dedication. Studies have shown that unmarried couples tend to leave each other more often than married couples because they dont have to go through a drawn-out divorce.
Marriage also creates a strong bond between two individuals or families which promotes a happier life because they have an obligation that is supposed to restrict them from being unfaithful.
In my personal opinion, marriage is crucial to implement certain morals and values in our society.
Ashley Carroll,
Ashland
Editor:
President Donald Trump ordered an end to the DACA program in September, urging Congress to pass a replacement before he begins to end its protection within six months. According to New York Times, Donald Trump has called for a crackdown on illegal immigrants, saying they compete directly against vulnerable American workers. He promised to cut back on legal immigration with new controls he says would boost wages and ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood program. It keeps illegal immigrant children protected from deportation if they came to the United States when they were under the age of 16. Thousands of DACA recipients will be losing protection from deportation in a few months. DACA has helped 800,000 young people who came to the United States as children to live, work and study without the fear of deportation.
Losing DACA comes with consequences. Without DACA, immigrants will be deported. When DACA expires, people will lose their work and authorization and could be forced to become unemployed.
People came to America to improve their lives. Trump says that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans. In the long run, immigrants are increasing employment in our country. Two economists from the University of Virginia in a 2015 study stated that for each new immigrant 1.2 jobs were created and most of those jobs went to native-born Americans. According to Francine D. Blau from Cornell University stated in a 550-page report about the effects of immigration on the economy that there was little to no negative effects on overall wages and employment of native-born workers in the longer term. This is because new immigrant workers and consumers spur the expansion of businesses, which actually creates new jobs.
It is important that Congress keeps DACA because it benefits Americas employment rates.
Charity Maguire,
Greenwood
Editor:
Farming is an important part of our community. Agricultural production contributes more than $25 billion to our economy in Nebraska. But what many people do not truly understand is the high property taxes that come with owning ag land.
As the demand for ag land has increased, the land value has increased dramatically. According to the Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska ag land value has increased by 252 percent over the last decade. The price of farm machinery is going up even though the prices of crops are going down. This is bad because these farmers are not making the money they need to stay in business.
I think the increases in property tax assessment can be ridiculous at times. Gov. Pete Ricketts is trying to get people to support the bill Nebraska Taxpayer Reform Act (LB 461). If this bill is enacted into law, it will cap the rate at which property assessment will grow. Property assessments will not be able to exceed 3.5 percent a year. If this bill would have been in effect 10 years ago, farmers in Nebraska would have received $147 million in property tax relief.
By lowering these taxes, we are helping farmers by getting them more money to spend in their local community, causing those businesses to grow and creating more jobs. This is important for our families and the growth of our small communities. Please support LB 461.
McKenna Sobota,
Greenwood
ASHLAND Developers are applying for a $500,000 grant and tax credits to build affordable housing on the north side of Ashland.
Rob Woodling and Thomas Judds of Ashland Affordable Housing Partners held a public hearing Friday at the Ashland Public Library to gather testimony on the project.
Woodling said they are applying for a HOME Funds grant from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) and the state Department of Economic Development to build 12 four-bedroom units at 24th and Euclid streets.
The 1,622 square-foot, two-story units would be built in three four-plexes. They plan to have two and one-half baths and at least a one-car garage.
Rent for nine of the units would be $625 per month. Renters have to meet income qualifications, Woodling said. A family of four with income below $45,660 would qualify, Woodling said. The amount is 60 percent of the median income of Saunders County, he explained.
Rent would increase two percent per year on average and renters would have to recertify each year, he added.
The target audience is a two-parent household with one stay-at-home parent or a single-parent household, according to Woodling.
Thats our typical demographic, he said.
The other three units will rent at the market rate of $800. Judds said they may consider building some units with two garages.
While this housing is meant for low to moderate income families, it is by no means unattractive, Judds said.
People think low income looks trashy, Judds said.
The design include attractive brick on the front and landscaping.
Ashland City Council Member Janece Mollhoff and Mayor Rick Grauerholz looked over the proposed design at the public hearing.
It looks really nice, said Mollhoff.
Grauerholz said the design is a blend of the newer homes in the area and the older Kendel Heights neighborhood, with homes built in the 1960s and 70s.
It will tie that part of town together, he said.
Mollhoff said the housing study recently completed by the City of Ashland and the Ashland Area Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) shows a definite need for affordable housing in the community.
So you guys are filling a good niche there, she said.
Mollhoff also touted the location of the proposed townhomes, which are located close to Wiggenhorn Park with the city pool and splash pad, as well as along the citys hiking/biking trail.
Its a great location for families with kids, she said.
Judds said one of the keys to this project is finding affordable land. Bill and Lucille Sapp gave Judds and Woodling an option to buy the land, contingent upon receipt of the grant.
They were extremely gracious, Judds said. It will fulfill his vision and its something Ive wanted to do for a long time.
Sapp will also be building market-rate townhomes on the opposite end of the parcel.
Judds, who lives in the Ashland area, said he has wanted to build a project like this for a long time after having worked in the affordable housing field for many years.
Affordable housing has been near and dear to my heart, he said. What better place to do it than my hometown of Ashland?
After the Sapps offered the parcel of land, Judds went to Woodling to form a partnership, T & R Development. The two worked together in the past and look forward to many more projects.
This is our first venture together and Im hoping we can expand that, Judds said.
The AAEDC will be the non-profit sponsor of the grant. AAEDC President Rod Reisen said the organization fully supports the project.
Its a fantastic project for the community, he said. Theres a huge need.
Judds and Woodling will also be competing for tax credits for the project. Judds said tax credits are very competitive, with $4.4 million allocated to Nebraska for next year. That money is divided between the four or five applicants who are awarded the credits. As many as 20 apply each year, he added.
Developers sell tax credits to investors. Judds said many banks purchase tax credits.
The purchaser typically buys them at a discount.
Each credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in taxes they have to pay, Judds said.
The money raised by the developer through the sale of tax credits goes toward the projects equity.
More equity means less debt and lower rents, Judds said.
More affordable rents, Woodling added.
Grauerholz said he hopes the proposed project sparks interest in more development. In talking to other community leaders, the mayor said there is a common denominator for success.
They all say development breeds additional development, he said.
Hon. H.H. Shedd
Nebraska Legislature
Hibbard H. Shedd came to Ashland as a young man in 1870 and from that time until his death in 1905 he was a central figure in religious, literary, educational, political, social and business circles. He was the first state legislator from Ashland. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1875 and was a member of the Nebraska House of Representatives in 1881, speaker of the house in 1883 and was elected lieutenant governor by the Republican Party in 1885 and 1887.
The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad came through Ashland in 1870 running to Crete. Mr. Shedd was a school teacher in Illinois and wanted to visit Doane College. On his way back home he stopped in Ashland to visit a friend, liked the community and stayed, joining George Scott in the clothing business in his store at 15th and Silver streets. They worked together for 30 years. From the time of his arrival in Nebraska Mr. Shedd took an active part in the Congregational Church of Ashland and acted as trustee, organist, and superintendent of the Sunday School continuously from 1870 until the time of his last illness, a service of 35 years. For a number of years he was a trustee of Doane College in Crete. He was instrumental in planning the new Congregational Church building at 16th and Boyd streets which contains a beautiful memorial window dedicated to him. He died just a few months before completion and dedication of the building.
Mr. Shedd was president of the Ashland school board from 1891 to 1903. He was author of many memoirs and literary articles as an active contributor and member of the State Historical Society.
In 1874 Mr. Shedd was married to Katherine Leigh Graves in Ohio and they had six children. They built the home directly west of the Congregational Church which was restored by the Proctors and is featured in the Ashland Historical Society webpage.
Pallbearers at his funeral in 1905 were Messrs. F.E. White, H.A. Wiggenhorn, J.C. Railsback, Giff Railsback, Alex Laverty and O.D. Harford, all business associates of Mr. Shedd for many years.
ASHLAND Several businesses in the Ashland and Greenwood area are participating in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25.
In last weeks Gazette, coupons were printed for many merchants. Copies of the Nov. 16 issue are still on sale in the Gazette office at 1432 Silver St.
According to the Retail Merchants Association, 45 cents out of every dollar gets reinvested in the local community. Shopping local also creates jobs and keeps taxes lower, the association said.
WAVERLY Its taken a few months, but Jeremy Wilhelm is getting settled in as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Midwest Farmers Cooperative.
Wilhelm, who started the job in September, replaced Dale Piper, who retired in August.
These past few months have gone pretty good, Wilhelm said. Ive met a lot of farmers during this busy harvest time.
Wilhelm was previously chief operating officer and executive vice president-operations at Western Milling, LLC in Goshen, Calif., where he oversaw multiple rail receiving locations.
I wanted to return to Nebraska and with the farming economy like it is, thought this was a good time, Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm was raised on the family farm near Unadilla. He graduated from Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca High School and received his Bachelor of Science degree in finance and management from Doane University in Crete. He and his wife, Irene, have three daughters.
I am really settling in and getting to know people, he said. And that is my goal, to do what I can for the farmers in this area.
Barrier attendant and "beloved husband and dad" Doug Fernihough has died in hospital surrounded by his family nearly a week after he was struck by lightning in a freak accident at Northam Race Club.
The 57-year-old had been working trackside at Northam racecourse on Thursday afternoon near the 500 metre mark when he was struck, and suffered a heart attack and internal injuries.
"There is absolute pool of gloom over the place at the moment," race caller Darren McAullay told Radio 6PR. Credit:Carla Hildebrandt
Paramedics rushed to his aid, and he was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital on priority treatment.
Mr Fernihough remained in the intensive care unit at the hospital in a critical but stable condition for nearly a week.
Over 50 experts from Customs administrations and postal operators representing various WCO and UPU regions met in Berne from 16 to 17 November 2017 under the framework of the WCO-UPU Contact Committee to discuss Customs-Postal issues.
Opening the meeting, Mr. Abdelilah Boussetta, Director UPU International Bureau and Mr. Luc De Blieck, Deputy Director WCO, underscored the need for strengthening cooperation between Post and Customs at the national level. Given the growing digital and E-Commerce environment and security concerns, Posts and Customs were requested to prioritize the exchange of advance electronic data in order to enhance postal supply chain safety and security and improve facilitation of rapidly increasing volumes of postal items.
Building upon the work done by the previous Committee and armed with the ground level information concerning the preparedness of postal operators and Customs administrations in terms of capturing, exchanging, and using data in an electronic format, the newly reconstituted Contact Committee embarked upon developing comprehensive guidelines providing, among others, a step-by-step approach towards the implementation of electronic exchange of data between Posts and Customs. It urged postal operators and Customs administrations to expedite the establishment of electronic data interface using the joint WCO-UPU Customs-Posts EDI Messages in order to avoid a fragmented approach. In this regard, it noted the important development with regard to the feasibility of interface between the UPU Customs Declaration System (CDS) and the ASYCUDA systems being used by many Customs administrations and related pilots.
In addition, noting the importance of data quality, the Committee examined draft Guidelines on improving compliance with Customs declarations including best practices on the electronic data capture. The Committee also adopted the updated WCOUPU Postal Customs Guide, as a reference source on Postal-Customs issues.
The Committee recognized the need for providing tailor-made capacity building and technical assistance in a cohesive manner and acknowledged the ongoing initiatives that included the WCO Mercator programme and the UPU SECUREX and ORE projects. It also noted the need for high-level engagements between policy makers from Customs and Posts around the world to discuss and explore strategic and policy issues and their Implementation in a standardized and harmonized manner, and agreed in principle to organize a joint global strategic conference in December 2018.
The UPU global postal model on the advance electronic data, in particular the issues associated with the pre-loading advance cargo information (PLACI) requirements were discussed, wherein the EU presented the updates on the expected timelines for the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Union Customs Code (UCC) and the IT preparedness. The WCO provided the latest information concerning the work done by the Joint WCO-ICAO Working Group on Advance Cargo Information (JWGACI) and the potential way forward. The Contact Committee set up a group comprising Customs and postal operators to carry out further work on the identified issues that could be presented to the JWGACI for its consideration, when finalizing the envisaged concept of operations.
The implementation the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards and the UPU security standards S58 and S59 in a harmonized manner was another area that requires close cooperation between Customs and postal operators. In this context, delegates discussed the relevance of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status for postal operators and the challenges related to the compliance to the AEO criteria and requirements, and noted that postal operators when implementing advance electronic data exchange and complying with UPU security standards would have a better chance of acquiring the AEO status.
E-Commerce was a recurring theme through the meeting that involved discussions on the work being done by the WCO and the UPU and exploration of opportunities for further collaborative work for faster clearance and delivery of E-Commerce parcels, while ensuring compliance to various regulatory requirements. In the similar vein, the expeditious implemenation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) involving postal operators including through National Committees on Trade Facilitation (NCTFs) was well noted as a potential way forward.
Furthermore, some Customs administrations highlighted the growing misuse of the postal chain by criminals for illicit trade and measures being taken by them to curb this phenomenon. To this end, in order to provide an easily accessible list of prohibited and restricted articles in the postal chain, a group was set up to develop such a list in a user-friendly format.
Delegates also shared some recent initiatives including the preliminary positive outcomes of the Postal-Rail project on the movement of postal items by rail from China to Europe and the Australia-New Zealand Green Lane pilot. Additionally, the use of Big Data, predictive analytics and new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning) to effectively leverage voluminous data residing in Postal and Customs domains for effective risk management and efficient service delivery were also discussed.
Going forward, the Contact Committee adopted its work plan with tangible deliverables to support the identified priorities in terms of improving postal chain security and efficiency.
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WASHINGTON Back in the 70s I was attending an annual editors meeting when I was asked in a confidential session what I was working on. At the time I was a managing editor for investigations for Scripps-Howard Newspapers.
I replied that I didnt feel comfortable with providing many details at that point but could only report that it was an important piece that dealt with a startling affair John F. Kennedy had.
There was immediate concern expressed about relevance, considering the length of time that had expired more than 10 years. But more importantly, there was an unwritten rule by editors nationwide that the private dalliances of public officials (and for that matter their drinking habits) were off limits unless there was hard evidence that they were interfering with the office holders ability to do his or her job.
We dont publish those kinds of stories about anyone, including presidents, the inquisitor said. Besides, Kennedys escapades have been known for years and little or nothing has been reported.
Youre correct I responded. But get ready; thats about to change and probably sooner than later few politicians or celebrities are going to get a pass on their sexual shenanigans. Then I felt compelled to provide one more fact to back up my contention. Besides, I said, the lady in this case also was a Mafia party girl, connected to Sam Giancana, the Chicago crime boss, and furthermore J. Edgar Hoover knew about it.
Finally, there was stunned silence. I couldnt resist twisting the knife. My guess is you will find this serious enough to consider, and my guess also is most of you will want to reconsider the policy of silence.
Well, its taken awhile, but we now have a perfect storm created by the internet and the determination of women victimized over the years to right the wrongs.
The Kennedy expose took place not long after a special team known simply as the Church Committee named after its chairman, Idaho Democratic Senator Frank Church was created to investigate the intelligence and other activities of the CIA and FBI. The problems with the committee were numerous, but the worst was that Churchs efforts were aimed mainly at Republican administrations; not Democratic.
Church worked overtime to put the lid on our story, but failed.
Now nearly every news flash unveils the antics of serial fondlers, fanny pinchers, feel coppers, mashers and worse from Hollywood West to Hollywood East (Congress). Word came last week that Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota was at least a one-time groper before his political career, when he was a Saturday Night Live player. He has apologized.
As we all know, the Alabama Republican Senate candidate, Roy Moores alleged penchant for teenage girls years ago while he was in his 30s has let off such an intensifying stench as to set his partys leadership into spasms as they desperately seek his resignation or find a way to deny him the oath of office if he wins, which is utterly possible apparently given the nature of Alabama voters who are rallying to his side.
First it was Bill Cosby who seemed to have pushed his idea of consensual to the limit with the alleged use of drugs. Now its Harvey Weinstein, the bigtime movie producer who has been accused by plenty of stars in La La Land and elsewhere of inappropriate behavior. The days when the mainline press conspired to keep public attention away from the fact that Franklin Roosevelt was a cripple by not publishing his picture in a wheelchair or more pertinent in this case, his affairs with Marguerite Missy LeHand and Lucy Mercer are long gone, as they should be. That decision, however, helped FDR win at least one election and perhaps two more than he should have as his health deteriorated.
The editors who were negligent in reporting on the private lives of elected officials were wrong. A longtime friend who worked for one of the Southwests leading newspapers while the silence ban was still being observed asked if I thought he should report that a Speaker of the U.S. House from his state was an alcoholic and carouser. Absolutely, I said, he clearly isnt doing his job while at the Zebra Room (a favorite watering hole) every afternoon.
His report was the beginning of the end for the Speaker just as the John Kennedy story broke some serious ice. By the way, every editor ran it.
Hunting in northern Wisconsin can change a hunters life, even his residence, and still provide a Thanksgiving dinner with most of the trimmings.
John Amend, now living in the Town of Barnes, began heading north to Bayfield County to hunt deer in 1958 with his father-in-law. He and up to 14 hunters stayed in rooming cabins and a barn, received three meals, and a place to sleep.
Breakfast was at 5:30 with bacon, eggs, fried potatoes and the trimmings, John Amend said. We all got a sack lunch, which consisted of a cheese sandwich and an apple. Wed roast the sandwich on a fire we built on a town road. Then for dinner we had a beef, pork, venison or sometimes a bear roast with potatoes and gravy. That and the room was $5 a day when we started.
In the late 1960s, the price increased to $7.
Eventually John purchased some land, 3 parcels, built a cabin and then a house and moved north 10 years ago after retiring from a Beloit company (originally Beloit Iron Works then Beloit Corporation), which sold paper making machinery worldwide.
Four years ago, at 76, John quit hunting deer but still has half dozen men come north to hunt and stay in his cabin.
I really dont miss the hunting part because I still visit the men who come up and all the original guys are gone now, he said. I can still see deer, rabbits, turkeys and other wildlife any time I want out by the cabin. Now I get as much of a kick out of watching the deer come into the back yard as I did in the woods.
Johns taste for venison has not disappeared. He gets venison burger, meat sticks and jerky from the guys who still hunt and stay with him and his wife Ariel.
We used to have awesome euchre card games; sometimes guys would get so mad theyd throw the card deck in the wood stove. We never played for money, but they hated to lose a game just the same, John said.
Another game of chance was the annual buck pole. Every hunter would toss in a dollar and the man who got the largest buck, by antlers, won the pool.
We had a large steak dinner on Saturday night, opening day, and big sit down dinners the following Sunday and Monday. Sometimes we had cook-outs in the woods at noon, he said.
Back in the good, old days, the guys would see 20-30 deer in a day or they called it a poor day. Most guys stayed until the second weekend, which meant they missed Thanksgiving at home, but that wasnt a problem then or even now.
Many of the bars, taverns and restaurants put on a Thanksgiving meal back then and some still do now, John said. Theres usually a place to find a good turkey dinner up here on Thursday. Its not just a turkey sandwich but a full dinner and some dinners are by donations only. Nobody goes home hungry, not even the deer hunters.
The Baraboo School District is meeting state criteria for educating students, according to report cards released Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The state assessment shows Baraboo schools overall scored 69 out of 100 points for the 2016-2017 school year, earning a three-star rating and a grade of meets expectations. The score is up about two points from last years three-star grade of 66.8.
Several schools within the district also received individual report cards. Al Berhman, Gordon L. Willson and North Freedom Elementary schools earned overall grades of exceeds expectations, while East Elementary and Jack Young Middle schools received scores of meets expectations. Baraboo High School came in below with a two-star grade of meets few expectations.
We had more schools fall into the exceeds expectations range than we did last year, and as a result of that achievement and growth that weve seen at those levels, we also saw an increase in our districts report card score, said Nicholas Karls, Baraboo School District director of teaching and learning.
Concurrently the other part of it is were saddened to see the progress and success of Baraboo High School summed up in a rating of meets few expectations, just missing the meets expectations by roughly one point, he added.
Districts and schools within the state receive a score from zero to 100 on the report cards based on student test scores in English language arts and mathematics, as well as student growth, closing gaps between student subgroups, and measures of readiness for graduation and post-secondary success.
Student subgroups are groups of 20 or more students who share similar characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, language abilities and physical and learning disabilities.
For the second year, the report cards used a five-star rating system. The stars corresponded to one of five categories: fails to meet expectations, meets few expectations, meets expectations, exceeds expectations and significantly exceeds expectations.
Karls said the report cards indicate district leaders and faculty must work to provide additional support to Baraboo High School students who have disabilities and students who are economically disadvantaged.
When you dig into it and look at those two categories, we have an additional need to focus on increasing growth in those areas, he said.
Karls added that several positive data points for the high school like the amount of students enrolled in advanced placement courses and earning workforce certification were not included in this years assessment. He said the numbers could become positive factors moving forward.
Those things are going to be included on the report card next year, he said. Theyll be highlighted as additional information, but not weighted, and we expect that two years from now they will be weighted.
The report cards underwent major changes beginning in the 2015-2016 school year as part of Wisconsin Act 55. The changes included variable weighting to address the impacts of poverty on student achievement, a new model for measuring student growth and a legislative requirement to drop the Badger Exam in favor of the Forward Exam.
The changes marked the third time standardized state testing was altered in three years.
The 2016-2017 report cards are comprised of multiple years of data, despite the different tests. The scores are derived from one year of the Badger and two years of the Forward exams for grades three through eight, and the ACT Plus Writing in grade 11. Karls said assessing data and changes over time will be easier once the information is derived from only the Forward and ACT exams.
Moving forward, Karls said district leaders will work with faculty and the board of education to develop an action plan to address the shortcomings and continue the successes highlighted in the state report cards.
As a district our next steps will be to dive further into the data and develop an action plan with our staff, he said. We want to make sure that we have the voice of our teachers because they are on the front lines and are working with kids every day.
HORICON Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen said she is concerned but optimistic about Beaver Dams future when she spoke Wednesday at the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Economic Update Lunch.
Glewen said that the last six months as mayor have been crazy, but a good crazy. However, looking at demographic shifts in Wisconsin and attracting and retaining a millennial workforce are areas that she is concerned about.
Quite frankly, it scared me, she said.
It drove her to run for mayor, Glewen said. During her speech at John Deere Horicon Works, 1501 W. Lake St., she read a list of plans to pivot Beaver Dam into a more attractive community.
She led with adapting Beaver Dams energy use to a more sustainable source though LED lighting, updating older properties, instituting an energy grant plan and installing solar panels. She said the city is currently looking at creating possible solar projects on city properties.
Beautification of Beaver Dam was another aspect Glewen addressed. She wants to find ways to incorporate bike trails and improve the walkways. This also ties into a plan to bring more festivals to the city in order to drive excitement for Beaver Dam.
I want to make our community a destination community to live in, she said.
Glewen briefly mentioned that she is working with a representative of Sen. Ron Johnson to improve Beaver Dams outreach to minorities.
Beaver Dam Unified School District Superintendent Mark DiStefano said that despite falling enrollment and a rise in the district mill rate, he is thankful for the community approving a $48.9 million referendum that will completely remodel the high school and make security and other improvements throughout the district.
He said the new Beaver Dam High School field house is attracting attention.
Its a special piece for our community, he said.
He returned to a point that Glewen made about working together to make Beaver Dam a destination and said the field house already is drawing interest from outside the community.
DeStefano said he wants to continue maintaining technology, valuing educators and investing in new ways to provide services for students.
Dodge County Board Chairperson Russ Kottke said that the county should be look at investing in railroads.
Rail is coming back and its getting stronger, he said.
Kottke said that more people are looking to move via rail. According to him, companies would like 250 acres of land with rail access and that Dodge County isnt making the cut for these services.
The last person to speak during the economic update was Wisconsin State Chief Economist John Koskinen of the Department of Revenue.
His main point is that Wisconsin is in the best shape it has been in 18 years. Why this is true, according to him, is that Wisconsin is attracting students and manufacturers with job prospects and a strong education system.
He broke down some statistics to the Beaver Dam level, saying that the citys unemployment rate was the lowest since 2000 and that real wages are on the rise.
Heres something you dont hear every day at the Portage Public Library well, at most, once a week.
In the librarys Bidwell Room on Tuesday, Amanda and Tony Nieto plucked chords on their ukuleles to render the Civil War era ballad Aura Lee, while Sue Okray sang the words that Elvis Presley fans associate with the classic melody: Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go
The librarys new Uken Play is about halfway through its 12-week run, and many of the six participants in Tuesdays session arrived early so they could jam a little before instructor Dan Robson began the lesson for the evening: How to pluck the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Some participants, like the Nietos, have their own ukuleles.
We got them three years ago, Tony said. Then when this class came along, we got all excited.
We tried to teach ourselves, but that didnt go well, Amanda said. So they just sat there for three years.
Other participants checked out their ukuleles from the library.
Loaner ukuleles have a bar code on the bottom used by library staff to facilitate the two-week, non-renewable free borrowing of the instruments. And the librarys ukuleles are mostly in vivid colors.
Nicci Rzepiejewski got the pink one, she said, because the female vocalist Pink is one of her favorite musicians.
Jennifer Blau, adult services assistant at the library, said the library acquired 10 ukuleles from Baraboo Music. Any library card holder can check them out. Participation in Uken Play is not required.
When Library Director Jennifer Bergin presented the instrument rental program Nov. 9 to the Portage Common Council, she said that someday other musical instruments might be available for free checkout. She said she was open to a trial run of offering a variety of instruments for checkout perhaps gently used band or orchestra instruments donated by people who no longer play them. But there are no immediate plans to implement an expanded musical instrument checkout program.
Blau said the library started offering ukuleles because theyre portable and popular. The popularity, she said, stems largely from the 2016 win of the TV competition Americas Got Talent by Grace VanderWaal, then 12, of Lenexa, Kansas, who accompanied herself on the ukulele as she sang self-composed songs. Her soulful music has evoked comparisons to superstar Taylor Swift.
The Uken Play program meets Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. through Jan. 9, with space limited to 10 participants five teens and five adults.
The class is full, but people can come by and listen.
Ukulele jam sessions will be held Tuesday and again Dec. 19. Anybody can participate.
When the program is completed, Blau said, there are plans for participants to hold a jam session or performance at The Ball Room at 112 E. Cook St. The date has not been set.
Okray already has performed for a tough audience her son, Paul Okray, a music teacher in Marinette. She recorded her performance on a cellphone, then played it for her son over the phone.
The fact that I could play Old McDonald Had a Farm was a big deal, she said.
Wits Research on HIV patients viral loads reveals new cohort at risk of therapy failure
Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute publishes new research on Low Level Virema Co-hort
In a large South African cohort study, a team of researchers from the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa) collaborating with the Ndlovu Research Consortium (Groblersdal, Limpopo, SA), the National Health Laboratory Service (SA), the University of California San Diego (USA), and the University Medical Center Utrecht (The Netherlands) found that low-level viremia in treated HIV-patients is an important risk factor for treatment failure.
The findings of the study indicate that the current WHO-defined threshold for virological failure fails to identify a large subset of patients who are at increased risk of poor outcomes of ART and that clinical interventions should take place at lower viral loads than those proposed by the current WHO guidelines. Results from this study were published in Lancet Infectious Diseases Saturday Nov 18, 2017.
Sustainable virological suppression is an important part of the 90-90-90 targets defined by UNAIDS. This study shows that patients with LLV are at risk for therapy failure. says Dr. Francois Venter, WHRI, Witwatersrand University. A strong message from WHO regarding the risk of virological failure after LLV could motivate clinicians to act when LLV is encountered.
The monumental response to the global HIV epidemic has led to an unprecedented amount of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The goal of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV positive patients is to suppress the amount of HIV in the blood (also known as viral load).
From the start of the ART roll-out, South Africa has invested in laboratory capacity enabling routine viral load monitoring of all patients on ART. The implementation of viral load monitoring was largely done in accordance with WHO ART guidelines, which advice annual routine monitoring and a threshold of 1000 copies/mL to define virological failure.
In clinical guidelines for high-income settings, cut-offs for therapy failure are lower and clinical intervention is already required above 50 copies/mL. Suppression below 50 copies prevents disease progression towards AIDS, prevents selection of resistance and lowers the risk of transmission of the virus to others.
The uniquely South African large-scale programmatic viral load monitoring program yields unique insights into crucial aspects of WHO ART guidelines, such as their current definition for virological failure. A study of over 70 000 patients attending 57 HIV treatment facilities has shown that patients presenting with detectable viral loads below the lenient 1000 copies/mL threshold are at an increased risk to develop virological failure that is, >1000 copies/mL.
A quarter of the patients in this cohort who were on first-line ART experienced one or more episodes of LLV. Compared to patients with virological suppression, that is with <50 copies/ml, patients with LLV were threefold more prone to develop failure of ART. In patients with LLV of the highest range (400-999 copies/mL) this risk increased to nearly fivefold, the risk to change to second-line therapy was even more pronounced to 13 times.
Important conclusions can be drawn from this study. The findings indicate that the current WHO-defined threshold for virological failure fails to identify a large subset of patients who are at an increased risk of poor outcomes of ART.
Dr Sergio Carmona, National Health Laboratory Services at Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, adds that viral load monitoring remains key to determining ART success. This study provides clear evidence that clinical interventions should take place at lower viral loads than those proposed by the current WHO guidelines. We need to support the scale-up of viral load testing in low- and middle-income countries as well as encourage adherence to ARVs and close follow-up of viral load results.
A more active approach to low-level viremia is essential to prevent virological failure and subsequent selection of resistance. Such an approach should be implemented prior the introduction of integrase inhibitors which are the cornerstone of ART globally to preserve this powerful treatment for the coming decades.
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Pakistan, China agree to build Chashma 5
23 November 2017
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China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have signed a cooperation agreement on the construction of a HPR1000 Hualong One reactor at the Chashma nuclear power plant.
The agreement was signed by the chairmen of CNNC and PAEC (Image: CNNC)
"According to the agreement, CNNC will build a one-million-kilowatt-class nuclear power unit with HPR1000 technology at the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan," CNNC said yesterday. The reactor will be the seventh nuclear power unit that China has exported to Pakistan and the third HPR1000.
The Chinese-designed HPR1000 Hualong One reactor design is under construction in China, at Fuqing units 5 and 6 and Fangchenggang units 3 and 4. The first Hualong One unit, Fuqing 5, is expected to start up in 2019, with Fangchenggang 3 to follow the same year, and the other two units in 2020.
Chashma is already home to four Chinese-built CNP-300 units, while two HPR1000 units are under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant. Construction began on Karachi unit 2 in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016; the units are planned to enter commercial operation in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The HPR1000 has also been proposed for construction at Bradwell in the UK, where it is undergoing Generic Design Assessment. UK national regulatory bodies the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency recently announced the start of the second, technical, phase of the assessment programme for the UK HPR1000.
Chashma 5 will be constructed by CNNC subsidiary CNNC China Zhongyuan Engineering Corp, the company said.
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by World Nuclear News
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Rosatom and Andra expand cooperation
23 November 2017
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Russia's Rosatom and the French radioactive waste management agency Andra yesterday signed a cooperation agreement concerning the final isolation of radioactive waste. The agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding the two parties signed in 2012.
Landais and Kryukov sign the agreement in Moscow (Image: Rosatom)
The document was signed by Oleg Kryukov, director of public policy on used nuclear fuel, radioactive waste and nuclear decommissioning at Rosatom, and Patrick Landais, director of innovation, development and international relations at Andra, during the AtomEco conference being held this week in Moscow.
The agreement aims to develop cooperation in implementation of a national system for the management of radioactive waste, and in the exchange of scientific, technical, legal and social information, and research and development results. The two sides have agreed to hold technical reviews and arrange visits for specialist teams to final disposal facilities in Russia and France.
FSUE NO RAO, Rosatom's radioactive waste management subsidiary, is to be the executor of the agreement for the Russian side.
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by World Nuclear News
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KODIAK, Alaska (AP) _ A report by Alaska's Southeast Conference calls for the state marine highway system to increase its ticket prices.
The recommendation is part of a 25-year plan that Gov. Bill Walker asked the conference's stakeholders to put together for the struggling Alaska Marine Highway System, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday.
The major part of the plan is to turn the marine highway into a public corporation. The system's Reform Steering Committee is pursuing legislative changes to make that happen.
Stakeholders estimate rate increases could produce a 21 percent decrease...
Six months work complete New logo and branding released for Ty Pawb
This article is old - Published: Thursday, Nov 23rd, 2017
The new logo for Wrexhams new multi-million pound markets and arts facility has been unveiled today.
Designed by Cardiff-based branding experts, Elfen, an image of the new logo / design for Ty Pawb was released by Wrexham Council this afternoon.
Work developing a unique brand for the 4.5 million development in the former Peoples Market has been underway for six months. During that period the team at Elfen have embarked upon a lengthy process which has involved public consultation in choosing the new name for the centre.
Over 900 people voted over a month-long period for the new name, with a shortlist of Ty Pawb, Cartref and Oriel M put forward for public consideration.
Ty Pawb was announced as the winning name in Septembers Executive Board, with 444 people casting their vote in favour of the Welsh name meaning Everybodys House.
Wrexham Council have described the branding as being a clean, bold design that represents the forward thinking, ambitious intentions of the new market, community and arts centre.
The strapline accompanying the logo Markets Community Arts demonstrates Ty Pawbs position as a cultural community resource, bringing together arts and markets within the same site.
Elfen are also to produce the interior signposting for Ty Pawb.
A statement from designers Elfen said: The logo and brand have been designed to reflect the ethos of the Ty Pawb project, the concept of everyone coming together to create a vibrant exciting home for the markets, arts and local community.
Each component part enriches the project and it will be exciting to see it all come alive next year. 2018 is looking like a fantastic year for Wrexham.
Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said: This new logo will form a strong part of the branding of Ty Pawb, and will help mark the identity of the new community, arts and markets development as we look forward to its opening on Dydd Llun Pawb.
Id like to thank all those officers and external partners who took part in the formation of the logo and branding for Ty Pawb.
Ty Pawb isb will open to the public on Easter Weekend 2018 with the Dydd Llun Pawb parade and Is This Planet Earth?, the first exhibition in the new gallery.
Earlier this month Wrexham.com reported that painting on the exterior of the former Peoples Market had begun marking the first major visual change to the outside of the building.
Britains government has reluctantly said it will offer the European Union (EU) a near 40 billion divorce settlement in an attempt to move forward stalled negotiations over Brexit.
The sum was reportedly agreed at a meeting of Prime Minister Theresa Mays inner cabinet Monday, after the EU rejected a previous offer of 20 billion as derisory. The EU wants a financial settlement from the UK of around 53 billion as part of the terms of its separation from the bloc. It has also stipulated a commitment that there will be no hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and that there is agreement on EU citizens rights in the UK before it will discuss trading relations post-Brexit.
While the government did not stipulate a final figure, the Financial Times reported that May would offer 38 million to European council President Donald Tusk at a meeting in Brussels Friday. The following week, May will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. This is in the run-up to the EU summit on December 14, which the bloc has said is the deadline by which it will determine if sufficient progress has been made to proceed to the next phase of talks.
Mays Brexit committee is split. It includes five ministers who backed, as May did, the Remain campaign in the 2015 referendum. These are Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and First Secretary Damian Green. The main four pro-Leave ministers are Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Trade Secretary Liam Fox.
Pressure from the four secured a commitment that the government should be prepared to withdraw its financial offer if it was not satisfied with the EUs final deal after the scheduled 18 months of negotiations. According to the FT, Johnson and David Davis insist some money must be held back to ensure the UK has negotiating clout to strike a favourable trade deal next year, a potential stumbling block for many net contributor countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.
The increased offer only provoked further rancour within the Conservative Party. Channel Four cited a source from the Brexit wing who said, The Party can cope with another 20 [billion pounds] but not more. Peter Bone MP declared, One pound is too much. If anyone should get any money from this divorce, its us.
The hard Brexit faction of the Tory party, who want as few concessions to the EU as possible, represent a minority faction of the British ruling elite. The pro-European wing is seeking to advance its soft-Brexit agenda, with some sections together with a faction of the Labour Party around former Prime Minister Tony Blair seeking to overturn the referendum vote entirely.
Earlier this month, the Confederation of British Industry demanded an end to what it described as the Brexit soap opera. CBI President Paul Drechsler said, We need a single, clear strategy, a plan for what we want, and what kind of relationship we seek with the EU.
The deepening divisions within the Tory Party have placed the government in such a parlous state that it is only kept in office with the support of 10 MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party. This would be insufficient if more than 11 Tory MPs were to back any of the amendments.
The Labour Party, with the support of the Liberal Democrats, Scottish and Welsh nationalists, and Tory rebels, have tabled some 300 amendments to the European Union Withdrawal Bill, incorporating EU legislation into British law.
While Labour MPs are tabling amendments, however, the party is anxious to ensure it does nothing to further destabilise the government, and consequently undermine the interests of British imperialism globally. On Monday evening, 18 Labour MPs including John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor and ally of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, voted with the government to defeat an amendment to the (Cross-Border Trade) Bill by Labour MP Ian Murray, which had sought to keep the UK in a post-Brexit Customs Union arrangement with the EU.
McDonnell and company joined 283 Conservatives, eight DUP and two independent MPs to enable the government to win the vote by a large majority. Murrays amendment had the support of two Tory pro-Europeans, Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke.
Speaking for Labour ahead of the vote, Shadow Treasury Minister Anneliese Dodds said Murrays proposal could "worsen our situation," adding, "I think he will know that ultimately, as I stated before, the Labour position is to leave all options on the table and that is the best thing for Britain to be doing.
On Tuesday, a further five votes on Labour amendments were held on the EU Withdrawal Bill after eight hours of debate, with the government winning them all by small majorities. Just how tenuous is Mays position was revealed as a Labour amendment to retain the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in UK law was defeated by just 311-301a government majority of just 10, with Tory Ken Clarke backing Labour.
The vote was especially significant as amendments on the future status of EU human rights measures in UK law were tabled by Dominic Grieve, the Tory former attorney general and Brexit opponent. May was only able to stave off a larger rebellion and possible defeat when Solicitor General Robert Buckland agreed the government would look at this issue again and bring forward its own amendment during later stages of the bills passage. With this, Grieve backed down, stating he would not force a vote at this stage on the amendments.
The competing factions within the British ruling elite are seeking to steer a way out of unprecedented crisis under conditions in which the entire edifice of the EU is crumbling. At the heart of the EU, a political disaster is unfolding in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel, the leader of the main stabilising power within the bloc, has been unable to form a government fully eight weeks after a federal election. The collapse of coalition talks and possible new elections heralds the possible end of her 11-year period in office, with Spiegel Online declaring that Germany was experiencing its own Brexit moment and Trump moment.
Merkel, in alliance with France, has taken a hard line against Britain in the talks to discourage any further break-up of the EU and to ensure that Britain does not gain any competitive advantage. However, the German bourgeoisie is divided on Brexit, with its political crisis prompting the formation of a wing demanding that Britain be offered concessions to stem a continuing breakdown.
A group described by the Daily Telegraph as seven influential figures are demanding that concessions be offered to the UK on restricting immigration and free movement, under the slogan Exit from Brexit: a new deal for Britain and the EU. If concessions were not forthcoming, they warn that Germany could lose its most valuable partner within the EU.
The group is led by Hans-Olaf Henkel, a Member of the European Parliament from the right-wing Liberal Conservative Reformers party, and is supported by two former heads of the Federation of German Industry and a leading economist, Hans-Werner Sinn. Henkel said, We want to offer Britain the right to stop people who have no jobs entering the country and entering its social welfare system.
Seeking to win broader support for their agenda, Henkel said, The collapse of talks could help if we can persuade one of the parties to adopt this as policy.
The P olitico web site reported the comments of a diplomat from an EU country who warned that with the collapse of German coalition talks, the process is going to be increasingly driven by Paris, which is seen as having a more hardline than Berlin on Brexit.
CSX, one of the largest four railroads in America, has undergone a series of disastrous changes since a hedge-fund backed asset stripper, Hunter Harrison, was installed as CEO in March. Recently, it has emerged that a miscommunication about the relocation of hundreds of train dispatchers to Florida has left several dispatchers sleeping in their cars, without housing.
In June, a CSX memo announced that train dispatchers, who control rail traffic, would be consolidated in the company's Jacksonville, Florida headquarters between August and October. Later, CSX updated the relocation timeline to January, with officials claiming they did not know where the June notice came from, although they admitted it was posted in Atlanta, Georgia dispatching offices.
The miscommunication and change of plans is typical of the past eight months, where workers and even managers have constantly faced wildly changing operational plans and job assignments, combined with thousands of layoffs and wide-scale closures of facilities. Morale has plummeted to the lowest depths, and poor service to customers has prompted a Congressional hearing.
In the case of dispatchers, the changing plans left the lives of some upended. They spent thousands of dollars on selling their homes, breaking their leases, paying for storage, travel for themselves and families, and a range of other moving-related expenses. Spouses sometimes had to give up work, and children had their schooling and extracurricular activities interrupted. Dispatchers were not provided time off for the moves, and had to take vacation and sick days to do it.
Then, with their lives partially moved to Florida, they discovered that their jobs were still in regional dispatching centers in Chicago, Indianapolis, Albany, Louisville, and Atlanta. Yet they were, and are, without housing in their original location, and generally cannot afford to pay for both housing there and in Florida.
In some cases, dispatchers have resorted to sleeping in cars, as reported by the Jacksonville Business Journal. In Atlanta, eight dispatchers are doing so, with CSX providing a locker on site for their belongings while warning them against staying on CSX property after hours. CSX provided hotel housing from just October 15 through November 1, and to add insult to injury, forced dispatchers to foot the cost of hotel bill taxes, which were hundreds of dollars.
The treatment of dispatchers is reckless and dangerous, and will put the lives of other railroad workers, as well as the general public, at risk. Dispatchers have enormous responsibilities. They are assigned to cover the movement of traffic on hundreds of miles of track. Busy routes have constant activity that the dispatchers must plan and manage, and in some parts of the system, freight trains are intermixed with heavy passenger train traffic.
Decades of cuts and consolidations have been imposed on dispatchers at all railroads.
Originally traffic was controlled by lineside tower operators, spread out across routes, who were intimately familiar with their territory and the crews who worked it. With massive reductions, those jobs moved to regional dispatching centers, and on some railroads, a single dispatching center. In the process, dispatchers are offered little time for first-hand travel and examination of the very routes they control.
Additionally, dispatching jobs have been consolidated. During their shift, many dispatchers are responsible for several different routes simultaneously, including monitoring all the computer screens, phone calls, and radio communications that each would involve. Added to this mix are the constantly changing operating plans of management, which only add a layer of complexity to the job.
In the late 1800s, dispatchers, then a management position, worked 12-hour days, seven days a week. A 1907 law made it eight hours a day, seven days a week. The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) was founded in Spokane, Washington, on November 1, 1917, with the demand for one day off in sevenas emblazoned on its logo.
In the recent decades, through the use of computers, railroads have sought to deprofessionalize dispatchers and cut training, as the workload has gone up and up. No doubt, they would like to return to working dispatchers seven days a week, or 12 hours a day, and in some cases, they haveincluding at Burlington Northern in the 1980s where Hunter Harrison was rising through the ranks. After Harrison took over CSX, low-level managers have been forced to work seven days a week, and operating crews notoriously, on all railroads, can hardly even take holidays off.
Operating crews are now struggling to hold jobs at several terminals across the system. Willard, Ohio, had one of the largest yards to sort traffic in the system, and it is now nearly shut down, with dozens of workers furloughed. Yards in North Baltimore, Ohio, and Hamlet, North Carolina have also been severely cut back. Workers report that to hold assignment in these and other regions, you now need 12 to 14 years of seniority, as the cuts have been so deep.
Nationally, railroad workers are in the process of voting on a contract agreement covering 2015-2019. Most of the largest railroad unions, as well as the ATDA, are pushing the agreement, which includes increases in health care costs. Railroad workers, facing decades of cuts, widely oppose it such a deal.
Over the past four months, the Australian Greens have emerged as the chief proponents of a nationalist purge targeting parliamentarians accused of possessing dual citizenship.
The campaign, invoking reactionary constitutional provisions that ban anyone with foreign allegiance from standing for election to parliament, has been aimed at stoking xenophobia and jingoism, amid Australias key role in US preparations for war in the Indo-Pacific. The disqualification of MPs also has served to legitimise increasing moves toward authoritarian and extra-parliamentary forms of rule to stave off the crisis of the entire political establishment.
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam was the first federal MP identified as an alleged dual citizen in July. He was exposed by John Cameron, a Perth barrister who apparently received confidential information from New Zealand officials showing that Ludlam was a citizen of that country, as well as Australia, because he was born in New Zealand.
Instead of opposing these anti-democratic moves, Ludlam immediately issued a fawning apology and resigned from parliament. He was followed by another Greens Senator, Larissa Waters, who revealed that she was a dual Canadian citizen, despite having left that country before she was one year old.
In media comments last week, Cameron hailed Ludlams decision, declaring that credit for the furore that has ensued should go to the former Greens senator. If Mr. Ludlam had not resigned it would have remained buried, as it had been buried, for another two decades, Cameron stated.
In other words, if Ludlam had denounced the reactionary constitutional provisions, which prevent up to half the population from standing for election, the corporate press and political establishment could not have so easily pressed ahead with their xenophobic campaign.
Now, over 30 MPs have been identified as having potential foreign allegiance, in what only can be described as a McCarthyite-style witch-hunt.
Last month, the High Court, an arm of the state, disqualified five members of parliament, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Ludlam and Waters. The ruling, backed by the Greens, effectively overturned the ballots of all those who had voted for the ousted parliamentarians.
Since then, the Greens have called for even more anti-democratic measures.
Earlier this month, Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale publicly floated the possibility of asking the governor-general, the unelected representative of the Queen, Australias head of state, to intervene in the crisis, by dissolving both houses of parliament and thereby effectively suspending parliamentary democracy.
It would be the most direct political intervention by a governor-general since 1975. In that year, Governor-General John Kerr used the reserve powers vested in his office by the Constitution to dismiss sitting Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, in a political coup orchestrated by the CIA, the Australian intelligence and military authorities, and right-wing political forces.
At the same time, Di Natale and the Greens have continued to demand a full audit of all parliamentarians. This would entail a genealogical review of every MP, stretching back to their grandparents, aimed at identifying those whose heritage renders them ineligible, because they may have divided loyalties.
The actions of the Greens have revealed the right-wing character of the party, which speaks for affluent sections of the upper middle-class. In promoting the most stringent interpretation of the Constitution, the Greens have signalled to the corporate elite that they are a party committed to the national interest, i.e., the interests of the ruling capitalist class.
The message has been received. A series of editorials in the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper has hailed Di Natale and his colleagues for insisting on a patriotic audit.
On Sunday, the Australians associate editor, Caroline Overington, wrote an article headlined: Greens leading the way on key issues dominating politics. Overington declared that on dual citizenship, the Greens had behaved both impeccably, and honourably. Noting that some of her readers thought the Greens were cuckoo, Overington asserted the Greens were now adults.
The lurch to the right by the Greens, and their favourable reception in the Murdoch media, is part of a crisis of all the major parliamentary parties. The federal Liberal-National Coalition government is on the brink of collapse, while recent state elections and by-elections have underscored the intense alienation of masses of ordinary people from all the big business parties.
Last Sunday, the Greens won a by-election for the Victorian state seat of Northcote. The party received a swing of almost 14 percent in the electorate, which had been held by the Labor Party since 1927. The Greens capitalised on opposition to the Victorian Labor government, which has slashed public spending and adopted a right-wing law and order agenda. The Greens also made an appeal to affluent layers in the increasingly gentrified inner Melbourne electorate.
At the Greens national conference on the weekend, Di Natale reportedly hailed the Northcote campaign, and spelt out a perspective of the Greens becoming a party of government. This would mean enforcing the dictates of the financial elite for sweeping austerity measures targeting social spending, and a stepped-up offensive against the conditions of the working class.
Di Natale said the party would target 25 federal House of Representatives seats over the next 25 years. Among them are some of the wealthiest electorates in the country, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls seat of Wentworth in Sydneys eastern suburbs.
The Greens leader indicated that his party will seek to exploit opposition to growing social inequality, declaring there was a global reaction against tax breaks to the rich and powerful and other pro-business policies. He insisted, however, that a Greens government would be committed to economic growthcode words for satisfying the profit demands of the financial aristocracy.
Di Natale said the Greens would enter governments, including with the Coalition, on a case by case basis. He stated: In the not too distant future, multi-party government will be the rule rather than the exception. The Greens represented progressive mainstream values.
These comments are a signal that the Greens are prepared to enter into any government, no matter how right-wing, and to back any and all policies demanded by the ruling elite. This would take to a new level the Greens role in propping up the minority Gillard Labor government from 2010 to 2013, as it deepened the persecution of refugees, aligned Australia with Washingtons plans for war against China, and imposed significant cuts to welfare, education and healthcare.
The rightward lurch of the Greens is part of a global process. In New Zealand, the Greens have entered a pro-war, pro-business coalition government with Labour and New Zealand First, a far-right xenophobic party. In Germany, the Greens participated in talks to form a multi-party government with Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union.
Amid a deepening crisis of capitalism around the world, and the breakdown of traditional political mechanisms, the Greens are stepping forward as right-wing, nationalist defenders of the capitalist class.
Saturday was the 214th anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, in which Haitian forces triumphed over Napoleons French expeditionary troops shortly before the country officially won its independence from France at the beginning of 1804.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise used the anniversary to officially remobilize the Haitian armed forces, which was disbanded at the beginning of 1995 by then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Armed Forces of Haiti (FAdH) and its predecessor, the Garde dHaiti, perpetrated bloody crimes against the Haitian people from the 1920s through 1995, without ever fighting a battle outside the country.
The official ceremony took place on Saturday morning at Place Vertieres in the northern city of Cap-Haitien. Moise was accompanied by Haitis Chief Justice and Senate President Youri Latortue, a former death squad leader whose role in drug trafficking was documented in the State Department cables published by Wikileaks.
While Moise has claimed that the reconstituted FAdH will act as an Air Force, medical corps and Coast Guard, Defense Minister Herve Denis let slip a more accurate description on November 16, according to Alterpresse: to counter the unprecedented growth of insecurity in the country.
Moisewho last year was elected by less than 20 percent of eligible votersand his ministers know that theyre sitting on a social powder keg. In Cap-Haitien during the week leading up to Saturdays ceremony, students protested to, as Le Nouvelliste put it, remind the powers that be that there are budgets for all sorts of things, including the army, but not for education. Moises government has yet to announce the size of the militarys budget or how it will be paid at a time when national deficits are causing the government to levy intolerable taxes on workers.
Anger at the government is also being fueled by an audit released last month revealing that government officials, including former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, embezzled money from the PetroCaribe program. One opposition group told Alterpresse that the new army will be an armed group, which will be there to protect people who squandered funds from the PetroCaribe program and funds collected by the General Directorate of Taxes.
Moises speech at Saturdays ceremony, in which he counterposed anarchy to democracy, declared fascistically that conditions have come together for the reawakening of the vital forces of the Nation from the lethargy in which our internecine quarrels have sunk it for too long.
He also used the speech to tout his caravan of change, which includes infrastructure projects around the country. While he was talking up this program, torrential rains in the southern city of Les Cayesnear where Hurricane Matthew made landfallflooded out the only hospital in the area.
Moise declared repetitiously in his speech that unity makes strength. While this slogan appears on the Haitian flag, in Moises mouth it means that he is seeking to unify the ruling elites. Similarly, his boast that the Army is the mother of the nationa clear warning to the working class of todaywas disguised as a paean to the generals who led the country to independence in 1804.
The American occupation of Haiti that began in 1915 established a Gendarmerie dHaiti to give a facade of local governance to the puppet regime. The name of that police force was eventually changed to Garde dHaiti, and the force was gradually transformed into the Forces Armees dHaiti.
In 1957 the FAdH was instrumental in Francois Duvaliers rise to power, having collaborated with the CIA to oust provisional president Daniel Fignole because of his popularity among workers in Port-au-Prince. After the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986, a series of generals including Henry Namphy, Raoul Cedras and Prosper Avril came to power through bloody coups detat and murderous interventions in elections.
During the election of November 29, 1987, one hospital in the capital received 34 dead and 75 wounded. The following day, as many as 46 political prisoners were bayonetted in Forte Dimanche with their bodies dumped in ditches.
Aristide was elected president in 1990 but forced into exile by a 1991 coup led by Cedras. After his return to power in 1994, Aristide disbanded the FAdH in favor of a separate police force as spelled out in the constitution of 1987.
The interim commander of Moises armed forces is Jodel Lesage, who trained in the mid-1970s under the Duvalier dictatorship and was a member of the Leopard Corps trained by US imperialism. He had risen to the rank of colonel by 1995.
The remobilization of the army was begun under President Michel Martelly, Moises mentor and the namesake of his Tet Kale party. The 150 soldiers who marched on Saturday had trained in Ecuador under a program arranged by Martelly. The government is planning to expand the force to 5,000.
They will be accompanied by the 15,000-strong Haitian National Police (PNH) in the suppression of unrest. While a national police force was called for in the 1987 constitution, its size has been expanded rapidly in recent years under the tutelage of the United Nations.
In the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Grand-Ravine, on November 13, some 250 police descended on a Protestant school, supposedly in search of bandits. Eight citizens including a professor were killed, but no gang members or weapons were found.
The director of the school, Armand Louis, was arrested, beaten and held for a week. Witnesses accused the policewho planned the attack with the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH)of executing the victims.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) protested in an open letter on November 11 the decision by the student council at the University of Leipzig to refuse to grant the IYSSE the status of a working group (WG). Recognition as a WG is a precondition for securing rooms and being permitted to work on campus. The members of the student council have now responded to the open letter.
Their answer confirms that the decision against the IYSSE is a fundamental attack on the basic rights of freedom of opinion and association. The right-wing sees new opportunities opening up: the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the strongest party in the state of Saxony, the federal government is strengthening the domestic and external repressive state apparatus, and social inequality is growing. Under these conditions, the student council is barring access to the university for a socialist students group that is combatting right-wing forces, militarism and capitalism.
The accusations against the IYSSE from the student council are groundless and slanderous. Without a trace of evidence, it accuses the IYSSE of anti-Semitism. The Trotskyist movement, in whose traditions the IYSSE stands, has fought more than any other tendency against anti-Semitism and all forms of social, racial and religious discrimination. Thousands of Trotskyists lost their lives in the struggle against the Nazis, fascism and Stalinism. Leon Trotskys writings against the Nazis remain to this day unsurpassed in their clarity and accuracy.
The IYSSE has itself been the target of embittered attacks from the bourgeois media in recent years because it has fought at universities against the downplaying of the Nazis crimes. The IYSSEs critique of the right-wing extremist Humboldt University professor Jorg Baberowski, who defends the Nazi apologist Ernst Nolte and declared that Hitler was not vicious, has been supported by several student representative bodies.
And how does the Leipzig student council respond? It aligns itself with the RCDS, the right-wing student association affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU). The RCDS has invited Baberowski to universities, maintains close ties with the extreme right-wing milieu and hails Sebastian Kurz, who is preparing to enter a government coalition in Austria with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO)an organization full of anti-Semites!
The Leipzig RCDS, which was awarded the status of a working group by the student council, published two statements over the past week celebrating the student council decision as an important step in the struggle against extremism. The RCDSs federal executive went as far as to demand a blanket ban on all radical left-wing student groups, the review of their activities by the domestic intelligence agency and the banning of left-wing students from universitiesmeasures that exist only under fascist regimes or military dictatorships.
The student councils response leaves no doubt that its main concern is the suppression of socialist and anti-militarist views. As well as the groundless accusations against the IYSSE, such as the assertion that it employs the Nazi cliche of constructive and money grubbing capital, the student council denounces any criticism of capitalism as anti-Semitism.
The student council also does not want any references to the elite as a united social actor. According to this, one is no longer permitted to criticize the fact that eight billionaires possess more wealth than the bottom half of the worlds population, and that a super-rich financial oligarchy controls all levers of power.
According to the student council, the allegation that the capitalist elites want to dominate Europe and impose economic interests internationally is unacceptable. And this even though the ruling elite is explicitly demanding such policies. For example, Humboldt University Professor Herfried Munkler, an advocate for German foreign policy, called in his book Power in the C ent r e for Germany to become the hegemon and disciplinarian of Europe. One can read how Germany wants to enforce its own economic interests internationally in the German armys official defence policy guidelines.
The student council describes the IYSSEs protest against Googles censorship as the expression of a world outlook based on conspiracy theories. However, Googles censorship is an indisputable fact.
Ever since Ben Gomes, the vice president of search engineering at Google, declared in April that the company intended to promote authoritative sites at the expense of alternative news, search traffic from Google to 13 leading left-wing web sites has declined by 55 percent, with the World Socialist Web Site suffering a 74 percent drop. Articles by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges suddenly disappeared from Google News after he gave an interview to the WSWS. After the interview, they blacklisted me, he told the WSWS. The New York Times has also reported on the censorship of the WSWS by Google.
It is obvious that the student council backs the censorship of the WSWS, an international publication writing daily against war, militarism, social inequality and capitalism. It even declares the concept establishment media to be unacceptable. Instead, it demands that the WSWS bow to the censors. Of course, it would also be possible to question ones own commentaries when the change of an algorithm to combat fake news disproportionately impacts your web site, wrote the council.
The IYSSE will again apply for the status as a WG. The members of the student council should think twice how they vote: If they want to support the right of the IYSSE, an international socialist youth and student organization, to work on campus, or if they want to become the tool of a reactionary campaign that will strengthen the most right-wing forces.
The re-emergence of slavery in Libya exposes the reactionary character of the imperialist war waged by the NATO alliance against the country and across North Africa and the Middle East.
In Paris Saturday more than 1,000 people gathered in front of the Libyan embassy, after a CNN documentary showing the auctioning of refugees as slaves inside the North African country circulated on social media.
The CNN report showing the sale of migrants has shocked and angered masses of people around the world. It shows two young men for sale. The proceedings are filmed secretly on a cell phone camera. A voice-over explains, A man addresses the crowd: A strong man for farm work, he says. 400 [dinars]! 700? 700! 800? The prices rise! The voice-over adds, The men are sold for 1,200 Libyan dinars, that is US$400 each. This is an auction of human beings.
Several organizations, including the Collective Against Slavery and Concentration Camps in Libya (CECCL), created after the CNN report spread over social media, organized the Saturday demonstration. Protesters carried signs saying No to slavery in Libya and reportedly burned the national flag.
French security forces violently attacked the protest. CRS riot police fired tear gas at the demonstrators. In videos shared on social media, one can see tense stand-offs with shouting and charges by protesters and police units. According to police sources, two people were arrested.
The police prefecture issued a statement denouncing the supposedly illegal and undeclared character of the protest, while admitting that no damage had been caused during the event. Nevertheless, the prefecture demanded that the organizers of the protest be identified, so that legal proceedings can be started in order to prepare appropriate charges.
The emergence of slavery in post-war Libya and the police-state repression of protests against slavery in France expose the advanced state of collapse of democratic forms in Europe. French imperialism and its supporters in the petty-bourgeois left have their hands drenched in blood.
Contemporary slavery in Libya is the product of the barbaric war waged by the United States, France and other NATO powers in 2011 to topple Colonel Muammar Gaddafis regime. Amid revolutionary uprisings of the working class against dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, NATO launched a violent military intervention in North Africa. Petty-bourgeois charlatans like the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) and Bernard-Henri Levy demanded a humanitarian war against Libya, supposedly to prevent Gaddafi from repressing protests in Benghazi.
The now infamous Professor Gilbert Achcar wrote much of the NPAs pro-war propaganda on Libya. He reassured his readers that the different members of the heterogeneous coalition of NATO allies in Libya, a mixture of human rights militants, intellectuals, tribal currents and Islamist forces, were united by their rejection of dictatorship, desire for democracy and respect for human rights.
Achcar insisted that people in Europe had a moral duty to support war and attacked all left-wing criticism of the imperialist character of the NATO intervention. If Gaddafi were allowed to pursue his military offensive and re-take Benghazi, there would be an enormous massacre. We are in a situation where a population is truly in danger and there is no other alternative to protect it. The assault from Gaddafis forces is coming in a matter of hours or days. One cannot, in the name of anti-imperialist principles, oppose an action that will prevent the massacre of civilians.
All these shameless justifications for an imperialist war that killed tens of thousands of people and devastated an entire country were political lies. In fact, the Libyan war is a classic example of the role of imperialism. In the wake of a conflict waged supposedly to defend democracy, the freedom to protest and the Rights of Man, slavery has been reintroduced in Libya and non-state-sanctioned protests have been banned in France.
This vindicates what the World Social ist Web Site wrote on the war in 2011: Far from a revolution or struggle for liberation, what the world is witnessing is the rape of Libya by a syndicate of imperialist powers determined to lay hold of its oil wealth and turn its territory into a neo-colonial base of operations for further interventions throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
The war left behind a catastrophic situation for refugees. Hundreds of thousands of them now pass through Libya, which is mired in a six-year civil war between rival Islamist and tribal militias. Detained in various networks of concentration camps by the Libyan regime, by armed militias or criminal gangs, they are subject to extortion, torture, sexual assault, sometimes execution or sale in modern slave markets set up in parking lots in the capital city of Tripoli.
The European Union (EU) has reacted by doing everything it can to try to prevent the refugees from leaving and reaching Europe. The Macron government, which has established a permanent state of emergency that attacks basic democratic rights, works closely with the forces persecuting refugees on the ground inside Libya. It has proposed building triage centers in Libyan detention camps where French officials would work with their Libyan counterparts to admit a minority of refugees to Europe and prevent most of them from escaping North Africa.
This underscores the fact that the struggle against slavery and for the defense of refugees requires a political mobilization of the working class against the EU and NATO. Opposition to imperialist war, the source of the crimes against humanity now being reported in Libya, based on mobilizing the working class internationally on a struggle for socialism, is the perspective advanced by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the WSWS.
Donald Trumps appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai released a final draft on Wednesday of an order that will enable privately-owned US broadband Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to control public access to online content.
The blatantly anti-democratic plan to deregulate the US Internet infrastructure will be voted on at a December 14 open FCC hearing. It is expected to be adopted by a 3-to-2 majority.
Following Pais appointment in January, the overturning of Obama-era net neutrality rules has been a top priority of the White House and Republican Party in cooperation with the giant telecom monopolies such as AT&T, Verizon, TimeWarner and Comcast.
The concept of net neutrality means that all content on the Internet is treated equally, that the ISPs cannot adjust or prioritize the kind of data or the website content that individuals or organizations access online based on business considerations.
Net neutrality Open Internet Rules that became effective on June 15, 2015 prohibited high-speed ISPs from stopping or slowing down the delivery of websites to customers or charging different rates for the quality of high-volume data content such as streaming video over the Internet to homes and businesses.
Although denied by representatives of the broadband companies, the terms of the FCC plan make it possible for access to certain information or data to be blocked entirely or made subject to additional fees or service charges depending on what is in the profit interests of the Internet carrier being used.
With characteristic hypocrisy, Pai released the final draft of his Restoring Internet Freedom plan, which has been in the works since April, declaring, Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the Internet. As is widely acknowledged by tech industry experts and online access advocates, the FCC proposal has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with controlling content and throttling broadband data delivery based on service tiers paid for by customers.
A primary false premise of the repeal of net neutrality rules is that government regulation of the big ISPs is burdensome and unnecessary and stifling investment and innovation in Internet infrastructure. However, the reality is that telephone and cable corporations are leveraging their Washington influence to regenerate Wall Street interest in their legacy Internet corporations. In comparison to the investment in content giants like Google, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook, the broadband industry has stagnated and been devalued on Wall Street.
One of the objectives of the ISP monopolies is to enter the content business themselves either by developing their own programming or through acquisition of TV networks or other media organizations. By lifting net neutrality regulations, the broadband providers can enhance access to their own content and throttle, i.e. restrict, the performance or block the content of their competitors.
Under Obama, the net neutrality rules for regulating Internet infrastructure companies as utilities or common carriers is based on Title II of the Telecommunications Act signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 19, 1934. Since the election of Donald Trump, the Republican-led offensive has been exploiting the limitations of the antiquated utility framework of the landline telephone era to abolish entirely any government regulation of the privately-owned aspects of US Internet infrastructure.
The timing of the announcement by FCC Chairman Pai that he is moving forward aggressively with the new plan is significant. Despite mass public opposition to the repeal of net neutralitythe overwhelming majority of 22 million responses on the FCC website were opposed to the orderthe FCC is moving ahead now for transparently political reasons.
Opening up the ability of ISPs to control the flow of Internet content to the public is being implemented as part of the expanding campaign by the statewith the full cooperation of the major telecom, Internet and social media corporationsto censor access to socialist political opposition within the US. Providing the ISPs with carte blanche control over the flow of content takes this censorship to the most fundamental level of Internet technology.
These same ISPsAT&T and Verizon in particularhave a long history of collaboration with the military-intelligence establishment in spying on the public and gathering data on the online activity of the global population.
No one should accept as good coin the nominal opposition of Google, Amazon and Facebook to the attack on net neutrality by the Trump administration and their competitors in the Internet infrastructure industries. These same corporations have been working hand-in-glove with the state over the past year to block and censor access by the public to socialist and left-wing Internet content under the guise of the fight against fake news and unsubstantiated claims of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. The campaign has been spearheaded by the Democratic Party.
Left-wing sites, and the World Socialist Web Site in particular, have been the primary targets of this censorship campaign. The latest changes to the FCCs regulatory policies are being lined up to intensify this censorship and prepare further attacks on the democratic rights of the entire working class.
The newly re-elected administration of New York Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has acknowledged that it knew for more than a year that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) had failed to conduct legally required lead paint inspections in thousands of its apartments. NYCHA public housing complexes spread throughout the city are home to 400,000 mostly working class tenants.
The failure by NYCHA to perform inspections of its apartments for lead contamination, required under both federal and local laws, began in 2012 under the previous administration of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It was brought to the attention of City Hall in April of 2016. The mayor himself was specifically informed of the violation by the NYCHA chairwoman, Shola Olatoye, in July 2016. However, with hundreds of thousands of people at risk, this information was withheld from the public for over a year, during which time de Blasio conducted his re-election campaign.
It has further been revealed that in 2016 the NYCHA chairwoman certified that the Authority was in compliance with the inspection regulations when, in fact, she was aware of violations dating back four years. Falsification of required certification to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development of compliance with federal regulations regarding testing for lead could be the basis for perjury charges.
De Blasio, without acknowledging his own responsibility for the cover-up, has fired or demoted three staff, not including Olatoye, whom he appointed in 2014. The mayor continues to express full confidence in Olatoye despite her false certification.
Lead, a heavy metal, is extremely dangerous if taken into the human body, even in minute quantities, causing potentially severe neurological damage, which can result in learning impairments and behavioral problems, especially in children. High doses can lead to kidney damage, seizures, or even death. The effects, which vary with dosage, are permanent. The occurrence of lead contamination, which was recently highlighted by the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is actually widespread in the United States, principally due to the use of lead in paint in homes before it was banned in 1978.
The use of lead-based paint, discontinued in residential housing in New York City in 1960, remains a serious problem in older buildings. Young children may ingest lead by eating contaminated paint chips that fall from fragmenting surfaces. People of any age can intake lead by inhaling or ingesting dust containing lead paint particles produced by wear and tear, such as the opening and closing of lead-painted doors and windows.
NYCHA estimates that at least 55,000 of its apartments are likely to contain lead-based paint. Occupants include 4,231 children under the age of six, in whom the effects of lead poisoning are most severe. NYCHA has repeatedly downplayed findings of lead contamination in its apartments and made only limited efforts to address the problem once identified, conducting lead abatement in some apartments while leaving others in the same building untouched, for example.
The Authority has been under investigation by the Manhattan US Attorneys civil division since at least 2015 for possible false claims regarding health and safety, including lead paint contamination. In March 2016, court filings by the US Attorney indicated problems with NYCHAs lead paint inspections. At the time, de Blasio downplayed the issue, stating We have a very aggressive inspection and abatement program and that is certainly being carried out in the Housing Authority and has been for years. Both he and senior NYCHA officials knew that was untrue.
On Monday, de Blasio stated, There was no attempt to deceive. Evincing the height of hypocrisy, he went on to claim, Thank God there has not been harm done to any child because of mistakes that were made.
The citys own Department of Investigation (DOI) has accused NYCHA of systemic mismanagement that puts tenants at risk regarding the false reporting of lead paint inspections as well as a number of other violations of mandated procedures, such as checking smoke detectors and proper elevator maintenance.
In 2016, the New York Daily News reported that in 133 NYCHA apartments, 202 children associated with public housing apartments since 2011 had tested positive for higher-than-acceptable blood-lead levels. The city claims lower numbers.
Following years of funding cuts, NYCHA suffers from substantial budget shortfalls, resulting in huge backlogs in routine maintenance and repairs. Tenants have long complained of delays extending to months or even years in addressing serious problems such as leaking pipes causing the extensive spread of mold, a significant health hazard. The suspension of lead paint inspections was reportedly due to NYCHAs redirecting limited resources in an attempt to deal with these other problems.
Information regarding the horrendous conditions in NYCHA housing, including dangerous peeling paint, was given to a WSWS reporting team by residents of the Baruch Houses, a NYCHA complex on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was built during the 1950s, before the use of lead paint was discontinued in the city.
Christopher Lopez spoke while picking up his children from a pre-kindergarten school. He was home during the day because of a disability suffered in his Sanitation Department job. He said, Just last week we had an inspection for peeling paint. We never had one before. It sucks, especially for kids. My four children are ages 4 to 11. A lot of people do their own painting because by the time they come, it is too long. I do my own plastering.
If the housing management tells you they are going to fix something it takes a long time and effort by the tenant. They told me they were going to fix my floors. Then it was two or three years and then they said it was closed, that they did not have it listed in the system. I had to call the NYCHA management for the whole Borough of Manhattan to finally get it done. They do budget cuts for housing, then the workers here dont get the materials they need on time.
They are more interested in privatizing the projects. In Baruch, they want to put a building with condominiums in the parking lots here.
It takes two incomes for us to pay our $1100 rent here, he added.
Kimberly Ortiz, a Baruch resident for 14 years said, I hear people complaining that they dont do the repairs or they just patch the wall, put a piece of cardboard-like brown panel in the wall. We decided it is better to do our own painting and plastering in our apartment. My husband also fixes the apartment, broken things, leaks. We do not get reimbursed.
Louis Pena told the WSWS, I have lived in many public projects and my mother lives in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn since the 80s. They do not scrape away the old paint. They always just repaint over it. I never saw them do more. It is horrible, especially for the kids. Maintenance and repair are horrible.
The problem of lead poisoning in New York City is not restricted to NYCHA housing. A decade-long study of lead exposure reported by Reuters revealed that the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels in 69 census tracts were higher than those in Flint, Michigan, where the water supply had been severely contaminated. Ten percent of the young children tested were found to have elevated lead levels, twice the rate in Flint. The study found that a substantial contributor to the increased lead exposure in New York was lax enforcement of housing regulations relating to lead paint in privately owned residential real estate.
The cover-up by Democrat de Blasio of the citys failure to test for lead in paint exposes the cynicism and hypocrisy of his claim to be a progressive. The egregiousness of this act is exacerbated by the fact that a 2004 city housing law targeting landlords who failed to comply with lead inspection regulations was co-sponsored by de Blasio when he was a city councilman from Brooklyn. The stated aim of the law was the elimination of childhood lead poisoning within six years, by 2010.
In Flint, New York City and across the US, the ruling class, through both its Democratic and Republican representatives, has failed to address, and indeed actively covered up, this major health crisis affecting the working class. Thousands of children will be permanently impaired due to these criminal acts.
According to a study conducted by the Tax Policy Center, a joint operation of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, the Senate Republican Party tax plan will increase taxes on 50 percent of Americans by 2027.
Under the Senate bill, 9 percent of taxpayers will pay higher taxes in 2019, compared to the taxes paid under current tax law. However, by 2027 the proportion of taxpayers paying higher taxes will increase to 50 percent. This is largely due to the fact that the acts personal tax cuts expire in 2026.
Furthermore, the study found that the bill will reduce taxes on average for all income groups in both 2019 and 2025, but low-income households will get smaller tax breaks than others. According to the analysis, higher income households will receive larger tax cuts as a percentage of after-tax income, with the largest cuts going to households in the 95th to 99th percentiles of income distribution.
In 2019, individuals earning less than $25,000 will get an average $50 tax reduction, equal to 0.3 percent of their after-tax income. Middle-income taxpayers will receive an average cut of $850, while those making at least $746,000 will get an average cut of $34,000, or 2.2 percent of their after-tax income.
The Tax Policy Center also released an analysis of the bill passed by the House last week. The study found that the bill will increase US gross domestic product by 0.6 percent in 2018, 0.3 percent in 2027, and 0.2 percent in 2037. The bill is expected to generate an additional $169 billion in additional revenue within the next decade. This contradicts claims that the legislation would produce $1.5 trillion, as proposed by Congress Joint Committee on Taxation.
During a Cabinet meeting on Monday, President Donald Trump promised a huge tax overhaul by Christmas. Were going to give the American people a huge tax cut for Christmas, he stated. However, the tax plans being pushed through Congress would continue a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the corporate and financial elite.
The bill passed by the House would reduce corporate tax rates to their lowest rate since 1939, from 35 to 20 percent, generating additional corporate revenues of $6.7 trillion by 2037. The personal income tax rate for the wealthiest individuals would fall from 39.6 percent to 35 percent. The estate tax would be abolished, and the rate at which business owners are taxed on money recorded as pass through income would be slashed to 25 percent.
The tax plan also spells disaster for millions of youth, as it would increase the cost of attending college by $65 billion over the next 10 years, according to an estimate by the American Council on Education. It also repeals the tax deduction for interest payments on student loans, which provides up to $625 a year in savings for student loan borrowers making less than $65,000, or married couples making less than $130,000.
If the final bill is passed by both houses in Congress, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that half of the tax cuts will go to the top 1 percent of households, those making more than $700,000 a year. The top 0.1 percent will receive up to 30 percent of total tax cuts.
Last week, Congress sent a $700 billion military budget to the White House. The working class is continuously told there is no money for social programs, but there exists plenty for imperialist conquest and enriching the financial elite.
The United States has the highest level of social inequality within the developed world. Three billionaires own more wealth than half the population. The tax plans being pushed by Congress will only widen the gap between rich and poor. They will also create the conditions for an intensification of the assault on social programs such as Medicaid and Social Security.
The US Treasury announced new sanctions on Tuesday that not only target North Korea, but a number of Chinese companies and individuals. The latest penalties underscore Washingtons determination to exploit the current confrontation with Pyongyang to undermine China economically and strategically.
The announcement followed Trumps decision on Monday to redesignate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorisman utterly cynical move that further undercuts the possibility of negotiations to end the crisis. A North Korean spokesman yesterday denounced the step as a serious provocation and warned that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen its nuclear arsenal as long as the US continued its hostile policy toward his country.
The new US sanctions will hit six North Korean shipping companies and 20 vessels, along with the Korea South-South Cooperation Corporation, which allegedly organises the employment of North Korean guest workers in other countries, including Russia and China.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared that the US was steadfast in our determination to maximise economic pressure to isolate it [North Korea] from outside sources of trade and revenue. His comments demonstrate that Washington is seeking a complete blockade of North Korea, aimed at strangling it economically, not simply the enforcement of existing UN sanctions.
The impact of the latest US sanctions on the Pyongyang regime is limited. Successive UN Security Council resolutions already ban virtually all North Korean commodity exports, including coal, iron, other minerals and seafood, as well as limiting joint investment and the hiring of extra North Korean guest workers, and capping the sale of oil and related products to North Korea.
The US, however, is going well beyond the UN measures, which were pushed by Washington and reluctantly agreed by China and Russia in a bid to forestall war. In effect, the Trump administration has unilaterally declared that any trade or investment with North Korea is out of bounds and any individual or company that does so faces exclusion from the US financial system.
The US Treasury imposed secondary sanctions on three Chinese companiesDandong Kehua Economy and Trade, Dandong Xianghe Trading and Dandong Hongda Tradewhich it claimed had done more than $750 million in combined trade with North Korea over almost five years up to August 31. This included trade in coal, iron ore, lead, zinc and silver ore, lead metal and ferrous products, as well as notebook computers.
The Trump administration has not attempted to justify its move against these companies by referring to UN sanctions, international law or even previously declared US policy toward North Korea. Up until the latest UN resolution in August, the purchase of coal, iron ore, lead and ferrous products was not subject to a total ban. The US has arbitrarily singled out Chinese companies for retrospective penalties.
Chinese citizen Sun Sidong and his company Dandong Dongyuan Industrial were also sanctioned for allegedly exporting more than $28 million worth of goods, including items connected to nuclear reactors, to North Korea over several years.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Wednesday condemned the US actions, saying: We consistently oppose any country adopting unilateral sanctions based on its own domestic laws and regulations and the wrong method of exercising long-arm jurisdiction. Lu warned that if other parties wish to have effective cooperation with China they should share intelligence and cooperate with China to appropriately handle the issue.
The Trump White House, however, has no intention of winding back the confrontation with North Korea or China. During his visit to Beijing earlier this month, Trump demanded that China act faster and more effectively to force North Korea to capitulate to US demands for it to abandon its nuclear programs.
However, every step taken by China is only met with new US pressure. The decision to rename North Korea as a sponsor of terrorism was a deliberate slap in the face to Chinese efforts to bully Pyongyang to the negotiating table on US terms. Just last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a special envoy to North Korea for the first high-level talks with its leaders in more than two years.
The US confrontation with North Korea is also aimed at weakening and ultimately subordinating China, which Washington regards as the chief threat to its continued dominance in Asia and the world. The sanctions against Chinese companies are just an element of Washingtons far broader plans for trade war measures against China. In Beijing, Trump demanded that China immediately address the unfair trade practices in order to reduce its trade surplus with the US.
Trumps trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who accompanied Trump to Beijing, is notorious for his advocacy of trade war measures against China. According to a Wall Street Journal article this week entitled, US throws out playbook on China trade, Lighthizer shocked the Chinese hosts by declining their proffered trade concessions including a financial-opening package His message: Half-measures wont work for a White House seeking fundamental change.
Beijing is reluctant to impose a complete economic blockade on North Korea, fearing it will provoke an economic and political crisis in Pyongyang that Washington will exploit. An implosion in North Korea would not only threaten chaos on Chinas border but raise the possibility that the US could impose a pro-American regime in Pyongyang.
At the same time, China is acutely aware that the US has advanced military preparations and plans for an all-out war and, to use Trumps words, the total destruction of North Korea, which is formally a Chinese ally.
A debate has opened up in Chinese ruling circles over how to respond to the US over North Korea. According to an article in the Diplomat this week, a rare public debate between academics over the contentious issue points to deep divisions in the Chinese state apparatus. While one wing blames the US for the crisis and continues to call for a negotiated end to the standoff, its opponents suggest that China should cut ties with North Korea and draw up contingency plans with the US in case of war, or regime collapse in Pyongyang.
The very fact that a public debate is taking place at all suggests real fears in Beijing that the US will wage a war of aggression against North Korea that could drag China and the world into a catastrophic conflict.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee Police say that the missing mother and her 4-year-old son have been found safe and unharmed.
The Tallahassee Police Department says they are looking for Adrena Bush, 25, and Ky'moni Bush, 4.
They say that they were last seen Saturday in the area of 2525 Texas Street in Tallahassee. Both are known to frequent the Tallahassee and Havana areas.
Adrena is described as a 25-year-old woman, standing at 5-foot-3 tall and weighing 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Ky'moni is described as a 4-year-old boy standing at 2-foot-6 and weighing 30-40 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tallahassee Police Department at (850) 891-4200.
YORK Hannah Sabatas request for parole drew unanimous support from the Nebraska State Parole Board early Wednesday morning.
Sabata, then 19, was convicted of robbing the Cornerstone Banks Waco branch at gunpoint on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012. She was subsequently convicted of felony robbery, given 10-20 years and began serving that sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women the following June 17, 2013.
Sabata, 25 early next month, spoke softly as she answered questions from parole board members Teresa Bittinger, Layne Gissler and Rex Richard.
Bittinger conducted the hearing and had the most interaction with Sabata among the three.
Bittinger read into the record that no opposition to parole was received from any of the public officials canvassed about Sabata, who will be released to the custody and care of Living Water Rescue Mission in York on Saturday.
Sabata answered in the affirmative when asked about her participation and completion of pre-release programs at the prison.
What has she learned, asked Bittinger?
How to take responsibility for my actions, she answered, and about having relapse prevention in place.
Asked by Bittinger if she understood what relapse triggers are and, more specifically, which ones she needs to be especially wary of, Sabata answered, Old friends and old places.
Sabata was told she will be assigned a parole officer whose job it will be to keep her from tripping any triggers.
Her first phone call on the outside, she said, will be to that parole officer.
Make that person your best friend, Bittinger said, to genuinely confide in and lean upon.
LaVerna Smith at Living Water said she and Sabata have become comfortable with each other through Monday meetings at the prison.
Asked why she chose Living Water, Sabata said she is frightened of California where she has family and doesnt want to go there. She said shes familiar with and comfortable in the York area.
Asked why she robbed the bank that day, Sabata thought for a moment before answering, I couldnt keep a job, she said.
Asked by Bittinger about her workplace skills, Sabata said, I have a paralegal certificate.
In response Bittinger commented, You have some brains and you know how to use them.
She told Sabata, Robbery is a bad crime. Its a violent crime. We need to keep the public safe. We need to be sure you dont do the same things again.
Can you be successful? Do you want to be successful? Bittinger asked. Yes, answered Sabata.
Did you like living here? she asked to an immediate no from Sabata in answer.
Richard, who had little to say during the proceedings, told Sabata, Two years ago I couldnt envision ever supporting you for parole because of her behavior up to then. In those past couple years, however, he complemented Sabata for making a remarkable turnaround in that regard.
Bittinger made a motion to approve Sabatas release to Living Water on her parole eligibility date of November 25. Richard seconded the motion and voted in favor.
Are you going to let us down? asked Gissler.
No, answered Sabata.
Then I vote yes, he said.
After making certain Sabata understood all the terms of release, Bittinger made the vote unanimous.
Sabata must complete the one-year program at Living Water without incident, must pledge to maintain her medications and to abide by all the rules and regulations there.
We have a lot of rules here, she said. They do too.
Youve been doing well, Bittinger said. Dont mess around. Be a success story.
A new member has officially joined the Big Four, becoming Australias fifth largest bank, according to Douglas Driscoll, CEO of Starr Partners.
Im talking about the Bank of Mum and Dad, he said. We are encouraging first-home buyers to enter the market, but with escalating prices, it is more difficult than ever.
Lenders are generally less willing to lend to first-home buyers as theyre considered to be higher-risk clients, mainly because they dont have a long job history or established wealth.
Parents often have a large amount of equity in their homes and theyre realising it might be better to support their offspring now when they most need it by releasing some of that equity, rather than leaving an inheritance down the track, Driscoll said. Unfortunately, the reality is that families can fall-out just as relationships can break-up, and I urge any parent considering this to have a formalised document professionally prepared by a solicitor to protect all involved.
According to a recent survey by financial comparison site Mozo, the Bank of Mum and Dad has lent a whopping $65.3bn to first-home buyers, sealing its position as the fifth largest lender in the country.
On average, a first-home buyer borrowed more than $64,000 from their parents. Most astonishingly, unlike a regular bank, about 67% of parents dont expect to be paid back, even in part, let alone in full.
The most popular method of assistance, favoured by 43% of respondents, is to allow adult children to live at home rent free, enabling them to save for a deposit. According to Mozo, the value of this arrangement is worth just over $25,000 on average.
Forty-one percent of parents favoured directly contributing to the deposit.
Saving up a home loan deposit is a major cost when buying property, so it's no wonder that some of the more popular forms of assistance have to do with helping children save more effectively, or helping out with a lump sum towards the deposit, said Kirsty Lamont, director of Mozo.
Other options include acting as a guarantor, assisting with repayments, or buying property on behalf of, or as a partner of, a child.
First-home buyers in New South Wales borrowed the most from their parents, followed by those in Victoria and South Australia, which ranked equally. First-home buyers in the Northern Territory and ACT borrowed the least from the Bank of Mum and Dad.
Parents are using a variety of strategies to help their children. Chief among them is dipping into their own savings, a method favoured by over two-thirds of respondents. Less popular methods include delaying retirement and selling off other assets.
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LocationScore, a property-research platform that interprets big data to analyse and score every suburb in Australia, has just released a list of Australias cheapest property markets with the best capital growth potential.
The platform restricted its search to only include suburbs within the top 20 Significant Urban Areas (i.e. the top 20 cities and regions by population, from Sydney to Launceston).
This means there is likely to be sufficient economic diversity to find work. It also means the city is unlikely to turn into a ghost town and should have decent value growth long term, LocationScore said.
LocationScore also omitted suburbs that have challenges regarding their immediate future values, as well as suburbs that have good potential for growth in values right now. To do this, the platform used a proprietary algorithm known as Location Score.
What is Location Score?
This score denotes a suburbs future growth potential. As capital growth occurs when demand exceeds supply, Location Score can predict future price growth by measuring current supply and demand using these key indicators:
Auction clearance rates
Percentage of stock on market
Average vendor discount
Percentage of renters to owner-occupiers
Days on market
Online search interest
Vacancy rates
Rental yields
The Location Score is a number between 0 and 100, with a score of 50 being the theoretical balance point between supply and demand. The higher the Location Score is above 50, the better the growth potential, since demand exceeds supply.
Tracking down cheap suburbs with pent-up demand
Jeremy Sheppard, director of research at Empower Wealth and co-developer of LocationScore, explained what drove the platform to list the countrys cheapest property markets with the best capital growth potential.
There has been a lot of media coverage around housing affordability this year, especially in our two biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne, given their strong price growth over the past couple of years, Sheppard told Your Investment Property. Also for the investor out there, its not easy to find cheaper locations that might be offering positive cash flow opportunities while still showing potential for growth.
So with this in mind we set off on a research journey using the eight variables in the LocationScore algorithm to track down some of the cheapest locations showing pent-up demand, yet limited supply. This puts pressure on prices to rise sooner rather than later.
However, we didnt want to highlight locations that are in the middle of nowhere with poor economic fundamentals. So we kept our search focused in Australias top 20 significant urban areas.
Melbourne and Sydney are possibly the only cities in Australia that can be declared immune from serious economic downturn, but looking at cheaper cities may expose the investor to more long-term risk. Even Perth, our fourth largest real estate market, suffered significantly when resources tanked, Sheppard said.
Economic research is really quite tricky to get right. Jobs is the key, more so than population even. But supply and demand for property should reflect the economic state of a market anyway all research for price growth should focus on supply and demand.
All the markets weve picked are in a state where demand exceeds supply. So there must be something good going on, economically speaking anyway.
Sheppard made it clear that investors shouldnt buy in these locations without adequate research. The data is a great overall indicator. It highlights markets worthy of further research, he said. You still have to do the ground research. Speak to local council about future plans, speak to agents, and ask the locals about how confident they feel about the area the good, the bad and the ugly. This will help you filter the shortlist even further.
Hobart Examples Links Location Suburb Property Type Typical Value GAGEBROOK Houses $150,000 4 Bond Place https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-gagebrook-126307902 RISDON VALE Houses 195,000 3 Medlar Street https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-risdon+vale-126274342 4 Kerria Road https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-risdon+vale-126465718
Adelaide Examples Location Suburb Property Type Typical Value 17 Appleshaw St Links ELIZABETH VALE Houses $230,000 26 Durdin Road https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-elizabeth+vale-126398714 https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-elizabeth+vale-125902850
Brisbane Location Suburb Property Type Typical Value Examples Links BASIN POCKET Houses $245,000 16 McLEOD ST https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-basin+pocket-126309254 4 Bremer https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-basin+pocket-125072702 Parade
Melbourne Location Suburb Property Type Typical Value Examples Links MELTON WEST Houses $360,000 50 Carramar Drive https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-melton+west-125084338 3/14 Marlo Drive https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-melton+west-126226566 ALBION Units $240,000 19/36 Ridley Street https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-albion-126094226 4/117 Anderson Road https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-albion-125764846
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News
Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump today spoke with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for more than one hour. The presidents affirmed their support for the Joint Statement of the United States and the Russian Federation, issued at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit on November 11.
Both presidents also stressed the importance of implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, and supporting the U.N.-led Geneva Process to peacefully resolve the Syrian civil war, end the humanitarian crisis, allow displaced Syrians to return home, and ensure the stability of a unified Syria free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens.
The two presidents affirmed the importance of fighting terrorism together throughout the Middle East and Central Asia and agreed to explore ways to further cooperate in the fight against ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist organizations.
President Trump and President Putin also discussed how to implement a lasting peace in Ukraine, and the need to continue international pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
Arizona News
Tempe, Arizona - Benchmark Electronics, a leading global design, engineering and manufacturing company, broke ground on its new headquarters located at Rio Salado 2106 in Tempe, Arizona. Presiding over the ceremony, Governor Doug Ducey joined Paul Tufano, president and CEO, Benchmark, and Sethuraman Panchanathan, executive vice president, Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer at ASU, to celebrate Benchmarks new home in the Valley.
We are proud to be a part of the outstanding technology and business community here in Tempe, said Tufano. I would like to thank Governor Ducey, the Arizona Commerce Authority, the City of Tempe, Arizona State University and all of our partners that have welcomed Benchmark and helped our relocation process run smoothly.
Benchmark is dedicated to the continued development of Arizonas business and technology community and looks forward to deepening its involvement. The company plans to bring an additional 500 jobs to the greater Phoenix area over the next five years.
With the groundbreaking of Benchmarks new headquarters and 500 new jobs headed our way, eyes from New York City to Silicon Valleyare once again focused on our state, Governor Ducey said. Benchmarks selection of our state is further proof there is no better place than Arizona to start or scale a business or test and develop new technology.
The company has already joined forces with Arizona State University through a strategic partnership to foster an innovative ecosystem that benefits students and businesses. Benchmark plans to leverage the impressive talent produced ASUs Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering and W.P. Carey School of Business in its hiring efforts.
Our partnership with Benchmark is another step toward the outstanding collaboration between business and education we have fostered at our university, said Michael Crow, President, ASU. We are fortunate to work with leading companies like Benchmark, which provide opportunities in the classroom and real-world, hands-on learning environments for faculty and students, as well as promoting the development of high-technology jobs.
Construction on Benchmarks Tempe headquarters is expected to be completed in early 2019. It will house the corporate leadership team and key corporate functions. Benchmarks Internet of Things (IoT) Center of Innovation will also transition to the new location.
Microsoft, Amazon, GoDaddy and now Benchmark, have all found a home here in Tempe, said Tempe Mayor, Mark Mitchell. As the company breaks ground at the prime location of 2100 Rio Salado Pkwy, we welcome them with open arms and look forward to the jobs and innovation they will bring to our community.
For more information on Benchmark, please visit www.bench.com or call 979-849-6550.
About Benchmark Electronics
Benchmark provides worldwide integrated electronics manufacturing services (EMS), engineering and design services, and precision machining services to original equipment manufacturers of industrial equipment (including equipment for the aerospace and defense industries), telecommunication equipment, computers and related products for business enterprises, medical devices, and test and instrumentation products. Benchmarks global operations include facilities in eight countries, and its common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BHE.
Yuma News
Yuma, Arizona - This morning, at 11:16 a.m., 27 year old Edward Ornelas Jr. was arrested for aggravated assault on a Police Officer in the 400 block of S. 1st Avenue.
At 10:40 a.m. a Yuma Police Department Civilian Traffic Investigator stopped to assist a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the roadway in the 400 block of S. 1st Avenue. The passenger of the vehicle, Ornelas Jr., started to get aggressive with the Civilian Traffic Investigator. The Investigator called for a sworn officer to assist and when the first officer arrived Ornelas Jr. started fighting with that officer. Several more officers arrived on scene and Ornelas Jr. was taken into custody and booked into Yuma County Detention Center.
Two Yuma Police Officers were injured during the incident and taken to the Yuma Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released.
Spanish News
Somerton, Arizona - On Friday, December 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, the Somerton Library will offer Computacion Basica (Computer Basics) at 4:00 p.m. This one-hour computer class will help you build basic computer, internet, and e-mail skills. This is a one session class; basic mouse skills are required.
Instruction will be provided in Spanish. There is no charge to attend.
The Somerton Library is located at 240 Canal Street in Somerton, AZ. For more information, call (928) 627-2149.
Moscow: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes, on Thursday asked Russia`s Vladimir Putin to protect his country from the United States.
Speaking during his first visit to Russia as president, Bashir also said he wanted to ramp up military ties and praised Moscow`s military campaign in Syria.
"We have been dreaming about this visit for a long time," the Sudanese president told Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
"We are thankful to Russia for its position on the international arena, including Russia`s position in the protection of Sudan. We are in need of protection from the aggressive acts of the United States."
The Sudanese leader praised his earlier meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"We are currently launching a programme to modernise our armed forces and we agreed with the defence minister that Russia will contribute to this," Bashir said.
Putin said that Russia was keen to intensify economic ties including in agriculture and energy.
"There are prospects not only in the hydrocarbon sphere but also in energy," Putin said. "There are many prospects of cooperation."
The visit came a month after the United States lifted a trade embargo it imposed on the impoverished African state in 1997 over Khartoum`s alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.
US President Donald Trump also removed Sudan from a list of countries facing a US travel ban.
Sudan`s deadly conflict in Darfur broke out in 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against Bashir`s Arab-dominated government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency.
The UN says at least 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million displaced as a result of the conflict.
Top Sudanese officials including Bashir now claim that the conflict has ended, but the region continues to see regular fighting between numerous ethnic and tribal groups.
PALM BEACH: US President Donald Trump gave a bullish Thanksgiving address to troops overseas on Thursday, hailing progress in Afghanistan and against ISIS, and telling them they were fighting for "something real," including a stock market at record highs and his promised big, beautiful fat tax cuts.
Speaking in a live video teleconference from Palm Beach, Florida, with military personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, Trump told them they were "very, very special people."
He called troops in Afghanistan "brave, incredible fighters" who had "turned it around" in the past three to four months.
"We opened it up; we said go ahead, we`re going to fight to win," he said. "We`re not fighting anymore to just walk around, we are fighting to win."
Trump said the Marines were inflicting "defeat after defeat" on Islamic State, and again credited his change of approach compared to that of the Obama administration.
"They weren`t letting you win before; they were letting you break even. ... They weren`t letting you win," he said.
Trump told the troops they could look forward at home to the benefits of "big, beautiful fat tax cuts," a stock market at record highs, jobs and economic growth.
"We`re doing well at home, the economy is doing great, Trump said. You`re fighting for something real, youre fighting for something good."
Trump took one of his trademark swipes at the news media as he spoke from a lavishly decorated room at his Mar-a-Lago resort, telling the military personnel he was addressing that journalists were in the room, and adding, "Better me than you; believe me fellas, better me than you."
Later, Trump and his wife, Melania, handed out sandwiches and shook hands at a Coast Guard station in nearby Riviera Beach and told personnel his administration was building up wealth so it could protect the country through military acquisitions.
Talking about his plans for boosting military spending, he said contractors saved the best equipment for U.S. troops. When we sell to other countries - you never know about an ally - an ally can turn, he said.
Trump said he had told the troops overseas the country was "doing great," thanks to his cuts in "regulation and all the waste and all the abuse."
"I told them ... you folks are fighting so hard and working so hard, and it`s nice that you`re working on something that`s really starting to work."
While optimism about a major tax overhaul has helped push the U.S. stock market up for most of this year, Trump is still seeking his first major legislative win after almost a year in office.
According to a majority of economists in a recent Reuters poll, U.S. Republicans are not expected to push the tax cuts through Congress this year. Economists are also skeptical that the legislation would provide a significant boost to the economy.
Yangon: Bangladesh and Myanmar will start repatriating Rohingya refugees in two months, Dhaka said today, as global pressure mounts over the crisis that has sent more than half a million people fleeing across the border.
Around 620,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since August to what is now the world's largest refugee camp, running from a Myanmar military crackdown that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing".
The statement from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the strongest US condemnation yet of the crackdown, accusing Myanmar's security forces of perpetrating "horrendous atrocities" against the group.
Following talks between Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali, and after weeks of tussling over the terms of repatriation, the two sides inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw today.
In a brief statement, Dhaka said they had agreed to start returning the refugees to mainly Buddhist Myanmar in two months.
It said that a working group would be set up within three weeks to agree the arrangements for the repatriation.
"This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working," Ali told reporters in Naypyidaw.
However, it remains unclear how many Rohingya will be allowed back and how long the process will take.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the process, including where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging.
The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.
They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services.
Tensions erupted into bouts of bloodshed in 2012 that pushed more than 100,000 Rohingya into grim displacement camps.
Despite the squalid conditions in the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many of the refugees say they are reluctant to return to Myanmar unless they are granted full citizenship.
"We won't go back to Myanmar unless all Rohingya are granted citizenship with full rights like any other Myanmar nationals," said Abdur Rahim, 52, who was a teacher at a government-run school in Buthidaung in Myanmar's Rakhine state before fleeing across the border.
"We won't return to any refugee camps in Rakhine," he told AFP in Bangladesh.
The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly- anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya.
The latest unrest occurred after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts on August 25.
The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities.
The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone.
Suu Kyi's government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse.
BEIJING: China wants closer ties with Myanmar`s military to help protect regional peace and security, a senior Chinese general told the visiting head of the southeast Asian country`s army.
China and Myanmar have had close diplomatic and economic ties for years, and China has offered its support to its southern neighbour, also known as Burma, throughout a crisis over its treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar`s Rakhine State, most to neighbouring Bangladesh, since a Myanmar military crackdown in response to attacks on the security forces by Rohingya insurgents in August.
The United States on Wednesday for the first time called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya "ethnic cleansing" and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible for "horrendous atrocities".
Meeting in Beijing, Li Zuocheng, who sits on China`s Central Military Commission, which runs its armed forces, told Senior General Min Aung Hlaing that China`s development and prosperity were an important opportunity for Myanmar`s development, China`s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
"In the face of a complex and changeable regional security situation, China is willing to maintain strategic communication between the two countries` militaries," Li was cited as saying in the statement issued late on Wednesday.
China wanted greater contacts between the two armed forces and deeper training and technical exchanges and to promote border defence cooperation to ensure peace and stability along their common border, Li added.
China has been angered by fighting between Myanmar`s military and autonomy-seeking ethnic minority rebels close to the Chinese border in recent years, which has at times forced thousands of villagers to flee into China.
The Chinese ministry made no direct mention of the Rohingya issue in the statement.
China built close ties with Myanmar`s generals during years of military rule, when Western countries imposed sanctions on Myanmar for its suppression of the democracy movement.
The United States and other Western countries have stepped up engagement with Myanmar since the military began handing power to civilians in 2011, and especially since former democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a 2015 election.
But an international outcry over Myanmar`s violations of the rights of the Rohingya has raised questions in Western countries about that engagement.
Rights group Amnesty International has called for a comprehensive arms embargo against Myanmar as well as targeted financial sanctions against senior Myanmar military officials.
China`s Defence Ministry cited Min Aung Hlaing as thanking China for its support in helping Myanmar ensure domestic stability.
NEW DELHI: India need not be overly sensitive to China's new hydropower project in Tibet as it will not affect the water flow downstream, a Chinese state-run media said in an opinion piece on Thursday.
China's new hydropower project would be built in the Suwalong area of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The excess power would be supplied outside.
India had in the past raised concern over dam projects in Tibet, as the headwaters of some of the major rivers flow into the country.
And the exploitation of the water-resources in Tibet has been a source of tension between the two neighboring nations.
It is understandable that India is sensitive to the plan as it is concerned that it may jeopardize its water supplies, the Global Times said in the article.
Nearly 30 percent of China's hydropower potential comes from Tibet and its vast water resources in the region are yet to be fully exploited.
In any case, India doesn't need to be oversensitive to Tibet's hydropower development plan, Hu Weijia wrote in the article.
In the near future, China plans to build more hydropower stations in the region, particularly on the Jinsha, Lancang and Nujiang rivers.
However, all the three rivers do not run through India, the report said.
As highlighted in its 13th Five-Year economic and social development plan, China plans to complete building some of these power projects by 2020.
Funds for the Suwalong station on Jinsha River has already been provided.
The Zangmu dam, being built on the Yarlung Zangbo River, also as known as the river Brahmaputra, raised serious concerns in India.
The dam project, which became partially operational in 2014, is the first major hydropower project on Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet.
Baghdad: Iraqi forces launched a sweep through the western desert to flush out remaining Islamic State group fighters on Thursday, an operation the prime minister has said will spell the jihadists` "final defeat" in the country.
The arid, sparsely populated wastelands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the last refuge of the jihadists in Iraq after troops and paramilitaries ousted them from all urban areas.
"The Iraqi army, the federal police and the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation paramilitary units) this morning began clearing the Al-Jazeera region straddling Salaheddin, Nineveh and Anbar provinces," the head of Joint Operations Command, General Abdelamir Yarallah, said in a statement.
The Hashed al-Shaabi released live footage from Siniyah in Saleheddin province of bulldozers clearing an earthen barrier to allow heavy armour to advance into the desert.
The tanks bore both the Iraq national flag and that of the paramilitary force, which is made up largely of Shiite militias -- a black standard bearing the name of Imam Hussein, one of the faith`s most revered figures.
Long lines of pick-up trucks waited to follow.
By the afternoon the Hashed said its forces had already taken control of 56 villages and hamlets to reach the area around Lake Tharthar, capturing three strategic bridges and destroying eight car bombs and pick-up trucks along the way.
The Al-Jazeera region is where IS fighters escaped to when Iraqi forces recaptured the last towns they still held in a successful drive up the Euphrates Valley to the Syrian border earlier this month.
That offensive culminated in the lightning recapture of the town of Rawa last Friday and saw Iraqi forces meet up with Syrian forces at the border.
"This operation is aimed at clearing the desert of the pockets where the jihadists took refuge when the towns that they had held were recently liberated," a senior officer in Anbar province told AFP.
The region`s dry valleys, oases and steppes make up around four percent of national territory, Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi expert on IS, told AFP last week.
It has been known as a hotbed of jihadist insurgency and smuggling since the US-led invasion of Iraq ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003, long before the arrival of IS in 2014.
"There are some desert areas which Iraqi government forces have not entered since 2003 and the operation is aimed at securing these areas 100 percent," security analyst Said al-Jayyashi told AFP.
"Once the clearance operations have been completed right up to the Iraq-Syria border, forces will redeploy and fortify the frontier," he said.
Iraq`s close ally Iran has already declared victory over IS but Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that he would not follow suit until the desert had been cleared of remaining jihadists.
"After the operation has ended, we will announce the final defeat of Daesh in Iraq," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
It is a massive turnaround for the jihadist group that in 2014 ruled over seven million people in a territory as large as Italy encompassing large parts of Syria and nearly a third of Iraq.
On the Syrian side of the border, IS is under massive pressure too.
In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led fighters are conducting separate operations to clear IS fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns.
Elsewhere, IS retains a presence in the Yarmuk refugee camp and the Hajar Aswad district just south of the capital Damascus, where the group is battling other jihadists and pro-government forces.
In the central province of Homs, it is being squeezed by troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and their Russian backers as it struggles to maintain a grip on a few small areas.
To the south, in Daraa province on the border with Jordan, an affiliated group called Jaish Khaled Bin Walid is mainly battling other rebel groups.
NEW DELHI: The Pakistan government may slap fresh charges against Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed in order to keep him in custody, media reports said on Thursday.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief was set to be released from house arrest tonight after the Lahore High Court's release order.
Saeed's house arrest had been extended several times since he was first put under detention on January 31 for a period of 90 days.
On Wednesday, a 3-judge review board had rejected the Punjab governments appeal to extend his custody for another three months for want of evidence.
The government argued that his release would result in a diplomatic crisis which could even restrict the entry of foreign funds into the country.
Saeeds counsel AK Dogar told the board that he had been held illegally to oblige the United States.
He further said that Saeed has been held without any legality, and hence, a violation of the constitution and his fundamental human rights.
After the ruling, Dogar said that the JuD chief would walk free on Thursday night if the government doesnt press more charges against him.
He expressed fear that the government may detain him in other cases.
An official said that the JuD activities are already under the scanner, and this time, we may again take action.
The home department may again press charges against Saeed to keep him in detention, he said requesting anonymity.
The United Nations has designated Saeed as a global terrorist and his release from his house arrest is a huge blow to the global efforts to rien in terror.
India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: His release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of Pak Govt, also appears to be an attempt by Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists.
India, as indeed the entire International community, is outraged that a self-confessed and a UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda, he added.
Moscow: Russia on Thursday denounced the life term slapped on Bosnian Serb wartime military chief Ratko Mladic for genocide as biased, adding that it would undermine reconciliation efforts in the Balkans.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Wednesday`s decision to jail the 74-year-old for life "a continuation of a politicised and biased course that has dominated the work" of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
She said the court "used the one-sided, anti-Serb interpretation of the tragic events of the 1990s in former Yugoslavia".
The ruling "undermines the process of rehabilitation of mutual trust in the Balkans," Zakharova said.
Mladic`s was the last genocide trial before The Hague-based tribunal which will close its doors on December 31, having indicted 161 people since it was set up in 1993.
A traditional political and cultural ally of Serbia, Russia has always criticised decisions taken by UN judges against Bosnian Serb war crimes suspects.
Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," was found guilty of genocide and other counts during the 1992-1995 war that killed about 100,000 people.
Judges said he commanded Bosnian Serbs forces who carried out "mass executions."
Moscow: A separatist leader in Ukraine's east has accused a former official of trying to unseat him.
Breaking an almost a week of silence, Igor Plotnitsky, leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said on the rebel television station today that former interior minister Igor Kornet "tried to seize power by force."
Plotnitsky vowed to "resolve the conflict with the help of the law."
Plotnitsky dismissed Kornet earlier this week. In response, dozens of armed people loyal to Kornet have deployed to the main administrative buildings in the regional capital, Luhansk.
More than 10,000 people have been killed and a million displaced in a long-simmering conflict between separatists in Luhansk and in parts of the neighbouring Donetsk region since 2014.
New Delhi: The Election Commission would pass an order on the issue of rejecting the claim of Sharad Yadav faction of Janata Dal (United) over the 'Arrow' symbol by Monday.
The EC counsel today told this to the Delhi High Court, as Justice Indermeet Kaur took his submission on record that a detailed order would be passed by the poll panel by Monday and disposed of a plea of a legislator of Yadav's faction of the party.
The Election Commission of India (EC) in its November 17 order had recognised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led faction as the real JD(U).
The court had granted liberty to the legislator to challenge the findings of ECI.
During the hearing, the EC counsel said that in view of yesterday's court order, the poll panel shall pass a detailed order on or before November 27.
It was hearing a plea moved by Gujarat MLA Chottubhai Vasava, who is the acting president of the Yadav faction of the JD(U).
The legislator's lawyer had told the court that the first phase of filing nominations for the Gujarat polls has got over and the second phase would be completed in another 10 days.
So, it has to be decided before who will use the symbol in the upcoming elections, Vasava had contended.
However, the lawyers for the Nitish Kumar faction had told the court that its members have already filed nominations with the 'Arrow' symbol as the EC had ruled in their favour.
They had also said that the EC order had also given reasons for rejecting the claim of Yadav's faction as the poll panel noted that Kumar's faction had a majority in the legislature.
Kumar and Yadav had parted ways after the former decided to join hands with the BJP in July, triggering a battle for the control of the party.
Yadav had claimed that by ending the alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and deserting the greater 'grand alliance', Kumar had gone against the party's national executive's decision to oppose the BJP.
As the rift between the two widened, Yadav held a 'national executive' conclave of the JD(U) here where Vasava was appointed the acting president.
Vasava, who is also the Gujarat unit party chief and a six-term MLA, approached the ECI staking claim over the party and its poll symbol 'Arrow'. Yadav has all along maintained that the faction led by him was the real JD(U).
The ECI, in its order, had said the group led by Kumar "has demonstrated overwhelming majority support" in the legislature wing as well as the majority in the national council of the party, which is the apex organisational body of the JD(U).
However, Vasava's counsel had contended that the EC had relied on the "disputed" election of the
national council and said that the party led by Yadav was the real JD(U).
The two factions sought an early decision from the poll panel, noting that they wanted to contest next month's Gujarat Assembly polls using the 'arrow' symbol.
Mumbai: Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati which has been in the eye of the storm in the country owing to its historical content has got a clearance from the British censor board despite being deferred in India. The film hasnt been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India yet. Interestingly, the film which was slated to release on December 1 here, will now be screened on the same day in the UK.
However, former CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, who always found himself in the middle of controversies, has claimed that it is illegal to export a film before getting clearance in India.
Nihalani, during an interview with Time Now said, First of all he (probably referring to Sanjay Leela Bhansali) cannot export the film and get the certificate before certification in India. Because after the clearance only one can export the film. He has done it. It is illegal. As CBFC Chairman, I have in the past taken action against 2-3 producers. The government will come to know and I think he will face the tune of the legal action.
Following massive protests, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio behind Padmavati, on November 19, announced in a statement that they were voluntarily deferring the release of the film out of "respect and regard for the law of the land" including the Central Board of Film Certification".
They said a new release date will be announced once the "requisite clearances" are in place.
CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi on November 20, said that the board should be given adequate time to come up with a balanced decision about the movie.
A source in the CBFC on Monday echoed Joshi's views.
"In CBFC, 68 days is the maximum time (to certify a film), it can be less also. We normally do it in a month or over a month's time (certification). With a film like this, you need to be careful, take opinions, so it takes a little bit of time. It does not mean that nothing will happen before 68 days. If they (makers) want a certificate on time, it is advisable that they take this much time in consideration," the source said.
The CBFC had initially returned the application to the makers of Padmavati, saying it was incomplete. The makers have re-applied.
The source said: "We have followed the normal process. Once the application comes to us, we scrutinise it. In this case, it was incomplete so we returned it. There was no disclaimer (that it is a work of fiction)... Which is required for a film like this."
"If the application is proper, we give them a date for the screening. We have an examining committee which will see the film. We will also have historical experts (for the screening of the film)... We are just following the procedure," the source added.
When asked if the new application has been scrutinised, the source at the CBFC said, "No, it takes time as we have other films (to certify) as well and 'Padmavati' is just one of them. We have a limited staff, we can't just dump everything aside and concentrate on this. It will take the normal time."
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 'Padmavati' is currently embroiled in a controversy as several fringe groups in the country have opposed to its release claiming 'distortion of historical facts' as the prime reason.
After initial reports suggested a possibility of 'Padmavati' releasing in the UK on the scheduled release date of December 1, 2017, reactions on the same flooded social media.
The film has got a clearance by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) without any cuts, but the producers say they are not planning to release the film without the Indian censor board's go-ahead, sources said today as per PTI.
'Padmavati' was given a 12A rating by the BBFC which passed it for the audiences in the UK without any cuts. The 12A rating mandates that the film cannot be viewed by a child under the age of 12 unless accompanied by an adult.
"'Padmavati' (12A) moderate violence, injury detail," stated the official website of the British Censor Board. "All known versions of this work passed uncut," it said.
However, sources at Viacom 18 said they are not planning to release the film anywhere in the world without the requisite clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The film features Deepika Padukone in the titular role of Rani Padmavati, Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji and Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh. The film is a joint production by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Bhansali Productions.
"The film has been cleared by the UK censor board without any cuts. But we are waiting for censor clearance in India. Till then we will not release the film anywhere," a source told PTI.
"As the film was supposed to release on December 1, there are over 50 countries where this process (of certification) is on," he said. 'Padmavati' has been facing the wrath of various Rajput groups and political leaders, who have accused Bhansali of distorting history.
Many groups have been protesting amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Allauddin Khilji. However, Bhansali said in an appeal that there was no dream sequence and it was all a rumour.
Historians are divided on whether Padmini actually existed. She finds mention in the 16th-century epic poem 'Padmavat'.
Earlier scheduled to arrive in cinema halls on December 1, the release date of the film has been postponed by the makers until further notice.
(With PTI inputs)
While the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavti has been stalled in India, the period drama is set to hit the theatres on its original release date in Britain. According to reports, the magnum opus, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, will be released in UK on December 1.
The film has reportedly been given a go-ahead by the British Board of Film Classification.
This comes as a major relief for the filmmakers of Padmavati as they were compelled to defer it in India because of protests and politics over alleged distortion of historical facts in the movie.
The makers had also asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to expedite the certification process for the film, but the request was turned down. The Censor board maintained that it would go with the chronological order of the films pending with them.
Meanwhile, the Sri Rajput Karni Sena has asserted that it won't allow the film to be released even if changes are made in it.
"My party members and I are totally against the film Padmavati's release. Even after the changes, we will not allow it to hit the theatres. We will come out on the streets along with other social organisations and protest against it if it gets a release date," Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi said on Wednesday.
Also, governments of several states - Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - have said that they won't allow the movie to be released if there is any distortion of historical facts.
Padmavati- based on the life of a Rajput Queen Rani Padmavati - is in the eye of the storm following protests from right-wing groups over alleged tampering with historical facts, a charge which Sanjay Leela Bhansali has categorically denied.
The film features Deepika Padukone in the titular role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji.
The release of the film, which was earlier slated for December 1, has now been deferred as the filmmakers are yet to secure a censor certificate.
The Rajput Karni Sena had even called for a Bharat Bandh on December 1 to protest against the controversial film over what it calls ''blatant distortion of facts'' by its makers.
A first-year student of Sathyabama University in Chennai allegedly committed suicide, triggering violent protests across the campus on Wednesday. The student allegedly took the extreme step after she was caught cheating during an examination.
The student, Ragamonica, was allegedly scolded after she was found cheating, and reportedly could not handle the trauma.
Following the incident, enraged fellow students set college property ablaze and armed cops were called in to tackle the situation.
According to reports, as many as 300 students took part in violence inside the campus.
She committed suicide in her hostel room after she was caught cheating and was scolded and insulted in the exam hall for it.
When the incident came to light, the students of first year took to violence, and were later joined by other students.
The police pacified more than 300 students and sent them back to the hostel. However, taking no chances, armed police personnel were deployed outside the campus to tackle any eventuality.
A case has been registered under section CrPc 174 (unnatural death), and further investigation is underway.
(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Jet Airways plans to do away with first class seats in its Boeing 777 planes that are operated for long-haul flights as it works on cost-cutting measures, a senior airline official said.
The carrier, earlier this week, told investors about its plans for strategic growth where the key focus would be on cost minimisation.
According to the official, Jet Airways is looking at doing away with first class seats in B777 planes in order to increase the number of seats in them as part of larger cost reduction efforts.
Currently, the full-service carrier -- in which Gulf carrier Etihad has a 24 percent stake -- has 10 B777 aircraft. These planes have 8 first, 30 business and 308 economy class seats.
In a presentation to investors on November 20, the airline said it would increase the number of seats in B777 planes, to around 400 seats from 2019 onwards, from 346 seats.
Asked about how the airline is going to implement the proposed increase in the number of seats in its B777 aircraft, a Jet Airways spokesperson said the initiative is one among several measures being evaluated by the carrier.
"The airline plans to increase seats in its B777s from 346 to nearly 400, as part of its continued endeavour to reduce costs and realise higher revenue in the foreseeable future," he told PTI in an e-mailed statement.
Without divulging specific details, including the estimated cost for refurbishing these planes, he said the airline will share additional details at an appropriate time.
As per the presentation, the carrier will look to reduce maintenance expenses from January 2019 as well as bring down cost of sales and distribution and also focus on enhancing ancillary revenue by around Rs 250 crore.
Jet Airways has a fleet of over 110 aircraft, comprising B777-300 ERs, A330-200/300, next generation B737s and ATR 72- 500/600s.
It has 21 code share and 107 interline partners and about 15 percent of the carrier's passenger feed comes from partners.
Code sharing allows an airline to book its passenger on partner airlines and provide seamless transport to destinations.
An interline pact allows a carrier to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline.
New Delhi: Delhi Police on Thursday said that it is looking for CCTV footage to confirm allegations that a four-year-old boy raped his classmate of the same age in a Delhi school.
As per an FIR filed by her parents, the girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school last Friday. The next day, she said that a boy in her class had used his fingers as well as a sharpened pencil to sexually assault her in the school in Dwarka.
The boy has been booked for rape after Rockland Hospital confirmed sexual assault and Delhi Police is now looking for video evidence of the incident. "Various aspects are being analysed. We are also looking for CCTV footage or if anything was captured. The medical report of the victim will also be looked into," Delhi Police's spokesperson Dependra Pathak said.
Pathak also added that the possibility of school staff's role would be looked into. This after the parents of the girl had accused the school management of laxity. They have said a school teacher and the school coordinator, on being told about the incident, feigned ignorance and offered no concrete assistance.
The school principal too - reportedly - did not provide any relief, and further refused to divulge details of the accused student.
In a statement to the media, the girl's mother said that she has asked the school authorities to sack the principal, the teacher concerned and the counsellor, issue a public apology on Facebook and refund her two years school fee with interest.
NEW DELHI: An IndiGo flight made an emergency landing here after smoke was detected in the cockpit area, a media report said on Thursday.
The flight 6E719, which was on its way to Visakhapatnam, was forced to return to the airport here after the smoke was detected, the ANI reported.
The airline has faced a turbulent time over the past few weeks and hit the headlines all for wrong reasons.
Earlier this month, IndiGo was criticised for assaulting one of its passengers at the tarmac by its ground staff.
It hit the headlines again this week after it was accused of not accepting Indian currency notes from a passenger on board. In his complaint, Delhi-based Pramod Kumar Jain on Tuesday alleged that the airline crew allegedly refused to accept Indian currency when he ordered food. He later on filed a complaint at the Sarojini Nagar Police Station.
New Delhi: A four-year-old has been booked after he allegedly sexually assaulted a classmate in a school in Dwarka.
As per the FIR filed by her parents, the girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school on Friday, last week, and the next day broke her silence on the assault.
According to the parents, she narrated the whole incident that took place during the school hours, wherein one boy of her class opened her pants, and put his finger inside her private parts.
The girl tried pushing him away but to no avail, and could not ask for help as no staff member was around.
Accusing the school management of laxity, the parents have alleged that a school teacher and school coordinator, on being told about the incident, feigned ignorance and offered no concrete assistance. The school principal too did not provide any relief, and further refused to divulge details of the accused student.
After the doctors at Rockland Hospital examined the victim and confirmed it to be a case of sexual assault, the parents lodged a complaint at the Dwarka Police Station.
A case has been registered.
New Delhi: What was supposed to be a nice, relaxing fishing trip for two men in Australia, turned out to be a nightmare after they got stranded in rising waters filled with crocodiles.
The men were in the remote Kimberley region in north-west Australia when their four-by-four became stuck in a tidal bog.
The men spent four days on the roof of their car because they were surrounded by circling crocodiles. According to the police, a close encounter with a crocodile prompted the men along with their dog to stay on the roof of the vehicle and keep a constant watch for encroaching predators, the Telegraph UK reported.
"They stayed on top of the vehicle and went through about six tides, which covered the vehicle on a number of occasions," Sergeant Mark Balfour, from Broome police, told ABC News.
"Obviously in the Kimberley here you've got to watch the crocs and snakes, and I believe one of the gentlemen said a croc did come close to their vehicle while they were out there, so obviously they were a bit panicky about that."
On Monday, when the men failed to return from their weekend trip, authorities began a land and air search.
The pair were eventually found dehydrated but unharmed on Tuesday.
As per the Telegraph, police said the pair were nearing the end of their water supply and began crying when they were finally rescued.
"They were quite happy to see us and obviously quite upset, crying," he said.
"Being out there for five days in this kind of country and with the weather being quite hot, I don't know what would have been going through their heads. They were quite fatigued, dehydrated and heat-struck."
Some locals believe GPS technology is prompting visitors to become more willing to depart from standard routes during their journeys across the vast isolated region a move that is leaving increasing numbers lost and stranded.
New Delhi/Bhopal/London: Facing massive opposition at home, Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie 'Padmavati' was cleared uncut by the British censors even as the Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to hear a plea seeking directions that the film is not released abroad on December 1.
A functionary at Viacom 18 said there was no plan to release the film globally without it being cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The controversy over the period drama raged on with an education officer in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district issuing a circular banning a song from the film from being played in schools.
The circular was soon withdrawn and a show cause notice issued to the officer who issued it.
In the Supreme Court, a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said it would hear on Tuesday, a plea that alleged that the makers of "Padmavati" misrepresented facts with regard to the censor board's approval on releasing songs and the promo.
"We will take it up on Tuesday. You (advocate) file a writ petition," the bench told advocate M L Sharma who mentioned his fresh plea for an urgent hearing.
Sharma also alleged that grave damage will be done to social harmony if the movie was allowed to be released outside India.
He sought criminal prosecution of the makers of the movie for allegedly misrepresenting facts that the songs and promos were cleared by the CBFC.
The apex court had earlier dismissed his plea seeking to delete certain alleged objectionable scenes.
It had observed that the CBFC had not yet certified the movie and the apex court could not "injunct" a statutory body from doing its duty.
The counsel for one of the respondents had told the court that the film's promo was released and had the requisite CBFC approval.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), meanwhile, passed the film without cuts.
"'Padmavati' (12A) moderate violence, injury detail," stated the official website of the British censor board. "All known versions of this work passed uncut," it said.
The 12A rating means the film cannot be viewed in the UK by a child under 12 years unless accompanied by an adult.
However, sources at Viacom 18 said they were not planning to release the film anywhere in the world without the CBFC nod.
"The film was cleared by the UK censor board without any cuts. But we are waiting for censor clearance in India. Till then we will not release the film anywhere," a source told PTI.
As the film was supposed to be released on December 1, there are over 50 countries where this process (of certification) is on, he said.
The lavishly mounted film, starring Deepika Padukone in the title role, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, is a joint production by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Bhansali Productions.
In Dewas, district education officer (DEO) Rajiv Suryavanshi directed all government and private schools to stop using the film song, titled 'Ghoomar', during cultural programmes.
"Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena has submitted a request letter in the honour of Maa Padmavati. It was requested that Hindu sentiments should not be offended by playing 'Ghoomar' song in the cultural programmes being organised in schools. So, do not use 'Ghoomar' song in the cultural programmes in schools," read the circular issued yesterday.
However, Dewas Collector Asheesh Singh said he had directed the circular be withdrawn.
"I came to know about the circular this morning. Only the state government can issue such circulars. The DEO is not entitled to pass such an order. I have directed the DEO to immediately withdraw this order," he said.
The DEO was also being served a show cause notice to explain his action within three days, he added.
The 'Ghoomar' song, which features Padukone and Kapoor, was released by the makers of the film recently.
'Padmavati' has been facing the wrath of various Rajput groups and political leaders, who have accused Bhansali of distorting history.
Many groups have been protesting amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Allauddin Khilji. However, Bhansali said in an appeal that there was no dream sequence and it was all a rumour.
Historians are divided on whether Padmini actually existed. She finds mention in the 16th century epic poem "Padmavati".
Earlier scheduled to arrive in cinema halls on December 1, the release date of the film has now been postponed by the makers till further notice.
London: The Rajput Samaj of UK today launched a boycott against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial film 'Padmavati' in the country after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) cleared the film without any cuts.
The registered charity, which defines its aim as instilling the cultural values of the Rajput people in the United Kingdom, said it has written to the BBFC to revoke its certification for the film to prevent its release in Britain.
"This film distorts our history, culture and traditions and when it has been boycotted by so many states in India, the filmmakers are trying to use a clever approach of getting the film released in the UK," said Mahendrasinh Jadeja, the president of Rajput Samaj of UK.
The Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh starrer, which has faced widespread protests in India forcing the producers to indefinitely delay a planned December 1 release date, was given a 12 A certificate for UK audiences on account of "moderate violence, injury detail" this week.
The board, which is yet to comment on the Rajput Samaj's boycott, describes the film as a "Hindi language epic drama in which a Sultan leads an invasion to capture a Rajput Queen" with a release date specified as December 1, 2017.
However, the producers of the film, Viacom 18, have indicated that the release of the film in the UK will be "in line with the India release".
"How can we trust anything they say. They have already broken so many reassurances in the past," said Jadeja, who says his group is ready to march up to the UK Parliament in protest unless the film's release is blocked in the country.
Unlike in India, the BBFC is not a government-linked body and operates as an independent certification board with income derived solely from the fees it charges for its services, calculated by measuring the running time of films, DVDs and videos and other works submitted for classification.
'' A 12A certificate in the UK refers to films that are not deemed suitable for children under the age of 12 and no one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult.
It is among the common certificates awarded to Bollywood films besides U or Universal and suitable for audiences of all ages, and PG for films requiring Parental Guidance.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Viacom18 Motion Pictures on this exciting new release. 'Padmavati', has all the makings of a hit film and we are excited to bring Sanjay's incredible vision to audiences across the international marketplace," said Megan Colligan, spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, which has struck a partnership with Viacom 18 to distribute the film in all international markets.
A number of Hindu and Rajput groups in India have been protesting over a rumoured dream sequence of romance between the Rajput queen, played by Padukone, and Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji, played by Singh.
AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address eight rallies on November 27 and 29 in different parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat, where polling for the first phase of assembly polls will be held on December 9.
On November 27, PM Modi will address people in Bhuj town of Kutch district in the morning.
Later in the day, he will hold rallies in Jasdan town of Rajkot, Dhari in Amreli and Kamrej in Surat district.
On November 29, Modi will address poll rallies in Morbi and Prachi villages near Somnath, Palitana in Bhavnagar and at Navsari in south Gujarat.
The second phase of voting will take place on December 14 and counting will take place on December 18.
Several BJP leaders will also hold rallies in different parts of state on November 26 and 27 where the first phase of polling is scheduled to be held.
Ahead of Modi's visit, BJP workers would connect with people by listening to his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' over tea, Gujarat BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav said.
On 27th November 2017 Hon'ble PM Sh @narendramodi ji will address Public meetings in Gujarat at Bhuj, Jasdan, Dhari & Kamrej and on 29th November 2017 at Morbi, Prachi, Palitana & Navsari. pic.twitter.com/tePEXubMv9 Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) November 23, 2017
"On the morning of November 26, we have organised 'Mann ki Baat, Chai ke Saath', wherein our workers would listen to the prime minister's radio programme at all the 50,000 (polling) booths while having tea with them. This exercise is aimed at establishing a direct dialogue with the people," Yadav told reporters.
Referring to the Youth Congress' tweet mocking Modi two days back, the BJP leader said the opposition party always undermines the strength of the common man.
"Our PM has earned respect not just in India, but across the globe. Congress leaders do not understand the strength of the common man and make fun of him. Since they are desperate, the Congress leaders are misusing social media," Yadav said.
The official Twitter handle of the Youth Congress' online magazine "Yuva Desh" had kicked up a row by mocking Modi's "chaiwala" past and English speaking skills through a photograph.
Soon after the controversy, the Youth Congress had tendered an apology and removed the controversial tweet.
GURUGRAM: A day after Ryan International School bus conductor Ashok Kumar was released from Gurugram's Bhondsi Jail in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, he on Thursday revealed that he was given "third-degree torture" to confess the killing.
Speaking to Zee News, he alleged that he was given electric shocks, injections and was beaten up mercilessly to confess that he murdered the child.
Post return, Ashok thanked the media and said, "I am in pain."
"Police beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him to make him confess," the bus conductor's wife said.
Bus conductor Ashok thanks the media for his return to his family, says he is in a lot of pain. His wife says, 'Police beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him & even sedated him to make him confess.' #PradyumanMurderCase pic.twitter.com/Q6ca7emBYW ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
Pradyuman, a class II students, was found dead in the toilet of the school with his throat slit on September 8. Hours later, the city police detained the school bus conductor claiming it had cracked the case.
Gurgaon Police Commissioner Sandeep Khairwar had declared in a press meet on September 10 that Ashok was the killer and that he had tried to sexually assault Pradyuman.
However, on November 6, in a sudden turn of events, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended a Class 11 student in connection with the killing and said that it did not find any evidence against Ashok, who was apprehended by the Gurgaon Police.
The Class 11 suspect is also from the same school and is said to have murdered Pradhuman in a bid to create a situation whereby the upcoming examinations would get postponed.
Mohit Verma, lawyer of bus conductor Ashok said, "Police had planned everything, an innocent was trapped. Police had done injustice to Ashok," adding that As soon as the closure report comes, we will file the bail plea for Ashok and once he is discharged, we will file a defamation case against the police and the school management.
The CBI's stunning revelation derailed the Haryana Police version of the gory crime which led to the arrest of the school bus conductor. Pradyuman's family had always insisted that Ashok was being framed.
The family of deceased Pradyuman had accused the police of botching up the investigation and said the CBI meticulously collected circumstantial evidence and facts.
The victim's family demanded that the juvenile student should be treated as an adult and given a harsh punishment.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar: Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, stars likely to play their last WC
New Delhi: Barely days after a Youth Congress magazine published a meme calling Narendra Modi a "chaiwala" (tea vendor), BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday yet again invoked the jibe against the Prime Minister.
Taking potshots at his detractors within his own party, the famous Bollywood actor wondered if others can do whatever they are doing despite not being specialists, why can he not speak on the economy.
He said he is repeatedly questioned by few people as to what qualification he has to speak on the economy as he comes from a film background.
"If `vakeel babu` (an allusion to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley) can speak on finance, if a TV actress can become the country`s HRD minister and if a chaiwala can become... I wouldn`t say any further... why can`t I speak on the economy," Sinha said in snide remarks at book launch here.
Modi has himself said that he used to sell tea along with his father at their small tea stall in Gujarat before he joined politics.
Taking potshots at Modi, Sinha said he had been drawn towards "healthy politics" inspired by Ram Manohar Lohia, and that he had no intentions of becoming a minister.
"I am speaking from my heart though it is not mann ki baat because someone else has a patent for `Mann ki Baat` (as Modi`s monthly radio programme is called)," he said amid laughter.
"Some people say I speak against my own government`s policies because I was not made a minister. To be honest I neither have any desire nor any expectations to become a minister. Even those who are ministers today have no standing of their own. They are busy flattering the master to save their skins and seats."
"I was drawn towards a healthy politics inspired by Lohia. I had not come to politics with the motto of `Na jiyunga na jeene dunga` (I would neither live in peace myself, nor let others live in peace)," Sinha said in a clear parody to Prime Minister Modi`s oft repeated "Na khaoonga na khane doonga" (I will neither take bribe nor let others do) remark.
He said that the atmosphere in the country was such that "either you are with me or you are anti-national".
"What is happening in this country? Cow vigilantes are killing people, intellectuals, writers, journalists... and now even judges are being killed. `Aaj dhan shakti jan shakti par bhari hai` (Today, money power is stronger than people`s power). And then if people like me come forward, we have attributed motives, we are questioned."
Sinha said that demonetisation has rendered millions jobless, factories have been shut, small traders, hawkers are out of work and GST is like "neem chadha karela" (bitter gourd is doubly bitter now).
"If I do not speak for the youth, for the poor and downtrodden, for the oppressed, then what am I doing in politics?" he asked.
New Delhi: A 'Y' category of armed VIP security cover has been accorded by the Centre to Gujarat's Patidar leader Hardik Patel, official sources today said.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been entrusted with the task of safeguarding the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader, they said.
"A contingent of armed CISF commandos will take charge of the new protectee very soon. Patel will have about eight commandos with him, whenever he travels in Gujarat," a senior official said.
He said a threat analysis report, prepared by central intelligence and security agencies, favoured granting of such a cover to Patel.
There is a potential threat to his security and hence he needs an armed cover, they said.
The CISF has a special VIP security wing and it secures around 60 dignitaries like National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The 24-year-old Patel had yesterday declared the support of PAAS for the Congress in the Gujarat assembly elections next month after the latter accepted its demand for reservation for the Patel community.
Elections in Gujarat will be held on December 9 and 14.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in a recommendation for North Korea called for an improvement of women's status in the country.
A UN body has expressed concerns about North Korean women being vulnerable to domestic and sexual violence.
The committee pointed out that North Korean women are being stripped of opportunities in areas such as education, business and the legal system.
It also said social perceptions of domestic and sexual violence are particularly weak and there is hardly any system of legal aid or psychological treatment for victims. It said nearly one-third of all pregnant women in North Korea suffer from severe malnutrition.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated 5th Global Conference on 'Cyber Space', a two-day event, in the national capital. The event is being organised for the first time in India.
PM Modi talked about the importance of technology at the Global Conference on Cyber Space.
Here's what PM Modi said:
- We all know how cyber-space has transformed the world over the last few decades.
- The senior generation would recall the bulky main-frame computer systems of the 70s and 80s. A lot has changed since then. Email and personal computers brought about a new revolution in the nineties.
- This was followed by the advent of social media and the mobile phone as an important vehicle of data storage and communication.
- Indian IT talent has been recognized world-wide. Indian IT companies have made a name for themselves globally.
- Today, digital technology has emerged as a great enabler. It has paved the way for efficient service delivery and governance. It is improving access, in domains from education to health.
- We in India, give primacy to the human face of technology and are using it to improve what I call, ease of living..
- We are using mobile power or M-power to empower our citizens
- Digital technology is contributing to more farm incomes. A small entrepreneur can register on Government e-Marketplace & bid competitively for supply of goods to Government. Pensioners no longer need to present themselves in front of a bank officer to provide proof of life.
- Citizens of India are increasingly adopting cashless transactions. For this, we created the Bharat Interface for Money or BHIM App. This App is helping the movement towards a less cash and corruption free society.
- We are using the digital domain to facilitate participative governance or Jan Bhagidari.
- It is our firm belief that there are millions of Indians, whose transformative ideas can go a long way in taking India to new heights.
- Three factors, first financial inclusion through Jan Dhan Bank accounts, second Aadhar platform and third the mobile phone, have greatly helped reduce corruption and bring transparency.
- Cyber-space remains a key area for innovation. Our startups today are looking to provide solutions to everyday problems and improving lives. I am confident that the global investor community will recognize the immense potential waiting to be tapped from Indias startup pool.
- The Internet, by nature, is inclusive and not exclusive. It offers equity of access and equality of opportunity.
- Social media platforms are making cyber-space participative for all. News that experts tell us from studios is now supplemented by experiences highlighted on social media. This transition, to a blend of expertise and experience is the contribution of the cyber world.
- The global community needs to approach the issue of cyber-security with confidence, as much as with resolve. Cyber-space technologies must remain an enabler for our people.
- We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals. Alertness towards cyber-security concerns, should become a way of life.
- Nations must also take responsibility to ensure that the digital space does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism and radicalization: PM
The theme of the conference is 'Cyber for All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development.'
Representatives from around 124 countries and 33 Ministerial delegates from 31 countries, including Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremasinghe attended the conference.
The conference is being organised to promote the importance of inclusiveness and human rights in global cyber policy.
Over 10 thousand delegates will take part in the conference in person. There will also be virtual participation from over 2800 locations across the world that will be connected in an interactive mode.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today sought to know the status of the probe into the alleged illegalities in the 2016 National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) to admit students in post-graduate medical courses.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also asked the Delhi Police about the difficulties they were facing in investigating the offence, so that it can issue direction to the authorities concerned.
The bench observed that it would not order a court- monitored CBI or SIT probe into the alleged illegalities.
"The court does not want to monitor the investigation," it said, adding that the Delhi Police was highly equipped with all kinds of experts and techniques and should be capable of probing the issue.
"In case they (police) need any direction, the court can issue the same," it said and asked the police to file a status report regarding the steps taken to probe the matter so far.
It listed the matter for further hearing on December 13.
During the hearing, the police informed the court that they have arrested eight persons and filed a charge sheet.
The submissions were made on the plea of Dr Anand Rai, who claims to be the whistleblower in the Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, seeking a court-monitored SIT/CBI probe.
The court had issued notice to the CBI, National Board of Examination (NBE), Medical Council of India and M/s Prometrics Pvt Ltd, which had sub-contracted with CMS IT Services Private Ltd to hire engineers, site supervisors and other staff to prepare exam labs for conducting the NEET PG examination at 43 centres across India.
It had expressed concern over the delay in concluding the probe and asked the authorities to file their response.
An FIR was lodged on February 1 against 11 persons and charge sheet was filed on July 9 this year under various sections of the IPC including 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and under the Information and Technology Act.
The court's directions came on the plea of Dr Anand Rai, who claimed to be the whistleblower in the Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, seeking a court-monitored SIT/CBI probe.
The plea sought transfer of investigation from the crime branch to Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising members having expertise in computer science and/or an investigation by the CBI or any other competent central agency.
It has also sought direction to the NBE to initiate appropriate proceedings against the candidates whose names have been disclosed in the charge sheet for allegedly securing admissions in NEET-PG, 2017 using unfair or fraudulent means.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the bail application filed by the accused in the IC 814 Kandahar Hijacking case, Abdul Latifa Adam Momin.
A division bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and comprising Justice Naveen Sinha, refused to grant bail to accused Momin, after finding no merit in his plea.
IC 814, an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India was hijacked on Friday, December 24, 1999, shortly after it entered Indian airspace.
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was accused of the hijacking. The motive for the hijacking was to secure the release of three militants - Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Masood Azhar.
The hostage crisis lasted for seven days and ended after the government agreed to release the three militants.
These militants have since been implicated in other terrorist actions, such as Mumbai terror attacks.
There were 191 passengers on board including 15 crew members, where one person was stabbed, who succumbed to his injuries, while several others were wounded.
New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday said that it wants the Pakistan government to guarantee the safety and security of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife if she visits the country to meet her husband.
''India seeks a sovereign guarantee from the Pakistan government on the safety and security of Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife if she visits the country to met her husband,'' MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said while addressing a press briefing here.
Reacting to Pakistan's announcement that Jadhav's wife will be allowed to meet him purely on ''humanitarian grounds'', the MEA official said, ''There was a long-standing request from the mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav to visit Pakistan and meet her son. Although this request was pending, India has still responded positively to the offer by Pakistan to arrange a meeting of Kulbhushan Jadhav with his wife.''
In our response, we have conveyed that the wife of Jadhav would like to travel with her mother-in-law for the meeting. We have sought a sovereign guarantee from the Government of Pakistan to ensure safety, security of both, the MEA official said.
''Also, during their stay in Pakistan they should not be questioned or harassed, Kumar added.
Raveesh Kumar further stated that the Indian government has further demanded that a diplomat from Indian High Commission in Pakistan shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during their meeting with Jadhav.
We are awaiting how Pakistan's reacts to the concerns raised by the Indian side, he added.
Kulbhushan Jadhav the alleged Indian spy has been awarded a death sentence by a Pakistan military court on espionage charges.
Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.
Jadhav had filed an appeal with the Army chief to seek clemency, which is still pending.
After India approached the ICJ, a 10-member bench on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. Jadhav's sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India.
India has warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the "premeditated murder" was carried out.
In its application, India had also informed the ICJ that it learnt about the death sentence against Jadhav from a press release.
India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Indian Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. It also alleged that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran.
India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav's mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday.
"Neighbourhood first," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. He added that Modi received Wickremesinghe at Hyderabad House and that both countries "share strong and close relations based on mutual trust and respect".
Earlier, Wickremesinghe attended the Fifth Global Conference on Cyber Space here which was addressed by Modi.
Sri Lanka is one of the major recipients of development credit given by India, with total commitment of around $2.63 billion, including $458 million as grants.
Indian aid includes development projects in areas like education, health, transport connectivity, small and medium enterprise development and training in many parts of the country through grant funding.
Here is what is making headlines today:
1. Stalled in India, Padmavati to release in UK on December 1
While the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavti has been stalled in India, the period drama is set to hit the theatres on its original release date in Britain. According to reports, the magnum opus, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, will be released in UK on December 1. Read full report
2. Army colonel arrested for raping daughter of officer in Shimla
A 56-year-old Army colonel was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping the daughter of a lieutenant colonel posted at the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla, police said. The 21-year-old woman had filed a complaint on Monday and the colonel was arrested after preliminary investigations, they said. Read full report
3. Scolded for cheating, Chennai student kills self; batchmates resort to arson in campus
A first-year student of Sathyabama University in Chennai allegedly committed suicide, triggering violent protests across the campus on Wednesday. The student allegedly took the extreme step after she was caught cheating during an examination. Read full report
4. 26 Indian students bag 'Top in the World' awards in Cambridge exams
Twenty six Indian students bagged the 'Top in the World' awards for their exceptional performance in the Cambridge exams. The results of the Cambridge Assessment International Education for the academic year 2016-17 was declared on Wednesday. Read full report
5. Delhi: 4-year-old booked for 'raping' classmate
A four-year-old has been booked after he allegedly sexually assaulted a classmate on the premises of Delhi`s Maxfort School in Dwarka. As per the FIR filed by her parents, the girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school on Friday, last week, and the next day broke her silence on the assault. Read full report
6. Govt to introduce new mechanism, launch helpline to curb child pornography
The central government is not satisfied with the existing mechanism to tackle child pornography, and is planning to take stringent measures on the issue. According to Amar Ujala, the government is also expected to issue fresh directives to internet giants Google and Facebook. Read full report
NEW DELHI: Lashing out at Pakistan over Hafiz Saeed's release, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that India is outraged that a self-confessed terrorist has been allowed to walk free.
"India, as indeed the entire International community, is outraged that a self-confessed and a UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
India also said that the Mumbai attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief's release confirms Pakistan's lack of seriousness in bringing perpetrators of terror to justice. The MEA dubbed his release as an attempt by Pakistan to "mainstream" proscribed terrorists.
"It is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors, and its true face is visible for all to see," Kumar added.
Saeed will walk free from house arrest in Pakistan on Thursday if the government does not detain him in any other case.
In a video message earlier in the day, Saeed vowed to work for the 'freedom of Kashmir'.
"I am fighting for Kashmir's independence. I pray to god that may He help me and my community in getting the freedom for Kashmir," he had said.
Mocking India's opposition to his release, he had said that Delhi did everything it can to keep his arrested but all its efforts have been wasted. "It is because of Kashmir that India is after me," he said. he also thanked the judges, and said that his release "is a victory for Pakistan's independence."
MUZAFFARABAD (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir): Over a hundred Kashmiri workers engaged at Neelum Jhelum Hydro Electric Project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have been sacked by CGG-CMEC, a Chinese consortium.
Sacked employees have been protesting against the consortium, demanding their jobs back or compensation in lieu of not being employed.
On July 7, 2007, the CGGC-CMEC (Gezhouba Gourp and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation) was given a contract to construct the dam and power station in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a disputed territory of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The workers allege that they were sacked despite having a stay order from the court.One of the sacked employees of the Neelum Jhelum Hydro Electric Project said, "Last month, we took a stay order from the court. Despite that, the Chinese company sacked us."
Another sacked employee said,"The workers are protesting for their rights. The Awami Labour Union has called this strike, but before that we took a stay order from the court so that CGGC-CMEC (Consortium of China) should not sack any employee. Despite all, the Chinese company has sacked us. We are protesting against this unlawful act."
The Kashmiri employees are allegedly sacked to provide employment to workers from China.Many sacked employees are now worried about their future as no opportunity is left for them.
They were not even paid any compensation to start any business.A third sacked employee said, "I have been working in this company for the past eight years. I am sacked because they wanted to recruit a new person in my place. Else, they would have to pay me Rs. 3 lakh (Pakistani rupee) as gratuity. They have sacked me."
The Awami Labour Union has decided to continue their protests against the Chinese companies for spoiling the career over a hundred employees and their families.
A fourth sacked employee,"We will keep protesting till our demands are met. We are ready to stay here for a month or year and will continue our protest."
The dam for diversion of Neelum waters through tunnels is constructed at Nauseri about 41 km upstream of Muzaffarabad city and outfall in Jhelum River.
The powerhouse is located at Chatter Kalas in Muzaffarabad.Residents of the region are against the Neelum Jhelum Hydro Electric Project because of environmental concerns and unrestricted displacement of inhabitants sans compensation.
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the re-election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
While congratulating the Prime Minister on Justice Bhandari's appointment, the actor-turned politician also heaped praise of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the great effort.
Sinha took to Twitter to express his views. Here's what he wrote: "I would like to congratulate Hon'ble PM @narendramodi & External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj for their great effort in getting Justice Dalveer Bhandari elected as member of the International Court of Justice. That too after 70 years. Bravo! Kudos to you & also the Honble PM."
In a major diplomatic victory for India, Justice Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected to the ICJ after the General Assembly rallied behind him in a show of strength that made Britain bow to the majority and withdraw its candidate Christopher Greenwood.
Sinha's praise for Modi comes as a surprise, as the BJP MP on several oocasions has made veiled attack on the Prime Minister.
Recently, in an apparent reference to PM Modi, Sinha on November 6 said that it was time to get out of 'one-man show, two-man army'.
"High time, get out of the one-man show, two-man army syndrome and must take learned professionals, experts and most important mature seasoned politicians on board in the larger interest of nation and party. It is still not too late," he had tweeted.
Sinha tagged veteran BJP leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi in his tweet.
The veteran actor turned politician had questioned the Clean India Movement at a time when even foreign media outlets are highlighting the alarming levels of pollution in Delhi. Taking a dig at what he termed were 'knee-jerk reactions', he said opinions of experts and professionals must be sought to tackle the problem.
Mumbai: Never one to mince words, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha feels it is "too late" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to maintain silence on the blazing row over Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bollywood film "Padmavati".
"On some level, I can understand the silence of my colleagues in the BJP. After all what can they say when the miscreants and fringe elements are given a free hand? Still I'd like to say it's too late for our dynamic Prime Minister and the other high command to stay silent.
"'Padmavati' is a raging issue. And the fringe elements are openly issuing threats. How can the high command keep quiet when goons are threatening to behead Bhansali and Deepika Padukone? It's time for our honourable Prime Minister to say 'enough is enough'. If you give the goons a free reign, they will continue to cross limits in ways we wouldn't be able to control," Shatrughan said.
He is even less tolerant of the silence within the film industry.
"One of our country's most precious filmmakers is being bullied and threatened. And all of them are looking the other way? What a shame! No one except Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar -- who are always fearless in opposing injustice -- has come out to condemn the violence.
"I can understand Bachchan saab's (Amitabh Bachchan) silence. He has always been wary of getting into controversies. But what about the rest? Industry mein itna sannatta kyon (Why is there so much silence in the industry)?"
He feels Bhansali is partially to blame for the film industry's silence.
"He has never come out to support anyone. Why should they stick their necks out now? Even after he was assaulted the first time (in Rajasthan), he did not file an FIR."
Shatrughan feels it is okay to show "Padmavati" to those opposing its release.
"If you are honest in your intentions, why are you afraid to show the film to the doubters and protesters? Dikhado aur baat khatam karo (show it and end the issue)."
Eight people were rescued and three are missing after a U.S. Navy transport plane crashed Wednesday into the western Pacific Ocean.
The Navy said the twin-propeller C2-A Greyhound aircraft plummeted into the sea about 925 kilometers southeast of Okinawa while it was on a routine mission taking passengers and cargo from a U.S. base in Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.
It said the eight people were rescued about 40 minutes later and taken to the Reagan where they were reported in good condition. U.S. and Japanese naval ships are searching for the missing. There was no immediate explanation for the crash and the Navy said the incident is being investigated.
U.S. President Donald Trump, at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the Thanksgiving weekend holiday, said in a Twitter comment that he is monitoring the situation. "Prayers for all involved," he said.
New Delhi: As the deadline for linking Aadhaar with the mobile SIM card is nearing, several telecom companies are coming up with newer facilities for their customers. The government has set the deadline on February 6, 2018.
The government last month had announced three new ways to complete the process of linking mobile phone numbers with Aadhaar to enable existing subscribers to undergo SIM re-verification exercise from the comfort of their home.
Vodafone has announced that is bringing doorstep facility for Aadhaar linking and SIM upgrade. Vodafone has deployed two mobile vans to travel to the villages and smaller towns of Rajasthan, facilitating doorstep SIM upgrades and Aadhar verification.
Initiated in January 2017, These Vodafone Mobile Vans have covered over 450+ villages like Jhunjhunu, Mahapura, Hingoniya, Bhadra, Fatehpur, Bandikui, Makrana, Panchpadra, Phalodi etc. and will move on to traverse the deeper precincts of villages like Nechwa, Kasli, Dhod, Hindaun, Manoharpur, Kirdhauli, Singrawat, Kurli, Pulasar, Mangloona etc, a company statement has said.
Inviting the residents of rural Rajasthan to utilize the benefits provided by the Vodafone Mobile vans, Amit Bedi, Business Head- Rajasthan, Vodafone India, said, Over the past years, Vodafone has added additional 4G sites to strengthen Vodafone SuperNetTM 4G and extended Vodafones best network to more and more towns and villages in Rajasthan. The Vodafone Mobile Vans will ensure that our existing 2G/3G customers are able to enjoy the benefits of Vodafone SuperNetTM 4G with free SIM upgrade done at their doorstep. The service of linking SIM number with the customers Aadhaar is an important step in line with Vodafones commitment to a Digital India. I am happy to say that this service has now been made simple and accessible to our valued customers even in remote villages, through our Mobile vans. Over the past 10 months, we have helped thousands of customers with 4G SIM upgrades along with their Vodafone SIM linked with Aadhaar number.
The Sri Rajput Karni Sena, which earlier vowed to stall the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati even if changes were made, seems to have mellowed down its stand. Reports say that the Karni Sena has now left the decision on the film to the royal family of Mewar.
According to reports, Karni Sena has now said that if the royal family doesnt find anything objectionable in the movie, they will end their protest and let the period drama, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, hit the theatres.
This came after royal family member Arvind Singh Mewar offered to mediate on the issue between the filmmakers and the protesters.
On Wednesday, the Karni Sena had said that it would not allow the movie to be released even if required changes were made in it.
"My party members and I are totally against the film Padmavati's release. Even after the changes, we will not allow it to hit the theatres. We will come out on the streets along with other social organisations and protest against it if it gets a release date," Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi had said.
The warning from Kalvi came after the producers of Padmavati reportedly said that they would take a call on its release only after the Censor Board's go-ahead.
"Every person has an objection to the film 'Padmavati'. It's not just the Centre, but everyone is raising the issue over the movie. I totally feel that it should not be released anywhere in India. I will also appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get this film banned," Kalvi said.
Padmavati, based on the life of a Rajput Queen Rani Padmavati, is in the eye of the storm following protests from right-wing groups over alleged tampering with historical facts, a charge which Sanjay Leela Bhansali has categorically denied.
The film features Deepika Padukone in the titular role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji.
The release of the film, which was earlier slated for December 1, has now been deferred as the filmmakers are yet to secure a censor certificate.
The Rajput Karni Sena had even called for a Bharat Bandh on December 1 to protest against the controversial film over what it calls ''blatant distortion of facts'' by its makers.
New Delhi: The Centre's special representative Dineshwar Sharma will be in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow for his second visit to the state during which he will visit migrant camps in Jammu as well as epicenters of unrest in the Valley.
Sharma, who visited Srinagar and Jammu earlier this month, will be in the state for four days, spending two days in Jammu before going to Kashmir, officials said.
In Jammu, he will visit camps of migrants from Kashmir as well as those displaced from border villages following shelling from Pakistan. In Kashmir, he will visit the "ground zero" of unrest in south Kashmir's Pulwama and Anantnag districts, they said.
Sharma was appointed the Centre's interlocutor on October 23 to hold talks with all stakeholders in an effort to find lasting peace.
He has already initiated a slew of measures, including withdrawal of cases against first-time stone pelters and improving the power situation in the Valley, officials said.
Giving details of his Jammu visit, they said he will interact with Kashmiri Pandit families at the camps.
Around 60,000 Kashmiri Pandit families migrated in 1990 after the onset of militancy. Of these, 39,000 families based themselves in various camps in Jammu.
The officials added that Sharma will also meet people who came from West Pakistan immediately after Partition in 1947 and settled in Jammu. There are nearly three lakh such people.
Besides, he will visit camps housing those displaced from their homes in border villages to understand their plight and ensure that they are properly rehabilitated.
The high point of his visit, officials said, will be his interactions with youths and students in Pulwama and Anantnag.
The districts were the epicentres of unrest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani on July 8 last year.
Pulwama also earned the notorious distinction of being the nerve centre of militancy with anti-insurgency operations being launched on a war footing in the area.
After his first visit to the Valley, Sharma had suggested that cases against 4,500 youths involved in stone pelting for the first time be dropped in a bid to win hearts.
Over 11,500 cases against stone pelters were registered since July last year following Wani's death. Of these, over 4,500 were first-time stone pelters.
In a bid to resolve the Valley's electricity crisis, especially during winters, Sharma also took the initiative of providing additional 300 MW to Kashmir this year.
Attempts are being made to ensure round-the-clock electricity supply by the beginning of winter next year, the officials said.
Talks are being held with Union power ministry for implementing the project.
Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said there was no "anti-incumbency" against his government and dubbed as an "illusion" the BJP's target to win 150 seats in the next year's assembly elections.
Responding to a discussion on north Karnataka-related issues in the state assembly here, he pointed out that this was the last legislative session of his government in Belagavi in the border district with Maharashtra.
"The kind of protest or anguish that people from this part of the state had on various issues when we held the first session of our government here is not seen today. This shows that by and large people are satisfied with the government and they have liked our programmes," he said.
The government has lived up to the expectations of the people and fulfilled almost all its promises, he claimed, adding "We have worked with honesty to address the needs of the people."
Assembly elections in Karnataka are due in early 2018.
Stating that normally there would be anti-incumbency against a government after completion of three years in office, Siddaramaiah said there was no such thing in Karnataka right now.
"Instead, it won't be an exaggeration if I say that there is a pro-government wave in Karnataka," he said.
Mocking at BJP's target to win 150 seats in the polls, he claimed the party would get only 50 seats.
"Their target of 150 seats show that they are have an illusion," he added.
Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on assuming charge as state BJP President in April last year had announced an ambitious target of securing an absolute majority by winning 150 seats in the 224-member assembly in the 2018 polls.
Pointing at BJPs loss in Nanjangud and Gundlupet assembly bypolls held in April this year, he said the party had then said its results will determine what will happen in 2018.
"If you (BJP) still want to be in illusion, I have no objection," he said.
Speaking about the the initiatives taken by his government with regard to implementation of Nanjundappa Committee report on regional imbalance or Article 371(J) of the Constitution, giving special status for Hyderabad-Karnataka region, he said his government had walked the talk.
"I can say with all honesty we have worked efficiently towards the development of backward areas...All-round development of the state is our priority," he added.
Calling himself a follower of Basavanna, a 12th century social reformer, who stood for social justice and equality, he chided those raising a voice for separate north Karnataka, terming it a"political gimmick" to stay relevant politically.
On the inter-state Mahadayi river water dispute, the chief minister said he would again request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and mediate among three riparian states including Goa and Maharashtra for an out-of-court settlement.
His earlier pleas seeking Modi's intervention had not been fruitful, he said adding the issue can only be solved with the PM's involvement.
Lucknow: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today asked the Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government to lodge an FIR against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav for ordering the police to fire on 'karsewaks' in Ayodhya in 1990 when he was the chief minister.
"The SP founder has repeatedly claimed that he got the security personnel to open fire on karsewaks in Ayodhya in 1990 and the Yogi Adityanath government needs to take cognisance of this statement and get him immediately arrested after lodging an FIR," media incharge of the VHP Sharad Sharma said in a statement here.
He said the family members of those devotees of Lord Ram who lost their lives in the police firing will be contacted and an appeal will be made to the UP government as well as in the court for lodging a case against the SP patron.
Drawing a parallel with General Dyer, who had opened fire on innocents in the Jallianwala Bagh during the British rule, Sharma said the "same act of cowardice" was committed by Mulayam Singh Yadav for saving his government and increasing his vote share.
He is giving the same advice to his son Akhilesh Yadav, he said.
"The VHP in its three-day 'dharam sansad' slated for November 24 to 26 in Karnataka will, besides the Ram Janmabhumi issue, deliberate on Mulayam Singh Yadav's acceptance for this "heinous crime," Sharma said.
Asked about the VHP's demand, BJP state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that he did not want to comment on it.
"Mulayam's statement came to polarise Muslim votes during the ongoing civic polls. He has proved unsuccessful politically and is making such statements to establish his son Akhilesh Yadav," Pathak claimed.
Former advisor to the state governor and legal expert CB Pandey when asked said that while the authorities may lodge an FIR but unforeseen complications may spring up during the probe.
He, however, said that it would be difficult to comment on "technical complexities that may crop up during such a probe".
During his 79th birthday celebrations here yesterday, Mulayam Singh Yadav had justified his order to the Uttar Pradesh police to open fire on karsewaks (volunteers), who were marching towards Ayodhya, when he was the chief minister.
"Had even more people been killed for the sake of the country's unity and integrity, the security forces would have done that," he had stated.
The former chief minister said that 28 lives were lost in the police firing at Ayodhya on October 30, 1990.
The firing had earned him the nickname of 'Mullah Mulayam' in the Muslim community, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of the state's population.
MUMBAI: The barbers in Maharashtra is planning to intensify their protests against the state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis despite the latter issuing his apology to the community for an analogy he made about their job while targetting Congress and NCP during a speech.
The community has decided to stage a 'rasta roko' protest on December 2 against the remarks made by Fadnavis.
On December 13, around 11,000 people will tonsure their heads and present the hair to Fadnavis, a member of Maharashtra Nabhik Mahamandal, the apex body of the barber in the state told the media.
The members also plan to raise black flags to wherever CM Fadnavis goes.
On November 9, the Chief Minister, while attending a programme said that during the previous Congress-NCP government, various irrigation schemes were left incomplete as money was not being provided for them.
To highlight his point, he had said, "In the garb of schemes, the houses and vaults of contractors were being filled. Just like a barber shaves half beard of one man and half portion of hair of another to prevent customers from leaving when there is a long waiting. Similarly, these people gave a little cream to everybody, that left the works incomplete."
Following Fadnavis comments, the barber community held protests at various places in the state.
At some places, posters of Fadnavis were put up that showed the Chief Minister with half beard and half-tonsured head.
Fadnavis later wrote a letter to the association of barbers and apologised for his comments saying he only wanted to stress how the previous government left projects incomplete and in doing so, he ended up giving an example.
MUMBAI: An 11-day-old infant in Pune suffered nearly 90 per cent burns after he fell into a hot water bucket from his father's arms.
The incident took place in Pune's Kondhwa area at the family's house on Wednesday.
The baby who is struggling for life, currently, is undergoing treatment.
Mohammad Shaikh, the father of the boy, is a cleric. He has three daughters also.
According to Kondhwa police, the incident took place on Wednesday morning.
A police official from Kondhwa police told DNA that the accident happened when the father of the newborn failed to notice the wire of the immersion rod. Mohammad Shaikh tripped on the tangled wire and lost balance. The child, who was in his arms, flung into air and fell in the bucket of hot water, a police official from Kondhwa police told DNA.
The baby was rushed to a private hospital, after which he was shifted to Sassoon General Hospital where he is undergoing a treatment. "The baby has suffered 90 per cent burn injuries and his condition is critical," the police officer said.
So far police have not registered any case in this regard.
Only a few months back, another newborn had lost his life in the city's hospital due to burn injuries after the warmer in which the baby was kept overheated. Police had booked the doctor and staff of the hospital on the charges of causing death by negligence.
MUMBAI: A woman police constable in Maharashtra has approached the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the state DGP to grant her leave as she plans to undergo a sex change surgery.
The incident is of Beed district of the state.
Woman constable Lalita Kumari Salve, 28, who now prefers to be called Lalit, had sought a month's leave to undergo sex reassignment surgery but the same was refused following which she petitioned the HC.
She had joined the Maharashtra Police in May 2010, and is currently serving in Majalgaon City police station in Beed district.
Salve's lawyer Ejaz Naqvi today mentioned the petition before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, who said the plea would have to be heard by the appropriate bench.
Naqvi said he would mention the petition before a division bench headed by Justice S M Kemkar on Friday.
As per the petition, Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body three years ago and underwent medical tests wherein it was found that the presence of Y chromosome was more.
"The petitioner later undertook counselling sessions with psychiatrists at the state-run J J Hospital. The doctors found that she had gender dysphoria abnormality and advised her to undergo sex reassignment surgery if she was willing to and was of sound mind," the petition said.
Salve approached her senior police officials about the same and sought a month's medical leave to undergo the sex change surgery.
"Last week, the superintendent of police of Beed district informed the petitioner that she cannot undergo sex reassignment surgery and refused to grant her leave," the petition said.
The said decision was violative of the petitioner's fundamental rights, it alleged.
Meanwhile, reacting to the petition filed by the woman police constable, the Maharashtra government said it had decided to permit her to undergo a sex-change operation and continue in the state police as a 'policeman''.
"Yes, I have requested Director General of Police (Satish Mathur) to consider her case favourably," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
New Delhi: HMD Global, which owns the right of manufacturing and selling Nokia-branded phones, on Thursday announced the price of battery-centric Nokia 2. The phone has been priced at Rs 6,999.
The phone will be available in India from all leading mobile retail stores from Friday.
The Nokia 2 was launched in India last month, but the price of the phone was not made official.
Nokia 2 packs 4100mAh battery that offers two-day life, the company claimed.
The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 chipset and features 5-inch LCD HD display with stock Android Nougat operating system (OS).
The OS will be upgraded to latest Android Oreo OS in the future, the company said.
The device houses 8MP rear camera with automatic scene detection and auto focus (AF) and 5MP selfie camera.
The smartphone has 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory that can be expanded up to 128GB via a dedicated MicroSD card slot.
Key Specs of Nokia 2
MUMBAI: Almost a week after Indrani Mukerjea levelled serious allegations at her husband Peter, the latter hit back at her on Thursday accusing her of 'playing the victim card'.
In a letter to the Bombay court, Peter accused his wife Indrani of playing the victim card and plotting a sinister conspiracy to drag his name into the murder case.
"The application by Indrani is with an ulterior motive to malign the reputation and cause serious prejudice (against Peter Mukerjea)," he said in the reply filed today.
Indrani, whom Peter married in 2002, was arrested by the Mumbai police in 2015 September on charges of killing her daughter Sheena Bora.
However, recently, she told a CBI court in Mumbai that not she but her husband Peter might be responsible for her daughter's disappearance.
Peter was arrested three months after his wife. He was abroad on the day that Sheena was killed. However, the CBI claimed that he was part of the conspiracy to kill Shenna, who was engaged to marry his son from his first marriage.
Indrani alleged that Peter manipulated circumstances to frame her with help of accused-turned approver Shyamvar Rai.
Though she did not expressly accuse Peter, a former media baron, of killing Sheena, Indrani said he and their former driver Shyamwar Rai could be behind her abduction, making her untraceable and destroying evidence.
"I have strong reasons to believe that Peter Mukerjea, with the assistance of other persons, including (accused turned approver) Shyamwar Rai may have conspired and abducted my daughter Sheena in 2012 and made her untraceable and subsequently destroyed evidence," she said in an application in which she sought the call data record (CDR) of Peter.
Earlier this month, Indrani sought a quick divorce from Peter and informed the CBI court that she would be moving a family court soon.
The UN Command on Wednesday released video footage of a North Korean defector making a mad dash toward the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area last week.
The footage makes it clear that North Korean soldiers violated the armistice that halted the Korean War by crossing over to the South Korean side of the border at one point and firing bullets southward. Pursuers shot at the fleeing defector with AK-47 assault rifles just a few meters away from him.
The UNC showed reporters around 7 minutes of security camera footage as well as a clip from a thermal observation device. The footage shows the defector last Monday outrunning his pursuers, who shoot at him for around 10 seconds, and South Korean soldiers rescuing the wounded man.
New Delhi: His unique action style and dance moves won him praise when he debuted in Bollywood with the 2014 film "Heropanti". However, actor Tiger Shroff says he doesn't want to restrict himself to just that and is open to playing more diverse characters.
"I've been fortunate (enough) to be recognised for the effort, but I'm certainly not restricted to just that (action and dance)," Tiger, son of veteran actor Jackie Shroff and Ayesha Shroff, told IANS in an email interview.
"Even in Munna Michael', my role was quite different from what I've essayed in the past. It was a very challenging role, especially the dance sequences were intense and hard on the body, but I tried to give my best.
"I'm really open to any character where I know I could do justice to the role offered," added the 27-year-old, who has also appeared in films like "Baaghi" and "A Flying Jatt".
Tiger says he "felt quite at home" while shooting for "Munna Michael", to be premiered on &pictures on Saturday.
"Having done two films with Sabbir (director Sabbir Khan) sir before, Munna Michael' was a smooth journey in terms of my understanding and equation with him. That really helps you deliver your best to a film. I'm glad that our humble effort was well received among audiences," he said.
Further talking about the film, which released earlier this year, Tiger said: "Munna Michael' has a beautiful message, which inspires people to be ready to take on challenges and truly become the best versions of themselves.
"The kids today are so talented and I believe that through this film we have attempted to inspire them to follow their passion to the fullest. Thanks to Sabbir sir's direction, the film is a mix of comic elements, action-packed sequences, powerful dialogues and dance."
While Tiger has usually played happy-go-lucky roles, his next big-screen venture "Baaghi 2", promises a surprise if one goes by the actor's new raw look, which he flaunts over social media.
"It was the film's makers who wished to re-introduce me in a new light (with Baaghi 2'). Of course, this was a planned effort and we had to keep it quiet for a long time," Tiger said.
"But I'm glad that people have loved the transformation and appreciated it. It's a really humbling experience knowing that I have their support and I really look forward to them extending this support to me through all my ventures," he added.
Tiger was "motivated" by director Ahmed Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala to experiment with a new look in "Baaghi 2", which will also feature Disha Patani.
Besides that, he also has films like "Student of the Year 2", a yet untitled Yash Raj Films (YRF) project and the Indian remake of Hollywood film "Rambo" in his kitty.
"I'm geared up and approaching Rambo' remake as one of the big projects in my career graph. I hope that I'm able to live up to the expectations. It's a cult film featuring one of the legends of Hollywood," Tiger said.
"However it's still far off and I've got Baaghi 2', Student of the Year 2' and then the YRF film with Hrithik Roshan sir lined up before that. Hoping for the best," he added.
New Delhi: After overhauling indirect taxes, the Modi government has set sight on country's Direct Tax law. A task force for redrafting the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961, has been set up by the government to bring it in tune with the current economic needs and realities.
Finance Ministry has tweeted:
Terms of Reference of the Task Force is to draft an appropriate Direct Tax Legislation keeping in view:(i)The Direct Tax System prevalent in various countries;(ii)The international best practices.(iii)The economic needs of the country and
(iv)Any other matter connected thereto. Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) November 22, 2017
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the annual conference of tax officers in September, had observed that the Income-tax Act, 1961 was drafted more than 50 years ago and it needs to be redrafted.
The task force, which will submit its report to the government within six months, would draft direct tax laws in line with tax laws prevalent in other countries, incorporating international best practices, and keeping in mind the economic needs of the country.
The Task Force shall set its own procedures for regulating its work and shall submit its report to the Government within six months. Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) November 22, 2017
The move, which is aimed to make direct taxes - income and corporate - simple, comes ahead of BJP-led government's last full Budget.
It comes within months of the launch of Goods and Services Tax (GST) that overhauled the indirect tax regime by unifying more than a dozen central and state levies, including excise duty, service tax and VAT.
Members of the Task Force
Top taxman Arbind Modi has been asked to do the task again to meet the contemporary economic needs of the country.
Modi, Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), will steer a six-member panel on the issue, an official press statement said. Arvind Subramanian, chief economic advisor will be a permanent special invitee on the panel.
Other members of the task force include Girish Ahuja (chartered accountant), Rajiv Memani (Chairman and Regional Managing Partner of EY), Mukesh Patel (Practicing Tax Advocate), Mansi Kedia (Consultant, ICRIER) and G C Srivastava (retired IRS and Advocate).
Previous Attempts to overhaul Direct Taxes
Former finance minister P Chidambaram had in 2009 proposed the original direct taxes code to replace the cumbersome IT law with a clean new law and to embody the principle of keeping taxes low and removing exemptions.
Modi had assisted the former finance minister in preparing the code. However, the bill, that underwent many changes subsequently was not passed by Parliament.
The Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill, 2010, which was introduced in Parliament in 2010, lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.
The Bill had proposed annual I-T exemption limit at Rs 2 lakh, and levying 10 per cent tax on income between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, 20 per cent on Rs 5-10 lakh and 30 per cent above Rs 10 lakh. For domestic companies, it suggested tax rate of 30 per cent of business income.
The NDA government, since coming to power in 2014, has already implemented general anti-avoidance rules GAAR. In 2016, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also promised to lower corporate tax rate to 25 per cent in 5 years.
Currently, income up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum is exempt from tax for individuals.
With Agency Inputs
New Delhi: After revealing its plans to 'go where no beer has gone before' and become the first beer on Mars, renowned beermaker Budweiser has followed up on its ambitious statement and released an update to prove how serious they are about their Martian dream.
20 Budweiser Barley seeds will be loaded as cargo and launched into space destined for the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's rocket on a new cargo supply mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 4.
Once on the ISS, the barley will stay in orbit for about a month and be subjected to a series of experiments, before it hurtles back down to Earth to be analyzed.
One of the experiments will look at how barley seeds react in a unique, micro-gravity environment, while the second will test barley germination. According to a press release, "Not only will the research offer insights on steps to creating beer on the Red Planet, but it could also provide valuable information on the production of barley and the larger agricultural community here on Earth.
LUCKNOW: At least two passengers were killed and several others were injured after a bus fell off a flyover before ramming into railings in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh.
The incident took place on Thursday afternoon.
While two people were killed in the incident, at least 31 were left injured.
All the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and were given medical treatment.
The police added that the accident took place in the Railway Ganj locality after the bus driver lost control of the vehicle.
Thirty-five passengers were travelling on the bus coming from Gopamau.
An investigation is underway.
Further details are awaited.
NEW DELHI: The People for Animals (PFA) has lodged an FIR against the builder, secretary and security agency of a Noida-based society after they separated weeks-old puppies from their mothers and threw them out of the premises.
The FIR was registered at Noida Sector 49 police station against the builder of Prateek Wisteria in Sector 77, the Apartment Owners Association (AOA) along with the secretary and security agency.
According to a PFA member, two female dogs gave birth to 12 puppies in the Prateek Wisteria last week. On November 19, they were thrown out of the society. When some residents informed PFA member Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj, she lodged a police complaint.
Police confirmed that an FIR has been lodged under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act (PCA) 1960, and sections 428 (mandates a punishment of two years' imprisonment or fine, or both, for killing or maiming an animal of value of Rs 10 or more) and 429 (mandates a punishment of up to five years' imprisonment or fine, or both, for killing or maiming an animal of value of Rs 50 or more) of the Indian Penal Code.
"When residents informed me about the step taken by the AOA, I was shocked. So, I immediately spoke to the AOA secretary. She told me she was thinking about taking some steps as the puppies were a nuisance. Later, a society member informed me that the puppies have already been thrown out," Bharadwaj said.
Then Bharadwaj and resident Pragati Khanna visited the society only to find that nine of the 12 puppies were living on a vacant plot near the society while three had gone missing.
She added that the security guard at the building's gate admitted to the incident. Now, a search has been launched for the missing ones.
In response, the secretary of the society also lodged an FIR against the PFA and a resident at the same police station, under IPC Sections 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).
"Last Sunday, the AOA called a meeting that was attended by all residents. The decision was taken unanimously as everyone agreed that the puppies were creating a lot of nuisance. We took this decision after a general agreement," said society secretary Nisha Rai.
She also said that as many as eight people have been bitten by dogs in a week, and their medical reports have been submitted to the police station. Investigating officer Padam Singh said: " Initial investigation suggests the dogs had become a menace. We can say more only after a complete probe."
(With DNA inputs)
Kolkata: Sleuths from the National Investigation Agency, Hyderabad Anti-Terrorism Squad and BSF Intelligence unit today grilled Ansarullah Bangla Team terrorists along with an Indian arms dealer, who was recently arrested by the Kolkata Police.
According to the police, the two are "hardcore" terrorists and have not opened up at all, despite day-long grilling.
"Officers from the NIA, ATS and BSF's intelligence unit today interrogated the two terrorists and the arms dealer whom we had arrested on Tuesday," a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
The ATS unit from Hyderabad grilled the two terrorists -- Samsad Mia alias Tanvir Saiful and Rizaul Islam -- to ascertain why they visited the south Indian city.
"The officers of the Hyderabad ATS are trying to find out what actual connection they had with the city and what they had done or with whom they had met during their visit there," the officer said.
Elaborating on their investigation into the matter, another officer described the terrorists as "hardcore" and "tough nuts to crack".
"They are quite hardcore and are not speaking during the grilling sessions. We have to follow strategies to make them speak," he said.
According to a Kolkata Police source, both terrorists had rejected the arms brought in by arms dealer Manotosh Dey during their meeting at the Kolkata Railway Station on Tuesday.
"They were looking for more sophisticated arms and had rejected the arms Monotosh had bought at the Kolkata station on Tuesday. The duo had asked Monotosh for rifles of the AK series," the officer said.
During the probe, it surfaced that Monotosh had been involved in arms smuggling for years and was arrested earlier this year after a huge cache of arms was seized from his possession, the Kolkata Police official said.
Further probe revealed that Monotosh's father worked with a rifle factory at Ichhapur in North 24 Parganas district. The sleuths were trying to find out whether he had any "links" to the unit or not.
"Monotosh has a long history in arms dealing. We need to check how he got in touch with terrorist outfits and what kind of role he had been playing apart from supplying arms and ammunition," the officer said.
On Tuesday, the Special Task Force (STF) unit of Kolkata Police had arrested the two belonging to the banned Bangladeshi terror outfit along with Monotosh and seized several fake documents and arms from them.
OHIO: A Republican politician who is known for his fierce opposition to the rights of the LGBT community was caught having sex in his office with a man, triggering a major controversy.
Ohavingtate legislator Wes Goodman, who faces over 30 accusations of sexual misconduct, has already been forced to resign, The Independent reported.
He received the marching order after a witness reported about his extramarital affair to the Ohio House Chief of Staff.
Goodman, who routinely promotes family values, would regularly contact young men, usually aged between 18 and 24, on Facebook Messenger.
The conversations frequently turned sexually explicit, the report said, adding, he would send suggestive messages and photos of his genitalia on Snapchat.
Goodman had even sent a friend request to a man whom he befriended just weeks ago, asking for his Snapchat details.
He constantly sent me Snaps and was always commenting on my stories, one of his alleged victims said, requesting anonymity.
He also asked how much 'p***y' I was getting and wondering what I was doing on Friday and Saturday nights, the report quoted him as saying.
Then, he sent me videos of him masturbating as well as d**k pics. He also sent another Snapchat asking how big my penis was, he added.
The Ohio politician was also reportedly accused of groping an 18-year-old student in 2015 after a fundraiser.
Goodman, who always backed family values and "natural marriage", this latest controversy over his sexual escapades will surely dent his political life.
"Healthy, vibrant, thriving, values-driven families are the source of Ohio's proud history and the key to Ohio's future greatness, his campaign website said.
A proposal in Iraq's Parliament to scrap the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry has stirred outrage among critics who view it as a licence "to rape children".
Conservative Shiite deputies on October 31 proposed an amendment to a 1959 law that set the minimum age for marriage at 18.
The initial legislation, passed shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred the right to decide on family affairs from religious authorities to the state and its judiciary.
But now the new bill looks to go back on that -- and would authorise the marriage of any girl if it had the consent of the religious leaders from the Shiite or Sunni Muslim community to which her parents belong.
In effect, it makes "the opinion of the Shiite and Sunni ulema (scholars) obligatory for judges", said a liberal independent MP, Faiq al-Sheikh, a member of Iraq's legal commission.
Historically, he recalled, Islam has allowed the marriage of pubescent girls from the age of nine, the same as Aisha when she is believed to have been married to the Prophet Mohammed.
Social media has been flooded with criticism of the parliamentary bill, ranging from outright indignation to black humour, with anger also rife on the streets.
"It's a law worthy of the Islamic State (jihadist group) that provides legal cover to the rape of children," Hadi Abbas, an army retiree in the southern city of Kut said.
Ali Lefta, a 40-year-old teacher in the port city of Basra, said it amounted to "the murder of the innocence of children" and that the bill was "the latest in a string of stupid laws based on tribal and confessional modes of thinking".
In defence of the bill sponsored by his party, Ammar Toama, who heads the Shiite parliamentary group Fadila, said it "makes no mention of age and stipulates only that she (bride) must be pubescent, capable of deciding, and have the accord of her tutor and a judge".
Under the Iraqi constitution, citizens have to declare their religious affiliation on certain issues. Marriage and inheritance terms for Shiites differ from those for Sunnis.
Toama said the bill's aim was to bring the law "in line with the beliefs" of practising Muslims.
But foreign missions in Baghdad and the United Nations have been up in arms, warning against institutionalised discrimination against women and girls.
Many Iraqis like Safia Mohssen, a mother of three girls, also remain opposed and have taken to mocking the priorities of parliamentarians.
"We have war, crises, unemployment, and yet our parliament is busy with laws that violate children's rights!" she fumed. "The Islamists want to take us back to the Middle Ages."
Majeda al-Tamimi, a woman legislator, said she was confident that many of her colleagues in parliament would oppose the bill.
But whether it passes or not, women like Umm Mohammed in the conservative rural province of Zi Qar, who wed at the age of 14, said marriage was a family affair.
"Only families know when their daughter has reached puberty and at what age she can marry," said the 65-year-old Iraqi.
Actor Yoon Kye-sang will have a feast with fans next month to celebrate the success of his latest film.
At the time of the release of crime flick "The Outlaws" in early October, he made a promise that he would throw a dinner party if the film drew more than 5 million viewers.
In the film, which deals with a violent war between a local gang and police officers in an attempt to bring peace to a neighborhood, Yoon took on his first villain role as a gangster, changing his tone and growing a beard to perfectly portray the dark character.
Yoon will participate in a lottery to pick among his fans to be invited to the dinner slated for Dec. 22 at a restaurant in Gangnam in southern Seoul.
The words 'Black Friday' seem to have taken over many parts of the internet. But most people who live outside the US are unlikely to know what the day means or stands for. However, interest continues to grow in Black Friday as it slowly spreads across the globe.
Here is a quick explainer:
What is Black Friday?
It is considered the begging of the festival shopping season in the US, which stretches all the way till Christmas.
When is it?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day, which is the fourth Tuesday of November. In 2017, Black Friday is on November 24.
Is it a religious or cultural event?
It has nothing to do with religion. And, it didn't begin as a cultural event either. It began as a purely commercial enterprise, aimed at getting people to spend more on products ahead of festivals like Christmas, where presents play a central role. It has now become a highly visible part of the American cultural calendar.
How is it celebrated?
All major retailers announce massive sales, with huge discounts on nearly every product in their shelves. The idea is to increase sales volumes. It also becomes easier for sellers to advertise and promote sales concentrated on one day, rather than across a longer period of time. To maximise their sales, retailers tend to open shop earlier and stay open later.
Why is it a big event?
Part of the idea is to raise demand for products by creating pressure on consumers to try and purchase things at discounted rates. Consumers tend to line up outside stores, sometimes overnight, to try and ensure they get their hands on products before they are sold out.
Why is it called Black Friday?
There is no consensus on why. One theory says it was a term given to the day by local police because it meant traffic jams and crowding at stores. Another theory says it was coined by employers as many employees would call in sick the day after Thanksgiving Thursday, so they could get a four-day weekend. Yet another theory suggests retailers would be able to make profits on that day, putting their store's sales figures from the red, signifying loss, into the black (making a profit).
Does it happen only in the US?
Like we said, there is nothing religious or truly cultural about it. Black Friday in essence is little more than a one-day sale campaign. Naturally then, it is being replicated in different forms across the world. Similar campaigns may happen on different days in different countries.
So, it's just a harmless day-long sale?
Nope. It can be harmful. There have been years when Black Friday has witnessed significant amounts of violence. If it has not been shoppers fighting one another or store staff, it has been security personnel opening fire or people getting killed in stampedes. Yes, you read that right, killed.
Is the Black Friday phenomenon getting bigger each year?
Not actually. E-commerce is a major threat to the buy-it-on-one-day-at-one-place model of Black Friday. An increasing number of people are shopping online reduced prices. This is creating less pressure on consumers to buy stuff in real-life stores. Huge online shopping festivals have also taken their toll. Plus, many shoppers are now choosing to wait a little longer, so that the stocks of Black Friday are sold out and newer, Christmas-themed products come into stock.
So, what does it mean for Indians?
Indians abroad can try picking up products cheap. Indians at home, sit down, we have many days on our calendar to match this. Take Akshaya Tritiya, for instance. In recent years, it has gone from a day for accumulating 1000 times the punya or good karma through service, to a day to acquire gold in the hopes that 1000 times more will follow.
HAVANA: Cuba`s foreign minister and his North Korean counterpart rejected the United States` "unilateral and arbitrary" demands on Wednesday while expressing concern about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, the ministry said.
North Korea is searching for support amid unprecedented pressure from the United States and the international community to cease its nuclear weapons and missile programs, which it carries out in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The country, which has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, has maintained warm political relations with Cuba since 1960, despite the island`s opposition to nuclear weapons.
Some diplomats said Cuba was also one of the few countries that might be able to convince North Korea to move away from the current showdown with the United States that threatens war.
The ministers, meeting in Havana, called for "respect for peoples sovereignty" and "the peaceful settlement of disputes," according to a statement released by the Cuban foreign ministry.
"They strongly rejected the unilateral and arbitrary lists and designations established by the U.S. government which serve as a basis for the implementation of coercive measures which are contrary to international law," the statement said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has also increased pressure on Cuba since taking office, rolling back a fragile detente begun by predecessor Barack Obama and returning to the hostile rhetoric of the Cold War.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the United States had made clear it wanted a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue.
"The DPRKs belligerent and provocative behavior demonstrates it has no interest in working toward a peaceful solution," the official said.
DPRK stands for North Korea`s official name, the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea.
Cuba said in the statement the Cuban and North Korean foreign ministers had "expressed concern about the escalation of tensions" on the Korean peninsula.
"The ministers discussed the respective efforts carried out in the construction of socialism according to the realities inherent to their respective countries."
Cuba and North Korea are the last in the world to maintain Soviet-style command economies, though under President Raul Castro, the Caribbean nation has taken some small steps toward the more market-oriented communism of China and Vietnam.
Cuba maintains an embassy in North Korea, but publicly trades almost exclusively with the South. Last year, trade with the latter was $67 million and with the North just $9 million, according to the Cuban government.
North Korea defends its weapons programs as a necessary defense against U.S. plans to invade. The United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, denies any such intentions.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan`s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties, local media said on Wednesday, following speculation about his future after he failed to appear in court to answer corruption charges.
Documents seen by Reuters show Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi granted Dar sick leave on Wednesday, while local TV channels Geo and Samaa said he had been relieved of his portfolio. Dar would keep his status as a minister for the time being, Geo reported.
Dar, who is receiving medical treatment in London for a heart condition, has an arrest warrant issued against him after he missed multiple court appearances on charges that he had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income.
The case had, along with Pakistan`s worsening economic outlook, led to mounting calls for him to resign. The country is battling to stave off balance of payments pressures due to a dwindling foreign currency reserve and a widening current account deficit.
A spokesman for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could Dar.
He has missed more than three weeks of court hearings conducted by the anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau.
Dar`s absence had come at an awkward time for Pakistan, which has been trying to woo international investors as it looks to raise in excess of $1 billion on debt markets through a Sukuk and a Eurobond in coming months.
BEIJING: A man in China has force-fed alcohol to rat and then burned it alive for stealing a piece of bread from his home, a media report said on Thursday.
The horrific video posted online shows the rat tied up against a grate as the man forced-fed 'Baijiu', an alcoholic drink, to the defenseless creature.
Seconds later, the man sets fire to the rat and starts to shout.
Look at you, not leaving a drop of wine to me, drink it up! See how you ate the bread! Now I see how you like it with a bit of fire!, The Metro quoted him as saying in the video.
After burning the poor rat, Shi turns the camera on himself to explain his horrendous act.
Watch the video here:
Washington: Top American counter-terrorism and South Asian experts have expressed outrage over the release of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who is also a UN-designated terrorist, with one of them asking to "rescind" Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO-ally (MNNA).
"Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally," Bruce Riedel, a top US expert on security, South Asia, and counter-terrorism told PTI.
"In a word, the release is an outrage," Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official and currently with the Council on Foreign Relations told PTI after Lahore High Court ordered that Saeed be set free.
"Before long we will read news reports of Hafiz Saeed leading more rallies with thousands of people," she said.
Saeed is a UN-sanctioned individual terrorist who leads a UN-sanctioned terrorist organisation, Ayres said alleging that Pakistan does not see fit to follow through on its obligations to uphold UN Security Council (UNSC) terrorist designations.
"Pakistan cannot credibly claim to be fighting terrorism while failing its most basic security obligation to UNSC designations," Ayres said.
Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former Ambassador to the US, attributed this to the mixed messaging coming from the Trump administration in the last few weeks.
US officials were trying to signal to Pakistan that if it takes action against Haqqani network, that could be seen as a positive move and "may thwart" tougher actions against Islamabad, as promised by President Donald Trump in his new South Asia policy, he said.
"In the process they (the US) may have inadvertently made the Pakistani think that the US only wants action against the Haqqani network and not against groups like LeT that are acting against India," he said.
"My fear is that mixed signals will lead to a situation in which Pakistan fails to take decisive action against Afghan-oriented and India oriented terrorist groups," Haqqani told PTI in response to a question.
The United States, a State Department official said, is aware of media reports regarding Pakistan's ordered release of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed from house arrest. In May 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.
Saeed was also individually designated by the United Nations under UNSCR 1267 (UN Security Council Resolution) in December 2008 following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. LeT and several of its front organisations, leaders, and operatives remain under both State Department and Treasury Department sanctions, the State Department noted.
"The United States reiterates its stance that LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens," a State Department Spokesperson told PTI.
London: A Pakistan-born man was today jailed for six years in the UK for preparing acts of terrorism after being arrested in an undercover police operation last year.
Mubashir Jamil had told an undercover police officer he wanted to wear a suicide vest and "press the button", the Old Bailey court in London heard during his trial.
The 22-year-old was arrested in April last year, a few days before he planned to leave for Turkey, after messaging the officer on a mobile app in which he also revealed that he wanted to fight for the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group in Syria.
"If you or some brother you know can put an explosive belt on me and tell me how to press, as soon as possible for security reasons, I can do something in the UK even tomorrow after I find a good target," he told the undercover officer using the name of Abu Hasan.
Jamil had denied the charge of preparing acts of terror and claimed that he was hearing voices and wanted to go to Syria to be exorcised of the "jinns" that were plaguing him.
The court was told that he had suffered bouts of mental illness and the judge ruled that a part of his six-year sentence will be served in a secure hospital.
Jamil, a warehouse worker for the online retailer Amazon, was a former A-grade student from Challney High School for Boys in Luton, near London.
He became obsessed with the idea of martyrdom after surfing the internet for execution videos and ISIS propaganda, his trial was told.
Jamil, who moved to the town of Luton from Pakistan with his family when he was two years old, had planned his trip to Turkey carefully and "deliberately" changed his appearance, shaving off his beard after reading ISIS guidance online about how to be a "secret agent" in a non-Muslim country.
Judge Peter Rook said his crime was only "in part" explained by his mental health disorder and described him as "dangerous".
He handed Jamil a "hybrid order", meaning he will continue to be treated in a secure hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to prison.
Jamil will also have to serve a further five years on an extended licence, or under police monitoring, on his release.
The undercover officer who entrapped Jamil had posed as ISIS handler Abu Hasan to persuade Jamil to send him a copy of his passport, photographs of himself and even a copy of the boarding pass for a flight to Turkey leaving on April 30, 2016.
Jamil was caught red-handed chatting to Hasan online as counter-terrorism officers burst through his bedroom door in Luton on April 27.
It emerged in court that before becoming radicalised around April 2014, he had spent most of his free time at the home he shared with his mother, younger brother and younger sister, playing computer games or surfing the web.
His research became more sinister around November 2015, when he trawled the web for slick propaganda videos produced by ISIS.
In March 2016, he was sent an ISIS application form by someone using the handle 'abdullah9996' on Telegram, the encrypted messaging app used by the network.
The contact led him into the web of the undercover operation planned by the UK's counter-terrorism officers.
Nakhon Pathom: From the courtyard of a Catholic girls` school outside Bangkok, Sister Ana Rosa Sivori is eagerly awaiting a visit to the region from her second cousin -- Pope Francis.
Six years his junior, the sprightly 75-year-old nun has watched from abroad as her cousin transforms from the "shy" kid she grew up with in Buenos Aires to a global figurehead, unafraid to speak his mind and wade into treacherous political waters.
That boldness will be tested next week when the pontiff visits first Myanmar and then Bangladesh -- countries reeling from a Rohingya refugee exodus sparked by ethnic and religious hatreds.
While the pontiff will not have time for a face-to-face reunion, Sister Ana Rosa will be closely watching her pen pal from her home in Thailand, where she first arrived as a Salesian missionary more than 50 years ago.
"He is coming for the Myanmar people, not for us," the fluent Thai-speaker said from the schoolyard in Nakhon Pathom, where pupils buzz around her white robes and playfully grab onto her cross as she passes through the lunch area.
"It is the right time for him to come to Asia. These two places, Myanmar and Bangladesh, they are in conflict....he sees the need to encourage people, to build a bridge of peace."
The cousins, whose grandfathers were brothers, have not seen each other in three years but exchange letters funnelled through the Vatican Embassy in Bangkok.
"I keep everything," Sister Ana Rosa said as she pulled out an envelope of notes from the pontiff -- written in tight, miniscule black script and signed with a simple "Francisco".
As for the political sensitivities hanging over his Myanmar trip, the nun says her cousin is "not afraid at all".
The Pope has been outspoken about his sympathy for the Muslim Rohingya -- a stance that could trigger protests in mainly Buddhist Myanmar where the minority is vilified.
"He is not afraid of saying `you should look after these people`," she told AFP, saying she expected him to talk tough with Myanmar`s government leaders over their treatment of the persecuted Muslim minority.
As for his interlocutors: "They cannot be the same after meeting him."That wasn`t always the case.
She chuckles as she recalls Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as a younger priest who didn`t always have such a silver tongue.
"Listening to him I thought, he was so boring," she said of a mass he gave back in the 1990s.
Sister Ana Rosa now turns to his sermons as a source of solace, tracking his every move across the world stage.
"His words are really profound, and practical."
Francis` trademark smile is also a new development, she explains.
"He was very shy person, reserved. He didn`t smile before. Now he smiles a lot. He likes to be with people."
The other nuns at her school often grab onto Sister Ana Rosa`s wrists, just to feel closer His Eminence.
But she says it is still strange to see Francis as anything other than her big cousin.
Their last chat in the Vatican several years ago was friendly and familiar, she said, spanning family affairs and their shared line of work.
"I thought to myself -- I`m talking to the pope?" she said with a hearty laugh.
PERTH: A school in Western Australia has sacked one of its teachers because he was 'openly gay', it has emerged.
Craig Campbell was removed from South Coast Baptist College after he reportedly told his bosses that he had a boyfriend.
At present, for us, we choose not to employ someone whos openly gay, school principal Des Mitchell told a TV channel here.
I shared with him that, at present, there is an inconsistency with his beliefs on sexuality and the colleges beliefs, The Metro quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, the school's decision to sack Campbell has drawn public anger.
People have called removing the private schools legal right to discriminate gay members of staff in the region.
Campbell said that his colleagues began to question his sexual orientation when they found a Facebook photo.
It got to this point where I was like, I cant hide this anymore, he was quoted as saying.
Kabul: A suicide bomber struck in a crowd of people in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Thursday killing at least eight, officials said, in an attack that underscored worsening security.
The bomber approached the crowd of dozens on foot in provincial capital Jalalabad as they were demonstrating in support of a local police commander who had been sacked and calling for his reinstatement, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.
"Unfortunately, eight people were killed, all of them civilians," he said.
A further 15 people including children were wounded in the explosion, he added.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
Provincial health director Najib Kamawal confirmed the toll and said some of those wounded were in a serious condition.
Both IS and the Taliban are active in Nangarhar province.
Afghan and US officials have stepped up their attacks against IS and recently said it is steadily losing territory, with fighters largely confined to two or three districts in Nangarhar from around nine in January.
But the group has intensified attacks across the country, particularly in the east and in the capital Kabul, recruiting followers and in some places challenging the Taliban on its own turf.
LONDON: A female university student in the US is facing up to one year in jail for stealing a cap bearing the message "Make America great again" from a Donald Trump supporter, a media report said on Thursday.
A theft case has been registered against California University student Edith Macias by the local authorities, The Independent reported.
She invited trouble after she allegedly filmed brandishing the red hat and condemning racism, according to the report.
Macias reportedly said in the video that the hat represented genocide.
"Look at this make America great again? It was never f****** great, never," she was quoted her as saying in the video captured by a fellow student.
Matthew Vitale, a fellow student and Trump supporter, alleged that Macias had stolen his cap during a campus meeting and refused to give it back.
He finally got his cap back after she gave it to university staff.
He has now lodged a complaint with the local authorities over the incident.
Im very excited that the DAs (district attorney) office took it seriously, Vitale was quoted as saying.
Chinese flag carrier Air China has indefinitely suspended flights between Beijing and Pyongyang since Monday, AP reported Wednesday.
AP quoted an Air China spokesman as attributing the suspension to "poor demand" and declining to comment when flights could resume. Air China also suspended the route in November last year, which is low season, but resumed them in late March this year, only to suspend them again in April.
Pundits speculate that the latest suspension comes in retaliation against a snub from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who seems to have refused to meet a special envoy from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
They base their speculation on the fact that the route was suspended right after an Air China plane carried the envoy, Song Tao, back from Pyongyang to Beijing. That leaves three weekly Air Koryo flights as the only flight service between Beijing and Pyongyang.
The same day, Chinese experts said Kim insulted China by not meeting Song, according to the South China Morning Post.
Kim's snub seems to have been an expression of anger that Xi welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing and agreed to international sanctions against the North.
The North Korean soldier who was gravely wounded during his frantic defection from the North last week has regained consciousness and is now able to communicate with medical staff.
According to Ajou University Hospital, the soldier has recovered enough to make light conversation with hospital staff and is expected to move out of intensive care into a regular ward this weekend.
Dr. Lee Kook-jong briefed reporters about the soldier's condition on Thursday. The defector is 25 years old and has been identified by his surname Oh. He weighs around 60 kg and is 170 cm tall, which is about 6 cm taller than the average North Korean his age.
Oh said he defected voluntarily and has positive views about South Korea after watching South Korean TV programs and Hollywood films. He said he is a fan of K-pop band Girls' Generation and watched the action film series "The Transporter."
But details about his decision remain unclear. He was a driver for the North Korean military and was spending his eighth year as a conscript. He apparently wanted to be a lawyer.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Tourism and business opportunities will be mutually presented in Syria and Armenia.
Hovhannes Azizyan, deputy minister of economic development and investments of Armenia told ARMENPRESS that the agreements reached during the visit of the Armenian minister Suren Karayan to Syria are currently under discussion. Particularly, an agreement was reached to organize a Tourism and Industry Week of Syria and Armenia in Yerevan and Damascus.
The political agreement exists, and now we are discussing the format and date of the week. The week will have both business and tourism orientation. Now well try to understand mutual interests in terms of what Armenian products and directions are of interest in Syria and vice versa. We will exchange the list and we will try to invite the businesses to Armenia, and from our country to Syria to form business ties, he said.
The deputy minister said a similar event is planned to be held in Lebanon also, with agreements having been reached during the ministers visit to the country.
We plan to boost tourism visits because we see serious opportunities in the Lebanese market. By the way, certain business ties have been established during the ministers visit to Lebanon for founding an industry in Armenia, he said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia expects formulations deriving from its national interests in the declaration which will be adopted in the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on November 24.
Armen Ashotyan, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, commenting on rumors on disagreements over formulations in the declaration concerning the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, told ARMENPRESS that Armenia has fully implemented its works on this path based on the expectations that the EU partners will also make adequate and tangible efforts.
The parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs and the committee on European integration made a decision to hold parliamentary hearings on the topic on December 1, which, in fact, is a political opportunity, an obliging step for our European partners to once again be convinced that Armenia in the upcoming summit expects formulations in the declaration, being as a political document, which will derive from the national and state interests of our country. We expect from our European partners a perception that the Artsakh issue is an axiomatic priority for us, Armen Ashotyan said.
The MP assured that the Armenian side does everything to make the document formulations in accordance with Armenias state interests, its expectations from the European Union, especially in the context of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement which is expected to be signed in the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit on November 24.
On November 24 the Eastern Partnership Summit will be held in Brussels as a result of which a declaration is expected to be adopted. According to rumors, the text of the declaration is completely clarified, except the paragraph on regional conflicts.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will depart for Brussels to participate in the Summit.
The EU Eastern Partnership countries are Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Azerbaijan.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan attended the opening ceremony of the International Wine Conference which is being held in Yerevan from November 23 to 24, press service of the government told Armenpress.
Welcoming the Conference participants, the PM noted: Armenia today, in fact, is experiencing a wine revival. Maintaining our winemaking traditions we are combining them with the latest advanced technologies and scientific potential having a hope and making a quality wine. By saying an Armenian wine we understand a history of more than 6000 years, traditions, culture, dedication and love towards vine and wine.
This field has been recognized by the Armenian government as the priority sector of the economy. We have formed the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia aimed at boosting the viticulture in the country, increasing the reputation and competitiveness of the countrys winemaking in international spheres, increasing the export volumes, Armenias attractiveness as a winemaking country. This is our final goal, and we are sure we will achieve it to make the Armenian wine as a famous international brand, attract new investments in winemaking, increase the wine export volumes and have our firm and stable place in the worlds wine map.
I want to inform you that the trends are quite positive. In 2016 nearly 7.5 million liters of wine has been produced in Armenia, which is more than 14% compared to 2015. In terms of exports we also have a good figure: in 2016 more than 1.8 million liters of wine has been exported which is more than 37% compared to 2015. My partners promised that the analysis for 2017 is not over yet, but the dynamics is maintained and is also positive.
According to the PM, today wine factories equipped with French, Italian, German technologies operate in Armenia, there are Argentine, American, Swiss and Italian investments, and the Diaspora-Armenian partners comprise majority among investors.
Its also welcoming that we have an increase in domestic investments. This is very important since having an increase of domestic investments in the economy we are convinced that we will also have a large-scale foreign investments. Armenia is open for attracting large-scale investments in wine, viticulture and other spheres, and we are ready with our partners to work to ensure the best business environment for investors. And I believe that this Conference is a unique platform for Armenia to discuss the global wine trends and the best experiences with the best specialists from different countries, establish new cooperation ties for the development of Armenian winemaking and develop new mutually beneficial programs with our international partners, PM Karapetyan said, wishing the participants a productive work.
The International Wine Conference has been initiated by the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The signing of Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement between Armenia and the European Union will in no way hinder the Armenian-Russian allied relations, Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, told Armenpress.
He said by the upcoming agreement with the EU Armenia will conduct institutional reforms in human rights, democracy, humanitarian, justice and other spheres, and Russia is Armenias key partner with which the relations are dynamically developing.
The Armenian-Russian allied relations have no alternative. All those who try to undermine these relations, who announce that the signing of the EU-Armenia agreement can impact the Armenian-Russian ties, are engaged in useless work, Sharmazanov said.
The Vice Speaker noted that Armenia and Russia will continue developing the relations at all directions. The vivid evidence of this is the new loan agreement worth 100 million USD by which Russia provides modern arms to Armenia, the evidence of this are the recent meetings of the presidents of the two countries, the meetings at parliamentary level, the upcoming economic investments by Russia in Armenia. We will continue developing our relations with Russia in political, economic, military, humanitarian and other spheres, Sharmazanov highlighted.
He is convinced that the better the relations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EU, the more Armenia will benefit. Eduard Sharmazanov stated that Armenia has always supported the dialogue, adding that at the moment Armenia is the only country which uses the EUs GSP+ regime.
The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement between the EU and Armenia will open new opportunities for the EAEU member states so that they will be able to attract economic investments from the EU or enter the EU market. Armenia can act as a dialogue and cooperation bridge between the two Unions, Vice Speaker Sharmazanov said.
On November 24 the EU Eastern Partnership summit will be held in Brussels. During the summit the Armenia-EU agreement is expected to be signed. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan departed for Brussels to participate in the Summit. The EU Eastern Partnership countries are Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Azerbaijan.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia has approved the bill on amending the law on the countrys budget system and the law on state debt.
During todays Cabinet meeting, finance minister Vardan Aramyan said the bill has been discussed for a long time and the amendments concern the new fiscal rules.
The minister said the IMF has provided technical assistance, and the main issue is that the current regulations on fiscal rules are pretty harsh.
Today we have the following norms: the state debt law says If you surpass the state debt by 50%, then the following year you must plan a deficit not greater than 3% of the average GDP of the previous three years and in case of 60% exceeding the debt is null, this is a very harsh approach. Today, countries change these norms one after another and put the main rules in the spending policy, which Armenia is also trying to do, he said.
We mentioned three thresholds 40, 50 and 60 percents, if the debt is greater than 40%, then the norm whereby capital spending should be greater than the deficit must be engaged, if it is greater than 50, then we heighten the rules, we set a rule on the growth of current spending, and if it exceeds 60%, we heighten it even more, in order to tie the current spending with average revenues also, he said.
The PM asked whether there are any questions for ministers of the economic sector, whether the degree of freedom isnt being limited.
In response, the finance minister said the most important is that regardless who it is, they must be engaged in fiscal policy by the rules.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Thanks to the two-day International Wine Conference titled Global trends and best practices in the wine world: implications and recommendations for Armenia, the winemakers have a chance to get acquainted with the international experience and discuss the further development issues of the field, reports Armenpress.
Armenias minister of agriculture Ignati Arakelyan said the conference is being held in Armenia for the first time.
For us it is a very important initiative to highlight the importance of this field. The international structures, the French Embassy in Armenia have provided a great assistance in terms of engaging international specialists, as well as financially. We are convinced that the conference will become an interesting platform for winemakers where they will be able to discuss the further development issues, as well as to get acquainted with the international experience, the minister said.
He added that the guests of the conference can get acquainted with the country of wine of more than 6000 years of history and its traditions.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Not only should EEU non-member states not take damaging steps for member states of the organization, but so should even observer states, deputy FM of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan said after todays Cabinet meeting, commenting on a question regarding the possibility of Azerbaijans accession to the Eurasian Economic Union.
Azerbaijans membership to the EEU implies maintaining the EEU agreements provision, under which even an observer state, not only a member, shouldnt take steps in harm of member states or overall the EEU. This implies that if Azerbaijan wants to somehow get closer to the EEU, it shouldnt take such steps, Kocharyan said, adding that Armenia will welcome Azerbaijans accession to the EEU, if the country maintains the abovementioned condition.
If we speak of the economic field, it is enough to recall one thing Azerbaijan is blockading Armenia. The joining or becoming an observer of this country to the EEU will be welcomed by us, is Azerbaijan implements the commitments which are set for both observer and member states, and this means that Azerbaijan should abolish the blockade, it means not to take hostile activities against Armenia, it means to end anti-Armenian sentiment, he said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. NATO is concerned over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and urges to avoid escalation of the situation, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, RIA Novosti reports.
The unsettled conflict in Nagorno Karabakh creates concern. Its clear that the conflict has no military settlement and NATO has no direct role here, the NATO chief said.
He stated that the NATO supports the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and welcomes the restoration of talks between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
We urge you to continue moving forward on settling the conflict through negotiations and avoid new escalation, Jens Stoltenberg said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenias PM Karen Karapetyan held a meeting with VEON CEO Jean-Yves Charliers delegation.
During the meeting the delegation talked about the results of the global conference of VEON in Yerevan and thanked the Armenian government for the favorable conditions, quick response and solution of issues raised by businesses.
The PM said the government is interested in the development of the private sector and increase of investments in the telecommunications field.
PM Karapetyan also suggested to focus on education thus, training high class professionals for own businesses. He said the government is interested in the cooperation of the business and educational system, and expressed confidence that it will contribute to realizing the existing potential in the IT and telecommunication fields.
At todays Cabinet meeting we amended the laws concerning tax and customs administration, which plan important regulations for foreign investors. We are sure that businesses will feel the best of this amendments and regulations. The Government is ready to respond to any issue of the businesses. We also plan new actions in terms of government-private sector cooperation, Karapetyan said.
Jean-Yves Charlier also highlighted implementing educational programs and said VEON is planning to continue investment programs in Armenia. He said the 2018 action plan is already ready.
The sides also discussed the programs planned for Gyumri, particularly the possibility of VEONs involvement in restoring communication infrastructures.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian military discovered the body of an Azerbaijani soldier in the morning of November 23 outside a military position stationed in the south-eastern section of the Armenian state border. The body was found in the neutral zone.
According to intelligence, the dead soldier is a captain, company commander of the Azerbaijani military, who escaped a military base after a crime, the defense ministry said.
The Armenian Defense Ministry expressed readiness to hand over the body of the soldier to Azerbaijan with mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Other details regarding the incident are being clarified.
Angola has expelled 154 North Korean laborers under UN sanctions against North Korea, Angolan state TV reported Tuesday.
Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto said the laborers, who had been working on construction projects, left Angola on Sunday and Monday. He promised that the African country will meet its "international obligations" by implementing UN Security Council resolutions against the North.
They were employed by North Korean construction company Mansudae, which is notorious for building bombastic monuments in the Third World.
Luanda simply decided not to renew the workers' visas. Angola is one of North Korea's few remaining allies in the world.
Earlier, Sudan, another African ally, announced its decision to sever trade and military ties with the North.
But it seems Angola will continue military cooperation with the North, including police and troop training. Augusto said the latest decision does not mean that Luanda is going to cut ties with Pyongyang since the North is a historic ally.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Hrant Dink Foundation was awarded with the Chirac Prize For Conflict Prevention by the Chirac Foundation, the Foundation told Armenpress.
Istanbul-Armenian journalist Hrant Dinks widow, Rakel Dink, received the prize from French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Chirac Foundation also presented its Culture for Peace Prize to Zoukak theater company, which has been contributing, through theater, to the rehabilitation efforts of refugees living in Lebanon camps.
Rakel Dink delivered remarks on the occasion of receiving a prize.
Armenpress presents the full text of her speech:
Your Excellency President Macron, Esteemed Chirac Family, Distinguished Guests,
When we decided to establish this Foundation with our friends after the tragedy that our family suffered in 2007, we had just one intention: to continue Hrants efforts with this institution, and try to fill the huge emptiness created in our lives with his struggle for human rights. The racist mentality that made him a target, an enemy and that killed him, is not only trying to get its share of power in Turkey today, but this mentality is rising in the world too, creating new others and enemies, putting up new walls. This world has seen so much pain, isnt it enough now? So much blood and tears have been shed, isnt it enough? Instead of propagating pain and suffering, shouldnt we try to find ways to heal the existing pain? The goal of the states should not be to kill, but to keep alive! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and self-control [Bible, 2. Timothy 1:7]
As an Armenian who knows what it means to be displaced, it gives me great pain to see millions of refugees being uprooted and dispersed in the world today. And watching the response of the states to this situation is particularly striking Unfortunately hate speech is rising all around the world and pushing people into further withdrawing into their own religious or ethnic communities.
But hate speech is not the only thing on the rise. The voices of human rights defenders are also rising. The goal of our Foundation is to fight against discrimination, starting from our own home Turkey, create a language of dialogue and peace, bring different identities closer, protect cultural heritage, improve Turkey-EU relations, open borders in an era when walls are being erected, contribute to the development of Turkey-Armenia relations and most important of all, to overcome the borders in peoples minds. To achieve all these, in Turkey we are working together as Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Muslims and Christians. It makes us proud to be part of the huge family striving for the same ideals and fighting for human rights in the world. Even though it sometimes feels as if we were struggling against huge waves, it gives us hope to know that we are not alone, either in Turkey or in the world. Receiving this prize together with the inspiring Zoukak Theater Company and being with you today has made us stronger. On behalf of myself and our Foundation, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for this prize, which we hope will give further strength to everyone striving for democracy and going through challenging times in Turkey.
Chirac Foundation was established in 2008 by the former President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, with the mission to support efforts for prevention of conflicts, dialogue between cultures and increasing quality of access to health services.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Government granted a 3-year VAT payment extension privilege to Multi Solar LLC for imports of products as part of an investment program.
During the Cabinet meeting, minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan said the company plans to construct a new factory of solar panels in Abovyan city.
967 million drams will be invested, with 97 new jobs planned for 2018-2020.
YEREVAN, 23 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 23 November, USD exchange rate is up by 0.11 drams to 483.86 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 4.24 drams to 572.89 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.08 drams to 8.29 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 3.00 drams to 643.87 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price is up by 61.32 drams to 20020.38 drams. Silver price is down by 0.48 drams to 263.92 drams. Platinum price is up by 174.40 drams to 14591.96 drams.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The defense ministry of Azerbaijan has confirmed the statement issued by the Armenian Defense Ministry earlier on discovering a body of an Azerbaijani serviceman in the neutral zone near Armenias south-western section of the state border.
ARMENPRESS reports the Azerbaijani defense ministry told APA agency that the body of conscript Jalibeyli Bahruz Parvizoghlu was discovered near Nakhichevans Ordubad region, near the Armenian border. Its mentioned that the Azerbaijani serviceman committed a war crime after which he fled.
A criminal case has been initiated in Azerbaijan, investigation is underway.
Earlier, the Defense Ministry of Armenia had issued a statement. The Armenian Defense Ministry expressed readiness to hand over the body of the soldier to Azerbaijan with mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with King Philippe of Belgium in the sidelines of his working visit to Belgium. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, the President of the Republic and the King of Belgium assessed their meeting and Serzh Sargsyans visit to Brussels a good opportunity to sum up the path the two countries passed during the 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them, as well as to refer to the perspectives for future development of relations.
The interlocutors hoped that based on the results of the visit Armenian-Belgian friendly relations will be strengthened by new cooperation initiatives.
Serzh Sargsyan recorded with satisfaction that during those years mutual trust, desire to reach mutual understanding and support each other has been characteristic to interstate relations, which, to the Presidents conviction, is greatly conditioned by the historical past of the two peoples. President Sargsyan noted that Belgium is an important partner for Armenia both on bilateral and multilateral platforms, particularly in the EU. In this context the Armenian President and King Philippe of Belgium referred to the issues to be discussed at the Eastern Partnerships Brussels summit, the development dynamics of Armenian-Belgian relations, as well as the reforms conducted and underway in Armenia with the assistance of the EU, the new framework agreement between Armenia and the EU, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement planed to be signed in the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership summit.
Considering that Belgium is among Armenias leading trade partners, apart from bilateral political relations the opportunities for future deepening of Armenian-Belgian trade and economic relations were also discussed.
During the meeting President Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to Belgium on behalf of the people of Armenia for adopting the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide by both Chamber of Representatives and the Senate.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia Maria Zakharova has commented on the new framework agreement between Armenia and the EU, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement planed to be signed in the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership summit and answered the question what it can mean for Armenian-Russian relations.
We develop our relations with other countries, particularly with Armenia, and we do that so that its mutually beneficial. At the same time we understand that any state has its own foreign political interests, goals, problems and we respect them, ARMENPRESS reports Zakharova saying.
At the same time she added that the RF has taken various foreign policy steps in the direction of partnership with official Yerevan. You have witnessed top level meetings, meetings at the level of foreign ministries, during which a large scope of issues were discussed, exhibitions were opened, and relevant statements were issued.
At the same time any country has its own foreign policy activities that go in line with its foreign policy doctrine, Zakharova said.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. In the framework of his working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the members of the Board of European Friends of Armenia international non-governmental organization. Greeting the participants of the meeting, the President of Armenia highlighted the importance of similar contacts with Armenias friends who, according to the President, have assumed an important and responsible mission, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office.
Serzh Sargsyan thanked the organization for standing by and supporting Armenia and went on emphasize that by voicing Armenias concerns on European platforms, providing comprehensive information on Armenia and raising awareness of our country in Europe and, thereby, shaping a favorable opinion, the European Friends of Armenia are doing valuable and significant work, while at the same time promoting Armenias cooperation with European countries, European institutions and mobilizing Armenias friends.
The President of Armenia presented the hectic agenda of his meetings and discussions in the framework of his working visit to Brussels, talked about the prospects of EU-Armenia cooperation and relationship, dwelling on issues of paramount importance to Armenia, including the regional developments. The President answered the questions of meeting participants.
LOS ANGELESTushy.com and director/founder Greg Lansky present something for which fans will truly be thankful on Turkey Day Eve with the release today of adult star Nicole Anison's first-ever anal scene on the award-winning website.
"I am beyond excited about this release and, as promised, the debut of a personal first," Aniston said. "I wouldn't have trusted this special project with anyone other than Greg Lansky. His vision is like no one else and he truly empowers performers, and I am certain my fans and fans of Tushy.com will love our collaboration."
"Directing one of the most recognized and respected adult stars of our time for this landmark moment in her career was a real honor, as she has already achieved so much," Lansky commented. "I felt the authentic '90s styling of this Baywatch homage was perfect for Nicole. There is no one else better than Nicole to recreate this scene, a Baywatch homage that I felt was perfect for the starlet. As one of the most-watched television programs in history, it made perfect sense to take something as big as this and re-create the drama and scenery. Nicole took the time to pay tribute, and her performance was exceptional.
Lansky continued, We make it a priority to always maintain the highest quality in everything that we do from breathtaking visuals to engaging scenarios and amazing art direction, but being able to capture such an intimate, genuine moment is beautifully erotic."
In addition to Aniston, Tushy.com has captured the anal debuts of Kendra Lust, Lana Rhoades, Riley Reid, Ariana Marie and Eva Lovia, among others.
For more information, visit Tushy.com or follow the site and Lansky (respectively) on Twitter @tushy_com and @greglansky
Follow Nicole Aniston on Twitter @XNicoleAnistonX
Starbucks is going up against the likes of Boots and Tesco as it rolls out a 3.99 lunchtime meal deal at its stores across the capital.
The deal consists of a main, side and drink. Customers visiting one of the 60 Starbucks stores close to office buildings in London can choose a sandwich, wrap or hot panini, a bag of Kettle Chips or a banana and a 500ml bottle of still or sparkling water. Starbucks coffee is not included.
Christmas menu items, such as the Turkey Feast Panini and Turkey Club Thin Flatbread, are included in the deal alongside vegetarian and vegan options such as the Three Cheese & Cranberry Panini and the Kale, Jalapeno & Slaw Wrap.
At 3.99, the Starbucks deal comes in slightly more expensive than those offered by supermarkets Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsburys meal deals all cost 3.00, while Marks & Spencer announced a 3.50 version earlier this year.
Meal deals have long been a popular lunchtime option, but Sainsburys bore the brunt of a social media backlash last year after it removed its Taste the Difference sandwiches from the 3 offer.
The full list of sandwiches included the Starbucks meal deal are:
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?
Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.
Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
More than 90 percent of washing machines imported into the U.S. are Korean. The move is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's "America first" policy of protecting domestic products and jobs.
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday recommended a 50-percent tariff on washing machines from Samsung and LG.
The ITC recommended that the tariffs be imposed over a three-year period, starting with 50 percent in the first year for imports surpassing 1.2 million units, followed by a slight decrease in the next two years to 40 percent. It also recommended a similar level of tariffs for washing machine parts.
The decision will be made in February. The last time the U.S. enforced protective measures of this kind was in 2002.
The recommendation comes in response to a petition filed by U.S. manufacturer Whirlpool in May.
Korean-made products would be exempt from such safeguard measures under the bilateral free trade agreement, but Samsung and LG make most of their washing machines for the U.S. market in Vietnam and Thailand.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the two companies export 3 million washing machines to the U.S. annually worth US$1 billion.
The two companies said they will consider taking the U.S. to the World Trade Organization.
Although the matters presented in the UNC Faculty Assembly's correspondence may reflect areas of substantive disagreement with the North Carolina General Assembly and the Board of Governors on particular matters, the Faculty Assembly's presentation plainly does not establish violations of or issues with SACSCOC principles and standards.
For many people, the topic of college accreditation is dry and arcane. But for faculty seeking to block actions they don't like, accreditation is their last hope. By threatening its loss, they believe they can strike fear in the hearts of their adversaries and make them back down.That is why the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina, seeking to reverse the policies of an active Board of Governors, sought aid from its regional accrediting agency, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Accreditors are voluntary associations of schools initially formed to promote best practices; today they have the power to enforce standards, deriving their power from serving as gatekeepers to federal financial aid.Yet the accrediting agencies may not be the all-powerful masters of the academic universe the faculty wishes for. One event clearly exposes the accrediting agencies' impotence when serious action is needed. For 18 years, from 1993 to 2011, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill allowed an academic department, the African and Afro-American Department, to hold "no-show" classes. The students did not meet with a professor and their only requirement was to write a paper which was assured a good grade, often an A, regardless of its content. More than 3,100 students took the "classes," many of them athletes and some of them fraternity brothers.In 2015, after knowing about the situation for four years, SACS, put UNC-Chapel Hill on probation.But for only one year. SACS ended UNC-Chapel Hill's probation on July 6, 2016, without punishment, sanctions, or even a reprimand. The commission showed itself to be easily persuaded by the chancellor's argument that the protections for the future were airtight and it wouldn't happen again. No change was made in the records of the 329 athletes who had maintained eligibility by taking the classes and no diplomas were challenged. The school simply offered those former students a chance to take a "real" class if they wanted to.Such minimal punishment for such egregious actions suggests that SACS is not the powerful force in academia it is often assumed to be.Still, despite that show of weakness, UNC's faculty is calling for SACS to take control of the system. This began when the faculty grew fearful that the system's Board of Governors were emerging as the dominant branch of governance. For the first time in decades the board is making significant policy changes, such as ending litigation by academic centers, closing down a politicized center, specifying a plan for post-tenure review, taking on a bigger role in chancellor and presidential searches, and making its meetings transparent by having them recorded for the public.Last February, the assembly sent a letter to Belle Wheelan, president of the SACS commission, with a list of 17 actions by the Board of Governors or the legislature that it claimed may have violated SACS standards.The list was clearly flawed from the start. SACS obviously does not have any control over legislative actions, and yet most of the supposed violations of SACS standards dealt with changes made by the legislature, not the Board of Governors. They included such actions as "packing" the board by electing new members with "partisan bias."A second attempt by the Faculty Assembly occurred in September, when former head Stephen Leonard took issue with the Board's decision to rein in the Center for Civil Rights at UNC-Chapel Hill. The center was nominally academic, but had been engaging in politically-inspired litigation that the board considered to be counter-productive, especially because the Center-part of the state university system-was suing other state agencies. Leonard again brought up the potential loss of accreditation. Leonard wrote in the Raleigh News & Observer.But this proved to be mere wishful thinking on Leonard's part. Belle Wheelan, president of SACS, had already told the Board of Governors in July that reducing the activities of the center was within the rights of the board, as long as the board's policies were the same for all campuses.Even so, the drumbeat continues. In a column published November 4, Jesse L. White, a retired professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, again brought up the 17 accusations:Wheelan did indeed speak to the board at its July 14 meeting, at the request of university president Margaret Spellings. Wheelan was clearly there to alert the board to the limits of their governance; she noted that she has been visiting boards and trustees for some years now to help them understandWhen it came to specific issues, however, she indicated a broad role for a governing board. Its job was to "establish a policy" that the university administrators would carry out. Even in the case of decisions about curricula and academic freedom, the faculty's actions can be limited by the policies that are set by the board, she said.With respect to the "centers" issue, Wheelan said that while she had "no idea" about the particular situation at UNC-Chapel Hill,And that policy must apply to all campuses.Wheelan said that she had met with Spellings to discuss the Faculty Assembly's list of potential violations and had identified five or six items that were thereShe had taken no action on them other than to discuss them and to accept Spellings' invitation to speak. Wheelan said that it was up to Spellings to inform the board about the items from the assembly's list that were considered problematic. According to a board member, Spellings never supplied the list because there were no items that infringed on accreditation.The UNC system administration had already distanced itself earlier from the assembly's claim of possible violations of accreditation standards. In April, Spellings and all 17 chancellors in the system sent a follow-up letter to Wheelan, which said:The letter also noted that the actions mentioned by the Faculty Assembly in their correspondenceSo how concerned should the Board of Governors be about possible loss of accreditation? Given the track record, not very concerned. Glen McGhee, director of the Florida Higher Education Accountability Project, has studied accreditation issues for many years, agrees.McGhee explained.And that may be a good thing. Without fearing loss of accreditation for every little policy change, perhaps the governors can step up and bring badly needed reform to the UNC system.
Drs. Nekola, Giurcanu, Eberhardt and Krishnan.
East Carolina University students and the local community recently had the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of foreign affairs and contribute to the international exchange of ideas and perceptions during a three-day symposium on central and eastern European politics.The event, "Visegrad in the 21st Century," sponsored by a grant from the International Visegrad Fund, was hosted Nov. 13-15 by the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Department of Political Science and the Office of Undergraduate Research.Two guest speakers from Poland and Czechia - two of the four central European states that make up the Visegrad group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), or Visegrad Four as they are also known - visited campus during the event.The researchers presented on topics ranging from Polish-Russian relations and Russia's foreign policy towards central-eastern Europe, to the Visegrad States in a broader context and the Czech people's exile during the Cold War.said Dr. Magda Giurcanu, teaching assistant professor of political science, who helped organize the event.On Monday, Dr. Adam Eberhardt, director of the Center for Eastern Studies, a Polish think tank that undertakes independent research on the political, economic and social situation in central and eastern Europe, predominantly discussed Russia's economy and foreign policy as well as Polish-Russian relations.Eberhardt argued that Russia perceives the western European countries to be weak. However, Russia challenges the security of neighboring countries by asking for concessions without offering anything in return.He also said there is little to no modernization because of the "law of the ruler," and after 17 years in power, President Putin has no desire to tackle the challenges to the Russian state.said Eberhardt.A roundtable discussion was held Tuesday afternoon with Eberhardt; ECU political science faculty Drs. Armin Krishnan and Giurcanu; and Dr. Martin Nekola, an independent scholar from Prague, whose research focuses on non-democratic regimes, the era of Communism, Czech communities abroad and the east-European, anti-communist exiles to the United States during the Cold War.On Wednesday, Nekola gave a presentation on his research pertaining to the Czech migration, which began Feb. 20, 1948 and lasted until 1989. Many researchers disagree on the total number of Czech citizens who fled Czechia, but Nekola said 250,000 seems to be a realistic number. Many of the citizens traveled to refugee camps in Germany, Austria, Italy and France.said Nekola, referring to the fear and frustration felt immediately following WWII.As time passed, the people also began emigrating to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United States. Nekola's research has traced a number of Czechian descendants to cities in the U.S. that have strong Czech communities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, New York, St. Louis, and possibly Charlotte and New Salem, North Carolina.Closing out the three-day symposium, students in the course presented research posters on topics that were covered throughout the semester. Attendees voted on the two best posters. First place and a $100 award went to Josiah Thornton, India Peele and Dwayne Lewis Jr. forand the second place award of $50 went to Natalie Best, Kaitlyn Rose and Josh Ziegler forOne more guest lecturer associated with the International Visegrad Fund grant will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Howell, room N107. The presentation will feature Dr. Bartosz Rydlinski of Poland.
Most voters in North Carolina and the rest of America cast ballots reliably for either Democratic or Republican politicians - even if the voters themselves don't belong to a party. That's pretty much the definition of political polarization, and a well-established fact of current voter behavior.But it is also obvious that voters don't just come in two categories. There are Democrats who favor restrictions on abortion, Republicans who favor higher taxes on the wealthy, partisans who disapprove of their leaders' personal behavior, and lots of disagreements across the two political coalitions on many other specific issues.So what truly separates Democratic-leaning voters from Republican-leaning ones? According to the latest voter-typology study from the Pew Research Center , one of the strongest predictors of partisan leanings has to do with the size of government."If you had to choose," the Pew questionnaire reads, "would you rather have a smaller government providing fewer services, or a bigger government providing more services?" In most of the recent past, smaller government has been the more popular answer to this question, although this year the responses have been closer to even. More to the point, the response bear a strong relationship to party preference.The 2017 Pew typology of voters consists of eight different voting groups - two core Republican constituencies, two core Democratic ones, two that lean Republican, and two that lean Democratic. I don't have room here to describe these eight typologies in great detail, but perhaps thumbnail sketches will suffice to make the point.On the Republican side, disproportionately upscale Core Conservatives and disproportionately rural Country First Conservatives are the most reliable GOP voters. Their primary areas of disagreement are on foreign policy, trade, and immigration. Two other groups, the mostly pessimistic Market-Skeptic Republicans and the mostly optimistic New Era Enterprisers, contain lots of unaffiliated voters and express plenty of disagreements with the Republican platform. But they vote Republican most of the time.On the Democratic side, Pew calls the most loyal groups Solid Liberals (disproportionately wealthy and secular) and Disaffected Democrats (disproportionately poor). A third group, Opportunity Democrats, are notably more optimistic about the future and favorable to business than the first two. Slightly more of them identify as unaffiliated or leaners than as Democrats. A final group, Diverse and Devout, is just what the name implies - racially diverse, older than average, and often in disagreement with Democrats on social issues and other matters. Still, most vote blue most of the time.Political junkies love to read and digest these kinds of studies. They are typically drawn to the differences, the variations, the surprises.I freely admit to the same bias. I was fascinated to discover from the new Pew data that only one of the four GOP-leaning groups, the Country First Republicans, is clearly opposed to same-sex marriage. Another notable finding is that the Democratic groups are starkly divided on how much America ought to be engaged in international affairs and whether regulations on business do more good than harm.But when it comes to the size of government, the two coalitions are easy to differentiate. All four GOP groups say they want smaller government, by at least a 22-point margin (Core Conservatives are nearly unanimous at 93 percent). All four Democratic groups say they want larger government, by at least a 21-point margin (Solid Liberals are solidly in favor at 80 percent).Naturally, there are tensions between what these voters say they want in abstract and what they favor in particular instances. Nevertheless, what the government-size question reveals is that the broad philosophical differences are real and politically significant.For the foreseeable future, Democratic politicians will talk a lot about how government programs help people and solve problems. Republican politicians will talk a lot about how government programs often cost more than advertised and make problems worse by producing unintended consequences. Politicians will say these things because they believe them, for the most part - but also because those are the messages that unify their respective electoral coalitions.
Republicans and Democrats clustered on opposite ends of business-friendly spectrum of legislative votes
Source: North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation
Republicans consistently support issues vital to business and industry, while Democrats' actions show lower enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, a survey of General Assembly members concluded.Republicans said the nonpartisan North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation's 2017 Legislative Business Ratings report accurately portrays the GOP's role in boosting the state's economy. Democrats downplayed their low rankings.The survey examined a variety of bills as part of an objective analysis of recorded votes. A subjective analysis rated lawmakers' personal interactions, stated support, and willingness to meet and discuss issues. The two were averaged, with 100 the top score possible.A rating of 70 or higher indicates consistent, strong support of free enterprise principles. Every House and Senate GOP member earned that designation.The survey found 77 of 120 House members were in that solid, business-friendly base - and just three of them Democrats. Of 50 senators, 36 achieved that score, but only one was a Democrat.Lawmakers scoring between 55 and 70 occasionally supported free-market principles. All 13 House members and four senators in that category were Democrats.All lawmakers earning less than 55 - 30 in the House, and 10 in the Senate - were Democrats.The five top-ranking lawmakers were: Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, (96.3); Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, (96); Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, (95.8); Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, (95.7); Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, (95.5).The five lowest-ranking members were all Democrats: Rep. Amos Quick, D-Guilford, (33.3); Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, (31.6); Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford, (24.2); Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, (23.7); and Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, (17.2).Saine attributed Republicans' performance to a large gap in governing philosophies among the two parties, nationally and in North Carolina.For the past several years, he said, North Carolina Republicans prioritized economic growth through meaningful tax reform and cutting regulations that hindered growth.Saine said.Saine said his experience as an employee and a small business owner provided firsthand knowledge of the importance of a business-friendly environment. He said he's proud of sponsoring and voting for legislation to help businesses start and grow.He said the strategy is working: Unemployment dipped from 11 percent in Lincoln County when he took office in 2011 to 3.9 percent in July.Jackson said as a business owner he always takes into account how his Senate votes will affect businesses and their employees.The GOP's survey performance shows state residents their elected officials support them, and understand the needs of the private sector, he said.Jackson said.Differing political philosophies, and the fact most bills that became law were championed by the majority party, help explain the business ranking disparity, he said.Insko and Harrison denied being anti-business.Insko said.she said, and the public needs them working in tandem.Insko said.Harrison said her ranking might have suffered because she strongly opposed some of the legislation in the survey that included environmental and public health rollbacks.She cited Senate Bill 16 and House Bill 56 as examples of business and environmental regulatory reforms with features she supported.But she voted against the bills because they involved water quality rollbacks at a time the state is trying to determine the damage caused by release of the chemical compound Gen X into the Cape Fear River.She voted against The Farm Act of 2017 , the so-called hog nuisance bill, because of the need to protect property rights of neighbors.Harrison said.She said she desires a strong state economy, but interpretations of methods to achieve that vary. She is frustrated by these types of surveys because
Tom Campbell
For the first twenty years of my career I was a radio broadcaster in Greenville, Wilson, Elizabeth City, Fuquay-Varina, and later Raleigh and Durham. At these stations employees often performed multiple tasks and, while we never made a lot of money, the work was rewarding because we believed we performed a valuable public service to our community.The media landscape was simple. We received four TV stations (the three networks and PBS), generally two or more AM radio stations and the local newspaper, most owned and managed by local people. Everyone had a place at the table and we each knew and accepted our roles. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulated broadcasters, especially through ownership rules that ensured no group dominated the options the public could choose in media voices. While some considered the rules restrictive, I agreed with not giving too much control to too few.Things began changing in 1980, when Ted Turner started CNN and cable TV became a viable option for subscribers. UHF stations (those above channel 13) popped up everywhere. President Reagan deregulated broadcasting, among other industries, and suddenly ownership groups could buy large numbers of radio stations. President Bush later did the same for TV, even though there were restrictions as to how large a percentage of the national audience an ownership group could reach.We witnessed a spending spree of large corporations merging or purchasing radio and TV stations and newspapers. Advocates claimed that changing economic factors dictated the need to achieve economies of scale through owning multiple properties in the area.While most agree that competition and the free market is good, many began questioning whether bigger was really better. Suddenly programming, news content and public service decisions, previously determined by local owners and managers based on what was best for their community, were now being made by corporate executives in far away cities. Just recently the FCC ruled that these groups didn't even have to have their main studios in the communities to which they were licensed. Many radio stations have become little more than automated jukeboxes or satellite delivered talk programming and you are hard pressed to find local news on some group-owned TV stations, unless they rebroadcast newscasts from other stations in the market.Now the FCC is considering eliminating essentially all ownership rules for TV and radio broadcasting, including the cross-ownership of newspapers. It is not far-fetched to envision a time when a handful of large corporations control what we are able to see, hear or read. Not only will we have the loss of local input but will get the political or philosophical slant from large corporations.You may think this is free enterprise at work and we should not interfere with the flow of commerce. Maybe so, but I challenge you to tune in your local TV or radio station or pick up your local paper and make the case that each is doing as good a job of serving their community as the previous local ownership was doing.Count me as one who believes that our country benefits when the press and media offer many opinions and we can select the ones we prefer rather than be forced to choose between only a few.We need more media voices, not fewer.
The state of Arkansas is facing an existential threat to academic freedom.That threat, however, is of a type that normally doesn't receive public attention. The press typically writes about speech codes and political interference with research on controversial subjects, but as serious as those threats are, they are nothing compared to that posed by central administrators.In our state, lawyers working for the University of Arkansas are rewriting the rules governing tenure in ways that fatally undermine academic freedom.The purpose of academic freedom is to protect freedom of speech, thought, and expression in the university setting so that learning and knowledge can flourish. Tenure is the primary mechanism by which academic freedom is ensured. It prohibits the termination of faculty for any reason that could plausibly be used to stifle academic speech and inquiry. These protections recognize the critical role of professors as truth-finders and truth-tellers.Tenure and academic freedom have been bedrock principles in higher education for a century.Unfortunately, in recent decades some university administrators have engaged in an all-out assault on academic freedom by seeking to (1) replace outspoken full-time faculty with part-time adjuncts, and (2) gut the rules governing academic freedom and tenure.Adjunct professors have virtually no job protections. Indeed, rather than serving as employees of the schools where they work, they are independent contractors hired to teach a specific course or courses. Because of this, adjuncts are far less likely to engage with controversial subjects. And they virtually never speak out publicly or even internally about issues of university governance. After all, a single comment disapproved of by college administrators can cost adjunct faculty their jobs-and we have seen it happen.The second type of attack is rule changes. Some administrators are pushing for definitions of tenure that provide no assurance that dismissal will be limited to causes unrelated to the content of a professor's research, teaching, or public service.The assault on academic freedom in Arkansas is of this latter variety, and it is being directed by the in-house attorneys for the University of Arkansas. They have circulated a proposal - drafted without any input from faculty-that would eviscerate tenure and academic freedom in this state.Consider three of the most problematic changes they recommend.First, under the proposal, a lack of "collegiality" is a standalone basis for termination. The policy states that failing to "work cooperatively with others" justifies instantaneous dismissal. This means that uncollegial behavior would be one of several emergency-type grounds for immediately firing professors. It places such behavior on the same plane as "threats or acts of violence."The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has long rejected collegiality requirements in tenure determinations of any type, including decisions to grant tenure or to terminate a teacher, because such requirements have a documented history of abuse in academe.Second, under the proposal, a single unsatisfactory annual evaluation by a single administrator is sufficient for dismissal, if the administrator determines that the faculty member is not being sufficiently "cooperative" in trying to remedy the "unsatisfactory" performance. So, again, the University's Counsel-who, it so happens, is the chief prosecutor in faculty dismissal proceedings-wants to leverage "cooperation" as a tool to eject tenured professors.The upshot of this change is striking: if a faculty member resists a single negative review, appeals that decision internally, or objects to colleagues or administrators about that review, he can be fired for lack of "cooperation."This incredible danger to the very foundations of the academic enterprise reveals why the AAUP has made it clear that using "unsatisfactory" as a standard is not sufficient to protect academic freedom. The word is highly subjective, making it prone to manipulation by administrators displeased with any aspect of a faculty member's work, including dissent regarding school operations.A professor could be fired merely for commenting publicly or internally about a school's alleged financial improprieties or admission practices.Third, under the current rules, comprehensive free speech rights for faculty aptly extend to all subjects. Under this proposal, however, such rights encompass only teaching and research-eliminating protections for speech associated with public and university service. This means, for example, that a professor could be fired merely for commenting publicly or internally about a school's alleged financial improprieties or admission practices.The proposal constitutes a major constriction of academic freedom. If adopted, what impact would it have?First, faculty recruitment and retention will be severely damaged. When candidates ask about tenure and academic freedom in Arkansas, hiring officials will be legally and morally obligated to explain to them that their tenure rights are heavily circumscribed in comparison to those at other colleges. And faculty currently working for the university will be more likely to leave, causing a brain drain, as other schools have experienced in similar circumstances, such as the University of Wisconsin Second, faculty will be restricted in their activities. In particular, Arkansas professors will be far less willing and able to research, teach, and perform public and university service relating to controversial subjects.That is because when academic freedom and tenure protections are undermined, it becomes easy for administrators to find legally plausible pretexts to punish faculty for protected speech in research, teaching, and service. Recall that the proposal permits termination if a faculty member is not sufficiently "cooperative." It takes little imagination to see how such a standard will be used to deem professors "uncooperative" if they express unpopular views in any domain of their work.One might respond by saying that no administrator or faculty body would ever abuse the authority granted by the proposal. History indisputably demonstrates otherwise.Third, the impact of the changes will be felt most keenly by minorities-racial minorities, religious minorities, and political minorities. That is what happens when individual rights are limited as in the proposal, whether in higher education or other institutional settings. Thus, one of our greatest fears is that the proposal will put conservative faculty in the cross-hairs because they are a distinct minority on campus.All of those problems together will critically damage the University of Arkansas. Most importantly, the education of our students will be diminished in countless ways. And the research we produce will be less helpful to society. This weakening of teaching and research will injure our entire state-a state starved for college graduates who learned to think critically from faculty who can speak freely.Given the dramatic harm the proposal will cause, why are the university attorneys pushing for these changes?They claim that the school needs more flexibility so that it can dismiss ineffective faculty rapidly. That is both false and disingenuous. The university has already admitted the following: (1) over many years, it has confronted only a tiny number of ineffective faculty-meaning that the vast majority of Arkansas professors are fully effective, and (2) the current tools have successfully removed ineffective teachers.Has the university somehow recently hired a critical mass of yet-undiscovered incompetent professors, requiring a gross diminution of tenure and academic freedom rights? Not a shred of evidence supports such a conclusion.Let us present an alternative theory. Undermining tenure and academic freedom will make the lives of University Counsel easier. In particular, the proposal grants the school and its lawyers a plethora of excuses to fire professors who "rock the boat" in ways disapproved of by central administrators. The proposal also removes due process rights ensured by the current rules, emasculating termination hearings.Last but not least, by eliminating protections for service-related speech, the proposal enables the school to quash faculty commentary regarding university operations.The assault on tenure and academic freedom in America is part of a long-standing trend toward the consolidation of power within university central administrations. College officials all too often prefer a compliant faculty who teach, write, and speak only on uncontroversial subjects. But that fundamentally contradicts the essence of higher education.Unfortunately, attorneys for the University of Arkansas appear set on dragging our state back to the 19th century, a period when universities were all too often marked by the imposition of stultifying conformity
China will step up protection of property rights to provide sustained impetus for economic development, according to a decision made at the State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Nov 22.
Businesses will enjoy better protection of their operational and property rights, and private businesses will enjoy equal protection for their property rights as their counterparts in the public sector. Economic crimes will be handled in compliance with related procedures. The protection of citizens property rights will also be enhanced.
In his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping said that in the economic reforms, we must concentrate on improving the property rights system and ensuring the market-oriented allocation of factors of production, so that property rights act as effective incentives, and we should ensure the free flow of factors, flexible prices, fair and orderly competition, and that business survival is determined by competition.
In his Government Work Report delivered earlier this year, Premier Li Keqiang said that protecting property rights means protecting labor, invention and innovation, and protecting and developing productive forces. We will work faster to improve the property rights protection system and protect the property rights of economic entities under all forms of ownership and the property rights of citizens in accordance with law, he said.
Chinas Property Rights Law was promulgated in 2007, widely seen as a landmark for better protection of property rights in the country. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued a guideline on improving the property rights protection system and protecting property rights according to law in November 2016, which was an overall plan for the development of the property rights protection system in China.
According to the decision at the meeting, regulations and documents that are both contradictory to the law and go against the protection of property rights protection will be cleared, revised or abolished as part of efforts to ensure that private businesses will enjoy equal protection as their counterparts in the public sector. The government will ensure that administration will be in line with the rule of law, and wayward and arbitrary law enforcement will be strictly prevented.
Government oversight over environmental protection and workplace safety must be conducted through lawful means, and no arbitrary measures, not to mention illegal methods, should be employed to restrict business production and operation.
Enhancing the protection of intellectual property rights is a matter of overall strategic significance, and it is vitally important for the development of a socialist market economy. Our efforts in property rights protection in recent years, the mass entrepreneurship and innovation initiative and the government function reform to streamline administration and provide better services have all worked to unleash the vitality of enterprises and spurred economic development, Premier Li said.
To protect intellectual property rights, the government plans to explore establishing a compensation mechanism as a form of penalty for property rights violations. The government will also step up law enforcement and judicial protection to increase the cost of infringements and reduce the cost of rights protection, Wednesdays meeting decided.
IPR law enforcement in key areas, including the internet, exports and imports will be reinforced, as well as in rural and urban areas where counterfeiting is rampant.
A record of government neglect of its duties will be established to better hold the government to account, and the redress and punishment mechanism for government negligence will be improved.
The government will also establish complaint filing and compensation mechanisms for businesses who suffer losses in property rights due to government misconduct.
There are still quite a few problems with the current property rights protection system. Deficiency in this area holds back increased investment, and hence is a main cause for the slide in private investment, Premier Li said. Entrepreneurs should be given a confidence boost through the speedy conclusion of a number of key pending infringement cases.
Premier Li emphasized, The wider opening-up of the country calls for enhancing IPR protection. All related laws and measures must be fully implemented, the problem of violators getting away with IPR infringements must be tackled to dispel any public concerns.
11 years ago, Trump made a big deal out of the Trump Soho, a 46-story luxury hotel/condo that paid Trump for the use of his name and the dubious management services of the Trump Organization; now, after a string of scandals including the revelation that Trump's business-partners were money-laundering Russian mafiosi, the revelation that Trump had defrauded buyers with lies about the sell-through, and the toxification of Trump's name for anyone with a lick of sense of decency, the business is parting ways with Trump.
In November 2011, the Trumps and other defendants paid 90 percent of $3.16 million in deposits to settle claims from buyers of condominium units that Mr. Trump, his children and others had inflated sales figures in what turned out to be a struggling project. The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., was pursuing a criminal investigation into the same issue, The New York Times reported last year. Some prosecutors felt they had enough evidence to build a case, but Mr. Vance declined to pursue charges, several news organizations reported last month.
At the same time, a separate lawsuit alleged that the project was backed by felons and financing from Russia. Felix Sater, a Russian deal maker, felon and F.B.I. informant, had helped facilitate the deal, the lawsuit said.
As time went on, the connection with Mr. Sater caused headaches for Mr. Trump through the campaign and the first year of his presidency. The Times reported this year how Mr. Sater continued to push for a Trump Tower in Moscow, even during the presidential campaign.
The two men had some commonalities, although they would likely never recognize their brotherhood, since they were from alien cultures and had differing philosophies about murder. Their common trait was to see their victims as less than human, and themselves as godlike saviors. They felt no guilt before or after their killings, no sense of empathy for those they killed, and no sense of moral duty towards those who were in society, outside their own tight group. Also, they both had the sensational charisma of killers in a Netflix serial.
In Serbia, it's rather common to see Mladic exalted as a protector of Christianity from an onrushing Muslim jihad. Mladic as a Crusader general has many ardent fans who wouldn't hurt a fly. As a Serbian citizen, I recognize his devotees as my neighbours. They vote for the future of my country.
Our current president himself, Aleksandar Vucic, was a young radical nationalist politician in the nineties. His party loudly supported the aggressive wars against Muslims and Catholics, generating fake hate-propaganda and volunteering for paramilitary raids. After the fall of Milosevic, this able politician changed his ideas. He stole the clothes from the democratic opposition.
Vucic is the the powerful politician in Serbia who has publicly commented on Mladic's life sentence. Vucic has stated that Serbia has to look towards the future, to the integration in the European Union, for a better future of our children, and not to soak in tears about our tragic past. He said the sentence from The Hague court was already long-expected. He said that it is not a day to mourn or rejoice about.
This shrewd political position is both good and bad news for Serbia. Good because bad people are in prison. Bad because they never came to terms with their badness.
I followed the trial of the Scorpions in 2005 in Belgrade, a paramilitary group that committed genocide. They were not mere admiring fans of killers, they were killers, those who physically pulled the triggers. They were bandits and raiders, comrades of the armies of Mladic who pulled-off the big operation of Srebrenica, liquidating almost 10 000 people of Muslim ethnicity in five days of slaughter, and even hiding the bodies from cameras and public knowledge.
Mladic was often on world television news channels back in those days, publicly distributing chocolate to the children behind the barbed wire. The UN troops nearby, the Dutch in particular, were having toasts with him while the machine guns chattered out of earshot. This was a fake-news operation of that period, though it didn't fool some people in Serbia. We knew that a slaughter was coming, that the ethnics who failed to flee would be violently "cleansed" from their own homes. When it happened, people just said, we knew it.
Not only that, but a couple of months after the massacre, the Dayton treaty was signed by the same people who had committed the crime. That act of peace froze the borderlines on the ground and ended the Yugoslav civil war. Good and bad news again?
Activists never stopped working on the background of the war-crimes, collecting facts, dates, facts, objects, especially the testimonies of survivors, the women who were widows, mothers, sisters. Many died while doing this labor, without ever receiving recognition or help.
The Hague tribunal went through many changes and internal scandals. International justice is by no means infallible. A women's war tribunal for former Yugoslavia was established by Women in Black of Serbia, together with other NGO women's groups from the region, to fill in the gaps of official justice and give a voice to the invisible civilian victims.
The Balkans will never be as they were: again, good and bad news. We Yugoslav citizens and political idiots, as I call myself and the others involved, lost our nation, our honor, our credibility, and the lives of fellow citizens. Ratko Mladic lost his freedom for good, while Manson lost his life for good. But where is the goodness?
My readers are congratulating me in private emails because I wrote a book on the depredations of Mladic and his allies, years ago when few local people shared my attitude. Journalists can now interview local people involved in the Balkan wars, and it's much less like stepping on land-mines. It's easier to ask, from a more distant, more historicized perspective: what do we think or feel? Is it the "banality of evil," as Hannah Arendt said about appalling Nazi war criminals, who revealed themselves, in the legal dock, as tedious apparatchiks? Ratko Mladic is not a fascist superhuman or evil mastermind. He comes from the same region that my own father did. He had the looks and accents common to anybody on the ground there. He could easily have been a relative of mine. Mladic's own daughter committed suicide at a dark point of his political career. Her fate could have been mine, but I survived and wrote books.
On a day like this one, instead of rattling on in a "know it all attitude," I would ask for a moment of thoughtful silence. Once, before those dark deeds, we had so much time to emote, elaborate and speak out, to come to terms with our own grisly potential. To celebrate when a jail door is slammed and bolted is hypocritical. Mladic himself spoke when his sentence was finally read in the court he swore out, loudly and vulgarly. That is why I ask for a minute of silence instead.
(Image: UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, CC-BY; Photo by Adam Jones adamjones.freeservers.com, CC-BY-SA)
Canada's largest school board has voted to end a controversial program that places uniformed police officers in dozens of public schools across Toronto.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees voted 18-3 in favour of cancelling the School Resource Officer (SRO) program during a meeting on Wednesday night. One did not vote.
The decision comes on the heels of a report by staff at the board earlier this month that recommended eliminating the program after finding it caused some students to feel uncomfortable and even intimidated.
While 57 per cent of those surveyed for the report had a generally positive impression of the program, 10 per cent strongly disagreed.
Decision to end program a 'difficult' one
"Over recent months, we have listened to marginalized voices that have not always been heard. We have heard loud and clear that the SRO program is not welcome by a significant number of our students and that's why we've made the difficult decision to end the program at the TDSB," school board chair Robin Pilkey said in a statement Wednesday night.
In August, TDSB trustees voted to temporarily suspend the program while staff and students were surveyed and community consultations took place. Before that, school resource officers were stationed at 45 TDSB high schools.
The SRO program was launched in 2008, one year after Grade 9 student Jordan Manners was shot and killed at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate. He was 15.
Since then, the program has drawn sharp criticism from activist groups such as Black Lives Matter Toronto, which has made vocal demands to scrap it as one measure to address anti-black racism in the education system.
Wednesday's decision was met with roaring applause from various community groups at the meeting.
'This is testament to Jordan'
"This is a big victory for us," said Butterfly Gopal of Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty. "This is testament to Jordan. Jordan's name has been pulled to justify criminalizing our community, militarizing our community for more than 10 years."
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Rodney Diverlus, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, had a similar reaction.
"This has been a 10-year battle with a number of organizations that extend way beyond even the beginning of BLM Toronto. The community was not consulted when this program was created," he said. "I think there's a relief there's a sense of justice, there's a sense that we've been heard."
But the decision is also raising questions about the board's motives after its own report found that a majority of participants had a positive impression of the program.
"How do they reconcile that? That's what I say," Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack said following the decision.
McCormack believes Wednesday night's vote was a "superficial exercise," arguing the data clearly supported continuing the program. He says officers who were stationed in schools are very disappointed in the move, saying they were "very dedicated and very passionate" about breaking down barriers between police and youth.
'I think they'll live to regret that decision'
"It's too bad that they chose to ignore the value of the SRO program, it's a shame. And I think that they'll live to regret that decision at some point," he told CBC Toronto.
While the students opposed to the program may have been in the minority, Pilkey points out they nevertheless amounted to about 2,000 students the equivalent of about five full schools.
"If some of them felt intimidated or targeted or watched ... I think it's important as a board that we listen to those voices," she told reporters after the vote, rejecting claims that the decision is "anti-police."
The school board says that while it has voted to end the SRO program, it plans to continue working with Toronto police on "shared issues."
"Though the SRO program will be coming to an end in 45 TDSB schools, we will continue to collaborate with Toronto Police," said board director John Malloy. "Moving forward, we will also support our staff and engage our students to continue providing caring and safe schools for all."
Meanwhile, next month the Toronto Police Services Board is also expected to decide whether or not to continue with the program, which continues at Catholic schools in the city. The board is currently reviewing it with an assessment being carried out by Ryerson University.
This past June, protests by Black Lives Matter delayed a debate on the fate of the program, after which the police services board voted to defer its decision until December.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Charlottetown to receive the Symons Medal at a ceremony at the Confederation Centre on Thursday.
He stopped by CBC P.E.I. to discuss an array of topics with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.
Employment Insurance
There are no current plans to change Prince Edward Island back to a single employment insurance zone, Trudeau said.
"We're always open to making changes but I don't think there's any changes on the books right now."
The split of the Island into two zones was an election issue in 2015.
The change was made by the previous Conservative government. With the change, people in the Charlottetown area have to work more hours to qualify for benefits than workers in the east and west of the province.
Earlier this month, a Charlottetown MLA went to Ottawa to ask why the change was taking so long.
Proportional representation
P.E.I. is planning a referendum on proportional representation as part of the 2019 provincial election.
Trudeau reaffirmed his belief on electoral reform saying "I think proportional representation would be bad for Canada."
"The discussion was demonstrating there was no forward path on an issue that was very important to a small number of people and not particularly important to a whole bunch of people and my mandate is to pull people together," he said.
"I wasn't going to pick a divisive fight."
As far as the provincial election system goes, he said that was up to the province.
"I'm not going to weigh in on that," he said.
Protecting supply management
Trudeau also reiterated his government's support for supply management systems in place for some farm products as trade negotiations continue with the U.S. and Mexico.
"We are very much focused on the fact that it's a system that works," he said.
"We're not going to accept a bad deal for Canada."
Marijuana legalization
Trudeau said he was pleased with the progress the provinces were making towards regulating legalized marijuana, which is coming in the first half of next year.
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The prime minister said his government has two clear goals in legalizing marijuana, the first is doing a better job of keeping the drug away from children.
"We have the highest rate of underage use in the world of marijuana, and that's not good," he said.
He also wants to take the profits from selling marijuana away from organized crime.
"We need to get that into a regularized system so that we can ensure that any profits from it, instead of going to fund more violence, are funding addiction, mental health supports, community supports, homeless supports, these kinds of things," he said.
Phoenix pay system
Trudeau said problems with the Phoenix pay system are likely to continue for some time.
"Obviously this is a terrible situation. No one should ever go without be paid appropriately," he said.
The difficulties of a fix were compounded recently by the implementation of some new collective agreements, he said.
"We're making significant headway," he added, although acknowledging that "it's going to continue to be a real difficulty."
Favourite P.E.I. experiences
"One of our favourite beaches in the country is out at Greenwich," Trudeau said.
"The restaurant and the food at The Dunes is one that I am a huge fan of."
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Earlier this year, Davidoff released a series of 6 x 60 line extensions to the four blends of its Discovery Pillar (Black Level) line. One of the cigars that falls under the Discovery Pillar line is the Davidoff Escurio. During his tenure, former Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard implemented a program of production innovation and the Discovery Pillar was the result of this. The Discovery Pillars first release was in 2013 with the Davidoff Nicaragua the brands first Nicaraguan puro. The Escurio made its debut in 2015 and became the second installment in the Discovery Pillar. While not a Brazilian puro, the Escurio is a blend that has a good amount of Brazilian tobacco another first for Davidoff. Today we take a closer look at the Escurio in the 6 x 60 format.
The name Escurio is a derivative of two words Escuro (which is Portuguese for dark and in this case the cigars wrapper falls into this category) and Rio (short for the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro which was an inspiration for this cigar).
In addition to the Davidoff Escurio, the 6 x 60 line extensions were also added to the Davidoff Nicaragua, Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed, and Davidoff Yamasa lines. While the Davidoff brand is not known for 6 x 60 vitolas, this is not the first Davidoff branded 6 x 60. That honor goes to the Davidoff Year of the Horse, which was released late in 2013. The incorporation of 6 x 60 sizes could be considered another example of Hoejsgaards innovation strategy becoming reality.
Recently departed Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard pushed a theme of innovation during his years at the helm at Davidoff. The 6 x 60 offerings were are another implementation of that strategy in that the 6 x 60 size had not been used as a line extension beforehand.
Without further ado, lets break down the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
The Brazilian tobacco for the Escurio is used for the binder and a portion of the filler. The Escurio is finished with the lines dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Brazilian Cubra
Filler: Dominican (San Vicente, Piloto andOlor/Piloto Seco), Brazilian (Cubra and Mata Fina)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (TABADOM)
Vitolas Available
The Davidoff Escurio has been produced in seven sizes. The 6 x 60 comes packaged in 12-count boxes.
6 x 60: 6 x 60
Corona Gorda: 6 x 46
Gran Perfecto: 5 x 50/61
Short Robusto: 3 1/4 x 50
Robusto Tubo: 4 1/2 x 54
Gran Toro: 5 1/2 x 58
Culebra: 6 1/2 x 33
Appearance
The Habano Ecuador wrapper of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 is definitely one that is on the darker side (or as we mentioned above escuro ). The color was consistent with the other sizes of the Escurio as it was a cross of chocolate-brown and some Colorado red. The surface of the wrapper had a slight amount of oil on it. Any wrapper seams and visible veins were on the thin side.
The Davidoff Escurio has two bands. The primary band uses the same band design as the rest of the Discovery Pillar cigars. This is a black and silver-colored version of the Davidoff White Label design. The background is black with the font text and surrounding trim in silver. The Davidoff scripted logo is on the front. To the left of the logo is the text 6 x 60. (Note: each of the vitolas have text with the vitola name in this location). To the right is the text GENEVE (on all of the vitolas).
There is a secondary band just below the primary black and silver Davidoff Nicaragua band. It is silver with black font and black trim. On the band it says ESCURIO in black font. To the left and right is green crescent moon image.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Before lighting up the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60, I used a straight cut to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was detached, I moved on to the pre-light draw stage. The cold draw delivered a combination of chocolate, natural tobacco, and a citric-like spice. I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Davidoff Escurio and see what the smoking experience would have in store.
Flavor Profile
The Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 started out with a mix of chocolate, sweet grapefruit, wood, and red pepper notes. During the first third, the chocolate and grapefruit notes alternated in intensity. The wood and red pepper notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced a citric spice.
By the second third, the chocolate notes took over as the primary note in the forefront. The grapefruit notes receded to a close secondary note. By the midway point, there were some earth notes that were mixed in with the chocolate notes in the forefront. During this stage, the wood notes transitioned to more of a classic cedar note, and the red pepper notes increased in intensity.
As the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 moved into the last third, the chocolate and earth notes held in the forefront. The red pepper and cedar notes also remained secondary. In the background, there also was a little more in the way of sourness from the citrus/grapefruit notes present. This was the way the flavor profile of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
The burn line to the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 had a slight amount of jaggedness to it. This was easily remedied with some touch-ups and the cigar was never in danger of meandering. The resulting ash was on the firm side with a nice silver color to it. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
The draw to the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 performed quite well. This cigar had a touch of resistance which is something that I like. It made for an enjoyable smoking experience from start to finish.
Strength and Body
When it came to the 6 x 60 size of the Davidoff Escurio, I did find it had a little more strength and body than my go-to size the Escurio Robusto. The Escurio 6 x 60 is a cigar that comes out of the gate medium to full for both strength and body. There was a slight increase in both attributes along the way, but at the close, I still found this cigar remained in the medium to full range for both attributes.
In terms of strength versus body of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60, I found both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute having an edge.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to the Davidoff Escurio, I have found size matters and that some vitolas work better than the others. This might surprise some people, but the Escurio 6 x 60 is one of those sizes that worked quite well. While there was some sourness present at the very end, for the most part, I felt I got an enjoyable experience with this cigar. In general, the Escurio is a blend I usually would recommend to a seasoned cigar enthusiast, but its not one I would discourage a novice from smoking either. As for myself, this is a cigar Id smoke again and its one worthy of purchasing multiples for the humidor.
Summary
Key Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Grapefruit, Red Pepper, Cedar, Wood
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium+
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Rating
Assessment: 3.5-Box Split
Score: 90
References
News: Davidoff Adds 60 x 6 Line Extensions to Discovery Pillar Series
Price: $19.20
Source: Davidoff
Brand Reference: Davidoff
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted
Cabinet approves agreement on co-operation in customs matters between India and Philippines
Published: November 23, 2017
The Union Cabinet approved signing and ratifying of Agreement between India and Philippines on co-operation and mutual assistance in customs matters. The agreement will help in availability of relevant information for prevention and investigation of Customs offences.
The Agreement is also expected to facilitate trade and ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between countries. It will enter into force after necessary national legal requirements have been fulfilled by both countries.
Key Facts
The Agreement will provide legal framework for sharing of information and intelligence between Customs authorities of two countries. It would help in proper application of Customs laws, prevention and investigation of Customs offences and facilitation of legitimate trade.
The Agreement has been finalized with concurrence of two Customs Administrations. It takes care of Indian Customs concerns and requirements, particularly in area of exchange of information on correctness of Customs value declared and authenticity of certificates of origin of goods traded between two countries.
Month: Current Affairs - November, 2017
Topics: Cabinet Decisions Customs India-Philippines National Taxation
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CCEA approves expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme
Published: November 23, 2017
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Yojana for a pan India coverage from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
It expansion has proposed outlay of Rs.1132.5 crore. It will cover all the 640 districts (as per census 2011) of the country to have a deeper positive impact on Child Sex Ratio (CSR). Currently the scheme is being implemented in select 161 districts have low CSR.
Expansion of BBBP
The expansion of scheme was approved based on its successful implementation in 161 districts. The expansion includes multi sectoral intervention in 244 districts in addition to existing 161 districts. 235 districts will be covered through alert district media, advocacy and outreach, thus covering all 640 districts of the country.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister in January 2015 at Panipat, Haryana as comprehensive programme to address declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of women over life-cycle continuum.
The scheme is being implemented as a tri-ministerial, convergent effort of Union Ministries of Women and Child Development (WCD), Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Human Resource Development (HRD). The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is nodal ministry for programme at the central level.
The focus of BBBP is on awareness and advocacy campaign, multi-sectoral action enabling girls education and effective enforcement of Pre-Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act.
The specific objectives of the scheme are preventing gender biased sex selective elimination, ensuring survival and protection of the girl child and ensuring education and participation of the girl child.
Performance of BBBP
As per the latest reports of MoHFW, there is improving trend in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in 104 districts of the total 161 BBBP districts in the time period between April-March 2015-16 & 2016-17. 119 districts have reported progress in first trimester registration against the reported Anti Natal Care registrations. 146 districts have reported improvement in institutional deliveries.
Month: Current Affairs - November, 2017
Topics: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao CCEA Child Sex Ratio Government Schemes National Social Issues Women Related Issues
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: MLA , 41
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday set a March execution date for Russell Bucklew, a convicted killer who narrowly escaped execution 3 years ago because of a rare medical condition that raised the possibility that the lethal drug could cause him to suffer.
Bucklew, 49, is scheduled to die by injection March 20 for killing a man in 1996 during a violent crime spree.
He was moments away from execution in May 2014 when the U.S. Supreme Court halted it and sent the case back to a lower federal court amid concerns about Bucklew's medical condition.
Bucklew suffers from cavernous hemangioma, a rare ailment that causes weakened and malformed blood vessels, as well as tumors in his nose and throat.
His attorney, Cheryl Pilate, said Missouri's execution method could cause Bucklew's death to rise to the level of unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.
"We believe that the setting of the date at this time is premature," Pilate said in a statement.
Loree Anne Paradise, spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, said the execution date is "the subject of litigation" and declined comment on the merits of the case.
The Missouri attorney general's office did not immediately return an email message seeking comment.
In April 2014, Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett's vein collapsed, and he writhed on the gurney before dying of a heart attack more than 40 minutes after the start of the procedure.
Adding to the uncertainty in Missouri is the secretive process the state uses to obtain its execution drug. Big drug manufacturers prohibit use of their drugs in executions, so it is believed that Missouri and other states have turned to compound pharmacies. Missouri refuses to say how or where it gets the pentobarbital used in executions.
None of the 20 inmates executed since Missouri switched form a 3-drug protocol to pentobarbital in 2013 have shown obvious signs of pain or suffering.
Still, death penalty opponents say the secrecy makes it impossible to ensure the drugs couldn't cause an inmate to endure an agonizing death.
In March 1996, Bucklew was angry at his girlfriend, Stephanie Pruitt, for leaving him and moving in with Michael Sanders of Cape Girardeau. Bucklew tracked Pruitt down at Sanders' home and killed Sanders in front of Pruitt, her 2 daughters and Sanders' 2 sons. He handcuffed and beat Pruitt, drove her to a secluded area and raped her.
After a state trooper spotted the car, Bucklew shot at the trooper but missed. Bucklew later escaped from jail, hid in the home of Pruitt's mother and beat her with a hammer.
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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
triblive.com, November 22, 2017
Iran has responded to a draft UN resolution condemning the countrys human rights record by attempting to deflect responsibility and verbally criticizing the sponsors of the draft.
After UN member states adopted the draft resolution by the UNs Third Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affair on November 14, 2017, the countrys Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi accused the resolutions sponsors of being the biggest violators of human rights.
Jahangir called for progress to protect the rights of women in practice, and in legislation, to ensure the independence of the judiciary , and to ensure remedy, reparation, and truth for victims of rights abuses.
The special rapporteur also noted that Irans ethnic and religious minorities continue to face challenges, including the unabated discrimination against and targeting of the Bahai community , which threatens their right to a livelihood.
At a press briefing in Tehran on November 15, Ghasemi repeated a claim widely touted by state officials, that The Islamic Republic of Iran is a religious democracy that has made a serious effort to raise the level of human rights.
As a representative of Irans Foreign Ministry led by Javad Zarif, Bahrami refused to accept any criticism from the international community or engage with it on improving Irans record.
At the November 15 press briefing, Ghasemi also refused to answer a reporters question regarding why Iran had not allowed any UN official to visit the country since 2005.
After Jahangir replaced Ahmed Shaheed as the UN special rapporteur on Iran in November 2016, Iranian Foreign Ministry and judicial officials held meetings with her in Geneva and New York, but have refused to allow her into the country or listen to the documented testimonies of victims of state policies.
Policy of Deflection and Denials
Iran increased its contact with the special rapporteur during President Hassan Rouhanis first term (2013-17), however, since 2015, government officials have vehemently rejected reports of rights violations submitted by the UNs Human Rights Council and the Third Committee.
Eshagh Al-Habib, the acting Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in New York, said on November 15 that Canadas lead sponsorship of the resolution is an insult to human rights.
Before the vote, the Iranian diplomat was given an opportunity, but made no attempt, to respond to the abuses reported in the resolution. After the resolution was launched, he only responded by criticizing Canada.
Canada hires and supports good terrorists to carry out outrageous violations of human rights aimed at de-stabilizing governments that it shamelessly calls rogue, said Al Habib, who is based in New York.
He continued: Canada was in such a rush to get this resolution passed that it did not even wait for the distribution of the secretary generals own report. Canada wanted this resolution despite Irans repeated friendly offers to hold talks. It is difficult to understand this insistence on politicizing and polarizing human rights.
The US, UK, France, Germany, Israel, Honduras, Portugal, Micronesia, Slovakia, and Spain co-sponsored the resolution, which was led by Canada, and which was adopted on November 13 with 83 Yes votes.
VOTES: 83 YES, 30 NO
In addition to China and Russia, Syria, Pakistan, North Korea, and Venezuela spoke out against the resolution. Some of the countries that abstained from voting said they did so with the hope of engaging in constructive dialogue with Iran on human rights.
The resolution welcomed progress in the areas of death penalty legislation and Irans participation in the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). It also noted Irans peaceful electoral process and welcomed Irans contact with the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.
However, the resolution expressed serious concern at the alarmingly high frequency of the imposition of the death penalty, including against minors and on the basis of forced confessions.
It called upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to launch a comprehensive accountability process in response to all cases of serious human rights violations, including those involving the Iranian judiciary and security agencies, and calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to end impunity for such violations.
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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
Putrajaya tabled today an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA) to return discretionary powers to the court instead of imposing the mandatory death sentence on drug traffickers.
The amendment, tabled for 1st reading today by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, seeks to revert Section 39B as law.
The provision, introduced in an amendment to the DDA or Act 234 in 1975, had allowed a person convicted of drug trafficking to be punished with jail and whipping or death.
It was removed in 1983 so that drug traffickers could only be punished with death.
Under the new amendment to Section 39B(2) of the DDA, any person who is found guilty of trafficking dangerous drugs can be be punished with either the death penalty or life in prison and whipping with a minimum of 15 strokes.
The Bill also states several circumstances for the courts to consider when deciding whether to mete jail for life or the death penalty.
Among the circumstances for the court to consider are the lack of evidence against the convicted person to show "buying and selling of a dangerous drug" at the time of arrest, "no involvement of agent provocateur" and the convicted person's role was merely in "transporting, carrying, sending or delivering a dangerous drug."
Another consideration is if the public prosecutor certifies in writing to the court that the person convicted has assisted an enforcement agency in disrupting drug trafficking activities within or outside the country.
Judges to be given discretionary power
Drug traffickers may no longer be slapped with the mandatory death penalty if proven guilty as the government will table amendments to the law yesterday in the Dewan Rakyat to return discretionary power to the judges.
While the death penalty remains apex in offences related to drug trafficking, the amendments proposed to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA) will provide guided discretion to the judge to mete out sentences.
The amendments will be tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
It is learnt that the penalties include whipping ranging from 10 to 20 strokes and life imprisonment for drug traffickers instead of a mandatory death penalty.
While being mindful that innocent people should not be hanged, the government is firm in ensuring that kingpins and drug dealers do not take advantage of the amendments by including stipulations that cover all aspects of drug trafficking cases.
Azalina had said that a comprehensive study on death penalty in Malaysia was done by the Attorney-General's Chambers and presented to the Cabinet in March.
"This is a progressive beginning."
The government's bold move was received positively by opposition MPs and NGOs, especially those who are advocating against death penalties.
Under the original provisions of the DDA, the conviction for drug trafficking does not carry a mandatory death penalty but gives the judges discretionary power to mete out a jail term, life sentence or a death penalty.
The law was later amended in 1983 removing the judicial discretion and the trial judge must, after convicting the accused under Section 39B(1), give him the death penalty under Section 39B(2).
Amnesty International has said that this is the first move to abolishing the death penalty once and for all, stating that it is not proven that the death penalty has acted as a deterrent for drug trafficking.
Currently Section 39B provides for trafficking of dangerous drugs.
As of August this year some 800 people are now on death row after being convicted of drug trafficking under this section.
"This is a progressive beginning," Azalina told theSun.
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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
: Malay Mail Online, November 23, 2017The Sun Daily, November 23, 2017
If Harris County were its own state, it would have a more active death chamber than the entire rest of the country - except for the rest of Texas.
Of the 1,465 U.S. executions in the modern death penalty era, 125 have come from Harris County - roughly 8 %. The next-closest executioner is Dallas County, with 55 death sentences carried out since the Supreme Court reinstated the ultimate punishment in 1976.
Houston's reputation as ground zero for the death penalty, it seems, is well-earned - even though prosecutors here have been less apt to dole out capital sentences in recent years.
But while the numbers are stark, the reasons behind the Bayou City's apparent zeal for capital punishment are less apparent. It's not driven by public support for the practice. It's not driven by an unusually high crime rate or by especially heinous murders.
So what is it? What sets apart jurisdictions that frequently turn to capital punishment from those that don't?
Deadly Justice, a numbers-heavy study of capital punishment That is one of the questions Frank Baumgartner and his co-authors explore in, a numbers-heavy study of capital punishment released this month
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill political science professor took some time this week to field questions from the Chronicle about his new book and its implications in the Houston area.
Houston Chronicle: So, Harris County is known as the capital of capital punishment - why is that? Are Houstonians just more supportive of it?
Frank Baumgartner: Well, actually I would say 2 things. We got data from a Rice University Houston-area poll and it turns out the public opinion in Houston is less supportive for the death penalty than in the rest of Texas. In general across the country we don't find any correlation between public opinion and executions, and the reason for that is that if you don't support capital punishment you're not allowed to sit on a jury.
The key driver in the system is the choices that district attorneys make, because they start the process and they get to pick and choose whether to seek death. Looking at all 3,000 counties in the U.S. there are just a few counties that have executed more than, say, 10 people - there's only 20 counties like that - and it's really astounding that there'd be so much concentration in a few jurisdictions. There's really no rhyme or reason to it.
HC: It's not that Houston has more horrific crimes?
FB: No, not at all.
I think it's something about a local culture that develops around the courthouse. Most counties never go there, but a few counties happen to scucessfully carry through to the end a death sentence - and then when the next really bad murder happens the prosecutors say, "Well this is just as bad as that one where we sought death so we kind of have to do it again this time."
HC: We hear a lot about botched executions - is this happening more than it used to - and why we aren't seeing these botched executions in Texas? Or is it just a matter of time?
FB: Lethal injection is a medicalized procedure but in most states no doctors are allowed to participate so I think it does lend itself to botches in a way that other methods like firing squad or hangings did not.
But Texas has a lot more practice. So there have been fewer botches in Texas because I think their teams in the corrections department are relatively in practice. In carrying out 400 or 500 hundreds executions they've just done it a lot more.
HC: People always seem to express frustration over the length of the delays - sometimes it's 20 years. Is Texas an outlier in this or is this a pretty normal timeframe here?
FB: The average as of 2015 is about 20 years delay from crime to execution, so that's pretty shocking. There's three shockers. One is the extreme delay - that's 20 years in solitary confinement. So it's 20 years of harsh punishment followed by execution. The other shocker is that we only carry out 13 % of the death sentences. It's just astounding. And the 3rd shocker is that even when the governor signs a death warrant it's not usually carried out. On average, those things are cancelled.
HC: So you've been looking at this for a while - how are the questions and discussion around the use of the death penalty changing?
FB: I think the biggest change was in the 1990s we started to pay serious attention to the concept of innocence and whether there might be innocent people on death row and whether we should celebrate it when we identify them and they're exonerated or if we should interpret that number as catastrophic.
I think the innocence argument has really shaken people's faith that you can count on the government to get it right every single time.
HC: One of the topics that comes up a lot now - and has been written about a lot - is one of your chapter titles: "Is the death penalty dying?" Is it?
FB: I think it's in a stranglehold.
I think the system is so tied up in knots, partly because of the concern of executing an innocent person. It's really hard to justify or have enthusiasm about a system so dysfunctional as the current modern death penalty, even if you're a prosecutor.
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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
Countering Hezbollah is a top priority for the United States. That's why the U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales announced rewards for two senior Hezbollah leaders under the State Departments Rewards for Justice Program.
The United States is offering a reward of up to seven million dollars for information that leads to the location, arrest, or conviction in any country of Talal Hamiyah. Hamiyah has been linked to several terrorist attacks, hijackings, and kidnappings targeting U.S. citizens. Hamiyah leads Hezbollahs international terrorist unit, the so-called External Security Organization, which is responsible for planning and conducting terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon. These attacks have targeted primarily Americans and Israelis.
The U.S. is also offering a reward of up to five million dollars for information that leads to the location, arrest, or conviction in any country of Fuad Shukr. Shukr is a senior military commander of Hezbollahs forces in Lebanon. Hes also a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollahs highest military body. Shukr plays a key role in Hezbollahs military operations in Syria, and he helped plan and launch the 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 Marines.
These are the first Hezbollah-related rewards under the Rewards for Justice Program in a decade. This announcement is just one part of the effort to counter Hezbollahs terrorist activities, said Ambassador Sales. Until Hezbollah stops using terrorism and violence to achieve its goals, the United States and our allies will aggressively target its terrorism infrastructure and financial support networks.
If you have any information about Talal Hamiyah or Fuad Shukr please contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate or email info@rewardsforjustice.net. You can also call 1-800-877-3927; or send mail to Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C. 20520-0303, USA.
Absolute confidentiality is assured and relocation may be available.
The five men accused of raping an 18-year-old in Pamplona in 2016.
On Wednesday, the first of five suspects accused in an ongoing gang rape trial in Spain admitted the 18-year-old victim did not expressly consent to sexual relations.
The two cases mark a before and after moment in terms of views the treatment of rape victims in Spain
It is a case that made world headlines after the men in their twenties were accused of assaulting the young woman and recording the rape with their cellphones during the 2016 Running of the Bulls.
As the trial continues in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, comparisons are being drawn by some to the 2008 murder of Nagore Laffage.
During the Running of the Bulls of that year, Nagore, a 20-year-old nurse, met up with the 27-year-old doctor Jose Diego Yllanes. The two went up to Yllaness apartment, where the doctor tore Laffages clothes off and then attacked her viciously before finally killing her. Yllanes explained his attack on the nurse by saying that Nagore had refused to have sex with him. He said he lost his head. They had already kissed and caressed each other, Yllanes said. Later, there was a misunderstanding.
They judged my daughter at every moment, not her murderer Nagore Laffages mother
At first glance, these two assault cases may appear to have little in common. Nagore is dead, and her murderer admitted the crime. The 18-year-old in the current case is alive and the defendants say they did not rape her. Despite these differences, however, there is a thread that connects the two cases: they both mark a before and after moment in terms of social views towards sexual assault and the treatment of rape victims in Spain.
Thousands of people have mobilized in defense of womens rights, and there has been a strong reaction in Spain to any attempt to blame the victims in such assaults.
During the trial of Nagores killer which garnered unprecedented levels of attention for a Pamplona court case, according to one local journalist her mother was asked if her daughter was a flirt. They were constantly judging my daughter, not her murderer, she later said.
Meanwhile, the defense team in the La Manada case employed a private detective to analyze the behavior of the victim after the alleged crime, including on social media a move condemned by many in Spain as another attempt to lay the blame for the assault at the feet of the victim.
And during the La Manada trial yesterday, defense attorneys and prosecutors dedicated several hours to analyzing the 96 seconds of video footage filmed by the defendants while they had sexual relations with the alleged victim. The young woman had her eyes closed and was in a passive or neutral attitude: she was not participating at all, said prosecutors, who argued this indicated she had been in a state of shock.
In 2016, the judge in the current gang rape case noted video footage showed no consent was apparent on the part of the victim
But defense lawyers argued the womans attitude was evidence she had consented and highlighted several seconds in which she appeared to participate.
It was these videos of the incident that saw the presiding judge place the five defendants in pre-trial custody in September 2016. In making that decision the judge noted that no consent was apparent on the part of the victim and that what instead emerged from the footage was submission to an overwhelming situation of physical and numerical superiority, and recognition of the impossibility of opposing the lewd intentions of the aggressors.
Nagore could be alive today. But she would have had to give in to Yllanes all those years ago. She would have had let him do whatever he wanted to her before fleeing her assailants house. She might have survived. Would she have gone to the police? Could she have accepted being blamed for the crime, as is the norm for women who report a rape? Its impossible to know. But we do know she resisted Yllanes.
As Victor Sarasa, who represented Pamplona City Hall in the prosecution, said of Nagore, she was the most defenseless person in the world in a house she didnt know and which she could not leave, cornered by a person far stronger than her, who beat her savagely until she had no strength left and was unconscious, to the point that he was able to strangle her with one hand.
Yllanes was not convicted of first-degree murder (asesinato) for the killing of Nagore, because the jury ruled it was not premeditated. He was instead convicted of manslaughter (homicidio). He now only returns to prison at night to sleep. He has served 8 years and 11 months of his 12.5 year sentence.
English version by George Mills.
Julian Assange, at the Ecuador embassy in London. EFE
By getting involved in international affairs, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has once again compromised the country that is giving him protection.
The government of Ecuador has asked the cyber-activist not to weigh in on Catalan independence, of which Assange has been a vocal supporter on social media.
The warning does not affect the protection that Ecuador is still granting Assange
The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ecuador has released a statement to clarify that Assanges opinions do not represent Ecuadors position.
Ecuador reaffirms its adherence to the principles that guide relations among all nations, especially respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of states, as well as non-intervention in any countrys domestic affairs, and the right of all states, as equal members of the international community, to resolve their disputes without foreign interference, said the government in a statement.
Madrid has protested about Assanges overt support for Catalan secessionist leaders. On November 9, Assange received a visit from Oriol Soler, a key ideologue of the independence movement. He has also given video conferences supporting Catalan independence.
According to the statement, Assange has formally pledged to observe behavior that is compatible with the will of the Ecuadorean State.
He has been warned about his obligation not to make statements or engage in activities that could affect Ecuadors international relations. This includes relations with Spain, a country with whom Ecuador shares historical and cultural ties.
Last year, Ecuador cut off Assanges internet connection to prevent him from getting involved in the US presidential elections
But Ecuador has confirmed that the warning does not affect the protection that former president Rafael Correa granted Assange in 2012. Since then, the WikiLeaks founder has been living inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he fled to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape charges that have since been dropped.
The government of Lenin Moreno, who assumed office in May of this year, has reaffirmed its commitment to provide Assange with diplomatic asylum.
In late September, however, the president said in an interview that Assange might be going too far, and asked him not to get involved in either national or international politics.
The Latin American government has asked Britain to issue safe-conduct so that Assange may leave the embassy and travel to Ecuador. But the activist refuses to leave out of fear that he will be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks release of secret military and diplomatic cables in 2010.
Last year, Ecuador cut off Assanges internet connection to prevent him from getting involved in the US presidential elections, after WikiLeaks released emails that compromised Hillary Clintons run for the presidency.
English version by Susana Urra.
Ruben Dario, with his mother in Seville. paco puentes
In Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges Autobiographical Essay,the author emphasized his reading as a child and said that at the age of seven he imitated Cervantes prose to write his first story. Frances Arthur Rimbaud wrote poems in Latin at eleven and at 15 he won his first important literary prize. The Nicaraguan Ruben Dario was another precocious genius. At the age of eight he wrote sonnets, at 13 his poems were being published in newspapers and at 14 he was offered a scholarship to study in Europe.
He was not a child who fantasized about being a writer, but someone who fought against his illness like Don Quixote
Following in their footsteps was the little Ruben Dario Avalos Flores, a Paraguayan child writer who died recently in Seville, southern Spain, before he turned 13.
Ruben published four storybooks and a historical novel. They were: Encuentros con Ruben Encounters with Ruben (2015); Sensacion de puridad Sensation of purity (2015); Las Cartas y otros cuentos impredecibles The letters and other unpredictable stories (2016); La medicina maestro The master of medicine (2016); and La diadema The tiara (2017). His work demonstrated his love for mythology, horror, science fiction, animals, medicine, travel, history, and comics. Rubens literary universe was childlike, but affected by the experience of having suffered with a rare and incurable disease.
Ruben wrote one story after another on a laptop that was more valuable to him than chemotherapy
Ruben was a secret miracle with news of his existence spreading via word of mouth from teachers to doctors to hospital volunteers. Thats how I learned that at Sevilles Virgen del Rocio Hospital there was a Paraguayan boy who talked about Borges, Kawabata, Kipling and Garcia Marquez, while he wrote one story after another on a laptop that was more valuable to him than chemotherapy.
Since Ruben lacked physical defenses, he barricaded himself with books. In one of his stories, the narrator leaves the clinic and visits a bookstore where he looks through beautiful editions of titles including Robinson Crusoe, The Lord of the Rings, Moby Dick, Don Quixote, and Dracula, just to name a few. I bear witness to the fact that Ruben possessed and read all those books and many more.
Ruben was honored at the book fair in La Rinconada, a town just outside Seville, and he participated in the School for Novel Writers in Mollina, in Malaga province. The library in his school was also named after him. In his stories, the children characters fight against harassment, defend animals and protect other children not because they are immigrants, but in the fight for the respect for differences. I do not know what kind of writer Ruben could have been if he had lived to learn more, mature and continue to write. But I can assure you that he was a great child writer and that his books have the gentle air of the poem by his namesake, the Nicaraguan writer Ruben Dario.
Ruben published four storybooks and a historical novel
Now that Ruben has died, I think that reading of his epic works should not be limited to other children like him, but should also be undertaken by young people and adults, doctors and teachers, readers and writers, because Ruben fought against all adversities with his eagerness to read, the pleasure of writing and the enthusiasm to learn.
He was not a child who fantasized about being a writer, but someone who fought against his illness like Don Quixote, thanks to reading and writing.
English version by Debora Almeida.
Virginija Langbakks job is the promotion of gender equality in the European Union. As director of the Vilnius-based European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), she is battling a situation in which one in every three European women has been the victim of physical or sexual violence.
European Institute for Gender Equality director Virginija Langbakk. M. R. S.
Its also a problem underrepresented by the official figures, and one that comes in the context of a situation in which almost half of all people in the bloc believe the most important role of women is taking care of the home. This is why Langbakk highlights the importance of fighting against stereotypes and segregation of the sexes. She also wants to see men more involved in the fight for gender equality. Last but not least, the EIGE director also believes the lack of standard definitions across the EU for what constitutes gender violence is making the problem harder to identify and tackle.
Question. What are the major equality challenges in the EU?
Answer. It is difficult to establish a scale because each problem has an impact. One of them is to minimize segregation of the sexes, something that has a very important impact on society. For example, women are in the majority when it comes to carrying out jobs in the caring professions such as education and health, and these professions are lower paid, something that leads to lower benefits and pensions. They are womens jobs and dont have the same status, which means as soon as you choose one of these jobs you are condemned to a lower status. We can see it in the case of European Commission funds as well: many of them go to research, innovation and technology areas where there are hardly any women, which means this money is going to men. And this means only men have access to these funds that we have collected through EU budgets: it also means that technology and innovation are developed and based on ideas oriented towards how men think. If women dont have an influence, then what is the use of technology designed for only half of society?
In general, victims keep quiet because they feel guilty or ashamed
Q. You speak of the prevalence of stereotypes, which still place women in the home.
A. Stereotypes are critical, not just because they are different in different countries but also because you cant regulate against them. They cant be assessed using human rights standards. They are there and they influence us, our children and our grandchildren. And we are still a long way from changing these attitudes that classify women who work with technology as butch and men who work in the caring professions as weak, for example.
A demonstration against gender violence in Paris in 2016. AFP
Q. One in every three European woman has suffered physical or sexual violence, according to EU data. These are shocking figures for the 21st century.
A. They are. Violence against women is partly the effect and the result of gender inequality, because men believe they have both the right and the power to do what they want: they dont just see women as property that they can manage and order about, they also see that this is their right as men [to do so]. But we dont actually know the scale of violence against women in the EU. Official figures only reveal a small part of the picture because many women dont come forward. Now, with social media, this restraining wall has come down many people are starting to realize there is a problem. But despite the fact that people are talking about the crime more and more cases are coming to light because victims are supporting each other there are still a lot of attitudes to do with blaming the woman, the victim, and beliefs that the woman was somehow asking for it.
Official figures only reveal a small part of the picture because many women dont come forward
Q. How can we fight against gender violence?
A. The institutions cant ignore the problem. There has to be action, and political commitment a plan involving all the organizations that fight against violence against women: police, the justice system, social security and health departments [need to be involved]. And the private sector too, such as businesses, so that the problem is known about and can be dealt with. Its also vital that the definitions of different types of violence are standardized so that EU states understand them in the same way. At present there are countries where touching someone or some forms of sexual abuse are not considered a specific crime, while in others they are. This standardization is also the only way to collect reliable and rigorous data and statistics that can be compared. And it is how police and justice systems will have they information they need.
Q. What do you think of the wave of incidents of sexual abuse being made public because of the case of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and which has now spread to Europe?
A. I think it a brave thing to do, to break the ice. And now that this has happened, many women have dared to talk about their own cases of sexual abuse, and sexual abuse in the workplace.
A lot of the time, men, those responsible, are judged far less harshly and women are blamed
Q. Is there an epidemic of harassment? Has it became normalized in society?
A. I think the wound needs to be bleeding for all the poison to come out. A lot of the time, men, those responsible, are judged far less harshly and women are blamed. And now with the social debate that has been generated, it is time for the institutions to take measures. The first step is for people to understand what is acceptable and what is not. And this is where we come back to the [need for standard] definitions among the 28 EU countries. The second thing is to talk about the problem. Many men are now starting to ask themselves if they have ever done anything bad. In the European Parliament, for example, a specific directive has been established and there is a debate about the creation of an independent body that would look at and assist institutions of member states to implement procedures for dealing with sexual abuse cases.
Q. Is the fight against gender violence and for gender equality only a subject for women?
A. Or course not. There is violence toward men too, but the large majority of victims are women. In addition, work has to be done to change mens attitudes, so that they are less violent and respect women and build more equal relationships.
Q. Beyond campaigns and institutions, what do we need to do?
A. Everyone needs to talk about it with people around them. Speak with your children. They may see cases among their friends or in school and be able to support people who need it. A few years, I fell in the shower and was knocked unconscious. When I woke up I had a cut on my face and blood. In the emergency unit they looked at me. my workmates looked at me, but only one person asked me what had happened. When I was walking on the street with my husband they looked at me and then at him as if he had hit me. But nobody came and asked me if I needed help. This made me think. If I were a victim of gender violence what would I do? Who would I talk to? Where would I go? People can help and we should be aware of small changes among people around us: friends, family and workmates.
What is the use of technology designed for only half of society?
In a lot of countries, this is a private matter. But it is important to help people in the way they need assistance. In general, victims keep quiet because they feel guilty or ashamed.
English version by George Mills.
Relatives of migrants being held at Archidona prison (Malaga). Carlos Diaz (EFE)
The door opened and the lawyers Arantxa Trigueros and Jose Luis Rodriguez saw the first five immigrants standing on the other side of the glass partition, escorted by uniformed police. They looked nervous and disoriented.
They and more than 400 other migrants who landed in southeastern Spain last week are being temporarily held inside a newly built penitentiary in Archidona, Malaga, while authorities find a more suitable solution.
Spanish legislation stipulates that undocumented migrants cannot be held inside facilities of a penitentiary nature
We were really astonished by our contact with the immigrants. They walked with their hands behind their backs. And they were placed in single file to walk in and out. It was a procedure that went far beyond penitentiary treatment, says Rodriguez, a lawyer for Andalucia Acoge, one of nearly 30 non-profit groups that have filed a complaint with the Ombudsman over the decision to keep the migrants inside a prison facility even if it is one that has yet to officially open.
Spanish legislation stipulates that undocumented migrants cannot be held inside facilities of a penitentiary nature. Instead, there is a network of holding centers, known as CIEs, that have come under fire over recent years due to their overcrowded conditions. The CIEs, where migrants may be held for 60 days before deportation or release, are often referred to by critics as prisons in everything but name.
This is the maximum expression of poor planning and insensitivity on the governments part
Socialist Party deputy Antonio Pradas
Leftist parties have criticized the Popular Party (PP) administration for the decision to send the migrants to Archidona, which will be inaugurated in January.
This is the maximum expression of poor planning and insensitivity on the governments part, said Antonio Pradas, a deputy with the Socialist Party (PSOE). He and other fellow Socialists have introduced a motion in Congress asking for improved facilities and greater human and financial resources to handle migrant arrivals by boat.
Prison or CIE?
In order to get around the legal glitch, the government has renamed the site a provisional CIE and placed a former director of the CIE at Aluche (Madrid) at the helm.
But this has nothing to do with a CIE. Everything smells brand new, but it is a fully fledged prison, says Rodriguez. You walk in and go through all the gates. The migrants dont have tobacco, either, and some of them had clear symptoms of withdrawal. They were very nervous.
A CIE immigrant center in Spain.
The immigrants have been distributed two to a cell inside three of the complex modules. The rooms, as the Interior Ministry calls them, are locked at night, ministry sources have confirmed.
I am in a prison? But why? asked one of the immigrants who sat down to speak with the lawyers on Tuesday.
This is highly irregular, insists Trigueros, noting that glass partitions have been prohibited inside the CIEs because they grievously limit personal dignity and the right to receive a humanitarian, non-degrading treatment, according to a report by a Barcelona judge.
60 days
Undocumented migrants who come to Spain typically know, through word of mouth, that they will be either let go or taken to a CIE for a maximum period of two months.
But the large group that landed on the coasts of Murcia and Almeria late last week ended up inside a prison facility instead, as authorities scrambled to find room for them elsewhere.
At that point, Archidona still lacked drinking water, forcing the government to send in thousands of water bottles. Government sources said this problem has since been fixed, and that cooks have been hired to provide fresh food to replace the rations that the migrants lived on for several days.
Two of the interns said they were 17 years old, a claim that the attorneys have communicated to the Juveniles Department of the Malaga Attorneys Office. Another migrant requested immediate medical assistance for an ailment that requires medication.
Legal action Legal action is already underway to get the migrants transferred elsewhere. Acaip, a prison union, has filed several complaints, including one claiming a violation of workers rights, since nearly 300 prison workers were supposed to take up their new jobs at Archidona in the coming weeks. The migrants defense has also prepared an appeal against the judges decision to send them to the penitentiary.
English version by Susana Urra.
Unidentified individuals have opened fire on the residence of a member of Andimeshk City Council, in Khuzestan province, southwestern Iran, local media reported on Wednesday, November 22.
According to a local website, Andimeshk News Agency, ANNA, Unidentified assailants attacked Sajjad Haydaris house at 3:10 am, Tuesday.
Confirming the report, Andimeshk-e Javan (Young Andimishk) also reported that the assailants armed with AK-47 assault rifles fired eight rounds at the house before leaving the scene.
However, nobody was hurt in the attack, according to these reports.
Attacking residential places with assault rifles is quite rare in the Islamic Republic since its extremely difficult to acquire such weapons.
Earlier, the residence of Andimeshks conservative MP, and chairman of the parliaments Energy Commission, Feraydoun Hassanvand was also attacked. Unidentified attackers, riding a vehicle, opened fire at Hassanvand house, injured one and fled.
Though the local media reported that the security and police forces chased the assailants but, none of them have been caught so far.
Responding to the attack, Andimeshks Friday Prayer Leader, condemned the shooting and described it as an evil act, insisting without elaboration that theres no doubt that the aggressors had un-Islamic and illegitimate demands.
Mostafa Hosseini Nouri called for decisive action against the attackers and commented, Prosecuting four of these elements for public disturbance, in an open court, will put an end to such lawlessness.
Meanwhile, city of Andimeshk, in Khuzestan has recently been the scene of armed clashes particularly between Arabic speaking local tribes.
On Friday, July 28, the head of Medical Emergency Center of Khuzestan announced, 31 people were wounded during a shootout in Andimeshks Chamgolak.
According to this official, the shooting between members of two local tribes broke out on Thursday afternoon, July 27, and left many wounded who have been admitted to hospital.
The secretary of Center for Coordinating Islamic Work Councils in Tehran has announced that the legal case against imprisoned labor activist, Reza Shahabi must be reviewed, noting, Defending trade union rights is not a crime and article 26 of the Islamic Republics Constitution on workers and labor associations must be upheld.
According to state-run Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA, Hossein Habibi insisted that Reza Shahabis legal case should be reviewed and, as an elected member of Tehran workers, he is going to follow his appeal.
Mr. Habibi represents the officially sanctioned trade unions of the Islamic Republic and his defense of an imprisoned labor activist is important.
The detained treasurer of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Reza Shahabi, under pressure from the Prosecutor-Generals office, introduced himself to Rajaei Shahr prison last summer.
Shahabi who was on medical furlough, found out that the Prosecutor-General had not endorsed his furlough and decided to put him back in prison.
You have gone on an unauthorized medical furlough, Shahabi was told; Therefore, you are condemned to stay behind bars for another 968 days.
With no success, Shahabi tried to clarify the case by explaining that his medical furlough was approved by the Forensic Medicine Organization, which must certify if a prisoner is seriously ill.
As his protests fell on deaf ears, Shahabi went on hunger strike and soon his health deteriorated to the extent that international human rights organizations and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), issued statements, calling for his unconditional release.
Shahabis health condition deteriorated so much that according to ILNA, The members of the High Center for Islamic Labor Councils intervened and called upon the Labor Minister to use all his influence to release Shahabi.
A protest was held in front of Iranian parliament in September demanding his release. The police forcibly dispersed the protestors.
The imprisoned labor activist ended his hunger strike after fifty days while he was promised that his case would be reviewed.
Shahabi who is a board member and the treasurer of the Tehran public bus company union, insists that his 986 day sentence should be repealed. He has vowed to go on another hunger strike if his demands are not met.
Many international Labor organizations, including International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and International Union of Industrial Workers have called upon the Islamic Republic officials to help release Shahabi.
ITUCs Secretary-General, Sharon Burrow, while referring to what she described as years of torture and inappropriate treatment of Shahabi behind bars, reiterated, [Reza] the labor rights activist was on medical furlough but Tehrans prosecutor-general refused to extend his parole.
Protesting the inhumane situation and injustice against Shahabi, Burrow wrote in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, Leaving Reza Shahabi behind bars is against Irans international commitments, which prohibit detaining labor activists who are peacefully campaigning for workers rights.
The Secretary-General of the International Industrial Workers Union, Walter Sanchez has also written a letter to Rouhani warning him, Years of imprisonment, torture and mistreatment during interrogations have alarmingly deteriorated Reza Shahabis health.
Citing Hossein Habibi, ILNA reported, Shahabis initial charge was attempting to launch an illegal entity, whereas, what he did was in accordance with Article 26 of the Islamic Republics Constitution, stipulating that defending labor rights is quite lawful.
Article 26 of the Islamic Republics Constitution explicitly stipulates, The formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations, as well as religious societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to one of the recognized religious minorities, is permitted provided they do not violate the principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic republic.
It also insists, No one may be prevented from participating in the aforementioned groups, or be compelled to participate in them.
Meanwhile, Hossein Habibi has bitterly demanded Why the judiciary does not take any action toward maintaining labor rights?
Furthermore, he has asserted that, regarding Reza Shahabis poor health, the Center for Coordinating Islamic Councils expects his legal case reviewed as soon as possible.
Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) is ready to help rebuild Syria and establish a lasting "ceasefire" there, chief commander Mohammad Ali Jafari has said, adding that disarming Lebanon's Hezbollah is out of the question, Iranian state TV reported on Thursday.
Iranian state television quoted Jafari as saying: "Hezbollah must be armed to fight against the enemy of the Lebanese nation which is Israel. Naturally they should have the best weapons to protect Lebanon's security. This issue is non-negotiable."
The United States and Israel have repeatedly voiced concern about Irans growing presence and influence in Syria. Israel in particular, has told both Russia and the U.S. that Hezbollah, supported by Iran must stay away from its borders with Syria.
Jafari also praised the success of Iranian allies across the region, hailing a "resistance front" from Tehran to Beirut and calling on Riyadh to avoid confronting this grouping.
"We directly deal with global arrogance and Israel not with their emissaries... That is why we do not want to have direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia," he said. The term global arrogance refers to the United States.
While U.S. and its allies are raising alarm about Irans interference in the region, Jafaris remarks can be seen as a direct challenge.
Leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed on Wednesday to help support a full-scale political process in Syria and announced an agreement to sponsor a conference in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi to try to end Syria's civil war.
"The guards are ready to play an active role in establishing a lasting ceasefire in Syria ... and reconstruction of the country," Jafari said.
Iran has signed large economic contracts with Syria, reaping what appear to be lucrative rewards for helping Tehran's main regional ally President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against rebel groups and Islamic State militants.
"In meetings with the (Iran) government, it was agreed that the Guards were in a better position to help Syria's reconstruction ... the preliminary talks already have been held with the Syrian government over the issue," Jafari said.
But IRGCs role in Irans economy is itself a controversial issue. President Hassan Rouhani of Iran harshly criticized the Revolutionary Guards strong grip on the countrys economy this year, calling it a government with guns.
There are no transparent checks and balances on IRGCs activities, including its vast economic network in Iran.
Jafari repeated Iran's stance on its disputed ballistic missile work, saying the Islamic Republics missile program is for defensive purposes and not up for negotiation.
"Iran will not negotiate its defensive program ... there will be no talks about it," he said.
"(French president Emmanuel) Macron's remarks over our missile work is because he is young and inexperienced."
Macron said earlier this month that Tehran should be less aggressive in the region and should clarify the strategy around its ballistic missile program.
With reporting by Reuters
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.23
By Gulgiz Muradova Trend:
NATO is committed to support Azerbaijan in defense reform, a NATO official told Trend ahead of a meeting of the North Atlantic Council scheduled for today in Brussels.
Azerbaijan and NATO have a long-standing cooperation," the official said. "Azerbaijan continues to be a strong contributor to NATOs mission in Afghanistan and we are grateful for Azerbaijans contribution."
NATO official emphasized that Azerbaijan is an important partner for the Alliance. "Earlier this year Azerbaijan agreed to a new Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO. We are committed to support Azerbaijan in all reform areas that Azerbaijan has chosen. One of the main areas is defense reform. This is a long-term effort," the official noted.
Relations with NATO started when Azerbaijan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (1992) and the Partnership for Peace (1994).
The countrys programme of cooperation with NATO is set out in an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which is agreed every two years.
Azerbaijan has long been an active contributor to NATO-led operations it deployed troops to Kosovo in the past and continues to support the mission in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan provides troops and transit support and contributes to Afghan National Army Trust Fund.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @GulgizD
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.23
Trend:
The biggest threat to regional security is the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev Nov.23 at a joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO Headquarters.
"Our territories remain under occupation. More than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Ethnic cleansing policy was conducted against Azerbaijanis, and the situation is not changing, unfortunately," said Ilham Aliyev.
The president went on to add that Armenia wants to keep the status-quo for as long as possible, despite the statements of OSCE Minsk Group countries' presidents, that status-quo is unacceptable and must be changed.
Ilham Aliyev also reminded about the UN Security Council resolutions that demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories.
"For more than 20 years, Armenia doesn't implement them," he said.
"The resolution of the conflict must be based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said the president, adding that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is recognized by the entire world.
Details added (first version posted on 15:31)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
A wide range of products will be produced as a result of cooperation between UK and Azerbaijani specialists, Bernard Ryan, director of UKs Millers Oils Ltd., said.
Ryan made the remarks at the ceremony of opening of a production site of UKs Millers Oils Ltd. in Baku Nov. 23.
President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Akif Alizade, UK ambassador to Azerbaijan Carole Mary Crofts and several officials from both sides attended the ceremony.
Ryan added that Azerbaijan will be able to further export those products in the region.
A year ago Millers Oils Ltd. was offered to cooperate with ANAS and of course, the companys response was positive, Ryan added.
He said that this is a great opportunity for joint cooperation both for the company and for Azerbaijani partners.
Together with Azerbaijan and, in particular, ANAS, the company intends to produce high-quality products that meet the demand of the region's dynamically developing market, Ryan said.
Ryan also thanked all the employees involved in the project, both from UK and Azerbaijan, expressing gratitude to the ANAS for cooperation and support for the project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Leman Zeynalova, Gulgiz Muradova - Trend:
There is no military solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a joint press point with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev at NATO Headquarters Nov.23.
"Today we have discussed regional security in South Caucasus. The unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a matter of concern. It is clear that there is no military solution to this conflict," he said adding that NATO has no direct role here.
Stoltenberg further said that NATO supports the works of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
"I am encouraged to hear about your renewed dialogue with the president of Armenia. We encourage you to continue path to a negotiated solution," he concluded.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Details added (first version posted on 18:06)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Russia is interested in settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as soon as possible, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing Nov. 23.
"Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the priorities for Russia, she said. We very much want the conflict to be resolved and the sooner the better.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.23
Trend:
Azerbaijan and NATO already have good history of cooperation, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev Nov.23 at a joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters.
Ilham Aliyev said he was glad to be back in the NATO Headquarters and have opportunity to discuss important issues of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation.
Azerbaijani president reminded that the country participated in many NATO operations and now Azerbaijan is contributing to the Resolute Support Mission (RSM).
"Ninety four Azerbaijani servicemen serve shoulder to shoulder with NATO servicemen, in order to provide security and peace to Afghanistan," further said Ilham Aliyev.
"Azerbaijan also provides multimodal transit and flight clearances for the coalition forces," said the president. "Azerbaijan contributed to the Afghan army's National Trust Fund."
Further speaking, Ilham Aliyev said that he discussed issues related to regional security with Jens Stoltenberg. The president added that the biggest threat to regional security is the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"Our territories remain under occupation. More than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Ethnic cleansing policy was conducted against Azerbaijanis, and the situation is not changing, unfortunately," said Ilham Aliyev.
The president went on to add that Armenia wants to keep the status-quo for as long as possible, despite the statements of OSCE Minsk Group countries' presidents, that status-quo is unacceptable and must be changed.
Ilham Aliyev also reminded about the UN Security Council resolutions that demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories.
"For more than 20 years, Armenia doesn't implement them," he said.
"The resolution of the conflict must be based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said the president, adding that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is recognized by the entire world.
President Aliyev said that he also discussed the issues related to transportation security with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
"I informed Mr. Secretary General that Azerbaijan together with its neighbors successfully completed the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, which will be the shortest route between Asia and Europe. Also, the supply to Afghanistan will be easier and more efficient through this route," Ilham Aliyev said.
"Our cooperation with NATO has great potential," said the president, noting that this is his sixth visit to the NATO Headquarters, and this shows that the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation is very strong.
"We will continue our partnership in order to provide peace, security and stability in the region," said Ilham Aliyev.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
As part of his working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived at the NATO Headquarters at invitation of the Alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Secretary General Stoltenberg welcomed President Aliyev.
After posing for official photographs, President Aliyev and Secretary General Stoltenberg had a meeting.
The successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was stressed at the meeting.
Stoltenberg appreciated Azerbaijan's participation in the NATO peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and expressed gratitude for the support rendered by Azerbaijan to Afghanistan.
NATO secretary general stressed that Azerbaijan's plan to expand assistance to Afghanistan can contribute to the economic development of that country.
In his turn, President Aliyev expressed gratification with the expansion of relations with NATO.
The president stressed that Azerbaijan actively participates in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and in restoration of the Afghan economy.
During the conversation, gratification was expressed with the support rendered to NATO demining operations in Azerbaijans Jeyranchol area.
Importance of Azerbaijan as a transit country was emphasized in terms of cargoes supplied to Afghanistan. The successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU was also stressed at the meeting.
During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
During the meeting which discussed regional issues, President Aliyev invited Stoltenberg to Azerbaijan.
NATO secretary general accepted the invitation with gratitude.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
Azerbaijani defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, the press service of the countrys Defense Ministry reported.
Firstly, the delegation led by Pakistani general visited the Alley of Honors, paid tribute and laid a wreath at the tomb of national leader Heydar Aliyev. The delegation also paid tribute and laid flowers at the grave of the prominent ophthalmologist, Academician Zarifa Aliyeva.
The delegation also visited the Alley of Martyrs, paid tribute and commemorated Azerbaijani heroes, who gave their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, laid flowers to their graves and wreaths at the Eternal Flame monument.
Then an official welcoming ceremony for the Pakistani delegation was held in the Ministry of Defense. The guest passed along the guard of honor and national anthems of both countries were played. The Book of Honor was signed in accordance with the protocol.
Then, Zakir Hasanov and Zubair Mahmood Hayat held a one-on-one meeting, which was continued in an expanded format.
During the meeting held with the participation of delegations, Hasanov, greeting the guests, expressed satisfaction with the friendly attitude and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as the development of Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations and the level of strategic partnership.
Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov comprehensively informed the guest about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Expressing gratitude for Pakistans support to Azerbaijans position in international organizations in resolving this conflict, the minister stressed that Azerbaijan also supports the territorial integrity of Pakistan.
The meeting highlighted the importance of cooperation in the military, military-technical spheres and in security and military education, as well as in expansion of relations between the air and naval forces of the two countries.
Then the Pakistani delegation visited a museum in the administrative building of the General Staff featuring expositions reflecting the life and activities of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, as well as got acquainted with the work in other office premises.
Details added (first version posted on 13:45)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
As part of his working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived at the NATO Headquarters at invitation of the Alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Secretary General Stoltenberg welcomed President Aliyev.
After posing for official photographs, President Aliyev and Secretary General Stoltenberg had a meeting.
The successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was stressed at the meeting.
Stoltenberg appreciated Azerbaijan's participation in the NATO peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and expressed gratitude for the support rendered by Azerbaijan to Afghanistan.
NATO secretary general stressed that Azerbaijan's plan to expand assistance to Afghanistan can contribute to the economic development of that country.
In his turn, President Aliyev expressed gratification with the expansion of relations with NATO.
The president stressed that Azerbaijan actively participates in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and in restoration of the Afghan economy.
During the conversation, gratification was expressed with the support rendered to NATO demining operations in Azerbaijans Jeyranchol area.
Importance of Azerbaijan as a transit country was emphasized in terms of cargoes supplied to Afghanistan. The successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU was also stressed at the meeting.
During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
During the meeting which discussed regional issues, President Aliyev invited Stoltenberg to Azerbaijan.
NATO secretary general accepted the invitation with gratitude.
Details added (first version posted on 15:04)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
The cooperation of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences with Millers Oils Ltd. is a big step for developing Azerbaijans production potential, UK ambassador to Azerbaijan Carole Mary Crofts said.
The ambassador made the remarks at the ceremony of opening of a production site of UKs Millers Oils Ltd. in Baku Nov. 23.
President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Akif Alizade and several officials from both sides also attended the ceremony.
This cooperation has already led to the use of the latest technologies for the production of premium class products in Azerbaijan, Crofts said.
The diplomat added that Azerbaijans export potential and the number of the country's energy specialists will undoubtedly increase as a result of this cooperation.
The ambassador also added that Azerbaijan is a close and reliable partner of UK.
Today's event shows the actively developing cooperation between our countries, as well as interest in Azerbaijans production sector, she said.
UK and Azerbaijan are expected to effectively cooperate in many spheres, including the energy sector, for a long time, Crofts said.
The ambassador also congratulated Azerbaijan with the extension of the "Contract of the Century", which will allow the country as well as the countrys people to fully use energy resources.
Speaking about Azerbaijans energy potential, Crofts added that Azerbaijan will turn into one of the biggest exporters of natural gas as a result of the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
The delegation of the International Vision University of Macedonia is on a visit to UNEC.
Within the framework of the visit, the agreement on the academic coopertion between two higher educational instititions was signed. According to the document the exchange of the teachers, students, researchers and the administrative staff will be implemented. In particular, the parties will conduct the common scientific research , the joint scientific seminars and conferences.
The rector of UNEC, professor Adalat Muradov told the guests about the directions of the development strategy of the university. He spoke about the double diploma programs implemented by UNEC along with the leading prestigious universities of the world. He noted that UNEC is the only Azerbaijani university that had branches abroad and provided the education in four languages.
The rector of the International Vision University, professor Fadil Hoca expressed his satisfaction with the acquantance with UNEC and said that the university he headed, was the only university providing the education in the Turkish language in the Europe and it was recognized by the Higher Education Council of Turkey. The rector, saying that We want to benefit from the rich experience of UNEC, noted that the acquaintance with the acitivity of the International Masters and Doctorate Center had left great impression on him.
In the meeting were exchanged views on expanding the cooperation in the sphere of scientific research. The guests highly appreciated the doctoral studies at UNEC and said that the coopertaion in this area would be useful for them in future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
Azerbaijans State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons has appealed to international organizations for returning the body of an Azerbaijani soldier, the Commission told Trend Nov. 23.
Urgent measures are being taken on this issue. The public will be informed.
According to a message from Azerbaijans Defense Ministry, it was established that the body of the Azerbaijani serviceman, Bahruz Jalilbayli, who left the service place after committing a military offense, was found on the contact line at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of the Ordubad District of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, near the positions of the Armenian armed forces.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
Import of a number of varieties of live fish will be exempt from customs duties in Azerbaijan in 2018, according to the Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity, Rates of Import and Export Customs Duties approved by the decision of the countrys Cabinet of Ministers.
In particular, import of varieties of trout, lamprey, carp, tuna and other fish will be exempt from customs duties. Currently, customs duty rates of 0.5 percent are applied in Azerbaijan for the import of live fish.
It was earlier reported that Azerbaijan will switch to a new system of customs duties in 2018.
In other words, customs duty rates of 0, 5 and 15 percent on raw materials and goods imported to Azerbaijan will be applied in the country in 2018.
Today, the customs rates of 0, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 percent are applied in the country.
The majority of the goods (raw materials and equipment) will be exempt from customs duties in 2018.
Besides, starting from 2018, the custom duties of 15 percent will be applied for the import of finished products to Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
South Korean company Evergreen Holdings plans to build a cement plant in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.
A relevant agreement was signed in Seoul between the representatives of "Uzkurilishmaterialary" and the Korean company Nov.22.
The total cost of the project exceeds $ 300 million. Evergreen Holdings intends to implement it in several stages based on the demand in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries. At the first stage, investors are ready to invest in the construction of the plant at least $ 60 million.
Currently, five large cement plants oiperate in the country, inclduing "Kyzylkumcement", "Akhangarancement", "Kuvasaycement", "Bekabadcement", Djizzakh cement plant, as well as a number of small enterprises. Their total capacity exceeds 8.5 million tons per year.
In total, in the next five years, Uzbekistan plans to increase cement output two-fold - to 17 million tons per year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
The first branch of the Mount Ovit Tunnel, which will connect Turkeys two northern provinces, namely, Rize and Erzurum, was commissioned in the country Nov. 22, the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend Nov. 23.
It is expected that the second branch of the tunnel will be commissioned by the end of the year, according to the ministry.
The length of the Mount Ovit Tunnel is 14.3 kilometers. The project is worth 1.114 billion Turkish liras.
In early 2012, Turkey announced a tender for the construction of the tunnel. Turkish Cengiz Insaat company won the tender.
The construction of the tunnel was launched on May 13, 2012. According to the initial calculations, the construction of the tunnel was to be completed in 2015.
At present, there are 39 road tunnels and three railway tunnels in Turkey. Today, New Mount Zigana, Mount Kop Tunnel, Sabuncubeli, Cankurtaran and Dolmabahce-Fulya tunnels are being constructed in the country.
(3.9665 TRY = $1 on Nov. 23)
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Details added (first version posted on 11:17)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
The number of banks taking part in currency auctions in Azerbaijan has grown five times, to 20, first Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Alim Guliyev said Nov. 23 at the 2nd banking forum in Baku.
The currency auctions are organized by the CBA with the participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ).
SOFAZ sold around $2.8 billion at the currency auctions in January-October 2017. In total, the Azerbaijani banks bought about $4.92 billion from SOFAZ in 2016.
The currency is sold as part of SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged in the volume of 6.1 billion manats for 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
Trend:
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) denied the allegations that it did not conduct an inspection on the financial condition of Bank Standard.
First Deputy Chairman of CBA Alim Guliyev told reporters on Nov. 23 that the Central Bank carried out inspections before the adoption of the law on inspections of entrepreneurial activities.
After the adoption of the law, inspections were suspended, added Guliyev.
Earlier, Chairman of the Creditors Committee of the closed Bank Standard, lawyer Akram Hasanov accused the Central Bank of not fulfilling its obligations to inspect the financial condition of Bank Standard.
Details added (first version posted on 11:18)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
Azerbaijan Banks Association is proposing to create a new system of creditors protection, the associations Chairman Zakir Nuriyev said.
He made the remarks at the 2nd Banking Forum Adaptation of banking system to new stage of development in Baku Nov. 23.
Nuriyev said that in general, recovery is observed in the banking sectors activity, and this is facilitated by various measures taken by the Azerbaijani government.
At present, a number of measures have already been taken in Azerbaijan to protect the rights of creditors and resolve disputes between banks and their clients.
In particular, an institution of financial ombudsman, which helps to regulate disputes on contracts worth not more than $2,000, has been operating in Azerbaijan since September 2017, and a Credit Guarantee Fund will appear in the country in the near future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Maksim Tsurkov Trend:
Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL) is currently considering the possibility of launching flights to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, AZAL told Trend Nov. 23.
Meanwhile, the company did not rule out that the Egyptian side is considering this possibility.
Currently, there is the entire necessary legal basis for this purpose, said AZAL.
Egypts Air Cairo launched direct Baku-Sharm El Sheikh-Baku flights in June 2016, thereby creating conditions for increasing the tourist inflow from Azerbaijan.
However, later the company decided to temporarily suspend the flight from this resort city to Baku.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Anvar Mammadov Trend:
Turkey intends to implement an agrarian project in Jojug Marjanli village of Azerbaijans Jabrayil district, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral said.
Ozoral made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev in Baku, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy said Nov. 23.
The ambassador said that Turkey would like to contribute to the development of the village.
The project envisages the creation of farms and production of agricultural products with the aim of developing agriculture and livestock in the village, he said. The products of those farms can also be exported in the future.
In his turn, Mustafayev stressed that this project will be very important for development of the village and the improvement of social status of population.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
The cooperation of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences with Millers Oils Ltd. is a big step for developing Azerbaijans production potential, UK ambassador to Azerbaijan Carole Mary Crofts said.
The ambassador made the remarks at the ceremony of opening of a production site of UKs Millers Oils Ltd. in Baku Nov. 23.
President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Akif Alizade and several officials from both sides also attended the ceremony.
This cooperation has already led to the use of the latest technologies for the production of premium class products in Azerbaijan, Crofts said.
The diplomat added that Azerbaijans export potential and the number of the country's energy specialists will undoubtedly increase as a result of this cooperation.
The ambassador also added that Azerbaijan is a close and reliable partner of UK.
Today's event shows the actively developing cooperation between our countries, as well as interest in Azerbaijans production sector, she said.
UK and Azerbaijan are expected to effectively cooperate in many spheres, including the energy sector, for a long time, Crofts said.
The ambassador also congratulated Azerbaijan with the extension of the "Contract of the Century", which will allow the country as well as the countrys people to fully use energy resources.
Speaking about Azerbaijans energy potential, Crofts added that Azerbaijan will turn into one of the biggest exporters of natural gas as a result of the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
Uzbekistan wants to be a shareholder in the construction of Kambarata HPP-1, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sopar Isakov said during the session of the Supreme Council Nov.23, Uzbek media reported.
"Good negotiations were held on KAGES-1. President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev achieved good results. In addition, Uzbekistan voices idea to enter as a shareholder in the project. Therefore, we think, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other neighboring countries should build this hydroelectric power station," he said.
In early October, Uzbekhydroenergo, which owns hydroelectric power plants of Uzbekistan, signed a memorandum on cooperation in the construction of Kambarata HPP-1 with the Kyrgyz National Energy Holding Company.
Earlier, Uzbekistan opposed the construction of Kambarata-1 and Upper-Naryn cascade of HPPs, as well as the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power station in Tajikistan.
The Kambarata HPP 1 was vehemently opposed by Uzbekistan under its previous president, Islam Karimov, for fear the dam would block large amounts of water upriver and deprive Uzbekistans downstream agricultural lands from securing sufficient volumes of irrigation water. But now Tashkent eased that opposition. The 1,860-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant comes at a steep price of $3 billion, according to the feasibility study carried out by a Canadian company back in 2014.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:
The oil price recovery is still unstable, thus a decision to prolong production cuts during Vienna meeting this November should be expected, Danila Bochkarev, Senior Fellow at the EastWest Institute told Azernews.
Bochkarev added that going ahead of $65-70 is not fully in interest of the key oil exporting countries. Normally the prices oscillating around $60-65 are at comfortable level for the key oil exporters such as Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Competition both from renewable sources of energy and unconventional oil will be higher, if oil is too expensive and that might lead to another collapse in oil prices, he said.
Bochkarev believes that most likely prices will stay in the range of $60-70 per barrel in 2018. It allows them to balance their budgets and is well above their production costs," he added.
The meeting of OPEC+ will be held in Vienna on 30 November to discuss further policies.
A meeting of the Joint OPEC-Non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), which includes Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, Algeria, Oman and Russia, will take place in Vienna on November 29.
Oil prices are supported with data of the U.S. Energy Department on oil reserves. The Department reported on November 22 that commercial oil reserves in the country (excluding the strategic reserve) for the week ended on November 17 fell by 1.9 million barrels, or 0.4 percent, to 457.1 million barrels. Analysts had expected the reduction of the indicator by only 0.3 percent, or 1.5 million barrels, to 457.5 million barrels.
Oil reserves at the country's largest terminal in Cushing fell by 1.9 million barrels, amounting to 61.2 million barrels. At the same time, before the release of the statistics, oil prices were supported by data from the American Petroleum Institute (API). The Institute also forecasted a decline greater than forecasted, naming a value of 6.356 million barrels.
Moreover, investors reacted to reports that at the end of the last week TransCanada closed part of the Keystone pipeline after the leakage of 5,000 barrels of oil in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures are at $57.90 per barrel, down $0.21, while Brent crude futures are at $63.16 per barrel, down 0.25 percent, according to RIA Novosti.
OPEC and other major oil producers such as Russia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market.
OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till March 2018 in Vienna on May 25, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Huseyn Valiyev Trend:
Azerbaijani company Smart Systems Technology and ZTE Corporation, the leading Chinese manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and mobile devices, signed an agreement defining priorities for cooperation of companies in the telecommunications market of Azerbaijan.
The two companies will focus on the wide introduction of the Enterprise Class line of equipment in the large projects implemented by Smart Systems Technology, which in turn will strengthen the position of the Chinese corporation in the domestic market.
ZTE solutions ranging from large telecommunication platforms to the end user equipment, have been presented for a long time in the telecommunication market of Azerbaijan.
The general director of Smart Systems Technology, Firudin Akberov, told Trend that the cooperation with ZTE will allow the company in a short period to expand coverage of broadband services in places of compact population residing, both in Baku and in the country's regions.
"I believe that based on the price-performance ratio of ZTE equipment, we will be able to expand the coverage of broadband services using GPON technology, which will allow, along with providing access to the Internet network, also to develop IP-TV and telephony services. ZTE repeatedly tried to work on the Azerbaijani market, but faced some difficulties. I believe that mutual cooperation will allow us to work actively with an even greater number of telecommunications operators, and thus we will be able to ensure a steady development of the vendor in the domestic market, "Akberov said.
In turn, Vice President of ZTE Yang Jun added that Smart Systems Technology has a great technical and engineering potential, which was highly appreciated by ZTE.
"We have met with the management of Smart Systems Technology on a number of occasions, and evaluated the projects implemented by the company, I would like to especially note the high professional approach of each specialist of Smart Systems Technology. In addition, one of the important nuances for our long-term and successful cooperation is the active operation of Smart Systems Technology in the domestic market," said Jun.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambaev signed a decree appointing Tolkunbek Abdygulov as vice-prime minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, releasing him from his previous position.
Earlier, Abdygulov was the first deputy prime minister of Kyrgyzstan. Vice-premier Duyshenbek Zilaliyev was dismissed from this post in connection with the transition to another job.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
The governments of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea, in the framework of the state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, signed a memorandum and a "road map" in Seoul on Korea's assistance in Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The documents provide for assessing the consequences of accession to the WTO, examining national legislation for compliance with the requirements of WTO agreements, as well as providing technical, advisory and expert support to ministries and departments.
In Seoul, the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea discussed the possibility of creating a free trade zone.
To introduce the advanced forms of interaction in foreign trade in Uzbekistan, facilitate the procedures related to conducting foreign trade operations and stimulate exports, an agreement was reached to establish the National Electronic Commerce Platform of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of advanced Korean experience and a roadmap for the implementation of this agreement was approved.
Uztrade has signed a memorandum with the Korean International Trade Association (KITA) and KTNET on the organization of joint activities on the development of electronic commerce in Uzbekistan.
The volume of investments of the Republic of Korea attracted to the economy of Uzbekistan exceeded $ 7 billion. Some 461 enterprises with the participation of South Korean capital operate in Uzbekistan. These enterprises successfully operate in the oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical, machine-building, electrical and textile industries, information and communication technologies, transport, logistics and tourism.
There are 164 members of the World Trade Organization. That's 84 percent of the 196 countries in the world.
They enjoy the privileges that other member-countries give to them and the security that the trading rules provide. In return, they had to make commitments to open their markets and to abide by the rules those commitments were the result of the membership (or accession) negotiations.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
Uzbekistan and South Korea signed documents and agreements totaling $ 8.94 billion within the framework of the visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Seoul.
The two countries signed 75 documents, the press service covering the president's visit reported.
In particular, the parties signed documents for $ 2.95 billion in energy and oil and gas chemistry, $ 2.7 billion for banking and finance, $ 1.7 billion for construction and infrastructure development.
Also, the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, Almalyk GMK JSC and Korean Institute of Rare Metals (KIRAM) signed a "road map" on cooperation in the field of scientific, technical and innovation activities.
The Korean Development Institute and the Agency for External Labor Migration of Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of cooperation, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the State Committee for Investment of Uzbekistan signed a memorandum on the implementation of the cooperation program for 2018-2019.
The volume of investments of the Republic of Korea attracted to the economy of Uzbekistan exceeded $ 7 billion. Some 461 enterprises with the participation of South Korean capital operate in Uzbekistan. These enterprises successfully operate in the oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical, machine-building, electrical and textile industries, information and communication technologies, transport, logistics and tourism.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was officially welcomed at the residence of President of South Korea Mun Zhe Ying, the press service of the Uzbek president reported Nov. 23.
Mirziyoyev and Mun Zhe Ying first met in narrow format and exchanged opinions on priority directions of further development of the bilateral cooperation for the long-term perspective, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The presidents continued talks with the participation of official delegations of the two countries.
The parties considered issues of expanding cooperation in trade-economic, investment and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
During the meeting at the highest level, it was noted that the existing potential and opportunities for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation are not fully used, and new steps will be taken to further improve the indicators in this direction.
Mirziyoyev also participated in a business forum with the participation of heads of economic and financial structures, leading businessmen of both countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Nigar Guliyeva Trend:
A delegation of Kazakhstan headed by the First Deputy Prime Minister, co-chairman of the Uzbek-Kazakh Intergovernmental Commission for bilateral cooperation Askar Mamin will visit Tashkent Nov.24, the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported.
The Kazakh delegation will take part in the working meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation and joint events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
A few days ago, an agreement on international road transport between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan entered into force, according to which passenger buses will be launched between the major cities of the countries.
Furthermore, a Treaty was signed on the Junction Point of the State Border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 23
By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:
Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has sent a message to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in which he stressed the desire to strengthen the two countries cooperation, said the Turkmen government in a message.
I express my gratitude to Your Excellency for the accepted invitation to pay official visit to the State of Kuwait, which will be very important for constructive discussion of the issues of bilateral relations, further expansion of beneficial cooperation in wide spectrum of directions, Kuwaiti emir told Berdimuhamedov in his message.
I wish good health and happiness to Your Excellency and further progress and prosperity to Turkmenistan, added Al-Sabah.
Turkmenistan and Kuwait have the largest hydrocarbon reserves in the world, which is an important factor of mutual interest for cooperation in developing and exporting energy resources to international markets.
Investment, trade, construction, mining are among priority spheres for the two countries cooperation. The sides are also interested in expanding relations in the scientific and educational sphere, cultural sphere, as well as in tourism and sports.
Turkmenistan, Russia hold business talks
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 23
By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:
Ashgabat city hosted the sixth Turkmen-Russian economic forum Nov. 22, Turkmenistan State News Agency reported Nov. 23.
The delegation of Russia included representatives of a number of state institutions and companies specializing in the oil and gas sector, spheres of trade, food industry, construction, electronic and information technology, as well as machine building.
The Turkmen side at the forum was represented by heads of ministries and departments, the countrys Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, representatives of facilities and companies that manufacture export-oriented products.
Priority was given to the implementation of projects in the areas of trade, industry, energy and engineering, construction, agriculture and fisheries, transport and transport communications, sports, tourism and healthcare, said the report.
There are more than 180 facilities with the participation of Russian capital in Turkmenistan.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 23
By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:
Berlin hosted Turkmen-German political consultations, said the Turkmen foreign ministry in a message Nov. 23.
The German delegation was headed by Andreas Peschke, the German Foreign Ministrys commissioner for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.
The parties exchanged views on a number of regional issues and aspects of international security, including the fight against extremism and fundamentalism.
Bilateral relations in political, economic, transport and other spheres were also discussed during the meeting.
The Turkmen delegation met with Michael Harms, managing director of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations.
The two sides discussed issues related to the activity of German companies in Turkmenistan.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Nov. 23
By Diana Aliyeva Trend:
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has attended the Uzbek-South Korean business forum with the participation of heads of economic and financial structures, leading businessmen of the two countries, the press service of the Uzbek president said in a statement.
The forum was organized within the framework of Mirziyoyevs state visit to Seoul.
At the meeting, a welcome message of President of South Korea Mun Zhe Ying was read out to the participants of the business forum.
The Uzbek president, speaking at the business forum, noted the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries, conditions and opportunities for doing business in Uzbekistan, the countrys interest in cooperation with South Korean entrepreneurs.
Representatives of financial and business circles of South Korea highly appreciated the conditions created in Uzbekistan for doing business and expressed their readiness to further develop cooperation.
The speakers noted that the activity of South Korean investors plays an important role in the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries.
The volume of investments of South Korea attracted to the Uzbek economy exceeds $7 billion, there are 461 facilities operating in Uzbekistan with the participation of South Korean capital.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20
By Fatih Karimov Trend:
Iran's Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with German Raschig company for mutual cooperation.
The deal was signed in Tehran Nov. 20, by Mansour Bazmi, the institutes deputy head for technology and international affairs, and Michael Schultes, the German companys representative, the Iranian institute said.
Under the deal, the two sides will cooperate in technology transfer and training in particular in the field of designing distillation towers.
Bazmi said that the RIPI has carried out a wide range of works in designing distillation towers, and now, in collaboration with Raschig, it can use the new methods in the designs.
Cooperation in the field of technology transfer for domestic equipment of distillation towers in refineries and petrochemicals, the design of distillation towers based on the German company's products, and training of Iranian experts and researchers as well as training Winsorp software are among the provisions of this memorandum, the Iranian official explained.
Schultes, for his turn, expressed hope that the exchange of information and experience between the two countries will take place at a widespread level.
The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry is a governmental research institute founded in 1959 in Tehran, Iran and is affiliated with National Iranian Oil Company. The institute is a major research institute in Iran and is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. RIPI has become a major technology provider for Irans petroleum industry.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.16
By Khalid Kazimov Trend:
China has imported about 10.3 million tons of iron ore from Iran since March 20, accounting for 95 percent of the Islamic Republics exports of the mineral over the seven-month period.
According to the latest statistics by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the countrys exports of iron ore to China over the mentioned period valued at $571.461 million.
The report further mentioned that Iran in total exported 10.8 million tons of iron ore over the seven-month period valued at $592.8 million.
Some 15 countries including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Slovenia, Afghanistan, Germany, the UAE, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Russia and Japan were among the main importers of Irans iron ore.
Irans iron ore in this period valued at $55.37 per ton on global markets.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Khalid Kazimov Trend
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the Islamic Republic will continue to help the fight against arrogance wherever there is a need.
We clearly announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran will offer its help where there is a need for its presence in the fight against arrogance, the Iranian leader told a religious conference on countering extremism in Tehran on Thursday.
He further urged for unity among Muslims, adding that Iran stands against the plots by the arrogance front.
He also called on Muslims to remain vigilant against new plots by the enemies, saying new threats similar to the IS terrorist group may appear in other regions.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Khalid Kazimov Trend:
The recent meeting between Russian, Iranian and Turkish leaders in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in fact indicates the formation of a political alliance to prevent the influence of the US in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Hassan Rouhani and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gathered in Sochi on Wednesday to find a solution to put an end to the six-year Syrian crisis.
While many like President Putin believe that military operation in Syria nears the end and there is a real chance to establish peace in the war-torn country, surely any political solutions requires compromise by all sides involved in the crisis, including President Bashar al-Assad himself. However, Tehran, Moscow and Ankara, who have deeply been involved in Syrian crisis, need to make sure that the role of the US in the post-war era Syria will be curbed.
It appears that the Sochi talks were designed to strengthen Astana peace talks, which according to Putin reduced the violence in Syria. The sides mostly in Kazakhstan discussed military dimensions, but Sochi talks focused on political stability in order to protect military achievements. It seems that the three sides involved in the Sochi talks will work on securing a ceasefire in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib, which would rule out the possibility of an armed clash between Turkish, Kurdish and pro-Assad forces.
While the recent military advances by the pro-government forces in the battle fields in Syria have pushed the politicians to seat around the negotiation table, Putin is playing the role of the leader of political talks.
Bashar al-Assad earlier flew to Russia to meet Putin, which apparently led to an agreement between the sides on carrying out political reforms and holding elections in the country, though many believe that the settlement is likely to leave al-Assad in power.
Following his meeting with Bashar al-Assad, Putin discussed the situation with Saudi, Egyptian and American counterparts. The reports on Putins phone conversation with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, suggest that the Russian president, who has managed to restore his influence in the Middle East, seeks to keep the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria and reach a political settlement through a full-scale negotiation process.
Although the US is struggling to keep a military presence inside Syria through supplying aid to Syrian Kurds, any development that could strengthen the pro-US forces in the Arab country would cause concerns in Tehran and Moscow. On the other hand, Ankara is worried about the presence of Kurdish militants in Syria as it sees the Syrian Kurds as a support for the Kurdish PKK rebels operating as a terrorist group in Turkey.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani refused to name any specific nations when he said that foreign interference in the conflict in Syria must end and foreign military presence in the country may only be acceptable if it is by the invitation of Syrias government. However, he definitely meant the US and its allies.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.23
By Leman Zeynalova Trend:
The visit of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev to NATO headquarters marks another milestone in relations between the two sides, Matthew Bryza, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan and former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, told Trend.
He pointed out that Azerbaijans contributions to NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been significant in terms not only of symbolism, but also in helping Azerbaijans military and broader government adapt to NATOs standards in terms of not only military operations but also democratic civilian control of the military.
Azerbaijans participation in ISAF in Afghanistan from 2002 until the cessation of ISAF in 2014, coupled with Azerbaijans continuing contribution for the training missions that followed ISAF, mark major milestones in Azerbaijans cooperation with NATO. So did Azerbaijans participation in the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, added Bryza.
He said that Azerbaijan can benefit further from its partnership with NATO by deciding to deepen its engagement with the Alliance.
Azerbaijan is important to NATO as a partner that seeks to help the Alliance fight terrorism, restore stability in troubled regions, and adopt the military and political norms of NATO, added Bryza.
Relations with NATO started when Azerbaijan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (1992) and the Partnership for Peace (1994).
The countrys program of cooperation with NATO is set out in an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which is agreed every two years.
Azerbaijan has long been an active contributor to NATO-led operations it deployed troops to Kosovo in the past.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
This year can be attributed to the most dynamic periods in Turkeys diplomatic history.
It's safe to say that within almost 11 months of 2017, there wasn't a single month so that Turkish officials wouldn't visit a particular country.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Athens in the coming days.
According to the Turkish media, Erdogans expected visit to Athens is very important as none of the Turkish presidents visited Greece over the past 65 years. For the last time, Turkish President Jelal Bayar visited Athens in 1952.
In principle, there are a lot of topics for discussion between Turkey and Greece. This is primarily the issue of the settlement of the Cyprus conflict, as earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hinted that the conflict was always the main topic of the talks between Turkey and Greece.
During Erdogans upcoming visit to Athens, Ankara is also expected to demand the extradition of over 900 Turkish citizens, involved in the military coup attempt in Turkey, from Athens.
However, along with political issues, a number of transport projects are also expected to be discussed. Among the first projects are the opening of sea voyages to transport cargo and passengers from Turkeys Izmir province to Greeces Thessaloniki city.
Another project to be included into the agenda during Erdogan's visit will be the construction of a high-speed railway from Istanbul to Thessaloniki.
Perhaps, Erdogan will review the construction of the first cathedral mosque in Athens, which was launched in February 2017. This mosque is expected to be finished in April 2018.
Today it would be difficult to predict the concrete results which Ankara and Athens can achieve following Erdogan's historical visit to Greece, but it is possible to say that this visit can certainly be seen as the peak of Turkish diplomacy.
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Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Myanmar expects to sign an accord on Thursday over terms for the return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh, a government official said, amid concern that Myanmars powerful generals could prove obstructive, Reuters reports.
Rights groups have accused the military in mostly Buddhist Myanmar of carrying out mass rape and other atrocities during a counter-insurgency operation launched in late August in retaliation for attacks by Rohingya militants in Rakhine State.
On Wednesday, the United States said the military operation that drove 620,000 Rohingya to seek sanctuary in neighboring, largely Muslim Bangladesh, amounted to ethnic cleansing, echoing an accusation first leveled by top U.N. officials in the early days of the humanitarian crisis.
In a further warning to Myanmars military, the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised the threat of targeted sanctions against those responsible for what he called horrendous atrocities.
Citing fears of a backlash against Tillersons comments, the U.S. embassy in Myanmar on Thursday suspended official travel to parts of Rakhine until Dec. 4 and warned citizens against visiting the areas.
For now though, Myanmar is seeking to ease international pressure by striking an initial agreement on returns, while Dhaka wants to ensure overstretched refugee camps that have mushroomed in the Coxs Bazar region dont become permanent.
In addition to the talks on the Rohingya who have fled since Aug. 25, Bangladesh was also likely to raise the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh following previous spasms of violence in Myanmar.
A suicide blast went off in Afghanistan's eastern Jalalabad city on Thursday, killing at least six civilians, officials said, 1TV reports.
Eight more were wounded in the blast which happened in Police District 1 of the city, said Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for provincial governor.
He said that the blast happened near the house of a former district local police commander, Sheikh Akram.
"People staged a rally in support of Sheikh Akram and went to his house. The incident happened as they were leaving his house," Khogyani said.
According to the official, the injured people were taken to hospital with two of them in life-threatening condition.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing.
Germanys Social Democrats (SPD) should reconsider their opposition to joining a new grand coalition with Angela Merkels conservatives because Europe needs a stable government in Berlin, a senior ally of the chancellor said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Germany is facing the worst political crisis of its modern history after Merkels efforts to forge a three-way coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens collapsed last weekend, raising fears across Europe of a prolonged leadership vacuum in the continents economic powerhouse.
The SPD has governed in coalition under Merkel since 2013 but said it wanted to go into opposition after suffering its worst result of the postwar period in the Sept. 24 election.
Some in the SPD, however, are now urging party leader Martin Schulz to reconsider, a view echoed on Thursday by Volker Kauder, leader of Merkels conservative parliamentary group in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
Its my wish that the current partners in the coalition government can get together again, Kauder told Suedwest Presse newspaper.
Schulz is due to meet President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former SPD lawmaker and foreign minister, at 1400. Steinmeier is trying to help facilitate a coalition government and avoid fresh elections.
We will talk about if and how one can get a federal government in Germany, a senior SPD member said, adding that one option on the table was to support Merkel only indirectly by not blocking a minority government.
Changing course and teaming up with Merkels conservatives again could require a change of leadership at the SPD - an outcome unlikely before a party conference on Dec. 7-9.
Kauder said Germany needed a government to provide leadership in Europe.
Europe is waiting for a Germany capable of acting so that it can finally respond to the questions raised by French President (Emmanuel) Macron. The economically strongest country in Europe cannot show itself as a political dwarf, he said.
Kauder was referring to Macrons call for fiscal reforms to strengthen the euro zone.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Saudi Arabia has forbade getting photographed in Muslim shrines, in particular in the Kaaba during pilgrimage, as well as at the Prophets mosque in Medina, the Saudi media reported.
Reportedly, shooting video on mobile phones are also prohibited in these places.
If such photographs or video are found, the police will confiscate cameras or mobile phones of the violators, say the reports.
In previous years, the Saudi authorities did not prohibit taking photos and videos of pilgrims during religious rites.
Earlier, Russian-born Israeli citizen Ben Tzion, 31, posted photos of himself visiting Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as the Prophets Mosque in Medina.
It should be reminded that representatives of other confessions are forbidden to visit Mecca and the area of Medina, where the Prophets Mosque is located.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
A US judge ruled that Uber can force an unhappy Connecticut customers price-fixing case against the ride-service company into arbitration, after the customer said the proposed class action belonged in court because he never agreed to arbitrate, Reuters reported.
In an order dated Wednesday, US District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan also dismissed claims by the customer, Spencer Meyer, against former Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, unless Meyer wished to arbitrate.
Rakoff, long a critic of mandatory arbitration, said he would explain his reasoning later. Reuters obtained a copy of his order, which was not available in online court records.
We are awaiting the courts opinion and will consider all options as to how to proceed, John Briody, a lawyer for Meyer, said in an email on Thursday.
Uber said in an email: We are pleased with the courts decision. Lawyers for Kalanick did not immediately respond on Thursday to requests for comment.
Arbitration clauses are often buried in lengthy terms of service that customers never see or would struggle to read.
Critics say the clauses, which often forbid class actions, dissuade many people from pursuing claims at all.
Meyer had accused San Francisco-based Uber and Kalanick of conspiring with drivers, whose earnings are shared with Uber, to charge surge pricing fares during peak demand periods.
He said he never agreed to arbitrate because a keypad had obscured a hyperlink to Ubers terms of service, including the arbitration clause, when he signed up with his smartphone.
Uber countered that Meyer had an unobstructed view of the hyperlink, and waived the keypad issue because he could have raised it sooner. The lawsuit began in December 2015.
Kalanick said claims against him must be dismissed because he was no longer Ubers chief executive. He resigned in June after a shareholder revolt.
On Aug. 17, the federal appeals court in Manhattan had reinstated the arbitration provision, overturning a July 2016 ruling by Rakoff that found it unenforceable.
Later that month, the appeals court said Rakoff may consider new evidence about how long Uber customers could see the hyperlink, including when entering credit card information.
Internet companies and the US Chamber of Commerce have argued during the litigation that a loss by Uber could inhibit e-commerce and threaten the enforceability of online contracts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
An incident occurred between the Turkish and Iranian delegations in Russias Sochi city before the meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Nov. 22, the Turkish media reported Nov. 23.
Security guards of the Iranian president tried to make the members of the Turkish delegation, who came to the meeting ahead of time, leave.
The Turkish delegation didnt leave the venue, explaining that according to the protocol, it has the right to be there before the presidents arrive.
Because of the incident, the meeting of the Iranian and Turkish presidents was delayed for more than 10 minutes.
On Nov 22, Sochi hosted the meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
The sides discussed the settlement of the Syrian crisis.
Also on Nov. 22, Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has claimed more than 500,000 lives.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
The fifth OIC Helal EXPO international trade fair has kicked off in Istanbul, the Turkish Economy Ministry told Trend.
The trade fair, which deals with food and beauty products that are allowed under traditional Islamic law (halal) is held with the support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The OIC Helal EXPO to last until Nov. 25 will be attended by delegations of the OIC member countries.
: @rhafizoglu
Turkey welcomed on Thursday the European Parliament's (EP) prohibition of terror groups from its premises, which included the PKK terror group, Anadolu reported.
The European Parliament on Wednesday issued an updated list of people and groups prohibited from the legislative body's premises, including the PKK terror group.
"We welcome the decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament (EP) that denies access to terrorist organizations listed as such by the EU, including the PKK and other groups involved in terrorist activities against Turkey.
"According to the said decision, individuals representing these groups cannot be invited to the European Parliament, nor shall these groups be allowed to be promoted on the premises of the EP," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
The PKK has organized events in EP in support of itself through its associations in Europe, which have exasperated Ankara.
Turkey, for instance, condemned the placing of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's photographs at an event in the European Parliament last year.
The Turkish statement called the decision "a step forward" regarding the EUs international obligations in the field of combatting terrorism.
"We will closely monitor the implementation of the EPs decision," the statement added.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S., and the EU. In its over three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.
Since the group resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 23, 2017 - 19:02 | All, Urgent
(EDS: UPDATING WITH INVOLVEMENT OF ANOTHER FIRM, SHIPMENT TO SELF-DEFENSE FORCES, DETAILS IN 3RD-5TH, 9-10TH, 13-14TH, 17-18TH GRAFS)
Mitsubishi Materials Corp. said Thursday that three of its subsidiaries have falsified specification data for products supplied to the aerospace, automotive and electric power industries.
The revelation comes on the heels of quality control scandals at other major Japanese firms, including a metal product data falsification scandal at Kobe Steel Ltd.
One of the subsidiaries' rubber products not meeting specification requirements of the Self-Defense Forces were used in some of the engines of their aircraft and vessels, according to officials at a government agency responsible for development and procurement of defense equipment.
Of the three firms, Mitsubishi Cable Industries Ltd. falsified data on sealing materials used for joining metal parts such as pipes supplied to 229 firms, and Mitsubishi Shindoh Co. rigged data on copper products shipped to 29 companies. None of the cases have been found to have caused any safety problems so far, Mitsubishi Materials said.
Another unit Mitsubishi Aluminum Co. also supplied products with falsified specification data, but it and client firms have already confirmed that they are safe for continued use, according to Mitsubishi Materials.
At Mitsubishi Cable, specification data on its O-ring sealing product were altered to match those requested by client companies.
Such products worth 29.4 billion yen ($264 million) were shipped between April 2015 and September this year to a total of 229 firms, including 70 in the aerospace industry and seven automakers.
The O-rings are commonly used as packing and gaskets in joining pipes and other metal products to prevent oil, water and air from leaking, according to Mitsubishi Cable.
Officials of the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency under the Defense Ministry said products including rubber seals not meeting requested specification are installed in hydraulic components of SDF aircraft and ship engines.
While the agency is still investigating which equipment has the affected products installed, Mitsubishi Cable told the agency that any impact on the performance of the products in question is not serious enough to require an immediate suspension of operation, agency officials said.
Mitsubishi Shindoh falsified inspection data on such products as brass strips for automotive components.
Affected products worth 120.9 billion yen were supplied to 29 firms between October 2016 and last month, Mitsubishi Shindoh said.
Mitsubishi Materials said the problem at Mitsubishi Cable surfaced after its quality control auditing led the subsidiary to start an internal probe last December. It discovered data falsification in February and continued the investigation for confirmation of details.
Mitsubishi Cable stopped shipment of the affected products on Oct. 23 and reported its findings to Mitsubishi Materials two days later.
Mitsubishi Shindoh started an internal probe last month and discovered the data falsification.
Quality control scandals have also rocked the automotive industry recently, with Nissan Motor Co. and Subaru Corp. revealing that unauthorized staff conducted final vehicle inspections, resulting in extensive recalls.
Mitsubishi Cable and Mitsubishi Shindoh said they have each set up a probe committee whose members include outside lawyers to conduct a detailed investigation and compile preventive measures.
Mitsubishi Materials said it will hold a press conference Friday regarding the matter.
==Kyodo
Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise were down 6% in pre-market trading on Wednesday after Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitmans decision to step down from the role took investors by surprise.
Whitman, one the most high-profile executives in the United States, said on Tuesday she would quit as CEO in February and hand over the reins to company veteran Antonio Neri.
After reports surfaced that she was being considered for the top job at Uber, Whitman reinforced her dedication to the role in July by saying that she was fully committed to HPE hpe and planned to remain CEO.
We have a lot of work still to do at HPE and I am not going anywhere. Ubers CEO will not be Meg Whitman, she had tweeted.
Related: HPE CEO Meg Whitman Reveals Why Shes Stepping Down
But her move caught analysts off guard. HPE is in the middle of a restructuring to cut costs, invest in research and focus on high-margin businesses. Its mainstay server business has been struggling as customers increasingly buy non-branded, assembled servers that are much cheaper.
We are surprised by the timing of the CEO transition given commentary at the recent analyst day that seemed to imply a CEO transition was not in the offing, BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long said in a research note.
Long, however, added that Neris experience running the companys Enterprise Group made him a strong fit for the CEO role.
The restructuring, which was announced last month and called HPE Next, was supposed to be led by Neria computer engineer who has spent more than two decades with the company and is HPEs current president.
Related: HPE CEO Meg Whitman Is Stepping Down. Heres What She Says About Her Next Move
Neris appointment is not a surprise given his increased visibility in recent months, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a research note.
Neri began his career in HP as a customer service engineer in the EMEA call center. He previously led HPs technology services business and then its server and networking businesses, before taking over the whole Enterprise Group in 2015.
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Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz and Morgan Stanleys Huberty expect Neri to shift gears and aggressively develop technology in-house, rather than focus on mergers.
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Since its split from Hewlett-Packard in late 2015, HPE has spent billions buying companies providing cloud software and data storage to better position itself to serve customers who are moving their operations to the cloud.
HPEs shares have risen 5% this year, compared with a 16% gain in the S&P 500 index.
Black Friday is normally a shopping holiday for gadgets, TVs, kitchen appliances, and basically anything else you can pile into a shopping cart at Walmart. But nearly everyone who sells anything is getting in on the action this year, and that includes airlines.
The best deals include one-way flights to Europe for $99, roundtrip flights to European vacation destinations for $559, and deals on flight and hotel packages.
Don't Miss: Best Black Friday 2017 sales you can shop right now: Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, more
Its not just the budget airlines getting in on the deals. Sure, Icelands WOW Air is responsible for the $99 one-way fares to Europe, but Delta and Southwest also have deals going on. Some of the best spotted by Business Insider include 1,250 seats being sold for $99 for one-way trips from Boston, Chicago, and Pittsburgh to Reykjavik, Amsterdam, London, or Ireland; and $129 one-way trips fro LA, San Fransisco, and Miami to the same destinations. The deal is only valid if you buy another one-way ticket back at the same time, but those can be as cheap as $150.
Ryanair, the notorious European discount airline, is having a sale on fares for as low as $6.50. Flights from London Stanstead go to destinations like Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
However, one fare-checking website suggests that Black Friday might not be the best time to get cheap fares. Instead, it says you should wait until the Tuesday after dubbed Travel Deal Tuesday for the best deals. We analyzed our historical flight pricing data and found that fare sale activity significantly spikes on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, a blog post says. The airlines offer major discounts because travel demand tends to die down following Thanksgiving. Most travelers have already booked their holiday airfare, but havent started planning their winter getaways yet.
BGR Top Deals:
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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
The victory gives Republicans the power to rein in Biden's agenda, as well as to launch potentially politically damaging probes of his administration and family.
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Mignon Clyburn testifies before a Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of the two Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission, Mignon Clyburn, on Wednesday threw her support behind 2015 net neutrality rules, arguing that a proposal by the FCC chairman to scrap them would hurt consumers, her office said on Wednesday.
"The commissioner continues to believe that the 2015 rules adopted by the FCC are the best way to protect consumers and small businesses while promoting innovation," said a fact sheet prepared by Clyburn's office.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican appointed by President Donald Trump in January, said the agency will vote next month on a plan to rescind net neutrality rules that treated internet service providers like public utilities. Defenders of the Obama-era rules said they barred broadband providers from blocking or slowing access to content or charging consumers more for certain content.
The 210-page formal proposal, titled Proposal to Restore Internet Freedom, was posted on the FCC website on Wednesday.
Clyburn joins fellow Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel in opposing Pai's plans to scrap the landmark rules, moving to give broadband service providers sweeping power over what content consumers can access.
With three Republican and two Democratic commissioners, the FCC is all but certain to approve the repeal. Republican President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to net neutrality in 2014 before the regulations were even implemented, calling it a "power grab" by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
Clyburn said in the fact sheet that Pai's proposal "eliminates all prohibitions against blocking and throttling (slowing down) applications by broadband providers, and enables them to engage in paid prioritization and unreasonable discrimination at the point of interconnection.
"It ignores thousands of consumer complaints and millions of individual comments that ask the FCC to save net neutrality and uphold the principles that all traffic should be created equal," the statement added.
(Reporting by Chris Sanders and Diane Bartz; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
One of the best paying dividend stock on our list is Philip Morris International. Dividend stocks are a great way to hedge your portfolio as they provide both steady income and cushion against market risks A sizeable part of portfolio returns can be produced by dividend stocks due to their contribution to compounding returns in the long run. Below are more huge dividend-paying stocks that continues to add value to my portfolio holdings.
Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)
Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes, other tobacco products, and other nicotine-containing products. Founded in 1987, and headed by CEO Andre Calantzopoulos, the company size now stands at 79,500 people and with the companys market capitalisation at USD $160.54B, we can put it in the large-cap group.
PM has a great dividend yield of 4.05% and is distributing 92.41% of earnings as dividends . PMs dividends have increased in the last 10 years, with DPS increasing from $1.84 to $4.28. To the enjoyment of shareholders, the company hasnt missed a payment during this period.
NYSE:PM Historical Dividend Yield Nov 24th 17
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)
International Business Machines Corporation provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Formed in 1910, and run by CEO Virginia Rometty, the company size now stands at 380,300 people and with the stocks market cap sitting at USD $140.67B, it comes under the large-cap category.
IBM has a decent dividend yield of 3.95% and is distributing 48.12% of earnings as dividends . The companys dividends per share have risen from $1.6 to $6 over the last 10 years. They have been consistent too, not missing a payment during this 10 year period.
NYSE:IBM Historical Dividend Yield Nov 24th 17
QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)
QUALCOMM Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures, and markets digital communication products worldwide. Started in 1985, and currently headed by CEO Steven Mollenkopf, the company now has 33,800 employees and has a market cap of USD $98.28B, putting it in the large-cap group.
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QCOM has a solid dividend yield of 3.35% and is paying out 131.77% of profits as dividends . QCOMs DPS have risen to $2.28 from $0.56 over a 10 year period. They have been dependable too, not missing a single payment in this time. Over the next three years, analysts predict double digit earnings growth for QUALCOMM of 77.3%.
NasdaqGS:QCOM Historical Dividend Yield Nov 24th 17
For more solid dividend payers to add to your portfolio, you can use our free platform to explore our interactive list of top dividend payers.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
With a market capitalization of USD $98.17B, United Parcel Service Inc (NYSE:UPS) falls in the category of stocks popularly identified as large-caps. These are established companies that attract investors due to diversified revenue streams and ability to enhance total returns through dividends. However, another important aspect of investing in large caps is its financial health. There are always disruptions which destabilize an existing industry, and although large-caps are hard to knock down, it is useful to understand its level of resilience. Here are few basic financial health checks to judge whether a company fits the bill or there is an additional risk which you should consider before taking the plunge. View our latest analysis for United Parcel Service
Can UPS service its debt comfortably?
What is considered a high debt-to-equity ratio differs depending on the industry, because some industries tend to utilize more debt financing than others. As a rule of thumb, a financially healthy large-cap should have a ratio less than 40%. UPSs debt-to-equity ratio exceeds 100%, which indicates that the company is holding a high level of debt relative to its net worth. In the event of financial turmoil, the company may experience difficulty meeting interest and other debt obligations. While debt-to-equity ratio has several factors at play, an easier way to check whether UPSs leverage is at a sustainable level is to check its ability to service the debt. A company generating earnings at least three times its interest payments is considered financially sound. UPSs profits amply covers interest at 28.4 times, which is seen as relatively safe. This means lenders may be inclined to lend more money to the company, as it is seen as safe in terms of payback.
How does UPSs operating cash flow stack up against its debt?
NYSE:UPS Historical Debt Nov 24th 17
A simple way to determine whether the company has put debt into good use is to look at its operating cash flow against its debt obligation. This is also a test for whether UPS has the ability to repay its debt with cash from its business, which is less of a concern for large companies. UPSs recent operating cash flow was 0.29 times its debt within the past year. A ratio of over a 0.25x is a positive sign and shows that UPS is generating ample cash from its core business, which should increase its potential to pay back near-term debt.
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Next Steps:
Are you a shareholder? Although UPSs debt level is towards the higher end of the spectrum, investors shouldnt panic since its cash flow coverage seems adequate to meet obligations which means its debt is being efficiently utilised. Since UPSs financial situation may differ over time, I encourage examining market expectations for UPSs future growth on our free analysis platform.
Are you a potential investor? While investors should analyse the serviceability of debt, it shouldnt be viewed in isolation of other factors. Ultimately, debt financing is an important source of funding for companies seeking to grow through new projects and investments. Thats why I encourage potential investors to examine UPSs Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) in order to see managements track record at deploying funds in high-returning projects.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
Less than a year after taking control of the top federal telecom regulator, commissioners appointed by President Donald Trump are poised to eliminate net neutrality rules that bar Internet providers from creating slow and fast lanes for online content.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday unveiled his plan to erase the agencys 2015 ban on Internet service providers discriminating against certain online content and services while favoring others. Pais plan also blocks state and local governments from imposing their own net neutrality rules.
Instead, Internet service providers, or ISPs, would be required only to disclose their practices. But very few customers have more than one or two choices when selecting an ISP, so the transparency may not help much. Pais far-reaching plan, expected to be adopted at the FCCs Dec. 14 meeting, could create wide-ranging winners and losers across the digital landscape.
Huge Winners: ISPs
The nations largest Internet service providers, led by AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, stand to reap the greatest gains. They should easily be able to start favoring online content and services they own over others. In fact, the FCC under Obama-appointed chairman Tom Wheeler had already concluded that Verizon and AT&T were improperly favoring content they owned in likely violation of the 2015 net neutrality rules.
The prior favoritism took the form of allowing wireless customers to access carrier-owned video services without the usage counting against monthly wireless limits. Accessing all other video services did count against the limits unless the content provider paid extra. Known as zero-rating, the practice was more carrot than stick for wireless customers. But with the rules removed, carriers would be free to adopt more punitive forms of favoritism, like tacking on extra fees for some content or indirectly raising the cost to customers by charging the fees to the content providers. For home Internet users, the elimination of the rules gives ISPs a big incentive to continue adding monthly data caps to create a way to favor their own content over wired connections.
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Possible winners: Medium-sized content producers
The new rules by themselves will likely give the carriers more incentive to buy content-producing companies, as Verizon vz did in acquiring Yahoo and AT&T is attempting to do by acquiring Time Warner twx . That could raise the share prices of companies like CBS cbs or Viacom viab that are about the right size to become acquisition targets. However, the Trump administrations Justice Department is suing to block the Time Warner merger, saying it could harm competition, so perhaps some such deals will be prohibited.
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Possible losers: Large Internet companies
Netflix, Amazon amzn , Google and other major suppliers of online video content could get squeezed. Some analysts have said that the big Internet companies are too powerful and their content is too popular for ISPs to threaten them. But given the breadth of freedom that would be granted to ISPs under the new FCC plan, the scale of the Internet giants may not be enough to save them from facing extra fees or being disadvantaged when trying to reach viewers who are customers of the big ISPs. Before the 2015 rules were enacted, Netflix nflx fought with cable providers for years over intentional streaming slowdowns and extra fees for connecting with its customers. The companies can likely afford to pay extra fees, but could still be at a disadvantage when competing with carrier-owned services. For example, all of the major wireless carriers downgrade the quality of video streaming on some plans. Absent net neutrality rules, the video quality downgrade could be used on competitors but not carrier-owned services.
Possible losers: Internet TV services
Dish Networks dish Sling TV, Sonys sne Playstation Vue and Googles googl YouTube TV, among others, are trying to displace traditional pay TV service with much cheaper bundles available via the Internet. They compete directly with the cable and satellite TV services offered by the major ISPs, as well the ISPs own Internet video bundles like AT&Ts t DirecTV Now app. They may find themselves blocked, slowed, or required to pay additional fees. Or they may just face the more subtle disadvantage of not getting zero-rated treatment.
Definite losers: Smaller content providers
Startup online content players, especially in the video arena, dont have the popularity or the clout to appeal to a huge base of customers to protest disadvantaged treatment. And smaller players may not be able to afford to pay extra fees that larger services can to avoid getting blocked or slowed down. The big ISPs have occasionally been caught messing with less powerful players, as in 2008, when the FCC sanctioned Comcast cmcsa for slowing customers access to the video sharing network BitTorrent, for example (though a court later struck down the decision).
FILE PHOTO: Motorists line up for fuel at a gas station of Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA in Caracas, Venezuela September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
By Alexandra Ulmer and Marianna Parraga
CARACAS/HOUSTON (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run PDVSA is siphoning oil from its cash-paying joint ventures with foreign firms to feed its domestic refineries, two sources close to the matter told Reuters, at a time when late debt payments have triggered defaults.
PDVSA asked its Petropiar joint venture with Chevron Corp (CVX.N) to turn over as much as 45 percent of the oil it planned to export in November with no immediate reimbursement, one of the sources said this month.
PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment. Chevron declined to comment.
The joint ventures export upgraded crude to buyers around the globe and the diversion cuts into the main source of the government's revenue. One likely reason for the shift: to deal with intermittent fuel shortages because of the poor condition of its refineries, which in some cases are working at a third of capacity.
The lack of these exports add to the nation's cash crunch as President Nicolas Maduro tries to restructure some $60 billion in debt to bondholders. Some of Venezuela's oil exports are under oil-for-loan agreements with Russia and China. Investors say the country has defaulted on bonds issued by PDVSA and the government and two ratings agencies declared a selective default.
In addition to the Petropiar joint venture with Chevron, PDVSA has this year taken oil for its domestic refineries from its Petrocedeno project with Total SA (TOTF.PA) and Statoil (STL.OL).
PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment. Its joint venture partners declined to comment.
"PDVSA started requesting some cargoes from Petrocedeno for the Paraguana Refining Center (CRP). Now it is asking Petropiar to relinquish almost half of its crude production," the source said.
From August through October, PDVSA took at least 1 million barrels per month of heavy crude from Petropiar after acquiring Zuata Sweet crude from Petrocedeno earlier this year. It is seeking 2 million barrels, or 45 percent of Petropiar's total production for November, the source added.
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The diversions are adding new strains to its ventures' cash flow. Foreign partners in several joint ventures also have been required since last year to pay for imported naphtha used to dilute the Orinoco Belt's oil when upgraders are not operating or working at reduced capacity, further hurting their earnings.
The joint ventures are expected to be compensated for the diverted oil through dividends paid to the partners. However, some foreign oil firms operating in Venezuela have been unable to repatriate such payments to their parent companies.
PDVSA's finances are so weak it is struggling to find the funds to drill wells, maintain oilfields and keep pipelines and ports working. Venezuela's overall crude output declined in October to its lowest since 1989, according to numbers reported by the country to OPEC.
Sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela and its state-run company PDVSA have also contributed to weaker exports this year.
Maduro's government has increasingly turned to ally Russia for the cash and credit it needs to survive as China has not extended any more credit to Venezuela amid delays in oil shipments, according to a Reuters special report published in August.
Reduced exports of Petropiar's crude is mainly having an impact on customers in the United States, according to one of the sources and Thomson Reuters trade flows data.
U.S. imports of that venture's Hamaca crude grew from 106,000 bpd in August to 134,000 bpd in October, but only one cargo representing 34,000 bpd has discharged through mid-November, the data show.
PDVSA's U.S. refining unit, Citgo Petroleum, in July started boosting its imports of Venezuelan upgraded crude from the joint ventures as a way of offsetting declining purchases from its parent company, which is struggling to cover oil-for-loan agreements to Russian and Chinese companies amid falling output.
Citgo has struggled to buy crude supplies directly from non-Venezuelan producers because of U.S. sanctions levied this year, according to trade sources. U.S. banks have been avoiding extending even short-term credit to PDVSA and its subsidiaries, which have affected Citgo's oil purchases. Citgo has said it is not facing credit issues. [L2N1LV2CE]
But Citgo's effort to compensate for PDVSA's export problems might not last, one of the sources said, as the growing supply of the joint ventures' crude to Venezuelan refineries is undermining its ability to purchase upgraded oil.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas and Marianna Parraga in Houston; Editing by Susan Thomas, Gary McWilliams and Lisa Shumaker)
* Rouhani says France can play productive role in region
* Macron tells Rouhani, Netanyahu to work for Lebanese stability
* Rouhani says Hezbollah's weapons only defensive (Adds French presidency, Macron invite)
BEIRUT/PARIS, Nov 21 (Reuters) - France can play a productive role in the Middle East by taking a "realistic and impartial approach", Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media.
Tensions between Iran and France increased last week after Macron said that Tehran should be less aggressive in the region and should clarify its ballistic missile programme. His foreign minister also denounced Tehran's "hegemonic temptations" during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Iranian state media said Rouhani told Macron that the Islamic Republic was ready to develop its relations with France on all bilateral, regional and international issues based on mutual respect and shared goals.
Rouhani referred to the "adventurism of some inexperienced princes in the region"- an allusion to Iran's arch geopolitical rival, Saudi Arabia - and said France could play a positive role in easing the situation.
"We are against adventurism and creating division in the region and believe that France, by keeping an independent vote and its position in the region, can, with a realistic and impartial approach, have a productive role," he said.
In a rare statement on both calls, Macron's office said he had talked to Rouhani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately, telling them both that it was vital to keep Lebanon disassociated from regional crises.
He also said France was attached to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, but that regional and ballistic issues should be discussed separately and constructively.
Macron "also stressed the importance for the countries of the region to work collectively to reduce tensions," the statement said.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and other Arab states criticised Iran and its Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim ally Hezbollah at talks in Cairo on Sunday, calling for a united front to counter Iranian influence.
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Rouhani also highlighted the importance of maintaining stability in Lebanon and, in the phone call with Macron, noted what he characterised as the threat posed by Israel.
"Hezbollah are a part of the Lebanese people and are incredibly loved in this country. Their weapons are only defensive and are only for use in the face of a potential attack," Rouhani said.
"Now we have to try so the Lebanese groups can, with security, have a government that can help advance their country."
Macron, whose country has called for Hezbollah to disarm, has tried to mediate in a regional crisis that erupted after Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced his resignation in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4, accusing Tehran and Hezbollah - which was part of his coalition government - of sowing strife across the Middle East.
Macron spoke on Monday with Netanyahu, who is due in Paris in December, according to diplomatic sources.
According to the Iranian state media, Macron invited Rouhani to Paris for a climate summit on Dec. 12. Macron's office did not respond when asked to confirm the invite. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh in Beirut and John Irish in Paris; Editing by Larry King)
U.S. Supreme Court building.
On Monday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider two cases that could upend or significantly reshape inter partes review, the popular administrative process for determining patent validity. The first case, Oil States v. Greenes Energy, is the colossus, a constitutional challenge to IPRs that also has immense commercial implications as evidenced in the dozens of amicus briefs filed on both sides. Pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial heavyweights such as Abbvie Inc., Allergan Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto Co. and 3M Co. are calling for an end to IPRs. Meanwhile, technology companies including Facebook, Dell, Apple, Twitter, Google, Xerox have come out in support of the process as a cost-efficient and fair method for resolving validity. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner Allyson Ho is arguing for Oil States. Partner Christopher Kise of Foley & Lardner is representing Greenes Energy. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will be represented by Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart. (In the related case, SAS Institute v. Matal, Jones Day partner Gregory Castanias, head of the firm's Federal Circuit team, is arguing for SAS Institute.) Well have full coverage Monday. Plus, join Law.coms lead IP reporter Scott Graham on Tuesday, Nov. 27 for a day-after debrief by conference call. Hell be comparing notes with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe partner Mark Davies. To register, click here. In the meantime, here's Scott Graham's guide to what to watch for on Monday:
1. The individual justice scorecard:
If the Oil States challenge is to succeed and knock out IPRs, it must start with the votes of Justices Neil Gorsuch (crusader against administrative state) and Samuel Alito (dissenting opinion in only Supreme Court IPR case, Cuozzo v. Lee). If they come out barking, that doesn't mean too much by itself. Chief Justice John Roberts seems like the next most likely dominohe was hostile to the Patent and Trademark Office during Cuozzo arguments, but signed the majority opinion. Then we have Justice Clarence Thomaswhose opinions White House counsel Don McGahn recently called the "driving intellectual force of the Trump administration" on the administrative state. But Thomas has also said very clearly that patents are public rights or at least quasi-private rights, which would cut against Article III protection. If this is one of the rare arguments where Thomas speaksand it's too walk back some of those public rights commentsthen put him in the petitioner column. Assuming Oil States can reel in those four, who provides the decisive fifth vote? Justice Anthony Kennedy has signed on to most of the Supreme Court decisions of recent years cracking down on non-practicing entitiesthe group most likely to profit from the death of IPRs. But as Jan Wolfe points out at Reuters, conservative critiques of patent law are starting to tilt away from NPEs and more toward the tech industry. The most likely member of the court's liberal wing to cross over would be Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She signed Alito's dissent in Cuozzo, which warned about PTAB "shenanigans" being shielded from judicial scrutiny.
2. How many questions will there be about said shenanigans?
Oil States and its amici have complained about PTAB practices such as stacking panels with extra judgeswhich the PTAB says it does only to secure uniformityclashing with federal court decisions (like the water balloons case), and resisting motions to amend. These issues have little to do with the constitutional arguments, but the justices could point to them as pitfalls of non-Article III adjudication. It also could be a way for the court to encourage changes at the PTAB short of killing IPRs altogether. (If one of the justices does ask about stacked panels, I hope an attorney for Greene's Energy or the government will point out that we have that in federal appellate courts too. It's called en banc review.)
3. Will the government stand firm?
So far the Trump administration has been staunchly supportive of the PTAB and IPRs. But if there's one thing we know about the president, he's prone to changing his mind. I doubt that would bleed down to the solicitor general's office in a patent case, but I'll be listening for any backtracking.
4. The more talk there is
The more talk there is about 18th century England and the writ of scire facias, the better for Oil States. The more talk about Article I of the Constitution and Congress' power to secure patents for "limited times," the better for Greene's Energy and IPRs. The more talk there is favoring pharma patents, which are getting targeted more and more often in IPRs, the better for Oil States. The more talk about non-practicing entities, the better for Greene's Energy and IPRs. If Justice Gorsuch follows in his predecessor's footsteps and uses the pejorative "patent trolls," it's game over for Oil States.
5. Will the justices ask what happens to previously invalidated patents if Oil States wins?
This subject could take up the entire 60 minutes. If more than a couple of justices drill into it, then look out.
6. Lastly, how engaged are the justices in the next argument, SAS Institute v. Matal.
If they're quiet and desultory, that too is good news for Oil States. If they seem genuinely interested in whether the PTAB must adjudicate IPRs claim by claim, then the PTAB apocalypse probably has been averted.
Are you IP obsessed? Check out Scott Graham's new twice-weekly briefing, Skilled in the Art, for smart commentary on the latest developments. Sign up here for a free trial subscription.
In a sudden move, Meg Whitman has decided to step down as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company HPE, leaving the company in the middle of its restructuring phase to cut costs and focus on high-margin businesses. The move led to deep unrest among investors, causing shares to plunge around 7% on Nov 22.
Coming to the price performance, the stock has lost 3.1% in the past year, wider than the industrys decline of 2%.
Whitman has been replaced by Antonio Neri who also serves as the current president of HPE. Whitman will continue to function as a member of Board of Directors in HPE. Antonio will function as the CEO of HPE effective from Feb 1, 2018. Whitman, who will sign off as the CEO stated, "Antonio's ready, the company's ready, and it's the right time."
She further added, "Neri has been with the company since 1995, working his way up to the company's top ranks.
Whitman has served the company since 2011 and successfully witnessed the companys split into two. In fact, under Whitmans leadership, HPE has achieved a major milestone in becoming a stronger, more focused company, which can compete and win in todays market.
Under Whitmans leadership, the company restored its balance sheet, strengthened operations and enhanced customer satisfaction. Post separation from HP Inc. HPQ, the company also made innovative moves to focus and strengthen portfolio. Moreover, Whitman orchestrated the spin off and mergers of HPEs Enterprise Services and Software businesses, as well as strategic acquisitions including Aruba, SGI, SimpliVity and Nimble Storage.
HPEs Trouble
Recently, the company reported not-so encouraging fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results, wherein the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny while the top line missed the same. Moreover, the view provided by the company was also not worth an applause.
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HPE expects non-GAAP earnings per share in the range of 20-24 cents (mid-point: 22 cents), which was lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 27 cents.
The company also provided outlook for fiscal 2018. HPE expects non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2018 in the range of $1.15-$1.25 (mid-point $1.2). The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $1.17.
We remain slightly cautious about the companys near-term prospects due to the three main challenges it is currently facing heightened pressure from unfavorable currency exchange movements, elevated commodities pricing and some near-term execution issues. These headwinds are expected to thwart its overall performance in the near term.
Further, macroeconomic challenges and tepid IT spending remain other concerns. Competition from International Business Machines IBM and Oracle ORCL adds to its woes.
Moving Forward
Neri, in his new role, will continue to focus on strategic initiatives, key customer relationships and technology development. In our opinion, if any one that could succeed Whtiman, the name is Antonio. Neris appointment is a sound choice, given his profound experience in the company over the years. We expect the new CEO of HPE to better understand the overall strengths and weaknesses of the business as he has in-depth knowledge of the market dynamics.
Currently, HPE carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Blackhawk Resource and CRH Medical are stocks on my list that are potentially undervalued. This means their current share prices are trading well-below what the companies are actually worth. Smart investors can make money from this discrepancy by buying these shares, because they believe the current market prices will eventually move towards their true value. If youre looking for capital gains in your next investment, I suggest you take a look at my list of potentially undervalued stocks.
Blackhawk Resource Corp. (TSXV:BLR)
Blackhawk Resource Corp. is a publicly owned investment manager. Blackhawk Resource was founded in 1986 and with the stocks market cap sitting at CAD CA$5.56M, it comes under the small-cap category.
BLRs stock is now floating at around -66% less than its real value of $0.4, at a price tag of $0.14, according to my discounted cash flow model. This discrepancy signals a potential opportunity to buy BLR shares at a low price. Whats even more appeal is that BLRs PE ratio stands at around 2.6x against its its capital markets peer level of 14.2x, implying that relative to its comparable set of companies, you can purchase BLRs stock for a lower price right now. BLR is also robust in terms of financial health, as current assets can cover liabilities in the near term and over the long run. BLR also has no debt on its balance sheet, which gives it headroom to grow and financial flexibility.
TSXV:BLR PE PEG Gauge Nov 23rd 17
CRH Medical Corporation (TSX:CRH)
CRH Medical Corporation provides products and services to physicians for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in the United States. Established in 2000, and now run by Edward Wright, the company size now stands at 17 people and with the market cap of CAD CA$166.79M, it falls under the small-cap group.
CRHs stock is now hovering at around -58% lower than its value of $5.39, at the market price of $2.25, based on my discounted cash flow model. This mismatch indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. In terms of relative valuation, CRHs PE ratio stands at around 19.2x relative to its healthcare equipment and supplies peer level of 39x, indicating that relative to other stocks in the industry, we can invest in CRH at a lower price. CRH is also strong financially, as current assets can cover liabilities in the near term and over the long run. Finally, its debt relative to equity is 52%, which has for the past few years demonstrating CRHs ability
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TSX:CRH PE PEG Gauge Nov 23rd 17
Celestica Inc. provides supply chain solutions in Canada and internationally. Formed in 1996, and run by CEO Robert Mionis, the company size now stands at 23,000 people and with the companys market capitalisation at CAD CA$1.95B, we can put it in the small-cap group.
CLSs shares are now hovering at around -11% lower than its real value of $15.38, at the market price of $13.64, based on my discounted cash flow model. The discrepancy signals an opportunity to buy low. In terms of relative valuation, CLSs PE ratio is currently around 13.7x while its electronic equipment, instruments and components peer level trades at 38.2x, implying that relative to its competitors, CLS can be bought at a cheaper price right now. CLS is also a financially healthy company, as near-term assets sufficiently cover liabilities in the near future as well as in the long run. Finally, its debt relative to equity is 16%, which has over the past couple of years demonstrating its capacity
TSX:CLS PE PEG Gauge Nov 23rd 17
For more financially sound, undervalued companies to add to your portfolio, you can use our free platform to explore our interactive list of undervalued stocks.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
FILE PHOTO: JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon speaks at a Remain in the EU campaign event attended by Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (not shown) at JP Morgan's corporate centre in Bournemouth, southern Britain, June 3, 2016. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo
By Richa Naidu and David Henry
CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), on Wednesday said he expects to see a new U.S. president in 2021 and advised the Democratic party to come up with a "pro-free enterprise" agenda for jobs and economic growth instead.
Asked at a luncheon hosted by The Economic Club of Chicago how many years Republican President Donald Trump will be in office, Dimon said, "If I had to bet, I'd bet three and half. But the Democrats have to come up with a reasonable candidate ... or Trump will win again."
Dimon, who in the past has described himself as "barely" a Democrat, has been going to Washington more often since the 2016 elections to lobby lawmakers on issues including changes in corporate taxes, immigration policies and mortgage finance.
In December, Dimon became chairman of the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs who take their views to government policymakers.
Dimon, 61, touched on wide range of topics, from America's political climate to racial discrimination to the effects of the U.K. leaving the European Union.
He also commented on foreign affairs, saying, for example, "We should never be rude to a neighbour like Mexico" and cautioning that the political weakness of German Chancellor Angela Merkel "is bad for all of us." Talks on forming a governing coalition including Merkel's Christian Democratic Union collapsed earlier this week, casting doubt on her future after 12 years in power.
Dimon spoke for several minutes about discrimination over gender and race which he said is not acknowledged enough in the United States.
"If you're white, paint yourself black and walk down the street one day, and you'll probably have a little more empathy for how some of these folks get treated," Dimon said. "We need to make a special effort because this is a special problem."
Dimon gave his own bank a mixed review on diversity. His direct reports include people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), and half are women as are 30 percent of the top 200 JPMorgan executives, he said.
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Now in his 12th year as JPMorgan's CEO, Dimon also reflected a bit on his own role.
"I basically love my job," Dimon said. "I mean, it's tiring; it's exhausting. I have to go down to Washington all the time and it's a big pain in the ass, but I basically love my job."
(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Chicago and David Henry in New York. Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Clive McKeef)
AT&T has already signaled it will go to court if the deal is blocked, potentially setting up one of the biggest legal battles over a corporate merger in decades
Time Warner owns CNN, HBO, Warner Brothers and other big name media properties. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP
The US Department of Justice on Monday moved to block AT&Ts $85bn takeover of Time Warner, one of the largest media deals ever announced.
The decision to file suit against the deal is likely to set off a high stakes court battle AT&T has already signaled it will go to court if the deal is blocked and will start one of the biggest corporate merger legal battles in decades.
The suit argues the deal will substantially lessen competition, resulting in higher prices and less innovation for millions of Americans.
This merger would greatly harm American consumers. It would mean higher monthly television bills and fewer of the new, emerging innovative options that consumers are beginning to enjoy, said assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim of the departments antitrust division.
David McAtee, AT&Ts general counsel called the suit a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent.
The US authorities had already called for major changes before signing off on any deal. Critics have claimed the deal is being held hostage because of Donald Trumps antipathy towards CNN, owned by Time Warner and which he has branded as fake news.
The deal was first announced in October 2016, just weeks before the presidential election. During the campaign, and since his election, Trump has regularly attacked CNN, calling the network terrible and fake news at his first press conference after the election.
Trump attacked the network again while on his recent tour of Asia, calling it bad and FAKE.
While in the Philippines I was forced to watch @CNN, which I have not done in months, and again realized how bad, and FAKE, it is. Loser! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017
Reports suggested that AT&T, the worlds largest telecommunications company, had offered to sell CNN in order for a deal to go through. But the chief executive officer, Randall Stephenson, denied any such compromise had been offered. Throughout this process, I have never offered to sell CNN and have no intention of doing so, he said in a statement earlier this month.
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In a press conference after the news broke Stephenson acknowledged the speculation that Trumps antipathy to CNN had sparked the legal move. Frankly I dont know, he said. But nobody should be surprised that the question keeps coming up.
Stephenson said the deal had the whole world questioning what the justice department can and cannot do.
He said any deal would protect CNNs first amendment rights and no deal would be struck without the news channel.
Time Warner, owner of CNN, HBO, Warner Brothers and other big-name media properties, does not compete directly with AT&T meaning there is little argument against the deal on competition grounds.
But the justice department argues that combining Time Warners assets with AT&T and its DirecTV satellite television business would directly harm consumers, quoting statements from DirecTV that so-called vertically integrated programmers which own the means of distribution as well as the content can much more credibly threaten to withhold programming from rival [distributors] and can use such threats to demand higher prices and more favorable terms.
Vertical mergers like this one are routinely approved because they benefit consumers without removing any competitor from the market. We see no legitimate reason for our merger to be treated differently, said McAtee.
Fortunately, the Department of Justice doesnt have the final say in this matter. Rather, it bears the burden of proving to the US district court that the transaction violates the law. We are confident that the court will reject the governments claims and permit this merger under longstanding legal precedent.
The deal comes as tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix are increasingly challenging traditional media players and competing for their audiences.
But the deal would hand some of the most powerful brands in media to the largest player in telecom. Comcast, the USs largest broadband provider, took over NBC Universal, owner of the NBC network and Universal Studios in 2009 and that deal has been roundly criticised by senators who believe Comcast has used its cable dominance to quash competition.
Stephenson has argued that it borders on comical to suggest AT&T would be too powerful after a merger.
The Writers Guild of America West welcomed the news. As we have stated since this deal was first proposed, the size, scope and potential harm to both consumers and content creators provide ample reason to block the merger on its merits.
The proposed combination of must-have content with vast control over distribution would give the company broad power to undermine competition, restrict access to programming and raise prices, the guild said in a statement. With reports surfacing each week of other possible media mergers, blocking this deal has only become more critical.
Follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk, or sign up to the daily Business Today email here.
Good morning,
I interviewed Walmart CEO Doug McMillon before the Economic Club of New York yesterday, where he discussed the companys remarkable turnaround, with 13 straight quarters of increasing same store sales in the U.S. at a time when other brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling.
But the most memorable part of the interview was his discussion of why Walmart has increased its focus on social issues in recent yearsa striking change for a company so devoted to cost cutting. McMillon traces it back to 2005, when Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans. The company was under intense criticism in those days, having become something of a political lightning rod. Under the leadership of CEO Lee Scott, Walmart decided to go all out to help New Orleans, throwing people, merchandise and money to aid the Big Easy.
We were so proud of how wed stepped up in this difficult time, McMillon recalls. In the days that followed, Lee asked the team what would it take for us to feel this good all the time? The result is a Walmart that in the last decade has made a massive commitment to environmental goals, as well a $2.7 billion investment to raise wages for hourly workers.
Separately, I received my own flood of messages from CEO Daily readers who objected to my suggestion that CNN tone down the anti-Trump rhetoric. CNN is committed to speaking truth to power, writes J.W. Their coverage is exactly whats needed in times like this, says B.J. And did you say the same about Fox over the past 10 years? asked J.K. (I did.)
But R.B. came closest to my sentiment. Its not toning down thats needed so much as it is, how about reporting some news? There is a lot going on in the world that is more important than the latest tweet. By relentlessly focusing on presidential missteps, CNN has fed the view of many Americans that it is on a campaign against Trump, and helped undercut trust in media more generally. Thats one reason why, for instance so many Alabamans feel free to reject the Washington Posts thoroughly reported stories on Roy Moore. What CNN is doing may be good for ratings, but its one more thing eroding our common ground.
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More news below. CEO Daily will be dark for the next two days to give thanks weve survived the year.
Top News
Uber Covered up Massive Data Breach
Uber admitted covering up a breach that exposed the data of 57 million users and thousands of drivers, after being sued for negligence in a federal court in Los Angeles. The company paid off the hackers with $100,000. While its a serious embarrassment for a company that likes to flaunt its technological superiority, it has at least provided new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi with the opportunity to continue his post-Kalanick house-cleaning. He has fired former security chief and deputy general counsel Joe Sullivan, along with Craig Clark, one of his deputies. Sullivans name had figured prominently in the activities that have generated at least five criminal probes into the company, such as its use of greyball technology to hoodwink regulators. Fortune
Whitman Departsand Neri a Buyer in Sight for HPEs Stock
Meg Whitman said shell step down as CEO of HP Enterprise at the end of January, having largely completed her mission of slimming down an unwieldy conglomerate and adapting its core data center and software businesses to a new model based in the Cloud. Whitman had been in the frame earlier this year to take over as CEO of Uber after the departure of Travis Kalanick. Whitman praised her successor, current HPE president Antonio Neri, as a deeper technologist better able to take the company forward. He may also need to develop the ability to fend off takeover interest: the companys shares fell 6.2% on the news, to their lowest in nearly two years. Fortune
Pai Cuts the ISPs a Bigger Slice
Federal Communications Commission chief Ajit Pai outlined his plans to let Internet service providers create slow and fast lanes for traffic. Pais plan also blocks state and local governments from imposing their own net neutrality rulessomething that may create significant antitrust issues in many places where competition is limited anyway. Overall, the rules appear to strengthen the hand of players like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast against Amazon, Netflix and co. who risk being squeezed for the right to send their exponentially-expanding content through an infrastructure that can now be rationed at its owners discretion. Fortune
Just Think What It Would Cost if Adults Made It
Apple acknowledged that Foxconn (aka Hon Hai) had employed high-school students working illegal overtime to assemble its new iPhone X. Students told the Financial Times that they routinely work 11-hour days at a factory in Zhengzhou, which is illegal under Chinese law. Apple claimed the work was voluntary. The students claimed otherwise, saying they were required to do an internship unrelated to their studies in order to graduate. FT, metered access
Around the Water Cooler
Googles Data Grab
Google admitted tracking smartphone and tablet users even when they had turned off location services or taken out their phones SIM card, Quartz reported. It noted drily that the company consequently had access to data about individuals locations and their movements that go far beyond a reasonable consumer expectation of privacy. The news will go down extremely badly in Brussels, where the EU is already investigating the company for suspected abuse of its ownership of the Android operating system (even though that investigation is more about antitrust issues than privacy ones). Fortune
Taylored to Perfection (The Marketing, That Is)
Taylor Swifts ReputationI know, I know, just bear with me has become the biggest selling album of the year inside a week, with 1.23 million downloads, according to The Guardian. Thats an impressive vindication of a strategy which saw her keep all but four tracks off the streaming services to which the music industry is increasingly in thrall, and proof that artists still have pricing power. Not the least remarkable detail is a promotion offering fans who buy multiple copies of the album preferential access to upcoming tour tickets. The music may be dire, but the marketing cant be faulted. Fortune
Elliott and PPG Can Get Ready to Stir the Paint Pot Again
Japans Nippon Paint threw a wrench into Akzo Nobels defensive strategy with an all-cash offer for paints and coatings company Axalta. Axalta said it had ended discussions with Akzo after failing to reach agreement on their proposed merger. That opens the door for PPG Industries to renew its interest in the Dutch company when a six-month cooling-off period expires next month. The company is in the middle of a plan to spin off its specialty chemicals business to keep shareholders happy. Fortune
The Continuation of Protectionism by Other Means
Is Chinas censorship the continuation of protectionism by other means? Microsofts Skype service has disappeared from both iOS and Android app stores in China (as have hundreds of other apps running on Virtual Private Networks), but there is no official explanation as to why. While the authorities sensitivity to the political potential of messaging systems, Skype doesnt provide end-to-end encryption, which is banned. One thing is clear: owners of competing Chinese services, such as Tencent (now more valuable than Facebook) dont suffer from the reduced competition. Elsewhere, in a variation on the theme, Russian senators approved a law requiring U.S. media outlets to register as foreign agents, in retaliation for a similar crackdown on Russian state-owned media in the U.S. Fortune
Summaries by Geoffrey Smith; geoffrey.smith@fortune.com
@geoffreytsmith
North Korea has aggressively pushed back against the United States decision to re-list it as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the move a serious provocation, a violent infringement, and tantamount to another declaration of war.
The tough talk is in response to President Donald Trumps announcement on Monday that hed return North Korea to a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation former President George W. Bush had lifted in 2008 in an effort to save a fragile nuclear deal with the rogue nation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, in a pair of statements published on Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesdayone of which was attributed to North Koreas Foreign Ministrya defiant Pyongyang called the move a serious provocation and violent infringement on the countrys dignity. The remarks have raised concerns that North Korea could use the re-designation as justification for fresh missile or nuclear weapons tests.
In a separate statement, also released by KCNA late Wednesday, a spokesman for the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee criticized the re-listing as an extra-large provocation, tantamount to another declaration of war.
In an interview with KCNA, a spokesman for the foreign ministry denied his government engaged in any terrorism, and said the designation only fueled the countrys commitment to retaining its nuclear arsenal.
As long as the U.S. continues with its anti-DPRK hostile policy, our deterrence will be further strengthened, he said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, according to Reuters.
The remarks were the first from Pyongyang since Mondays announcement from Trump about the re-designation of North Korea. The decision came a week after Trumps 12-day, five-nation trip to Asia, during which he made clear hed work to contain North Koreas nuclear ambitions.
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 21 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Reuters)
(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's first major investor Peter Thiel has sold three-quarters of his remaining stake in the social network as part of a previously established trading plan, a regulatory filing showed.
Thiel, who is a member of Facebook's board had already sold more than $1 billion worth of its stock before the filing made on Tuesday.
It said he had sold another 160,805 shares for about $29 million, leaving his holdings at 59,913 Class A shares in the company. http://bit.ly/2zd34za
The only major name in Silicon Valley to back President Donald Trump, some have called for Thiels removal from Facebooks board. Chief Executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he should stay, citing the importance of diversity of opinion at the company.
A Facebook representative called Thiels sales routine and said there was nothing new to say about the billionaire's seat on the company's board.
Representatives for the venture capitalist could not immediately be reached for comment.
Thiel co-founded payment service PayPal and is known for funding the Hulk Hogan lawsuit that led to the shutdown of online news site Gawker. He became a Facebook investor in 2004 with an initial investment of $500,000 at a $5 million valuation.
When Zuckerberg took the company public in 2012, Thiel sold 16.8 million shares at the IPO for about $640 million. Later the same year, he sold roughly 20 million of his remaining 26 million shares for $400 million after the expiry of a lockup.
He hit the market once again in 2016 to sell a little less than 1 million shares for about $100 million.
Facebook shares were down 0.7 percent at $180.59 on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru and David Ingram in San Francisco; editing by Patrick Graham)
We feel like we have been put in a position where we need to speak for ourselves. The break neck speed at which journalists have been naming the next perpetrator renders some reporting irresponsible and, in fact, counterproductive for the people who do want to tell their stories. In this instance, The Hollywood Reporter does not speak for us. We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. That said, we are happy to see people speaking out about behavior that made them uncomfortable. As for us, we parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences.
There is so much talent at Pixar and we remain enormous fans of their films, the statement went on. But it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice, as is demonstrated by their director demographics: out of the 20 films in the companys history, only one was co-directed by a woman and only one was directed by a person of color. We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring, and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders. We hope we can encourage all those who have felt like their voices could not be heard in the past to feel empowered.
A majority of North American CFOs (54.2 percent) say they support the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , which the Senate is expected to vote on Friday, but they also revealed a truth about the limits of trickle-down economics that won't make American workers happy: If tax reform passes, don't expect a raise. Only one-third of CFOs (33.4 percent) said they think corporate tax reform will lead to increased wages for workers. Twenty-one percent of CFOs said the tax-reform plan will not lead to higher wages, while 45.8 percent were ambivalent or were uncertain of the bill's effect on worker pay. CFOs are confident that the bill's reforms will have a positive impact on U.S. economic conditions. In addition, 70.9 percent agree (29.2 percent strongly) that corporate tax reforms will create more U.S. jobs, while 83.3 percent agree (20.8 percent strongly) that corporate tax reforms will stimulate U.S. economic growth.
The CNBC Global CFO Council represents some of the largest public and private companies in the world, collectively managing more than $4 trillion in market capitalization across a wide variety of sectors. The quarterly poll was conducted from Nov. 3Nov. 16. Questions about tax reform were asked of North American members only. North American CFOs have frequently cited corporate tax reform as the most important issue to their companies. After President Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, 73.9 percent of CFOs said corporate tax reform should be his administration's No. 1 priority. But for the last 12 months, they have remained skeptical that the Republican-controlled Congress can make it happen. On Thursday the Joint Committee on Taxation projected that the Senate plan would add $1 trillion to the deficit , but GOP leaders said Friday they remain confident about a successful vote. Measures reportedly being debated to make up the budget gap include increasing the proposed corporate rate above 20 percent something Trump and influential corporate donors, including the Koch brothers, are dead-set against. Or possibly raising the rate on repatriated assets cash held overseas by corporations. Roughly 46 percent of CFOs in the survey group said their company's effective tax rate won't be lower in 2018 compared to 2017, a sign that some are unsure about tax reform passing, while other companies already may be paying lower effective tax rates.
Repatriation A year ago repatriation of overseas cash ran a distant second in terms of administration priorities for CFOs, with 17.4 percent of U.S. CFOs calling for a repatriation holiday or permanent lower tax on overseas profits brought back to the United States. Now just under 46 percent of U.S. CFOs say they would take advantage of the tax plans reduced rate to repatriate some or all of their repatriated cash. And 8.3 percent say they would not take advantage, while another 37.5 percent say their firms are not holding a significant amount of cash overseas. Asked what they would do with the repatriated funds, 29.2 percent say they would buy back stock, the most popular response. The percentage of those who use overseas cash to invest in new plants, equipment or technology: 20.8 percent, compared to 12.5 percent who would raise dividends. Only 8.3 percent plan to use repatriated cash to increase headcount. Other big business stories this year While 20 percent of respondents answered "tax reform" to the open-ended question, "What is the biggest business news story of 2017?," another said "euro strengthening" is the biggest story alongside tax reform. Brexit was the next most common answer among the global council and, not surprisingly, the most common response among EMEA CFOs. Other CFOs cited a wide range of stories as the most important business news story of the year, including multiple responses about Trump, ranging from "Trump impact on financial markets" to "Trump presidency and resulting uncertainty" to "Washington dysfunction." The CNBC survey of CFOs across the globe found that chief financial officers think bitcoin "is for real," but many also think the digital currency is in a bubble. Here are the full results of this quarter's survey:
More From CNBC
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the AT&T-Time Warner merger, which the Justice Department is seeking to block in court, is not good for the country.
Trump, an in impromptu press conference at the White House, said that he did not want to get involved in litigation, but said that he has always felt that was a deal thats not good for the country.
Your pricing is going to go up. I dont think its a good deal for the country, he said.
During the presidential campaign, Trump said he opposed the merger and would try to block it as it concentrates too much power in the hands of too few. Since then, Trumps attacks on CNN have raised questions of whether the White House tried to exert its influence to stall the deal in retaliation. CNN is a unit of Time Warner.
The White House has denied that Trump has discussed the merger with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the chief of the DOJs antitrust division, Makan Delrahim, said that there was no interference by the White House in the decision to pursue a lawsuit.
The Justice Department filed suit on Monday, claiming that the massive, $85 billion transaction would harm rivals and consumers as AT&T would have the incentive to raise prices and withhold Time Warner content.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said that the lawsuit was breaking from long-standing Justice Department precedent in how it handled past vertical mergers, in which a company combines with another but does not remove a competitor from the marketplace.
He also addressed whether he thought CNN was a factor in the DOJ decision. I dont know, he said, but added that nobody should be surprised that the question keeps coming up because we have witnessed such an abrupt change in the application of antitrust law here.
Related stories
AT&T-Time Warner Merger: Does the DOJ Have a Case?
Story continues
AT&T Begins PR Battle Against Justice Department From CNN News Room
Writers Guild of America West Backs Blocking AT&T-Time Warner Merger
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FILE PHOTO: The Uber logo is seen on mobile telephone in London, Britain, September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
By Jim Finkle and Heather Somerville
TORONTO/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Struggling ride-hailing firm Uber faces a fresh regulatory crackdown after disclosing it paid hackers $100,000 to keep secret a massive breach last year that exposed personal data from around 57 million accounts.
Discovery of the U.S. company's cover-up of the incident resulted in the firing of two employees responsible for its response to the hack, said Dara Khosrowshahi, who replaced co-founder Travis Kalanick as chief executive in August.
"None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," Khosrowshahi said in a blog post. (http://ubr.to/2AmxlQt)
Britain's data protection authority said on Wednesday that concealment of the data breach raises "huge concerns" about Uber's data policies and ethics.
"Deliberately concealing breaches from regulators and citizens could attract higher fines for companies," James Dipple-Johnstone, deputy commissioner of the UK Information Commissioner's Office, said in a statement. Current British law carries a maximum penalty of 500,000 pounds ($662,000) for failing to notify users and regulators when data breaches occur.
The stolen information included names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of Uber users around the world, and the names and license numbers of 600,000 U.S. drivers, Khosrowshahi said. Uber declined to say what other countries may be affected.
Khosrowshahi also said Uber had begun notifying regulators. The New York attorney general has opened an investigation, a spokeswoman said. Regulators in Australia and the Philippines said on Wednesday they would also look into the matter.
Long known for its combative stance with local taxi regulators, Uber has faced a stream of top-level executive departures over issues from sexual harassment to data privacy to driver working conditions, which forced its board to remove Kalanick as CEO in June.
In recent months, London's transport regulator stripped Uber of its license to operate citing the company's failure to deal with public safety and security issues, although Uber is appealing against the decision and the new CEO has held talks with Transport for London to resolve the stand-off.
Story continues
The agency said it was seeking more information from Uber.
"We are pressing them for the full details of what has happened so that we can be satisfied that all the right protections are in place for the personal data of drivers and customers in London," a Transport for London spokesman said.
Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said it was working with other national authorities to determine how UK citizens may have been affected, but added that it has no information, so far, that customer financial details had been compromised.
WHO KNEW WHAT WHEN?
The breach occurred in October 2016 but Khosrowshahi said he had only recently found out about it.
Bloomberg News first reported the data breach on Tuesday.
But Kalanick learned of the breach in November 2016, a month after it took place, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. At the time, the company was negotiating with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the handling of consumer data.
A board committee had investigated the breach and concluded that neither Kalanick nor Salle Yoo, Uber's general counsel at the time, were involved in the cover-up, another person familiar with the issue said. The person did not say when the probe took place.
Uber said on Tuesday it was obliged to report the theft of the drivers' license information and had failed to do so.
"There is no question that the previous management and security team at Uber failed in their responsibility to their drivers, to regulators, to justice and above all to customers," said Rik Ferguson, vice president of security research at software firm Trend Micro. "Thats a pretty long list".
There is no evidence of fraud against passengers as a result of the data breach, while drivers whose license numbers had been stolen are being offered free identity theft protection and credit monitoring, Uber said.
Two hackers gained access to proprietary information stored on GitHub, a service that allows engineers to collaborate on developing software code. There, the two people stole Uber's credentials for a separate cloud-services provider where they were able to download driver and rider data, the company said.
A GitHub spokeswoman said the hack was not the result of a failure of GitHub's security.
"While I can't erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes," Khosrowshahi said.
FURTHER FALLOUT
Uber is negotiating with a consortium led by Japan's SoftBank Group for fresh investment that could be worth up to $10 billion, sources told Reuters earlier this month. SoftBank declined to comment on whether the security breach could lead it to renegotiate terms of its proposed deal.
Uber said it had fired its chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, and a deputy, Craig Clark, this week over their role in the handling of the incident. Sullivan, formerly the top security official at Facebook Inc and a federal prosecutor, served as both security chief and deputy general counsel for Uber.
Sullivan declined to comment when reached by Reuters. Clark could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kalanick, through a spokesman, declined to comment. The former CEO remains on the Uber board of directors, and Khosrowshahi has said he consults with him regularly.
Although payments to hackers are rarely publicly discussed, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials and private security companies have told Reuters that an increasing number of companies are paying criminal hackers to recover stolen data.
Uber has a history of failing to protect driver and passenger data. Hackers previously stole information about Uber drivers and the company acknowledged in 2014 that its employees had used a software tool called "God View" to track passengers.
Khosrowshahi said on Tuesday he had hired Matt Olsen, former general counsel of the U.S. National Security Agency, to restructure the company's security teams and processes. The company also hired Mandiant, a cyber security firm owned by FireEye Inc, to investigate the breach.
The new CEO has traveled the world since replacing Kalanick to deliver a message that Uber has matured from its earlier days as a rule-flouting startup.
"The new CEO faces an unknown number of problems fostered by the culture promoted by his predecessor," said Erik Gordon, an expert in entrepreneurship and technology at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Toronto; Heather Somerville, Joseph Menn and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco, Manolo Serapio Jr in Manila, Byron Kaye in Sydney, Sam Nussey in Tokyo and Eric Auchard in London; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates and Adrian Croft)
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Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission. Photo Credit: FCC.[/caption] The issue of net neutrality has elicited strong views from companies and their in-house counsel in recent years. So when Federal Communications Commission's Chairman Ajit Pai offered a plan Tuesday to eliminate Obama era regulations around net neutrality, companies spoke up quickly, with one prominent GC, Michael Cheah of New York-based Vimeo, going so far as to call the move "misguided" in a blog post. Pai announced that the FCC will vote in December on whether or not to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which mandates that internet service providers like Verizon and AT&T can't block websites or charge them extra for faster bandwidth. If the order is repealed, internet service providers would likely see a boost in profits, but consumers may get companies' bandwidth costs passed on to them. "The announcement is a disappointing development, to be sure, but its not surprising," Cheah wrote. "From day one, Mr. Pai has made it clear that he would not let the mountain of evidence (and millions of commenters) demonstrating why we need neutrality get in the way of his crusade to make the internet more like the cable business. The result is a repeal order that no one wants except for the largest ISPs." Cheah has been a vocal supporter for net neutrality over the past year. In July, he encouraged participation in a one-day protest against the Trump administration's stance on the issue. He's previously said that the current laws allow smaller content creators, like those who create videos on his platform, compete for attention online. Without net neutrality, they'd have to spend extra money to promote their work. And Cheah's not the only one in tech who's worried. Dozens of tech companies, including Microsoft Corp., Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. spoke out through a shared statement via the Internet Association, an industry lobbying group, following the FCC announcement. Netflix Inc. and Google, also members of the Internet Association, doubled down on the message with their own statements expressing disappointment and their opposition to the new proposal. The 2015 Order created bright-line, enforceable net neutrality protections that guarantee consumers access to the entire internet and preserve competition online," said the Internet Association statement. "This proposal fails to achieve any of these objectives. Consumers have little choice in their ISP, and service providers should not be allowed to use this gatekeeper position at the point of connection to discriminate against websites and apps." The Internet Association said its members will continue to fight for net neutrality. Cheah also said he will promote litigation against the FCC's plan and push for a permanent statutory solution. "The path to enforceable net neutrality rules has never been easy," Cheah said. "With some further heavy lifting, Chairman Pais actions today will hopefully be remembered five years from now as a brief detour down the wrong road."
The Saudi-led military coalition that has been blockading Yemen's ports of entry said that it will reopen the main airport and a important Red Sea port to humanitarian traffic on November 23.
The airport in the capital of Sanaa will reopen to UN aircraft and the sea port of Hodeida will be able to receive urgent humanitarian aid, the coalition said in a statement.
The coalition imposed the blockade two days after Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen fired a missile at Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on November 4.
The United Nations officials cautiously welcomed the decision and said they also expect the port of Salef to reopen.
"It is good news," said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian chief for Yemen.
The UN says a continuation of the two-week blockade would make Yemen's war-battered population more vulnerable to cholera and famine.
Millions in Yemen are at immediate risk if food aid and the supply of fuel for pumping clean water are interrupted, it says.
A disruption of water supplies could reverse recent gains in containing the spread of cholera, the UN says.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Lithuanian English
Elektrenai, Lithuania, 2017-11-17 07:31 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, legal entity code 302648707, the registered office address is Elektrines st. 21, Elektrenai (hereinafter the Company). Overall number of ordinary registered shares is 635 083 615, ISIN code LT0000128571.
The Company presents audited financial indicators for JanuarySeptember period of 2017, interim report and interim financial statements may be found in the attached documents.
LEG INCREASED OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND PRODUCED MORE ELECTRICITY IN HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT DURING THE FIRST 9 MONTHS IN 2017
Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba (LEG) continuously focused on the implementation of its strategy during the third quarter of 2017. Despite the fact the production was decreasing in some of the power plants, LEG is moving towards its goal - to operate 15% more efficiently and devote 15% of time to new activities in 2020 - by working intensively and implementing the main strategic directions.
The Algirdas Brazauskas Hydroelectric Power Plant produced almost one quarter (23%) more electricity during the first 9 months of 2017 in comparison with 9 months of 2016 (318 GWh and 257 TWh). Water levels were extremely high in 2017 and it could beat the records of the entire six decades. The average water levels floated to Kaunas Reservoir via river Nemunas is around 300 m3/s during the first 9 months of 2017. Meanwhile, LEG managed to retain very similar production volumes in Kruonis Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant during the first 9 months in 2017 in comparison with the first 9 months in 2016 (respectively 404 GWh and 411 GWh).
Due to the changes in the market, Elektrenai Complex produced less electricity during JanuarySeptember 2017. The production level was 129 GWh in Elektrenai Complex which converts to 58% less production in comparison with JanuarySeptember 2016.
We are aiming to provide an excellent service to our clients so we do monitor and focus on the market changes or transmission system operators needs, we use our employees main competencies and experience in order to ensure an uninterrupted production of electricity and the ability to use our power stations immediately if the reserve service is needed. Emission monitoring tests were performed in all power plant units of Elektenai complex in September 2017. We are ready to provide high quality tertiary and strategic reserve service, says Egle Ciuzaite, Chairwoman and CEO of LEG.
According to Egle Ciuzaite, LEG continuously monitors the market and signals of various institutions on the possible development of electricity production capacities - projects for the construction of a wind park in the territory of Kruonis PSHP and the development of Kruonis PSHP by installing the fifth hydro unit are continued. While waiting for clarity regarding to the chosen model for synchronization with the Western networks and the need for such facility, LEG is getting ready to explore the existing infrastructure of the power station with the goal to reduce the time of preparation for the potential construction works to the minimum.
Development of new activities is another area where LEG employees target their ideas and efforts. An enterprise has been offering competitive services of operation and maintenance of power plants and boiler houses in the market. LEG invites small and large enterprises to buildings and territories of the Elektrenai Complex that are no longer used in the core operations these companies can find a great place for business development here. And there is a good start already LEG managed to attract more than ten customers in the past few months.
I am very happy with LEG employees involvement and joint efforts in the creation of its future, - says E. Ciuzaite. Taking advantage of practices of operational excellence finding their way in the Company, we seek to operate increasingly better, more efficiently and at a lower cost every day. Financial results of the Company for January-September 2017 show that we are on the right track.
The Companys sales revenue of the 9 months of 2017 are EUR 96.7 million and are 4 percent smaller than the revenue of the 9 months period of 2016 (EUR 100.9 million).
The Companys profit of the 9 months period of 2017, excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) reaches EUR 38.4 million and is 21 percent bigger than the profit of 9 months period of 2016 (EUR 31.6 million). EBITDA margin increased from 31% to 39.3%.
The Companys net profit of the 9 months period of 2017 reaches EUR 19.7 million and is 11 percent smaller than the net profit of 9 months period of 2016 (EUR 22.0 million).
Our activities and aspiration to work openly did not go unnoticed. At the end of October, we received an acknowledgement from Transparency International Lithuanian branch for being among the best publicly accountable major companies of Lithuania. This inspires us to continue our good practices, - says LEG CEO.
English Finnish
Company release November 23, 2017 at 9:30 EET
NOTICE CONVENING AN EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF FIT BIOTECH OY
The shareholders of FIT Biotech Oy are invited to an extraordinary general meeting, which is to be held on December 14, 2017 starting at 10:00 am (Finnish time) at Hotel Arthur, street address Vuorikatu 19, Helsinki, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the meeting will begin at 9:30 am.
A. Matters on the Agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting
At the extraordinary general meeting, the following matters will be considered:
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Calling the meeting to order
3. Election of persons to scrutinise the minutes and count the votes
4. Recording the legality of the meeting
5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes
6. Amendment of the Articles of Association
The Board of Directors of FIT Biotech Oy ("Board") proposes to the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders ("EGM") that the clause providing for Class B shares is amended and all references to Class B shares removed. The Company has not issued any Class B shares. This will result also in some technical amendments in clause 5.
The Board proposes further that section 13 (redemption clause) is deleted entirely as inappropriate to listed company status.
The proposed new articles of association appear in the appendix.
7. Amendment to the financing arrangement between the Company and SITRA
The EGM held on September 15, 2016 authorised the Board to grant options and other special rights as referred to in Chapter 10, section 1 of the Companies Act. This authorisation was granted in order to implement the convertible note and warrant funding program dated September 26, 2016 with the Finnish innovation fund SITRA ("SITRA").
The authorisation was registered on September 19, 2016 and allowed the Board to issue a maximum of 2,000,000 Class K shares under the special rights, which number was based on the projections and estimates made by the parties at that time and subsequently agreed upon in the convertible note and warrant subscription agreement.
Under the said authorisation and within the said limits the Board has on September 26, 2016 resolved to approve the Subscription Agreement with SITRA and to establish corresponding convertible note and share warrants funding program with Trade Register registration date September 28, 2016.
Subsequent to the aforesaid authorisation the Board has, inadvertently, exceeded this maximum authorisation and issued special rights (convertible notes) to SITRA entitling to a total of 3,020,441 Class K shares. This has resulted from the declining market value of the Company's Class K shares, which has in turn meant that a higher than anticipated number of Class K shares have had to be issued under the agreed program. There are no changes to the number of share warrants.
In order to correct the said deficiency the Board proposes that the EGM (i) approves the above described exceeding of the original authorisation to grant special rights to SITRA and approves the issuance of an additional total of 1,020,441 K shares; as well as (ii) authorises the Board further to grant special rights to SITRA entitling to a total maximum number of 20,000,000 new or old K shares.
The Board is entitled to decide on all other terms and conditions for granting special rights and to amend such terms and conditions. This authorisation replaces the authorisations registered by the Trade Register on September 19, 2016 and is proposed to be in force until further notice. As the matter relates to critical funding needs of the Company and its relationship with a crucial financing party, the Board deems there are weighty financial grounds for the granting of these special rights and the expansion of the Board's authorisation as described herein.
8. Amendment to the convertible notes and financing arrangement between the Company and Bracknor and related Board authorisations
The EGM held on September 15, 2016 authorised the Board to grant options and other special rights as referred to in Chapter 10, section 1 of the Companies Act. This authorisation was granted in order to implement the convertible note and warrant funding program dated August 25, 2016 with Bracknor Investment ("Bracknor") also approved by the EGM in the meeting.
In accordance with the provisions of the convertible notes and warrant funding agreement the registered authorisation has allowed the Board to issue a maximum of 55,000,000 Class K shares under the convertible notes and a maximum of 55,000,000 Class K shares under the warrants.
Pursuant to the authorisation of the EGM, the Board has on September 26, 2016 resolved to approve the Subscription Agreement with Bracknor and to establish corresponding convertible note and warrants funding programs with Trade Register registration date September 28, 2016.
Subsequent to the aforesaid authorisations it has become evident that the maximum number for authorised K-shares relating to the convertible notes will have to be exceeded. This is a result of the declining market value of the Company's Class K shares, which has in turn resulted in higher than anticipated number of special rights under the agreed program. Not all of these special rights (i.e. convertible loan notes) have been converted into Company's Class K shares.
In order to correct and rectify the said deficiency in authorised shares the Board proposes, pursuant to the amendment agreement with Bracknor, that the EGM authorises the Board further to grant special rights to Bracknor entitling to a maximum of 550,000,000 new or old Class K shares under the convertible notes and 440,000,000 new or old Class K shares under the share warrants.
The number of K shares to be subscribed for under the warrants already issued to Bracknor will depend on Bracknor's willingness to utilise these warrants to subscribe for the Company's shares as well as on then prevailing value of the K shares in public trading as agreed upon in the funding program agreement. Hence, the final number of shares to be issued under the authorisation relating to warrants will remain unknown. Should Bracknor use this right to subscribe for the Company's shares this would have a positive impact on the cash position and share capital of the Company.
As described above the overall authorisation to the Board to grant special rights that entitle to shares would hereby increase to a grand total of 990,000,000 new or old Class K shares from the current maximum number of 110,000,000 shares.
The Board is entitled to decide on all other terms and conditions for granting special rights and to amend such terms and conditions. This authorisation will replace the authorisation granted in the EGM of September 15, 2016 in which the Board was authorised to issue special rights entitling to a maximum of 110,000,000 shares. This new authorisation is proposed to be valid until further notice.
As the matter relates to critical funding needs of the Company and its relationship with a crucial financing party, the Board deems there are weighty financial grounds for the granting of these special rights and the expansion of the Board's authorisation as described herein.
9. Authorising the Board to issue new Class K shares or grant special rights entitling to Class K shares
The Board proposes that the EGM authorises the Board to resolve upon issuance of Class K shares to (i) the Company itself free of charge as referred to in Chapter 9, section 20 of the Companies Act; and (ii) by way of directed issuance of new Class K shares as referred to in Chapter 9, section 4 of the Companies Act in deviation of the pre-emptive rights of the shareholders; as well as (iii) by way of granting of options or other special rights entitling to Class K shares as referred to in Chapter 10, section 1 of the Companies Act.
The Board may use the authorisation for measures required to enhance the general operational conditions of the Company and to ensure the sufficiency of the Company's working capital e.g. by issuing new shares free of charge or against payment, by implementing a share based incentive scheme for its personnel and management, by implementing a new convertible note program and/or share subscription warrant funding programme or by fulfilling its obligations under existing convertible note and/or share subscription warrant based funding programs. For any directed share issue free of charge, a weighty financial reason for the Company as well as in regard to the interests of the shareholders for such authorisation as prescribed in Chapter 9, section 4 of the Companies Act must be present.
Under the authorisation the Board may issue a maximum of 550,000,000 new Class K shares or distribute treasure shares in its possession. The Board would be authorised to resolve upon any other detail of the share issue or distribution and/or options or other special rights. The Board would be authorised to amend also the terms and conditions of any and all special rights so issued.
It is proposed that the authorisation be valid until further notice. This authorisation will replace the authorisation granted in the EGM of September 15, 2016 in which the Board was authorised to issue a maximum of 110,000,000 new Class K shares.
10. Closing of the meeting
B. Documents
The aforementioned proposals for resolutions on the matters on the agenda of the general meeting as well as this notice are available on FIT Biotech Oy's website at the address http://www.fitbiotech.com/. The EGM documents will also be available at the meeting and copies of these documents will be delivered to shareholders upon request. The minutes of the EGM will be available on the above website as of December 22, 2017, at the latest.
C. Instructions for the Participants
Shareholders registered in the shareholders' register
Each shareholder, who is registered on December 4, 2017, the record date of the meeting, in the Company's shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd, has the right to participate in the EGM. A shareholder whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish book-entry account is registered in the shareholders' register of the Company.
A shareholder who is registered in the shareholders' register of the Company and who wants to participate in the EGM has to register for the meeting by e-mail to the address elisa.piispanen@fitbiotech.com or by post to the address FIT Biotech Oy/Elisa Piispanen, Biokatu 12, 33520 Tampere, Finland, no later than at 10:00 am (Finnish time) on December 4, 2017 by which time the registration must be received.
In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall state his/her name, personal identification number or business identity code, address, telephone number, as well as the names and personal identification numbers of assistants or proxy representatives, if any. The personal data given to FIT Biotech Oy will be used only in connection with this EGM and with the processing of necessary registrations.
Upon request, a shareholder, his/her representative or proxy representative must be able to prove his/her identity and/or representation right at the meeting venue.
2. Holders of nominee-registered shares
A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the EGM based on the shares that would entitle him/her to be registered on December 4, 2017 in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd. The right to participate in the EGM also requires that the shareholder has on the basis of such shares been temporarily registered into the shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Ltd at the latest by December 6, 2017 at 10:00 am (Finnish time). As regards nominee-registered shares, this constitutes due registration for the meeting.
A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request without delay the necessary instructions regarding registration in the temporary shareholder's register of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the EGM from his/her custodian bank. The account operator of the custodian bank has to temporarily register a holder of nominee registered shares who wants to participate in the EGM into the temporary shareholders' register of the Company at the latest by the time stated above.
3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney
A shareholder may participate in the EGM and exercise his/her rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative must produce a dated proxy document or power of attorney or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the meeting. When a shareholder participates in the EGM by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder must be identified in connection with registration for the meeting. Any proxy documents and powers of attorney are requested to be delivered by post to the address FIT Biotech Oy/Elisa Piispanen, Biokatu 12, 33520 Tampere, Finland or by e-mail to the address elisa.piispanen@fitbiotech.com no later than on December 6, 2017 at 10:00 am (Finnish time).
4. Other instructions and information
Pursuant to Chapter 5, section 25 of the Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the general meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting.
As at the date of the notice convening the EGM November 23, 2017, FIT Biotech Oy has a total of 144,956,112 shares, which each carry one vote regardless of share class. The shares are divided into classes as follows: 5,229 A shares, 65,235 D shares and 144,885,648 K shares.
Helsinki, November 23, 2017
FIT Biotech Oy
Board of Directors
Following the suspension by Oceanteam ASA of the auditor's services of KPMG in Norway on 14 November 2017, KPMG has informed the Company that it withdraws its services as statutory auditor in Norway with immediate effect. Oceanteam ASA disputes the validity of such resignation and is in process of filing a formal complaint.
Also read the press release published on 14 November 2017.
About Oceanteam ASA
The Company is comprised of two operating segments, Oceanteam Shipping and Oceanteam Solutions. Oceanteam Shipping owns, charters and manages deep-water offshore support vessels and fast support vessels. Oceanteam Solutions' focus is to provide its clients with complete offshore solutions. Oceanteam ASA has been active in the industry as an offshore solutions provider for over twelve years.
For more information: www.oceanteam.no
For further information about Oceanteam ASA please contact:
CEO Haico Halbesma: +31 20 53 57 570, haico@oceanteam.no CFO Jos van Dijk: +31 20 53 57 570, jos@oceanteam.nl
This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
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New York, Nov 23(Just Earth News): The military victory against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) is only one component of a complex battle that addresses the root causes of extremist ideology, the United Nations envoy for Iraq said on Wednesday.
Daesh remains able and determined to continue devastating random attacks against the Iraqi civilian population, against civilians globally, Jan Kubis, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), told the Security Council.
Daesh is down but not yet out even in Iraq, he stressed, adding that only by defeating its loathsome takfiri ideology, choking off its external support, and addressing the causes that prompted so many Iraqis to join or tolerate Daesh can this terrorist organization finally be eliminated.
He noted that on 17 November, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) fully recaptured Rawa, the last remaining densely settled area under Daesh control in Iraq. Since summer 2014, Daesh has lost 95 per cent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria and more than 7.5 million people have been liberated from its grasp.
But this victory has come at a very high cost, said Kubis, noting that thousands of fighters and civilians were killed or wounded, hundreds of thousands of children brainwashed, entire cities in ruins, and some six million people have been displaced.
Further, Daesh has exterminated or enslaved thousands of Muslims, as well as minority communities, particularly women and girls, in action amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, perhaps even genocide.
Kubis encouraged the global coalition against Daesh to continue both military and non military efforts to help Iraq ensure the lasting and sustainable defeat of Daesh.
He said that inside Iraq, priority must be accorded to facilitating the voluntary return of internally displaced persons, stabilization, reconstruction and rehabilitation. It would also be crucial to reform the security sector and to enforce law and order against armed groups outside State control, including criminal gangs, militias and tribal elements.
Tensions between Central Government and Kurdistan Regional Government
He went on to state that among the prominent current concerns are the tensions between the Central Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government in the wake of a decision by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to hold a unilaterally-declared independence referendum. The central authorities have rejected the referendum as unconstitutional and have taken steps to re assert federal authority over Iraqs external border crossings, including the international airports in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
On 6 November, he reported, the Federal Supreme Court issued an opinion stating that the constitution does not provide for authorizing the secession of any component of Iraqs federal system, and that the referendum was illegal.
All outstanding issues between the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government must be resolved through sustainable solutions based on the constitution, he emphasized, noting that UNAMI has also called for immediate negotiations with Government representatives on such issues as the budget, salaries and oil exports.
Turning to elections, he said the new Board of Commissioners for the Independent High Electoral Commission has a herculean task ahead, including holding two simultaneous elections, a tight timeline and security concerns.
He called upon the Council of Representatives to pass legislation to ensure that elections are held on 15 May 2018, adding that a United Nations electoral needs assessment mission has been deployed to help in identifying priority areas for support. UNAMI has also completed a draft law on the Establishing of National Specialized Court on Most Serious Crimes, to be discussed with relevant authorities.
Turning to the question of missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property, including that countrys national archives, he said Iraq and Kuwait served as models of good neighbourly relations in a region fraught with instability. Iraqs Government has made impressive efforts to identify grave sites, but efforts to identify missing Kuwaiti property has met with limited success.
Although there has been no progress in locating the national archives, the Government of Iraq has identified more than 6,000 Kuwaiti books. The United Nations and the international community will continue to pursue the matter and to support Iraq on that question until that chapter could be closed, he said.
UN Photo/Kim Haughton
Source: www.justearthnews.com
Kabul, Nov 22 (IBNS): During clearance operation, at least six Taliban insurgents were killed in Afghanistan's Maidan Wardak province on Tuesday, media reports said on Wednesday.
According to reports, the operation was conducted by the Afghan police, the army, special forces and commandos.
During the operation ten villages were cleared and the operation is ongoing in Ali Khel, Zamni, Zeyolat, Ismail Khel, Mohammad Noor Khel and Dar-e-Kuhna Khomar villages, reported Tolo News.
No casualty from the security forces or civilian side have been reported so far.
Image: twitter.com/@CanadianPM
Ottawa, Nov 23 (IBNS): The federal government in Canada has introduced the Canada Housing Benefit in the 10-year national housing strategy, media reports said.
The liberals stated the Canadians would get a rental benefit from the Canada Housing Benefit. The residents will get a subsidy of $2,500 annually which will start from 2020 and end in 2028.
The total cost of the programme will be $4 billion.
The liberals stated half of the $4 billion will be spent by the provinces and territories while the other half will be provided by the federal government. The total cost of $4 billion will be spent between 2020 and 2028.
The government said the Canada Housing Benefit programme will help around 300,000 households by 2028.
While announcing the 10-year national housing strategy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "(It is a) new, innovative plan that re-establishes the role the federal government must play in housing."
"Housing rights are human rights, everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," the PM was quoted by media.
The plan even aims to provide different benefits like provide homes to homeless and make or repair houses over the next 10 years.
Majority of the fundings for the whole 10-year plan were announced in the budget 2017.
The Canada Housing Budget is the only programme in the 10-year plan which was not announced in the last year's budget.
(Reporting by Suman Das)
Image: twitter.com/@CanadianPM
Thankfully, all of the missiles have been intercepted by Saudi defence forces, including the latest missiles fired at Riyadh International Airport on November 4. Still, these attacks represent a serious development in the war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia even claiming that this represents a declaration of war by the Iranian Regime.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin, a Middle East affairs specialist and security analyst, wrote on Al Arabiya: As the backer and the guarantor of [the Houthi] militias, Iran has crossed every red line in the conflict with Saudi Arabia in particular and with the countries of the region in general Had the Iranian regime not supported the Houthis, Saudi Arabia would never have been targeted.
Arming a terrorist group
By supplying a terrorist group with ballistic missiles (in direct violation of UN resolutions 2216, which bans the arming of the Houthi militias, and 2231, which enshrines the 2015 nuclear deal and warns Iran against developing ballistic missiles), the Iranian Regime is putting the whole of the Middle East at risk of attack, not to mention prolonging the conflict and hindering a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Of course, maybe that is what the Regime wants.
The Houthis are funded, armed, and trained by the Iranian Regime and are very unlikely to act against the Regimes wishes because they cannot afford to lose Irans support. The Regime, meanwhile, seeks to destabilise the Middle East in order to seize control via proxy groups.
ran is also supplying the Houthis with Iranian-made strategic weapons, which they could use to target commercial vessels and oil tankers in the Red Sea and the strategic Strait of Bab Al-Mandeb.
It is also worth noting that these weapons can be transferred to other terrorist groups (through Iranian civilian aircraft, Iran-controlled docks, or via the land bridge it is establishing across the Middle East) which will only increase the frequency of terrorist attacks.
Punishment
The Iranian Regime has been violating the UN resolutions practically since they were passed and has received little meaningful condemnation for it, which is probably why they felt comfortable doing it repeatedly.
The international community must put an end to the crisis in Yemen and hold the Iranian Regime accountable for its breaking of these resolutions and its destabilising actions.
Make no mistake, if the Regime is not held to account, the situation will only get worse with more attacks which harm more people.
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Tens of thousands of Haitians will soon lose their protection from expulsion from the United States. Many were permitted to come to the U.S. after a powerful earthquake shook the nation in 2010. The quake caused billions of dollars in damage and killed 300,000 people. About 1.5 million were injured and an equal number were displaced.
This week, a Trump administration official told reporters that the conditions in Haiti had improved, in her words, such that they no longer prevent nationals of Haiti from returning safely.
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, will be cancelled for almost 60,000 Haitians living and working in the U.S. on July 22, 2019. They must either return to Haiti by that date or request permission to stay in the U.S. permanently.
Opponents of the administrations decision note that Haiti has been hit by three damaging hurricanes recently. They also say it continues to suffer from a deadly spread of cholera. And, last week, the Office of Civil Protection confirmed that at least five people had died and 10,000 homes were flooded after days of rain.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Many Haitians live in the part of South Florida that she represents. She sharply criticized the administrations decision.
On Twitter, she wrote: I traveled to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 and after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. So, I can personally attest that Haiti is not prepared to take back nearly 60,000 TPS recipients under these difficult and harsh conditions.
Activists are asking Congress to create a permanent solution for the Haitians who have lived in the United States since 2010.
Lys Isma spoke to reporters this week. Her family fled to the United States from Haiti when she was nine months old. She said her community, in her words, is tired of living 18 months at a time. We need a permanent solution.
In May, the Department of Homeland Security extended TPS for Haitians for six months. The Haitian government had asked for a one-year extension. The department said the extension would permit Haitians with TPS the time to get travel documents and make plans to leave the United States. The department also said the extension gives the Haitian government time to prepare for the return of their people.
Paul Altidor is Haitis ambassador to the United States. He told VOA that his country would welcome the return of those he called our brothers and sisters. But he said Haiti was not ready to accept the immediate return of tens of thousands of citizens.
Several thousand Haitian immigrants illegally entered Canada from the U.S. in the summer. They have asked for asylum there.
The Center for Migration Studies says most Haitians who are part of the TPS program have been living in the United States for 13 years and have 27,000 children who are U.S. citizens. More than 80 percent have jobs and 6,200 have home loans, the research group says.
Haitian immigrants live mostly in South Florida, New York, New Jersey and eastern Massachusetts.
TPS was ended for Sudan in October. On January 8, the Trump administration is to decide what to do about the more than 130,000 people from El Salvador also under TPS.
Earlier this month, the administration cancelled protection for thousands of Nicaraguans who fled to the U.S. after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The Trump administration said it would decide in July whether to cancel protection for 57,000 Hondurans who also fled the hurricane.
Elaine Duke, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, admitted that families would face difficulties if their protections are cancelled. She called on Congress to find a permanent solution.
Im Phil Dierking.
VOANews.com reported this story. Additional reporting was provided by the VOA Creole Service. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
attest - v. to show, prove, or state that something is true or real
harsh - adj. severe or cruel
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General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Philippine government is preparing to extradite to the United States a recently arrested Filipino Catholic priest who faces charges of sexually molesting two boys in North Dakota churches in the 1990s, an official said yesterday.
The State Counsel said Fernando Laude Sayasaya was arrested over the weekend by police in Calamba city in Laguna province south of Manila and will be flown back to the U.S., which sought his extradition under a treaty.
The apprehension of Fernando Sayasaya once again shows that the long arm of the law would reach all criminals, the authorities said. The suppression of crime is the concern not only of the state where it is committed but in any other state where the criminal may have escaped. The priest was charged in a North Dakota court over alleged sexual advances toward two underage siblings from 1995 to 1998.
One country, two systems has come to the worlds largest steel industry. As Chinas great environmental cleanup takes effect during the winter months, the stringent curbs being implemented across the north are hurting mills output, while giving free rein to producers in the south.
Southern steel mills unaffected by the output restrictions are generally running at full speed, brokerage Nanhua Futures Co. said in a note. Theyre seeing better demand for their products as order volumes spike. Inventories are rapidly shrinking.
Mills, miners and investors have been tracking Chinas bid to rein in pollution this winter by imposing restrictions on steel supply, in addition to curbs on other industrial activity such as construction. The policy makers efforts are targeted at mills in the colder north, zeroing in on the so-called 2+26 cities, which refers to Beijing and Tianjin plus other centers. As well as skewing production, the drive is impacting raw materials, especially iron ore.
You could say it is one country, two systems, said Hong Hao, chief China strategist at Bocom International Holdings Co. in Hong Kong, using the phrase applied to China after the former British colony of Hong Kong was returned to mainland rule in 1997, yet was allowed to retain its autonomy.
Theres been stronger demand for iron ore from the southern Chinese steel mills, offset by weaker demand from the northern mills due to environmental restrictions, RBC Capital Markets said in a Nov. 15 report. The countrys mills are the largest buyers of seaborne ore, taking cargoes from miners including Brazils Vale SA and Australias BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group.
The green push in China comes toward the end of a year when steel prices have rallied, with gains sustained by better-than-expected demand as well as efforts by the government to tackle overcapacity. Spot reinforcement bar rose to 4,391 yuan (USD662) a ton on Tuesday, near the high of 4,396 yuan on Sept. 4, which was the most since 2011. Thats sent profits soaring at Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. and Hesteel Co., the listed units of the countrys top mills.
Wood Mackenzie Ltd. charted the policys uneven impact. The curbs will probably cut so-called hot-metal supplies by about 34 million tons this winter, with a reduction of 14.2 million tons this quarter and 20.2 million tons in the first three months of 2018. Still, the loss will be partly offset by production hikes from capacity outside the 2+26 region, it said in a note this month. The net decline this quarter may be just 4 million tons, it said.
Nationwide production has started to slow, official figures show. In August, China mills churned out a record 74.6 million tons. The next month it dropped to 71.8 million, and the total was little changed in October at 72.4 million.
Output in the north is already declining, demand for iron ore will be affected, said Bocoms Hong, who estimated steel production may drop by 30 million to 50 million tons. The south tends not to have restrictions normally due to weather conditions and less concentration of production.
In a sign of that trend, inventories of iron ore at ports in northern China climbed to a record 100.1 million tons this month, according to Shanghai Steelhome E-Commerce Co. At the same time, stockpiles in the south are near a one-year low after bottoming at 8.6 million tons in October. Bloomberg
A man lay on the grass, shivering beneath his bloodstained T-shirt as Chinese military doctors and U.S. Army medics hovered over him, applying a splint and an IV. Troops nearby prepared to evacuate the injured.
On a pine-studded base along the Oregon coast, military units from two seemingly unlikely partners were carrying out a joint response to a natural disaster. It was only a drill, but the roughly 100 soldiers from China and the U.S. and their top commanders are ready to use what they learned in a real disaster, no matter the state of relations between the nations.
The tensions that happen really dont impact this, because weve found an area of common interest: thats saving lives and disaster response and humanitarian assistance, Gen. Robert Brown, commander of Hawaii-based U.S. Army Pacific, told reporters this week, the closing day of the exercise.
Washington and Beijing are striving to foster military ties to avoid a confrontation and potentially work together where their interests dont collide. Thats despite a growing strategic rivalry between the two world powers and frictions over North Korea and Chinas island building in the disputed South China Sea.
Maj. Gen. Zhang Jian, a senior commander who visited Oregon, said U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed hope during Trumps visit to China this month that military relations can be a stabilizing factor. Zhang said the disaster exercises, which the U.S. and China host in alternate years, evolved from academic discussions to boots on the ground in the last few years.
I think it is very positive in the fact that it can enhance mutual understanding, it can reduce the risk of miscalculation and misperception, and will definitely help to build a more secure and stable regional situation, Zhang said through an interpreter, as Brown nodded.
U.S. and Chinese forces have not collaborated yet on disaster response, but Brown said he expects them to.
In the recent drill, the soldiers practiced responding to a massive flood. The skills also could help in an earthquake as they used a large drill to practice extricating survivors from a collapsed building, or in a tsunami.
It was the first time in the United States for most of the Chinese soldiers, who wore red flag shoulder patches on their uniforms. The Americans tried to make the Chinese feel at home as they carried out their mission. AP
Through a Bridge Project collaboration with David Weinstock (left) of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), and MIT Professor Scott Manalis (center), cell-weighing technology is being evaluated in a clinical laboratory at DFCI. MIT visiting scientist Mark Stevens is pictured at right. Credit: Samara Vise
Boston is home to two National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers: MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). Each works to advance the fight against cancer in its own unique way.
The latter draws on the collective resources of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health. The Koch Institute (KI) integrates life sciences researchers with cancer-oriented engineers to develop new insights, tools, and technologies to detect, monitor, and treat the disease.
The work of the KI builds on that of its predecessor, the MIT Center for Cancer Research, which made seminal contributions to the understanding of cancer biology in its three-plus decades as MIT's hub of cancer research. Clinical collaborations have been an important component of this enterprise for yearsbut never on the scale of the Bridge Project.
The Bridge Project was launched in 2012 to provide seed funding for collaborative research teams comprised of investigators from both MIT and Harvard University. Its goal is to foster interdisciplinary studies that combine innovative tools and methods with the translational expertise of clinical oncologists to solve today's most challenging problems in cancer research and care. It is a simple idea, uniquely suited to this community.
"In Boston, we are blessed with differently focused, world-class cancer researchers on both sides of the Charles River," says founding donor Arthur Gelb ScD '61, who is an emeritus trustee of DFCI and an emeritus MIT Corporation member. "The Bridge Project's operating presumption is that spanning the gap between themto enable truly joint research at the intersection of their disciplinesis destined to produce new, highly original, and powerful approaches to defeating cancer. The early history of the Bridge Project suggests that is exactly the case."
MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield says Gelb "had advocated collaboration between MIT and DF/HCC for a long time."
"He presented the idea to me in one of our very first conversations, shortly after I became president," Hockfield explains. "But we didn't have a vehicle to make it happen until the KI."
When the Koch Institute opened its interdisciplinary doors in 2011, the Bridge Project was one of the first initiatives to walk through them.
Fast-moving research
The first funding cycle was modest, yet aspirational. Four grants were awarded to target two of the most deadly, hard-to-treat cancer typesbrain and pancreatic. In subsequent cycles, the Bridge Project expanded to include several additional high-need disease areas, including advanced breast cancer, aggressive lung cancer, and notoriously hard-to-detect ovarian cancer, and brought the total number of projects funded to 15 within the first four years of the program.
Among these efforts was a project by KI member Angela Belcher, the James Mason Crafts Professor and professor of biological engineering and materials science and engineering at MIT, who teamed up with oncologists Michael Birrer, then the director of medical gynecologic oncology at MGH, and professor of medicine at HMS, and Marcela del Carmen, an associate professor of gynecologic oncology at MGH and professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at HMS, to adapt and refine the Belcher laboratory's highly sensitive optical imaging system harnessing genetically-engineered, nanoscale fluorescent probes for early detection, real-time imaging, and monitoring of ovarian cancers. The team initially piloted the technology as a tool for image-guided surgery, and is now using it in advanced pre-clinical investigations for diagnostics and therapy of early-stage tumors.
Another early-funded project, led by MIT associate professor of bology and KI member Matthew Vander Heiden and fellow physician-scientists William Kaelin Jr., a professor of medicine at DFCI and HMS, and Daniel Cahill, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at HMS and MGH, was focused on the development of a new imaging modality for tumors known as IDH-mutant gliomas. Their approach is being tested as a way to monitor drug response in patients with these tumors. The project also supported the discovery of novel approaches to target these cancers.
Projects like these were just the beginning, says Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute and co-leader of the Bridge Project. "As the Bridge Project gained momentum, so did the possibilities. The standards are very highwe are looking for true collaborations, rooted in real clinical need and fueled by truly innovative approaches. In exchange, we are able to catalyze progress and bring real advances to patients, very quickly."
What is it about these projects that makes them so promising? "There's a continuum of discovery," explains Jacks' co-leader David Livingston, deputy director of DF/HCC, in an interview with Bloomberg Radio. "[It] begins in basic research laboratories, goes to patients in clinics and hospitals, and then comes back, and turns into new therapeutics or new diagnostics or a new ability to figure out how [a] tumor is going to behave."
This quick-paced cycle of discovery and innovation, coupled with clinical application, is why investors and others find the Bridge Project so appealing.
In 2015, the Bridge Project received a $20 million challenge grant from the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research to further expand the program; this doubled the number of projects to be funded and introduced new Footbridge grants, for proof-of-concept studies, and Expansion Bridge grants to rapidly launch clinical trials. One of the first expansion projects is moving a new MIT-developed vaccine technology into clinical trials for lung cancer at DFCI. A second, a collaboration between KI member Michael Hemann, an associate professor of Biology at MIT; David Weinstock, an associate professor of medicine at DFCI and HMS; and Ann LaCasce, an assistant professor in medicine at HMS and instructor in medical oncology at DFCI, is already seeing promising results in active Phase 1 trials for lymphoma-targeting combination therapy. Other projects, new and continuing, will spring into action as additional funds are raised toward this challenge.
An additional research focus on pediatric brain cancer, initiated in 2016, spawned three new off-cycle projects, including the first-ever Bridge Project super-team, consisting of eight laboratories across Harvard and MIT, combining expertise in genomics, cell signaling, immunology, microfluidics, and nanotechnology, to develop non-invasive diagnostics and combination therapeutics to target aggressive gliomas in young patients.
Thanks to continuing support from philanthropic donors, and the tireless work of researchers, administrators, and reviewers, the Bridge Project has processed 160 applications and funded 37 projects led by researchers from 78 laboratories at MIT and DF/HCC. Each project includes researchers from both sides of the Charles River: 92 percent of past Bridge Project teams have joint publications, and 11 invention disclosures have been filed. The program, which is entirely supported by philanthropy, has raised more than $30 million, but there is more work to be done, especially in regard to the challenge grant.
Investing in success
Bridge Project research is poised to directly improve patient outcomes. A collaboration between Weinstock and KI member Scott Manalis, the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor and professor of biological and mechanical engineering, has seen startling success.
Their initial proposal to use a novel microfluidic device to measure the drug sensitivity of tumor cells has proven successful across a variety of cancer types. With published results in studying both acute lymphoblastic leukemia and glioblastoma multiforme, the MIT team's cell-weighing technology is now being evaluated in a clinical laboratory at DFCI in which live cells from an individual patient can be exposed to different drugs to measure sensitivity, with the ultimate goal of determining if the technology can identify the best course of treatment for that patient. Their approach has seen particular success in mirroring how patients with multiple myeloma respond to different therapies.
The KI/DFCI collaboration also earned a prestigious U54 grant from the National Cancer Institute, amplifying the effect of the Bridge Project work through federal funding and multi-institutional support. The technology is being further developed by Travera, the team's newly-launched startup.
Indeed, entrepreneurship offers yet another path to clinical translation. MIT spinoff PanTher Therapeutics, focused on improving therapeutic solutions to inoperable solid tumors, grew directly out of a Bridge Project grant.
"The Bridge Project gave us the money to do the science," says CEO Laura Indolfi, a former postdoc in the laboratory of KI member Elazer Edelman, the Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Professor of Health Sciences and Technology. "Once we saw the resultsa 12 times improvement in response rate for pancreatic cancerwe were able to take that proof-of-concept to business validation as a finalist in the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, and incubate it."
With support from MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, Indolfi and her team were able to de-risk the project and scale it up, launching PanTher in 2015. The team then won a "golden ticket" to LabCentral from Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2016, providing the company with lab space to further develop their technology. They are currently transitioning from seed funding to Series A and hope to begin clinical trials in 2019; conversations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are already underway.
Such clinical impact is usually a long way off for university researchers. The typical "bench to bedside" trajectory is on the order of a decade or more; to have so many projects in pre-clinical studies, pursuing FDA approval for clinical trials in such a short period of time is a testament to the Bridge Project's goal of meeting the most urgent, unmet needs of cancer care.
Beyond the bridge
The Bridge Project has yielded unexpected benefits for researchers. Following the review of their collaborative Bridge Project application, KI member Darrell Irvine, a professor of biological engineering and materials science and engineering at MIT, and two DFCI immunologists, Michael Goldberg, an assistant professor of cancer immunology and virology at DFCI and assistant professor of microbiology and immunobiology at HMS, and Kai Wucherpfennig, director of DFCI's Center for Cancer Immunotherapy Research and a professor of microbiology and immunobiology at HMS, decided to apply together for outside funding to support their proposed work. In 2014, they received a prominent Team Science Award from the Melanoma Research Association to improve the use of immunotherapy in cancer treatment through targeted nanoparticle delivery of small molecule drugs.
There are also instances of Bridge Project research changing the course of investigators' career paths. Indolfi, for example, took on the drug delivery work of her advisor's Bridge Project award as a side project, never imagining that it would be spun out and lead her into entrepreneurship.
Former MIT Department of Biology graduate student Mark Stevens, on the other hand, was positive that he was industry-bound when he joined the Manalis Lab. However, as he was starting to wrap up his initial thesis work using the lab's microfluidic device to measure the masses of cells to learn about their metabolic properties, he became attracted to his advisor's nascent collaboration with DFCI, which was just taking off. He was drawn to the project's potential for patient-centric development, and using cell lines, mouse models, and patient samples from the collaborating labs at DFCI, ultimately added a component focused on testing for tumor drug susceptibility to his thesis.
Two years past his PhD thesis defense, Stevens now holds a joint appointment between MIT and DFCI, driven by the Bridge Project's support, where aforementioned clinical studies with the cell-weighing technology are ongoing. He describes this new position as an opportunity to provide much-needed translation, in every sense of the word, between academic and clinical settings.
"There is a lot of lip service paid to interdisciplinary research, which can have less familiar, or well-defined metrics for success," Stevens says. "This uncertainty leads to an environment where what is actually supported is relatively subject-specific, niche expertise. Programs like the Bridge Project provide a context where interdisciplinary boundaries can really be pushed."
As a result, Stevens finds himself in what he calls a "nexus" position: working to make connections between fundamental biology research and clinical need, and pushing research forward on a much faster timescale than he had originally anticipated.
Such accelerated trajectories were exactly what Gelb had in mind when he first approached the institutional leaders about the potential partnership. The collaborative nature of the work, Gelb says, provides "viewpoints, tools, and methods that would not necessarily occur to researchers focused only on the underlying biology, important as that may be." This multidisciplinary perspective is, with every new project, reshaping the way cancer researchers talk to and learn from each other.
Of course, one can argue that many of these conversations would or could have happened without an official agreement, but like so many scientific endeavors, making connections is keyamong researchers and investors alike.
"The Bridge Project got off the ground through philanthropic funding," says Hockfield. "It would have been impossible for us to make those clinically relevant projects work if we had had to wait for the standard grant mechanisms."
These initial investments in the Bridge Project are paying off, in the clinic, in the marketplace, and in an increasingly resource-challenged research environment. In September, the Bridge Project was honored by Boston's life sciences and biotech community, having been chosen by a panel of judges as the winning "Big Idea" at the Xconomy inaugural awards ceremony. Additionally, the collaboration has been credited by some for contributing to the high scores that both partnering institutions received on their respective Cancer Center Support Grant reviews by the National Cancer Institute in 2014.
Still, the research will not rest on these laurels, nor will the people behind it. The Bridge Project is, at its heart, about peoplepatients, researchers, physicians, and all those who keep its momentum moving forward. The Bridge Project is about rapid acceleration of progress. The ideas and technologies being developed in research laboratories have the potential to affect the cancer patients of today and tomorrow, but it is the investigators themselves, together with their philanthropic partners, who are, at an unprecedented rate, bridging the gaps between bench and bedside.
This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
(HealthDay)Spouses of female physicians are on average more educated and work more hours outside the home than spouses of male physicians, according to a research letter published online Nov. 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dan P. Ly, M.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues used data from the American Community Survey (between 2000 and 2015) to compare self-reported occupation, personal income, hours worked outside the home, and graduate education status between spouses of male versus female physicians (30,898 and 17,625, respectively).
The researchers found that among male physicians, 17.1 percent were married to female physicians, 8.0 percent to nurses, and 3.3 percent to other health care professionals, versus 31.4, 0.6, and 2.4 percent, respectively, among female physicians. Among couples consisting of only one physician, income, hours worked outside the home, and graduate education status differed greatly between spouses of male physicians and female physicians. For instance, spouses of male physicians earned $27,218 annually, compared with $97,761 for spouses of female physicians.
"This marital pattern may affect decisions on intrahousehold time allocation, placing greater pressure on female physicians to trade professional for household responsibilities," the authors write.
Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Glucocorticoids, a class of steroid hormone medications often prescribed to patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), offer long-term benefits for this disease, including longer preservation of muscle strength and function and decreased risk of death. These findings support the standard prescribing practices in many clinics and could help sway parents who are on the fence about their children receiving these therapies, say authors of a study published online Nov. 22, 2017 in The Lancet.
DMD is characterized by loss of muscle function and progressive muscle weakness that begins in the lower limbs and typically affects males due to the location of its causative genetic mutation. Patients with this devastating neuromuscular disease often receive glucocorticoids at some point as the disease progresses. Studies since the late 1980s have confirmed short-term benefits to treating with these drugs, including delaying the loss of muscle strength and function.
However, no prospective study had followed long-term glucocorticoid use in these patients, explains Heather Gordish-Dressman, Ph.D., a statistician at the Center for Genetic Medicine Research at Children's National Health System and study senior author. The lack of long-term data led some physicians to delay treatment with these drugs since their use can lead to significant side effects, including weight gain, delayed growth and immunosuppression.
"Everyone had the idea that long-term use could be beneficial, but nobody had really rigorously tested that," Gordish-Dressman says.
Craig McDonald, M.D., a University of California, Davis, professor and lead author of the study adds: "This long-term, follow-up study provides the most definitive evidence that the benefits of glucocorticoid steroid therapy in DMD extend over the entire lifespan. Most importantly, patients with Duchenne using glucocorticoids experienced an overall reduction in risk of death by more than 50 percent."
To determine whether the short-term benefits of these drugs extend in the long term, Gordish-Dressman and researchers scattered across the country tapped data from the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group's Duchenne Natural History Study, the largest study to follow patients with DMD over time. They gathered data for 440 males with DMD aged 2 to 8 years old. About 22 percent had never taken glucocorticoids or had taken these medications for less than one year. The remainder had taken them for at least one year or longer.
By analyzing data for up to 10 years for these patients, the long-term benefits became clear, Gordish-Dressman adds. Glucocorticoid treatment for patients who received it for more than one year delayed loss of mobility milestones that affected the lower limbs by 2.1 to 4.4 years, such as going from supine to standing, climbing four stairs, and walking or running 10 meters, compared with boys who received the medications for less than one year. Long-term glucocorticoid therapy also delayed the loss of mobility milestones in upper limbs, such as hand function, performing a full overhead reach and raising the hands to the mouth.
Long-term use of these drugs also was associated with a decreased risk of death over the length of the study. Furthermore, deflazacorta glucocorticoid recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for DMDdelayed loss of the ability to move from supine position to standing, walking and hand-to-mouth function significantly better than prednisone, the most popular glucocorticoid prescribed for DMD in the United States.
Gordish-Dressman says that glucocorticoids are currently a standard part of care for most patients with DMD, with some clinics prescribing these medications as soon as patients are diagnosed. However, because long-term data supporting their use was lacking, some physicians hesitate to prescribe glucocorticoids until the disease had progressed, when patients already had lost significant function.
Future studies will examine which medicines in this class of drugs and which regimens might offer the most benefits as well as how benefits differ with longer-term medication use.
Returned foreign fighters bar graph. Credit: The Soufan Centre
We now have a unique moment to ensure perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflict do not go unpunished. In a recent keynote address to the UN Peacekeeping Defence Minister's summit in Vancouver, actor and global campaigner Angelina Jolie said it was a myth that sexual violence was not a "serious" enough crime to warrant prosecution and imprisonment. She also said it was wrong to think nothing could be done to stop sexual violence in armed conflict, as many countries already have the "laws, the institutions, and the expertise in gathering evidence. What is missing is the political will."
The Australian Senate passed a landmark motion last week, recognising the sexual violence Islamic State perpetrated in Syria and Iraq as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. They have now called for the Government to "investigate Australians who have allegedly perpetrated war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including through the use of sexual violence, and prosecute them as appropriate."
Survivors need more than recognition of their suffering
Human rights activist Nadia Murad recently published a book documenting her story of captivity and her fight against Islamic State. In 2014, Murad was kidnapped from her village of Kocho in northern Iraq. Islamic State sold her into sexual slavery in Mosul, where she was beaten, tortured and gang raped before escaping her captors. She now lives in Germany and advocates for justice for women and girls like her who were subjected to gross sexual violence as part of Islamic State's genocide of the Yazidis. Last year, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite her heartfelt speeches to the UN calling for the investigation and prosecution of Islamic State fighters, not a single perpetrator has been prosecuted.
Several UN agencies acknowledge what happened to the Yazidis as genocide. The US State Department and US Congress, European Parliament, UK House of Commons, French and Scottish Parliaments, and Canada's House of Commons have also recognised the genocide. But survivors want more than recognition of what they have suffered.They want justice.
Foreign fighters returning home
Of the estimated 30,000 people who travelled from 89 countries to fight with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, thousands came from countries like Australia, France and the UK. As Jolie said in her address, suitable legal and justice institutions exist in these countries and sexual violence is criminalised. When sexual violence is perpetrated as part of an armed conflict, it is a war crime; when that violence is widespread or systematic, it's a crime against humanity; and when it's used to destroy in whole or in part, an ethnic, racial or religious group, it is genocide.
As the power of Islamic State declines in the region, many foreign fighters are returning home. Others, like Australia's Neil Prakash, are facing extradition. It is estimated that about 200 Australians travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight. Of the two thousand French foreign fighters, an estimated 270 have returned home. 850 people joined Islamic State from the United Kingdom, almost half of whom have returned home.
What needs to happen
The recent motion passed in the Australian Senate builds on one passed in the House of Representatives that also called for the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence in war. It is hoped that by the end of the year, the lower house will also pass a motion specifically on the Yazidi genocide.
In Australia, sexual violence in conflict is criminalised under Division 268 of the Criminal Code Act (1995). The crimes perpetrated by Islamic State may also come under our slavery and human trafficking legislation, which fall under Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code. Once parliament has agreed the government needs to investigate and prosecute these crimes, resources need to be allocated so investigative organisations like the Australian Federal Police can work with their counterparts to can gather sufficient evidence that the Commonwealth Directorate of Public Prosecutions can make a case, and perpetrators can be convicted and sentenced.
If countries like Australia prosecuted their own nationals for sexual violence they perpetrated while fighting with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, it would go some way to achieving justice for the victims and ending impunity for sexual and gender based violence in conflict. With Australia's example, we can advocate for other like-minded countries to do the same.
Tonight, the Gender Institute and Centre for Military and Security Law at the Australian National University will host a public event bringing together social justice campaigners with political and legal experts and representatives of survivors of the genocide to discuss how to address the barriers to justice for these crimes.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The World Health Organization is urging countries to restrict the use of antibiotics in food animal production. Food producers in many countries feed low-dose antibiotics to farm animals to encourage the animals to grow bigger and faster, which, in return, contributes to the antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, says, "When you look at the amount of antibiotics used in the U. S., about 75 percent is actually used in animals and not humans. We know that the overuse of antibiotics is the single biggest driver of antibiotic resistance. And that's why the use of antibiotics in our food supply is one of our biggest concerns."
WHY ARE ANTIBIOTICS USED IN FARM ANIMALS?
"Antibiotics are used in animals for a number of different reasons," says Dr. Rajapakse. "Certainly, they are used to treat animals who have infections. They can be used to try and prevent infections in animals. And, in some situations, they are used to promote the growth of animals. It's really these last two categories that we are most concerned with. And it's this mass use of antibiotics in many hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of animals that really contributes to the development of resistance and poses a risk to humans, as well."
GOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS
Dr. Rajapakse says, "We've heard from a few large food restaurants and fast-food chains about trying to eliminate or reduce the use of antibiotics in the food products that they serve. This is great to see and is really important."
"As consumers, we encourage people to try and consume and buy food products that are produced without the use of antibiotics," Dr. Rajapakse says. "The more we support these types of practices amongst businesses, the more likely other businesses are to catch on and start to incorporate these types of policies themselves."
2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
As White Ribbon Day approaches, a study of Australian women in regional, rural and remote locations has shown they tend to experience longer periods of domestic violence than city women before accessing support services.
The qualitative study of country women's experience of violence in their intimate relationships highlights this link to their geographical isolation when it comes to how they cope with domestic and family violence.
The study also found that men from regional, rural and remote locations who used violence in their intimate relationships were usually only offered a legal response.
"Services like counselling or group work, which are offered in urban areas, isn't available because of population size and anonymity issues, so support for men is limited," says lead researcher Professor Wendt, from Flinders University's College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women or White Ribbon Day, marked on 25 November this year, draws attention to the issue of preventing men's violence against women and gender equality and asks the community to engage and help to stop violence towards woman.
Women from rural South Australia and Western Australia participated in the Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) study led by Professor Wendt.
Professor Wendt's paper, Seeking help for domestic and family violence: exploring regional, rural, and remote women's coping experiences, was published in the ANROWS Horizon Research report.
The project used a qualitative research design to gain insights into women's help-seeking behaviour and coping mechanisms.
Professor Wendt says many women who participated in the study didn't view distance as a barrier to accessing services, instead relying on friends and relatives for support.
"Women from remote or regional share similar experiences to all women who face this issue, but they cope alone for long periods. Often a crisis is the catalyst for seeking help," Professor Wendt says.
The study also found that strategies for seeking help were often influenced by their network of friends and family outside of the home, with differences in the way Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women experienced domestic and family violence.
Aboriginal women mostly described having strong family networks and support, but most non-Aboriginal women had limited family networks so were more likely to seek support from friends and acquaintances.
In some cases the absence of informal networks means some women did not reach out for help at all.
The study also examined how workforce, resources affect service provision in rural and remote regions. Professor Wendt says workers were often impacted by their geographical location.
"Domestic violence workers are often working in crisis mode due to limitations and lack of resources; preventative or other work is harder because of this. Workers felt the geographical isolation, rather than social isolation, negatively affected their wellbeing," Professor Wendt says.
White Ribbon Day will be marked by Flinders University with a light display on its Tonsley building at Clovelly Park.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Ovarian tissue that was frozen a decade ago was implanted last week in a 25-year-old cancer survivor who hopes that reviving the tissue from suspended animation will allow her to start a family.
The procedure - which involves myriad disciplines in medicine, cell biology and surgery - is known as an ovarian transplant and was performed at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, marking a series of "firsts."
It was the first ovarian transplant on Long Island, the first performed anywhere on an outpatient basis and the first such transplant to involve a surgical robot.
A team accomplished the two-hour procedure recently, led by Dr. Kutluk Oktay, the surgeon-scientist who was the first in the world to perform the technique nearly two decades ago at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, now part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital network. This time around, the multi-armed Da Vinci surgical robot was instrumental in the transplant.
"I developed the procedure and my first case was in 1999; it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine," said Oktay, an attending physician at NYU Winthrop and a leading expert in the field of fertility preservation. He also is a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine.
He studied with scientific teams in this country and abroad to create a method of preserving fertility for young women diagnosed with cancer and at risk of never having children. Harsh cancer therapies induce menopause, and hence infertility.
The good news: About 90 babies have been born via ovarian transplants since the early 2000s.
Oktay's patient at NYU Winthrop, whom he has known since 2007, did not want to disclose her name. But she gave her doctor permission to convey highlights of her long and arduous medical journey.
"She was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 15, which required a bone marrow transplant. Patients receive huge doses of chemo and radiation, which can wipe out all of the eggs," Oktay said. "Prior to her leukemia treatment, I removed one of her ovaries, which contained all of the immature eggs at that time."
Ovaries are twin reproductive organs, each about the size of a walnut, that produce ova, or egg cells. Each egg cell possesses 23 chromosomes, which is the maternal half of a baby's full genetic dowry of 46. Each parent donates 23 at the moment of conception.
In 2007, key portions of the patient's surgically removed ovary were finely cut into what the doctor described as 15 to 20 "slivers" - super-thin grafts of ovarian tissue that were preserved by freezing .
Each graft, Oktay explained, was treated with the cryoprotective agent dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, which prevents crystal formation in cells. Left untreated, ice crystals would form and puncture the cells, rendering them useless.
"You don't want to freeze the whole ovary," Oktay said. "The immature eggs are on the surface, so we peel off that layer. This is what we cut into tiny slivers."
Each sliver was placed in small vials about the size of a lipstick tube and then into canisters that were placed in a liquid nitrogen chamber. The temperature can be dropped to an otherworldly minus 140 degrees Celsius, which is about minus 220 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly as cold as the surface of Jupiter.
"We use a program of slow-freezing, slowly bringing down the temperature," Oktay said. "We use slow freezing so there is no shock to the cells."
The cryopreserved specimens can remain indefinitely in a state of suspended animation and thawed when women are ready for them. The grafts were stored at Manhattan CryoBank, a cell and tissue repository.
Oktay's patient contacted him recently to begin the process, which is geared toward restoring ovulation and the flow of reproductive hormones.
"She has gotten married and wants to start a family," Oktay said. "So we are trying to help her."
For Oktay, perfecting a method to preserve fertility for women who have had cancer is the result of years of effort. He studied with researchers in Britain before working with patients in Brooklyn, and also while on staff at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan.
Adding the Da Vinci robot to the procedure is new and allows the tissue grafts to be introduced into the patient through a smaller incision via the robot's tiny "hands." Oktay implanted about 14 of the preserved grafts into his patient's remaining, menopausal ovary.
Fertility doctors worldwide have long suggested that the technique has possibilities for women with other medical conditions that have debilitating therapies, or for women who want to postpone childbirth.
Rosaria Ruttenber, 39, who was treated twice for Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic tissue, said ovarian transplantation worked perfectly. Her daughter, Juliana, was born in 2014.
Ruttenber, who lives in Norwalk, Connecticut, said her right ovary was removed 16 years ago and cryopreserved before she underwent cancer treatment when she was 23. Through in vitro fertilization, her preserved eggs were merged with her husband's sperm. The couple now has seven cryopreserved embryos.
"It has been a long road and well worth it. Looking back, I am glad we did it," said Ruttenber, who is looking forward to trying for a second child.
2017 Newsday
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Spaniards top EU bar and restaurant spending rankings
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
14.8 per cent of household budgets in Spain is spent in cafes, bars and restaurants!
A survey compiled by the EUs statistics bureau has found that Spaniards spend a larger proportion of their household outgoings revenue in bars and restaurants than any other nationality in the Union, with the figure accounting for as much as 14.8 per cent of all expenses.
The Eurostat survey concludes that in Spain the largest single item on the expenses side of the household budget is, not surprisingly, on the home itself, although this category is only 50 per cent more important than eating and drinking outside the home at 22.3 per cent of the total. This compares with an EU average of 24.5 per cent, with the countries where the family home accounts for the highest proportion of expenses being Denmark, Finland and the UK (all around 30 per cent). Next in the ranking are France (26.2%), Sweden (26%) and the Czech Republic, while at the other end of the scale are Malta (10.3%), Lithuania (15.6%), Cyprus (15.9%), Estonia (17.6%) and Portugal (18.8%).
In the EU as a whole the next largest item on the household budget is food (11.1 per cent), while bars, restaurants, cafes and pubs account for only 6.9 per cent of spending. But it is in this latter category that Spain is the undisputed leader, the figure of 14.8 per cent comfortably topping a table in which the nearest challengers are the Republic of Ireland (13.2%), Malta (12%) and Greece (11.5%).
This doubtless reflects the bar and cafe culture which leads to workers and families being comfortable with the idea of having breakfast, lunch or dinner in a bar or cafe, and children being welcome in bars at all times of day throughout Spain!
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The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa has dismissed a complaint from a DStv customer who wanted to access channels in Italy.
He lodged a complaint with the ASA against DStvs advertisement which promoted DStvs Premium Subscription Streaming.
The advertisement states you can enjoy your favourite TV programs anytime, anywhere, stream live TV, and stay up to date with the biggest shows on Catch Up.
When the customer discovered DStv streaming was not available in Italy, he felt deceived by the advert arguing it was misleading.
DStv said the phrase anytime, anywhere refers to convenience rather than geographic location.
In other words, subscribers who have access to DStv Now may access DStv anywhere outside their homes, said DStv.
The ASA agreed with DStv, saying the claim is meant to emphasise that DStv can be accessed on portable devices such as a smartphone or laptop.
This was not the case previously, where subscribers could only access DStv content through fixed decoders connected to TVs.
The ASA accepted that the word anywhere does not imply the service is available internationally.
The complaint was subsequently dismissed.
Now read: DStv Black Friday 2017 deals unveiled
Russias Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov said the country will never consider Bitcoin as a legal entity.
This is because it is a foreign project for using blockchain technology, reported Tass.
However, I think that it is quite possible to use blockchain technology and the use of various digital tokens, he said.
Nikiforovs statement comes after Russias finance minister Anton Siluanov assured the country they would not outlaw existing cryptocurrencies.
Tass highlighted that Nikiforovs ministry submitted a document to the government containing technical details relating to cryptocurrency adoption.
Nikiforov added that the finance ministry will have the final word on the matter.
Oil prices may reach $120 a barrel and stay at this level for 2 years
Zelenskyy receives 'signals' that Putin wants direct talks
Security Service of Ukraine puts Ramzan Kadyrov on wanted list
Unidentified men open fire at market in Izeh city in southwestern Iran
Karen Donfried tries to explain State Department's decision to exempt Azerbaijan from 907th Amendment
Philip Reeker says U.S. administration representatives have no access to Nagorno-Karabakh
Rimac Nevera sets speed record for production electric cars
Reeker: Pace and depth of current talks between Yerevan and Baku demonstrate potential to resolve conflict
FBI director considers TikTok threat to US National Security
Bob Menendez says Ukraine supplies Azerbaijan with phosphorus bombs it used in Karabakh
Delegation headed by Speaker of Armenian Parliament is in Tbilisi
Austin: U.S. intends to continue supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine during winter
Armenian politician charged with abuse of office, money laundering
Karen Donfried says Armenia and Azerbaijan have historic opportunity to establish lasting peace
Bob Menendez: How can the U.S. justify security assistance to the Baku regime?
Azerbaijan fires at residents of Sarushen village of Artsakh
Head of Portugal's Finance Ministry: EU countries must work faster on energy intervention
Kuwait executes 7 prisoners
Czech Republic plans to train up to 4,000 Ukrainian servicemen next year
Ukraine once again asks US for powerful drones
Belarusian border guards shoot down drone intruding into airspace from Ukraine
Armenian Deputy PM: Regional electricity export opportunities significantly increased
Greek authorities temporarily ban export of firewood from country
Azerbaijan protests to France in connection with Senate resolution
Blinken calls on Aliyev to observe ceasefire and limit provocations
Pashinyan: We're advancing rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinyan: Armenia invites Azerbaijan to sign framework agreement on peace
Pashinyan: Most of the arable land of 4 villages in Tavush Province is occupied by Azerbaijanis
Armenian Prime Minister: Let the opposition loudly reject Russia's proposals
Pashinyan: 2023 budget growth in social protection compared to 2018 is 56%
Inflation in UK up to 41-year high of 11.1% in October
Pashinyan: We don't want to provoke war between CSTO and Azerbaijan
Pashinyan's explanation: How should we fight inflation?
Pashinyan: Armenia submitted its proposals for peace treaty to Azerbaijan, we are waiting for a response
Pashinyan: Army budget 2023 more than doubled compared to 2018
CNN: CIA director visits Kyiv
Macron urges Iran to calm down and respect the French
IRGC forces detain Mossad spy in southern Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister expresses dissatisfaction with number of 'unrealistic comments' by Azerbaijani officials
Parliament Vice-Speaker: Armenian military-industrial complex able to establish serial production of military products
Armen Grigoryan receives Major General Daniel Lasica
Poland says Ukrainian missile could be cause of explosion
Ivanka Trump says she will not participate in her father's presidential campaign
KGB of Belarus states about 'threat of intervention' from Baltic States, Ukraine, and Poland
Belarus says AFU blew up bridges in direction of Gomel and Mozyr
22-year-old soldier dies in accident with army truck in Armenia
Indonesian president hands over G20 presidency to India
Azerbaijani Ombudswoman's distorted perception of reality: French Senate Resolution 'will undermine peace in the region'
Nikol Pashinyan holds telephone conversation with Irakli Garibashvili
Four explosions blow up in sky over Belgorod
NATO Secretary General to hold meeting of alliance on incident in Poland
Finnish Foreign Ministry: Many in NATO believe that Turkey has created an awkward situation for the alliance
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem receives group of wounded participants of 44-day Karabakh war
AP: Drone with explosives attacks oil tanker off the coast of Oman
LPR announces attack by AFU from Popasna to Kharkiv Oblast
Toyota reveals next-generation Toyota Prius hybrid
Central Bank head: State Budget deficit in Armenia to grow to 3.1% of GDP in 2023
Erdogan believes Russia had nothing to do with the missile incident in Poland
Thanasis Bakolas shares concerns that Armenian politician banned from leaving Armenia
Biden and Sunak discuss missile incident in Poland at G20 summit
Russian Defense Ministry: Elements of the Ukrainian S-300 system fell in Poland
Erdogan: Biden administration is determined to sell F-16s to Turkey
Gold price remains stable
Copper falls in price
Microsoft to leave Azerbaijan
G7 and NATO leaders say they are ready to support Poland in investigation of bombings
Joe Biden asks Congress for new funding for Ukraine
Finance Minister: Capital expenses will greatly increase in Armenia in 2023
Azerbaijani MFA accuses French Senate of undermining relations normalization process between Baku and Yerevan
Armen Grigoryan to pay working visit to India
AP: Missile falls in Poland may have been fired by Ukraine to shoot down Russian missile
Erdogan plans to discuss fertilizer transportation and grain deal with Putin
Oil price falls
Blinken calls on Armenian Prime Minister to maintain momentum of peace talks with Azerbaijan
CNN: NATO aircraft tracked the trajectory of the missile that fell in eastern Poland
Armenian FM to visit Tunisia
Yerevan draft budget 2023 revealed
U.S. Embassy: Major General Daniel Lasica arrives in Armenia
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YEREVAN. Not solely a Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member country, but also even an observer country shall not take steps that harm the member countries.
Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan stated about the aforementioned to reporters, after Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia. He said this commenting on the chances of Azerbaijan joining the EAEU.
Azerbaijans being in the makeup of the EAEU means maintaining the Eurasian Economic Union agreement provision by which even an [EAEU] observer state, not only a member, should not take any action to the detriment of member states, or the Eurasian Economic Union, in general, noted Kocharyan. That implies that if Azerbaijan wishes to come closer to the EAEU in this or that way, it shall not take such steps.
The Deputy FM stressed that if Azerbaijan maintains the abovementioned condition, Armenia will welcome its accession to the EAEU.
And that means that Azerbaijan shall lift the blockade [of Armenia], added Shavarsh Kocharyan. That means not carrying out inimical actions against Armenia. That means putting an end to Armenophobia.
The Eurasian Economic Union comprises Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
YEREVAN. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, on Thursday received a delegation, led by chief executive officer Jean-Yves Charlier of VEON Group telecommunication services company.
Referring to the results of the VEON Global Leadership meeting held in capital city Yerevan, the guests thanked the Armenian government for the favorable conditions created in the telecommunication sector, as well as for the quick-responsiveness in addressing the challenges raised by industry representatives, press office of the government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The Prime Minister noted that the government is interested in the development and expansion of the private sector; in particular, through increased investment in telecommunications. Karen Karapetyan suggested paying greater attention to education, and thereby contributing to the development of highly qualified specialists for their businesses. The Premier added that the state is keen to promote cooperation between the business community and the system of education. He expressed confidence that this will help tap the potential available in information technologies and telecommunications.
At todays Cabinet meeting, we made amendments to tax and customs administration-related laws, which provide for crucial regulations for foreign investors, stressed Karapetyan. We are convinced that the business will appreciate the proposed amendments. The government is ready to respond to any problem emerging in business. We also plan further activities to develop the public-private sector partnership.
Charlier, for his part, agreed on the importance of educational programs, and noted that VEON will continue implementing investment programs in Armenia. In his words, the respective 2018 action plan for Armenia has been developed.
At the ensuing talk, reference was made to the programs planned for Gyumri. In particular, the possibility of VEONs involvement in the restoration of communication infrastructure was discussed.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 36 other human rights NGOs have released a joint open letter urging the European Union"s leaders to press for an end to the crackdown in Azerbaijan when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attends the EU"s Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on 24 November.
We, the undersigned organisations, are writing ahead of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev"s visit to Brussels to participate in the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit on 24 November. We urge you to use any opportunity you will have during the summit to call on president Aliyev to end the human rights crackdown and commit to concrete and sustainable human rights reforms in Azerbaijan. These include releasing individuals imprisoned on bogus, politically motivated charges; and reforming legislation that effectively prevents independent non-governmental organisations from operating and accessing funding.
Among the 20 Deliverables for the Eastern Partnership by 2020, the European Union has, notably, identified a vibrant civil society as a pre-requisite for "democratic, stable, prosperous and resilient communities and nations."
Yet in recent years, the Azerbaijani government"s actions sharply contradict the latter and the spirit of this important Eastern Partnership commitment. Azerbaijan has adopted and enforced laws and regulations that severely restrict, rather than foster, a vibrant civil society. It has eliminated independent media, heavily filtered internet, and imprisoned and otherwise sought to silence independent journalists, civic and political activists who are essential to any kind of civil society envisaged by the Eastern Partnership.
The government"s continued crackdown on civil society and independent media has coincided with negotiations on the new, enhanced bilateral agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan. We firmly believe that the pace of those negotiations should largely depend on the progress Azerbaijan is willing to make in respect for fundamental rights.
Although in 2016 the government released 17 unjustly imprisoned human rights defenders and government critics, their convictions stand, and some face travel restrictions and are unable to do their work without undue government interference; those released on suspended sentences could also be sent back to prison. The authorities continue to use bogus, tax-related, and other politically motivated criminal charges to jail critical journalists and bloggers; at least 11 of them are currently in prison.
Azerbaijan is ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders" 2017 World Freedom Index. In May 2017, unidentified people abducted journalist Afgan Mukhtarli in neighboring Georgia, and illegally brought him to Azerbaijan, where the authorities pressed bogus criminal charges against him. In August, the authorities launched investigation against Azerbaijan"s last remaining independent news agency, Turan, and a criminal case against its founder and chief editor, Mehman Aliyev, who is now under house arrest on trumped-up tax evasion and other charges. In May 2017, authorities blocked the websites of Azadliq, the newspaper of one of Azerbaijan"s main opposition parties, and of three news outlets that have to operate from abroad: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Azerbaijan Service, Meydan TV, and Azerbaycan Saati. In March, a court sentenced Mehman Huseynov, the chairman of the Institute for Reporters" Freedom and Safety (IRFS), and well-known anti-corruption blogger, to two years in prison for allegedly defaming the staff of a police station. Huseynov had publicized how several police officers arbitrarily detained and beat him, and used electric shock against him in January.
Many government critics or political opposition activists remain behind bars. Among them is Ilgar Mammadov, the leader of a pro-democracy opposition movement who in 2013 tried to run for president and who has been in prison since his arrest in early 2013 on fabricated charges of inciting violent protests. The government has ignored a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights and defied nearly a dozen resolutions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe calling for Ilgar Mammadov"s release. On 25 October, the Committee took the unprecedented decision and triggered the infringement proceedings against Azerbaijan, provided by Article 46 4 of the European Convention, following its failure to implement the Court"s judgment on Mammadov"s case. The proceedings could eventually lead to the Council of Europe sanctioning Azerbaijan, for example by suspending its voting rights in the Parliamentary Assembly.
Non-governmental organisations in Azerbaijan face serious obstacles to operating due to laws and regulations that require both donors and grantees to separately obtain government approval for every grant under consideration. The government has used broad discretion to deny this approval, and the authorities have convicted and imprisoned NGO leaders who failed to obtain it.
In January 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers slightly simplified the procedure by which non-governmental groups must register their funding, but this has not reduced the discretion the authorities have to arbitrarily deny funding approval.
Since 2015, Azerbaijan"s status in two international initiatives has been downgraded due to the government"s failure to meet specific commitments to foster civil society. These include suspension of Azerbaijan"s status by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which promotes revenue transparency in the gas, oil, and mining industries, and downgrading to "inactive" status by the Open Government Partnership, a voluntary initiative promoting government transparency and accountability.
In October 2017, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted two strongly worded resolutions on Azerbaijan, urging the government to cease its unrelenting crackdown against critics.
At a time when the Azerbaijani government"s defiance of its civil-society commitments has prompted two standards-based organisations to downgrade Azerbaijan"s status, and has driven the Council of Europe member states to take unprecedented collective action on Azerbaijan"s blatant breach of the European Convention, the European Union appears eager to conclude a partnership agreement with the government.
The European Union is a values-based institution. While it has common interests with Azerbaijan, shared interests without shared values will not lead to a strong and reliable partnership. Instead, it is likely to lead to a situation in which Azerbaijan believes European values are negotiable. This risk is illustrated by recent investigations by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealing that members of Azerbaijan"s political elite were engaged in establishing and making use of a money laundering scheme and slush fund amounting to USD 2.9 billion, some of which was used to attempt to influence several European politicians to, among other things, whitewash Azerbaijan"s human rights record.
Under these circumstances, it is of the utmost importance that the EU leaders convey the message to President Aliyev that the conclusion of any new agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as the quality of the EU-Azerbaijan relationship, depends on the Azerbaijani government"s steps to address the EU"s human rights concerns. The EU would send the wrong political message to the Azerbaijani and other governments if it fails to bring meaningful political consequences for the continued detention of critics, human rights defenders and media professionals.
We urge the heads of the EU member states and the EU to abide by the obligations under article 21 of the Lisbon Treaty, as well as the commitments spelled out in the EU"s Strategic Framework for Human Rights and Democracy to "[...] promote human rights in all areas of its external action without exception". In the most recent Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, the EU and its member states committed to "promoting stronger positions on civic freedoms and against any reduction in the space for civil society to act."
During your meeting with President Aliyev, at the Eastern Partnership Summit, we urge you to insist on:
The Immediate and unconditional release of Ilgar Mammadov and the prompt and unconditional release of all other wrongfully imprisoned human rights defenders and civil society and political activists who were prosecuted in retaliation for their legitimate activities.
Absolute respect for free speech and media freedoms, including the prompt and unconditional release of all journalists and social media activists wrongfully put in detention; the dropping of all charges against Mehman Aliyev, and an end to the investigation against Turan.
An immediate end to the use of travel bans to arbitrarily restrict freedom of movement and professional activity, including in respect of investigative journalist Khadija Ismaiylova, human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev, and others.
Reform of laws and regulations on nongovernmental organisations and their access to foreign funding, in accordance with the Venice Commission recommendations.
YEREVAN. The European Armenian Federation for Justice & Democracy is optimistic about signing Armenian-EU comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement during the Eastern Partnership summit, Harut Shirinyan, Public Relations and Communications Officer at European Armenian Federation for Justice & Democracy (EAFJD) told Armenian News NEWS.am.
The agreement is very important especially from the political point of view, said Harut, adding that the EU wants to play an important role in the reform process and human rights in Armenia.
According to him, the agreement is targeted at long-term perspective, and one should not expect results or progress in two days.
We will closely monitor the provisions on Karabakh conflict. This especially relates to the wordings, Shirinyan said.
The Eastern Partnership summit will take place in Brussels on 24 November. During the summit, Armenia is expected to sign a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with EU. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will attend the summit.
2022 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
*Data determined in accordance with the measurement method required by law. As of 1 September 2018 the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) replaced the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Due to the more realistic test conditions, the fuel/electricity consumption and CO emission values determined in accordance with the WLTP will, in many cases, be higher than those determined in accordance with the NEDC.
Currently we are still obliged to provide the NEDC values, regardless of the type approval process used. The additional reporting of the WLTP values is voluntary. As all new cars offered by Porsche are type approved in accordance with the WLTP, the NEDC values are therefore derived from the WLTP values. To the extent that the values are given as ranges, they do not relate to a single, individual car and are not part of the offer. They are intended solely as a means of comparing different types of vehicles. Optional equipment and accessories (attachments, tyre formats etc.) can change relevant vehicle parameters such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics and, along with weather and traffic conditions and individual handling, can affect the fuel/electricity consumption, CO emissions, range and performance figures of a car.
You can find more information on the difference between WLTP and NEDC at www.porsche.com/wltp.
Further information on the official fuel consumption and official, specific CO emissions of new passenger cars is available in the Guidelines on fuel consumption, CO emissions and power consumption of new passenger cars [Leitfaden uber den Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen], available free of charge from all sales outlets and from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT).
** Important information about the all-electric Porsche models can be found here.
Sydney (AFP) - Papua New Guinea police wielding metal rods cleared the final 320 holdouts from a shuttered Australian refugee camp Friday, ending a 24-day standoff that put a global spotlight on Canberra's tough policy on asylum-seekers.
Videos and photos posted by the detainees showed police moving through the camp on Manus Island, swinging long metal batons and pushing men towards buses bound for PNG-run centres elsewhere on the island.
Photos showed men with some scrapes and cuts they said came from being hit and dragged by PNG police, but no serious injuries were reported.
Several hours later, PNG and Australian officials confirmed the camp on a former PNG naval base had been emptied, as ordered by the PNG Supreme Court in a ruling last year that found the Canberra-run detention centre violated the country's constitution.
"It's empty. The military have taken back their base," PNG police spokesman Dominic Kakas told AFP.
Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton welcomed the news, and accused refugees and their advocates of making "inaccurate and exaggerated claims of violence and injuries" during the police operation.
Canberra set up the Manus camp and a similar complex on the Pacific island nation of Nauru under a policy of "offshore detention" designed to choke off the flow of migrants trying to reach Australia by boat.
The camps were described as "processing centres" where authorities would determine the legal status of detainees and then arrange resettlement for verified refugees.
But the resettlement policy stalled, with an agreement reached with former US president Barack Obama to take a number of the refugees put on hold when Donald Trump was elected a year ago. Only 24 refugees have moved to the US.
Around 600 men, most of them with refugee status, were left stuck on Manus since 2013 with diminishing hope of resettlement.
- Safety fears -
Following the PNG court ruling, Australia declared Manus closed on October 31 and shut off supplies of food, water and electricity to the camp so detainees would move voluntarily to the PNG-managed "transition centres".
Story continues
The refugees refused to move, fearing for their safety among a local population where many opposed their presence.
They also worried that once no longer under Australian control they would lose any leverage they had for obtaining resettlement in third countries.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in welcoming the end of the confrontation at Manus Friday, did stress that the refugees were now under PNG authority.
"They're complying with the lawful directions of the PNG authorities and moving to the alternative facilities available to them and that's as they should," he said.
"That is precisely what you should do if you're in a foreign country, you should comply with the laws of that other country."
Turnbull's government has come under sharp international criticism during the standoff in Manus as conditions for the detainees deteriorated.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR expressed special concern this week when PNG police moved into the camp to force remaining refugees to leave.
"UNHCR reminds Australia of its obligation to take full responsibility and provide effective protection, safety and lasting solutions for all refugees and asylum-seekers in cooperation with the Papua New Guinean authorities," the organisation said in a statement Thursday.
After Australia withdrew from the Manus camp, PNG police initially engaged in an effort dubbed "Helpim Friends" to entice refugees to move voluntarily to the new centres.
About 200 men complied, but 400 remained, leading to police raids Thursday and Friday to forcibly clear the camp.
Amy Frew, a lawyer at the Australia-based Human Rights Law Centre, said the violent resolution of the standoff bode ill for the refugees' future.
"After four and a half years of limbo and uncertainty they still have nowhere safe to go," she said.
"This morning's actions show that whatever they do, wherever they go, their safety cannot be guaranteed until they are evacuated from Papua New Guinea."
What the fuck
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Expose them!!!
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I love how angry & fearless she is.
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She is the hbic.
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lol i haven't heard that term in forever
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How long have you been on ONTD lol
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i need to watch her show...
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I haven't seen the show. Has she said anything about his case?
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Irrelevant, had happened and it sucks. Like you are supposed to love me wtf.
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ugh
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...yep, that checks out, from what we already know of Scientology & their views of gender/women. They're so disgusting. I wish the IRS would grow a spine and take away their tax-exempt status; that might help to finally end their reign of terror.
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They recommended on leahs show that we should call our congresspeople and demand congress reconsider their tax exempt status
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Trump wants to revoke it and tbh I am here for the Trump vs Scientology show down. David Miscaivge will release that pee tape without a care in the world.
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I have a feeling that won't work for me cause my congressman represents Clearwater.
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I wish the IRS would grow a spine and take away their tax-exempt status
IRS can't do anything like that independently. Contact your congressperson.
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holy shit what a trash heap
danny and his awful wife can both go
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She choked Heather Matarazzo
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shes completely unstable
xenu come get your girl
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Okay i edited the title b/c i dont need Co$ lawyers coming after me
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How is that a legal defense when marital rape is criminalized in the US?
Like, are they seriously saying date rape and marital rape arent real?
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It wasnt at the time he committed the rape, so it was a legitimate defense.
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Also if you watch Leah Reminis show, there were CSA survivors on this season who said the church didnt do shit about their abusers. They made them sign papers too, and they were children.
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That episode caused an active member to leave! Did you see the ep with the mom of Leah's friend who just left?
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Yes, that was really good to see!
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Oh, fuck off
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i know!
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Wtf with the Balfour insult.
Unnecessary
Edited at 2017-11-23 02:33 am (UTC)
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How else are people going to know who Eric Balfour is?
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How dare you his penis was the first oneI ever saw in that straight to dvd movie lay with me.
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He was in many movies and last he was on syfy's hit Haven.
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I know him as Vince from No One Would Tell, the iconic tv movie where he just sits in the truck while Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years stabs DJ Tanner. The name didn't ring a bell but when you asked if his penis was as long as his face I knee exactly who you were referring to lol.
Edited at 2017-11-23 09:37 am (UTC)
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Agreed. He's like...super ugly, but in an attractive way.
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God today is just trying to trigger me, shit. First the Nick Carter post now this. I feel sick and think I need a break from the internet and these relationship = consent stories.
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Im sorry
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Omg so cute <3 thank you
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Fucking disgusting
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Scientology can go fuck itself.
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oh i can't im addicted
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i dont blame you, its like were living in multiple SVU episodes, only difference is that we dont have olivia bensons in this flop world
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I thought NBC buried it
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Rme ofc they did.
Hes still an executive producer of celebrity apprentice (tho i dont know if there will ever be another season)
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nope, never! and there hasn't even been a DVD release yet (for last season), so we don't know if they'll even include it. it's like it never happened.
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Sometimes I think the crazy af SVU episodes are a deliberate palette cleanser for that stuff. Like the one where Big Boi gets eaten by a hyena, Stabler has to eat tiger meat while Olivia poses as a prostitute, and Cragen ends up pulling a monkey out of a basketball in the middle of a huge airport shootout. That's just good television.
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w@ episode does big boi get eaten by a hyena? we're talking outkast big boi?
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It really got way more gratuitous when the former show runner of Criminal Intent took over -- like, it was always an intense show, obviously, but now we actually see the crimes in question, which...yikes.
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Will they even have time for the story? I mean, what about Liv? What about Livs drama?
I mean, Im down for the episode but Im over Liv. They need to ease up on her life and her stories.
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I'm over Noah too. How many times can that kid be in danger? It's ridiculous.
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This! She's been through enough, I just want to watch a different case of the week in peace.
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hope this is better than how the trump episode was supposed to go
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Please tell me that's still shelved forever. (And I say that as a Gary Cole fan.)
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This could be a season arc storyline tbh
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omg what season is the nfl one? sounds like a good one.
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Season 13 episode 10, Spiraling Down
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Seconding the above comment. Do you know whats the episode with the nfl player? I wanna watch it
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Well I'm sure this will be handled with the utmost respect and sensitivity to the irl victims. /sarcasm
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Did someone already make a post about a girl from Dream saying Nick Carter raped her?
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there have been 2 already in the past 2 or 3 days
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Speaking of boys club apparently they're remaking Billionaire Boys Club with uglies like Tye Sheridan.
Any celebs this season? How was Brooke shields?
Still got soft spot for some oldies:
The one with Gambit and paralyzed Rebecca DeMornay
Bedtime w/ Jaclyn Smith, Ann Margaret (who won for the episode), Susan Anton, Morgan Fairchild, and Fran's mom from The Nanny
The shrooms episode with Aunt May and David Krumholtz
The Cary Elwes and Emily Van Camp episode
The Sarah Paulson/Naveen Andrews episode
Zebras with that little shit from Shameless
The cheesy season 11 finale starring Isabelle Huppert and Sharon Stone
Debra Messing's To Catch a Predator episode
The one with Joan Cusack as the obsessive mom
The anti-vax one with Missi Pyle
The Lynda Carter mom/daughter con artist episode
The Matthew lillard and Carol Burnett episode
The two-parter with Dame Angela Lansbury and Alfred Molina
Eric McCormick as the predator dad who gets a pair of scissors to the neck
Kathy Griffin's murdered lesbian rights episode
The one where Dana Delany shoots Phil of the Future for raping Ashley Tisdale
Mark Paul Gosselar gets raped outside a gay bar and Elizabeth Banks is his wife
The 911 episode that Hargitay got her Emmy for
Hillary Duff as pregnant teen
Melissa Joan Hart allegedly abusing her student
Aaron Carter and the frat bros
Marcia Cross as the bitchy wife married to the old dying billionaire
The Cynthia Nixon episode..Jesus Christ the Cynthia Nixon episode. Didn't she win an Emmy?
Cybil Shepard as a Martha Stewart like character in a Treyvon Martin inspired episode
I can't watch the Robin Williams or Martin Short episodes. Ever.
Edited at 2017-11-23 04:54 am (UTC)
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Yes the ep with Martin Short was so good but creepy. Really freaked me out at the end
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Lmao I know like ALL of the ones you listed & have seen them several times each, god help me. (But I believe the Dana Delaney one was Shannon from Lost/the titular Taken daughter, not Ashley Tisdale.) Kathy Griffin's was amazing. Bring back Babs so she can keep harassing "Assy McBigPants" Stabler.
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I'm proud that I know every single one of these
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I know all of these lmao. But yeah, the Robin Williams ep and Martin Short ep were so fucking creepy.
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i assumed cybil shephard was supposed to be paula deen and it was a mashup of both topics in one ep
but of the ones listed, i think the emily van camp and cynthia nixon episodes left the biggest impressions on me
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Ugh when she tries to kill herself by punching through the glass....gets me every time. Its scary
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I love the Rebecca DeMornay one. Every time she gets pushed in the pool I'm like YES!
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My fave ep is when they try to take down this charismatic cult-like leader/psychologist and BD Wong gets involved, and cult leader is all like "I'm reporting you to the FBI" and BD's like "already reported myself bitch" I LOVE BD WONG.
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i love the one with sarah drew (april in greys anatomy) and her neglectful, rapist mother. the part where they watch the video of the kids insulting the blonde judge who released them always makes me laugh.
ia re.: robin williams
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dont forget the episode where john stamos has something like 50 kids
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and it will be a goddamn mess...
can't wait!
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i had never watched an episode of svu in my life until may, and then i got fucking hooked out of nowhere and now it's my fav show to watch when stoned. i'm slowly making my way thru the seasons, i just finished 13 a few days ago
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It's the best show to watch while high. I be so into the story lines
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lol damn I just googled the Gary Cole episode and I can't at Ice-T's description of it:
There was this guy who was running for presidenthe was very Trump-ish, and girls were coming out of the woodwork saying he was raping them, he said. And me and Mariska [Hargitay, who plays Lt. Olivia Benson],were on his bumper, and hes sweating it. But at the end of the day, it comes out that he was innocent. He didnt do it. So weve got to apologize, and hes still doing his thing, talking his shit. And it turns out that his campaign advisor, who was his best friend, was booby-trapping him because he knew he would be terrible for America!
disaster! I hope it never airs.
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Was there ever any doubt?
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After the official release of the citys first comprehensive violence prevention plan on Friday, Bader Philanthropies, Inc. took the lead in offering financial support for the plan.
The first goal of the "Blueprint for Peace," developed by the Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) is to implement Ceasefire, an effort to immediately interrupt conflicts that can lead to violence. The program will launch in spring 2018 in the Old North Milwaukee neighborhood.
The Bader grant is a significant step toward funding a second neighborhood, according to the health department. The 2018 city budget also allocates $280,000 for the program. Ceasefire is modeled on Cure Violence, a public health approach that implements strategies used to reverse epidemics.
"I can think of no more pressing issue for this great city than for us to lean forward in a true public health approach to violence prevention," said Health Commissioner Bevan Baker, who noted that race, segregation, poverty, educational attainment and the adverse effect of childhood trauma must all be considered in addressing the complex issue.
MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver said that it gives her hope that now "when we talk about violence prevention, it is being talked about as a health crisis, because thats truly what it is. How am I going to keep my young people safe is what keeps me awake at night," Driver added.
Carmen Pitre, director of the Sojourner Family Peace Center where the blueprint was unveiled, said the plan is not just about ending violence, its also about helping people "create wellness in their lives. This is a human rights issue. Everybody deserves to live in peace." Pitre is a member of the blueprints steering committee.
Spelled out in a 96-page book richly illustrated with photos and graphics, the plan is the result of a process launched on Nov. 1, 2016. More than 150 community partners and residents were represented at the initial planning meeting at Discovery World. About 1,500 community partners and residents including many young people contributed through surveys, interviews, community conversations and forums over the course of the year, according to OVP Director Reggie Moore, who led the effort.
The plan, originally expected to be released in June, was presented to the Common Council on Monday.
"We wanted to hear from people whose voices arent often heard," said Mayor Tom Barrett, "people who have the stresses in their lives that lead them to situations where there is violence."
Designed to be carried out over 10 years, the blueprint identifies five other goals, in addition to interrupting conflict that leads to violence, and 30 strategies for working toward them. The additional goals are: promote healing and restorative justice; support children, youth and families; promote economic opportunity; foster safe neighborhoods; and strengthen capacity and coordination of violence prevention efforts.
The blueprint calls for its strategies to be implemented in 10 priority neighborhoods "disproportionately impacted by persistent and concentrated levels of poverty and violence." They are Old North Milwaukee, Harambee, Franklin Heights, Silver Spring, North Division, Amani, Sherman Park, Historic Mitchell, Lincoln Village and Midtown.
The plan highlights risk factors such as limited employment and economic opportunities, and lack of access to resources and quality housing as well as resilience factors that need to be strengthened to reduce violence. Each factor is linked to one or more of the blueprints goals. Resilience factors include initiatives to improve the physical environment, family connections and relationships with other caring adults, and arts, cultural expression and faith.
Next steps include familiarizing residents with the blueprint through a series of community briefings and creating a Violence Prevention Council that includes cross-sector leaders and residents of priority neighborhoods.
Among its responsibilities, the Violence Prevention Council will guide implementation of the blueprint, ensure input from residents and monitor progress. The blueprint includes a list of first-year milestone actions and performance measures.
The planning process was funded by a grant from the Medical College of Wisconsins Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment with partial funding from the Tides Foundation and ReCAST Milwaukee.
"This blueprint is a validation of the work thats happening," said Moore, "but its also calling for things that we havent done as a community." Most importantly, he added, is "improving our coordination to really make the impact that we need to have."
Barrett, Baker and Moore all emphasized the multifaceted nature of the problem and the importance of the entire community taking ownership of the blueprint and contributing in whatever way possible. They also called for financial support from businesses, philanthropic organizations, government entities and private contributions.
The blueprint and information on how to get involved will be available online at 414LIFE.com.
Canadian officials held crisis talks Thursday as new figures showed that most border jumpers who flooded into the country from the United States this year were granted asylum. Only 1,572 refugee claims out of 14,467 have been heard so far, but of these 941 or 60 percent have been accepted, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board. The majority of claims made by Syrian, Eritrean, Yemeni, Sudanese, Djiboutian and Turkish nationals who arrived via the United States were accepted. But more than 90 percent of claims by Haitian nationals, who represented the bulk of arrivals, were rejected. (A total of 6,304 Haitian nationals made refugee claims, 298 cases have been heard, and 29 were accepted). More than half of those filed by Pakistani and Nigerian nationals also failed. The claims figures are from February, when authorities started collecting data on people who ventured through farmers' fields and dense forests to get to Canada, to the end of October. Their release comes after the United States announced on Monday that some 59,000 Haitian immigrants will lose their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 18 months. The decision opens the door for their potential repatriation to their desperately poor home country. Many, however, chose not to wait and headed north to Canada, creating a massive backlog of cases in its refugee system as it tries to cope with the irregular influx. With similar TPS programs for Nicaraguan, Honduran and Salvadorean immigrants also expected to end in 2018 or 2019, as many as 321,000 could be displaced and looking for a new home soon. And Canada is bracing for a fresh wave. The government's Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Irregular Migration met Thursday to firm up a strategy for dealing with them. Hursh Jaswal, spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, said that "Canada is an open and welcoming country for people seeking asylum." "However," he added, "our government is determined to ensure, on the one hand, that migration remains orderly and regular, and on the other, that entry into Canada is done through the appropriate channels." "Crossing Canada's borders illegally is not a pass into the country." Last week, two senior MPs travelled to Miami and New York to meet with members of the Haitian and Latin American diasporas to dispel misinformation circulating about Canada's asylum system. More meetings are planned in Texas and California to try to dissuade border jumping.
Argentina's navy confirmed Thursday that an unusual noise heard in the Atlantic near the last known position of a missing submarine appeared to be an explosion, dashing the last hopes of finding the vessel's 44 crew members alive. Relatives of the missing sailors reacted with grief and anger to the news after holding out hope since the sub was reported overdue at its Mar del Plata base on November 17, two days after the explosion. "An anomalous, singular, short, violent and non-nuclear event consistent with an explosion," occurred shortly after the submarine's last communication, navy spokesman Captain Enrique Balbi told a news conference in Buenos Aires. After days of false hopes, some of the relatives said the navy had withheld information about the sub and lied to them over the past week. "I feel cheated," said Itati Leguizamon, whose husband German Suarez was a sonar operator on the ARA San Juan. "They did not tell us they died. But they tell us they are three thousand meters (9,800 feet) deep," added Leguizamon as other family members shouted angrily around her. "They lied to us," said Leguizamon, a lawyer. A sobbing Jessica Gopar, whose husband was an electrician aboard the San Juan, said "they just told us that the submarine exploded." She spoke as she came out from the sub's base. "He was the love of my life, engaged seven years before we got married," Gopar said of her husband, Fernando Santilli. "And how can I tell my son that he no longer has a father?" Underwater sounds detected in the first days of the search by two Argentine search ships were determined to originate from a sea creature, not the vessel. Satellite signals were also determined to be false alarms. The San Juan, a 34-year-old German-built diesel-electric submarine, had reported a battery problem on November 15 and said it was diverting to Mar del Plata, but did not send a distress signal, according to the navy. Balbi admitted on Wednesday that the situation for the sub and its crew appeared to be worsening. However, he refused to speculate at that point on the origin of what he initially described as a "hydro-acoustic anomaly" detected in the ocean almost three hours after the sub's communication and 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of its last known position. Balbi explained that information about the unusual noise only became available Wednesday after being relayed by the United States and "after all the information from all agencies reporting such hydro-acoustic events was reviewed." Explaining the lack of debris on the surface, Balbi said "nothing will end up floating to the surface" because a submarine "implodes". Gustavo Mauvecin, director of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at Mar del Plata, said hydrogen "is always an issue with submarines with electric engines". The San Juan "has 500 tons of lead-acid batteries, which release hydrogen if there is an overcharge in the battery. Hydrogen in contact with oxygen is explosive". - An explosion 'so violent' - "In my opinion, after an explosion like that, it's difficult for there to be survivors," a former submarine commander told AFP. The newspaper La Nacion said one hypothesis is that there was a short circuit in the batteries. It said this would explain the sub's failure to communicate and the fact that it did not have time to send off a distress signal. The commander said a problem with batteries, as the sub had reported, could in fact cause a blast. "A severe problem with batteries might generate hydrogen. Hydrogen above a certain percentage is explosive," said the commander who requested anonymity. Horacio Tobias, former chief of diving for the San Juan, said it "was so violent that they would not have had time to realize what happened". The San Juan would have had enough oxygen for its crew to survive underwater in the South Atlantic for seven days since its last contact, according to officials. That time had elapsed by 0730 GMT Wednesday. Argentina is leading an air-and-sea search to try to still find the sub. It is getting help from several countries now including Brazil, Britain, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, Russia, the United States and Uruguay. Russia was the latest navy to volunteer help, sending an oceanographic research ship as the operation shifted from rescue to recovery. The Russian defense ministry said the Yantar was steaming to the area from the western coast of Africa on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. The weeklong search has focused on the sub's last known position, around 200 miles off the Argentine coast, but has been hampered by bad weather. Putin offered "words of support over the situation with the San Juan submarine" in a phone call to Argentine President Mauricio Macri late Wednesday, the Kremlin said. Russia said the Yantar "is equipped with two deep water submersibles which allow exploratory searches at a depth of up to 6,000 meters." US President Donald Trump offered his support, tweeting: "May God be with them and the people of Argentina!"
Phuket 23 November, 2017: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental of Thailand hosts The ASEAN Conference on the ASEAN Conference on Reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN Region, from 22 23 November, at the JW Marriot Phuket Resort & Spa, Phuket province, Thailand.
On this occasion, H.E. General Surasak Karnjanarat, Minister of The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of Thailand presided over the ASEAN Conference on reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN region. The welcome addressed by guest of honored Mr. Sanit Sriwihok, Vice Governor of Phuket; Dr. Wijarn Simachaya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand; H.E. Mr. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASCC, ASEAN Secretariat.
Three hundred marine experts from 10 ASEAN member countries and representatives from ASEAN countries environmental ministries, an official representative from China, academic experts in marine studies and international conservation groups have participated the 2-day conference which conference and exhibition on first day and continue to the workshop, site visit and research group discussion on the second day.
The conference aims to gather inputs from a broad range of stakeholders and identify how marine debris issues in ASEAN could be addressed through global partnership and multi-partner and cross-sectoral cooperation mechanism and raise the awareness of ASEAN community on marine debris issue through side events.
This conference is a great opportunity to create a platform to fight marine pollution together in the ASEAN region since six ASEAN countries rank among those guilty of excessive littering of the sea. The participants will share their ideas and discuss plans to solve this problem.
The background: Marine debris has been recognized as one of the key environmental issues at the global level and within ASEAN region. Measures and cooperation to reduce marine debris/litter shall be initiated to prevent lives under water from being harmed, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water, on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources; and with the ASEAN vision 2025 particularly on the management of biodiversity and natural resources for sustainable development.
Three-quarters of all marine debris is made up of various forms of plastic (Barnes et al. 2009). A recent study estimates that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastics are dumped into the ocean in 2010 (Jambeck et al., 2015). Inadequate waste management on land has caused 80% of marine debris originated from land.
Marine debris is transported by oceans currents across borders. As such, it is a transboundary concern, requiring collaborative action and regional cooperation (UNEP, 2016). Approximately 70% of ASEAN human population lives in coastal areas and intensive farming and aquaculture, rapid urbanization and industrialization, greater shipping traffic and fishing effort, as well as widespread deforestation and nearshore development, are contributing towards the pollution problem. Four out of the top six most marine polluting countries are in ASEAN (Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand). Hot Spots of floating plastic have been observed in coastal waters adjacent to countries with high coastal populations and inadequate waste management in South-East Asia (Peter Ryan 2013).
In response to complaints that its platform isn't always accommodating of guests with disabilities, Airbnb recently revealed new steps to address that problem.
The San Francisco-based home-sharing company has acquired Accomable, a London-based home-sharing site that caters specifically to disabled travelers.
Accomable was founded in 2015 by Srin Madipalli and Martyn Sibley - frequent travelers with Spinal Muscular Atrophy who became frustrated with the lack of accessible accommodations. The company will wind down its platform and integrate its home listings into Airbnb, providing accessible homes in more than 60 countries.
Previously Airbnb identified only properties that are "wheelchair accessible," which, after talks with travelers and groups like the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and the California Council of the Blind, Airbnb leaders realized wasn't good enough.
Going forward, Airbnb will let guests search for the specific accessibility accommodations they require, and will let hosts specify whether their homes have step-free entries into rooms, wide doorways, and other attributes.
Airbnb also is making its platform easier to use for people with visual impairments - making changes such as eliminating text over images, which can be hard to read.
"All of these improvements are important, but they alone aren't the solution: they are the start of an ongoing conversation and we're committed to doing more," the company wrote in a news release announcing the changes. "We're looking forward to implementing quicker and easier ways for hosts to update their homes' accessibility information, and hope to increase guests' confidence that these homes will fit their needs. And we'll continue to do all we can to ensure our platform and our community are open and accessible to everyone."
Airbnb isn't the only startup offering on-demand services that has struggled to accommodate disabled users. Uber last year was forced to make changes to its policies after a lawsuit accused the ride-hailing company of discriminating against blind passengers with service dogs.
2017 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The breeding of two distinct parent species gave rise to a new lineage (termed "Big Bird" by the researchers). This lineage has been determined to be a new species. This image is of a member of the Big Bird lineage. Credit: Copyright P. R. Grant
The arrival 36 years ago of a strange bird to a remote island in the Galapagos archipelago has provided direct genetic evidence of a novel way in which new species arise.
In this week's issue of the journal Science, researchers from Princeton University and Uppsala University in Sweden report that the newcomer belonging to one species mated with a member of another species resident on the island, giving rise to a new species that today consists of roughly 30 individuals.
The study comes from work conducted on Darwin's finches, which live on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The remote location has enabled researchers to study the evolution of biodiversity due to natural selection.
The direct observation of the origin of this new species occurred during field work carried out over the last four decades by B. Rosemary and Peter Grant, two scientists from Princeton, on the small island of Daphne Major.
"The novelty of this study is that we can follow the emergence of new species in the wild," said B. Rosemary Grant, a senior research biologist, emeritus, and a senior biologist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Through our work on Daphne Major, we were able to observe the pairing up of two birds from different species and then follow what happened to see how speciation occurred."
In 1981, a graduate student working with the Grants on Daphne Major noticed the newcomer, a male that sang an unusual song and was much larger in body and beak size than the three resident species of birds on the island.
The bird is a member of the G. fortis species, one of two species that interbred to give rise to the Big Bird lineage. Credit: Copyright B.R. Grant
"We didn't see him fly in from over the sea, but we noticed him shortly after he arrived. He was so different from the other birds that we knew he did not hatch from an egg on Daphne Major," said Peter Grant, the Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology, Emeritus, and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, emeritus.
The researchers took a blood sample and released the bird, which later bred with a resident medium ground finch of the species Geospiz fortis, initiating a new lineage. The Grants and their research team followed the new "Big Bird lineage" for six generations, taking blood samples for use in genetic analysis.
In the current study, researchers from Uppsala University analyzed DNA collected from the parent birds and their offspring over the years. The investigators discovered that the original male parent was a large cactus finch of the species Geospiza conirostris from Espanola island, which is more than 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) to the southeast in the archipelago.
The remarkable distance meant that the male finch was not able to return home to mate with a member of his own species and so chose a mate from among the three species already on Daphne Major. This reproductive isolation is considered a critical step in the development of a new species when two separate species interbreed.
The offspring were also reproductively isolated because their song, which is used to attract mates, was unusual and failed to attract females from the resident species. The offspring also differed from the resident species in beak size and shape, which is a major cue for mate choice. As a result, the offspring mated with members of their own lineage, strengthening the development of the new species.
Researchers previously assumed that the formation of a new species takes a very long time, but in the Big Bird lineage it happened in just two generations, according to observations made by the Grants in the field in combination with the genetic studies.
A member of the G. conirostris species, this bird flew from roughly 100 kilometers away to establish a new home on the Galapagos island of Daphne Major. There, the bird mated with a member of the G. fortis species to give rise to the Big Bird lineage. Credit: Copyright B. R. Grant
All 18 species of Darwin's finches derived from a single ancestral species that colonized the Galapagos about one to two million years ago. The finches have since diversified into different species, and changes in beak shape and size have allowed different species to utilize different food sources on the Galapagos. A critical requirement for speciation to occur through hybridization of two distinct species is that the new lineage must be ecologically competitivethat is, good at competing for food and other resources with the other speciesand this has been the case for the Big Bird lineage.
"It is very striking that when we compare the size and shape of the Big Bird beaks with the beak morphologies of the other three species inhabiting Daphne Major, the Big Birds occupy their own niche in the beak morphology space," said Sangeet Lamichhaney, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the first author on the study. "Thus, the combination of gene variants contributed from the two interbreeding species in combination with natural selection led to the evolution of a beak morphology that was competitive and unique."
The definition of a species has traditionally included the inability to produce fully fertile progeny from interbreeding species, as is the case for the horse and the donkey, for example. However, in recent years it has become clear that some closely related species, which normally avoid breeding with each other, do indeed produce offspring that can pass genes to subsequent generations. The authors of the study have previously reported that there has been a considerable amount of gene flow among species of Darwin's finches over the last several thousands of years.
One of the most striking aspects of this study is that hybridization between two distinct species led to the development of a new lineage that after only two generations behaved as any other species of Darwin's finches, explained Leif Andersson, a professor at Uppsala University who is also affiliated with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Texas A&M University. "A naturalist who came to Daphne Major without knowing that this lineage arose very recently would have recognized this lineage as one of the four species on the island. This clearly demonstrates the value of long-running field studies," he said.
It is likely that new lineages like the Big Birds have originated many times during the evolution of Darwin's finches, according to the authors. The majority of these lineages have gone extinct but some may have led to the evolution of contemporary species. "We have no indication about the long-term survival of the Big Bird lineage, but it has the potential to become a success, and it provides a beautiful example of one way in which speciation occurs," said Andersson. "Charles Darwin would have been excited to read this paper."
Materials scientist Jason Trelewicz in an electron microscopy laboratory at Brookhaven's Center for Functional Nanomaterials, where he characterizes nanoscale structures in metals mixed with other elements. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Materials science is a field that Jason Trelewicz has been interested in since he was a young child, when his fatheran engineerwould bring him to work. In the materials lab at his father's workplace, Trelewicz would use optical microscopes to zoom in on material surfaces, intrigued by all the distinct features he would see as light interacted with different samples.
Now, Trelewiczan assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences' Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering with a joint appointment in the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and principal investigator of the Engineered Metallic Nanostructures Laboratorytakes advantage of the much higher magnifications of electron microscopes to see tiny nanostructures in fine detail and learn what happens when they are exposed to heat, radiation, and mechanical forces. In particular, Trelewicz is interested in nanostructured metal alloys (metals mixed with other elements) that incorporate nanometer-sized features into classical materials to enhance their performance. The information collected from electron microscopy studies helps him understand interactions between structural and chemical features at the nanoscale. This understanding can then be employed to tune the properties of materials for use in everything from aerospace and automotive components to consumer electronics and nuclear reactors.
Since 2012, when he arrived at Stony Brook University, Trelewicz has been using the electron microscopes and the high-performance computing (HPC) cluster at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratoryto perform his research.
"At the time, I was looking for ways to apply my idea of stabilizing nanostructures in metals to an application-oriented problem," said Trelewicz. "I've long been interested in nuclear energy technologies, initially reading about fusion in grade school. The idea of recreating the processes responsible for the energy we receive from the sun here on earth was captivating, and fueled my interest in nuclear energy throughout my entire academic career. Though we are still very far away from a fusion reactor that generates power, a large international team on a project under construction in France called ITER is working to demonstrate a prolonged fusion reaction at a large scale."
Plasma-facing materials for fusion reactors
Nuclear fusionthe reaction in which atomic nuclei collidecould provide a nearly unlimited supply of safe, clean energy, like that naturally produced by the sun through fusing hydrogen nuclei into helium atoms. Harnessing this carbon-free energy in reactors requires generating and sustaining a plasma, an ionized gas, at the very high temperatures at which fusion occurs (about six times hotter than the sun's core) while confining it using magnetic fields. Of the many challenges currently facing fusion reactor demonstrations, one of particular interest to Trelewicz is creating viable materials to build a reactor.
"The formidable materials challenges for fusion are where I saw an opportunity for my researchdeveloping materials that can survive inside the fusion reactor, where the plasma will generate high heat fluxes, high thermal stresses, and high particle and neutron fluxes," said Trelewicz. "The operational conditions in this environment are among the harshest in which one could expect a material to function."
A model of the ITER tokamak, an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. A powerful magnetic field is used to confine the plasma, which is held in a doughnut-shaped vessel. Credit: ITER Organization.
A primary candidate for such "plasma-facing material" is tungsten, because of its high melting pointthe highest one among metals in pure formand low sputtering yield (number of atoms ejected by energetic ions from the plasma). However, tungsten's stability against recrystallization, oxidation resistance, long-term radiation tolerance, and mechanical performance are problematic.
Trelewicz thinks that designing tungsten alloys with precisely tailored nanostructures could be a way to overcome these problems. In August, he received a $750,000 five-year award from the DOE's Early Career Research Program to develop stable nanocrystalline tungsten alloys that can withstand the demanding environment of a fusion reactor. His research is combining simulations that model atomic interactions and experiments involving real-time ion irradiation exposure and mechanical testing to understand the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the alloys' thermal stability, radiation tolerance and mechanical performance. The insights from this research will inform the design of more resilient alloys for fusion applications.
In addition to the computational resources they use at their home institution, Trelewicz and his lab group are using the HPC cluster at the CFNand those at other DOE facilities, such as Titan at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory)to conduct large-scale atomistic simulations as part of the project.
"The length scales of the structures we want to design into our materials are on the order of a few nanometers to 100 nanometers, and a single simulation can involve up to 10 million atoms," said Trelewicz. "Using HPC clusters, we can build a system atom-by-atom, representative of the structure we would like to explore experimentally, and run simulations to study the response of that system under various external stimuli. For example, we can fire a high-energy atom into the system and watch what happens to the material and how it evolves, hundreds or thousands of times. Once damage has accumulated in the structure, we can simulate thermal and mechanical forces to understand how defect structure impacts other behavior."
These simulations inform the structures and chemistries of experimental alloys, which Trelewicz and his students fabricate at Stony Brook University through high-energy milling. To characterize the nanoscale structure and chemical distribution of the engineered alloys, they extensively use the microscopy facilities at the CFNincluding scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, and scanning transmission electron microscopes. Imaging is conducted at high resolution and often combined with heating within the microscope to examine in real time how the structures evolve with temperature. Experiments are also conducted at other DOE national labs, such as Sandia through collaboration with materials scientist Khalid Hattar of the Ion Beam Laboratory. Here, students in Trelewicz's research group simultaneously irradiate the engineered alloys with an ion beam and image them with an electron microscope over the course of many days.
"Though this damage does not compare to what the material would experience in a reactor, it provides a starting point to evaluate whether or not the engineered material could indeed address some of the limitations of tungsten for fusion applications," said Trelewicz.
Electron microscopy at the CFN has played a key role in an exciting discovery that Trelewicz's students recently made: an unexpected metastable-to-stable phase transition in thin films of nanostructured tungsten. This phase transition drives an abnormal "grain" growth process in which some crystalline nanostructure features grow very dramatically at the expense of others. When the students added chromium and titanium to tungsten, this metastable phase was completely eliminated, in turn enhancing the thermal stability of the material.
Trelewicz and his students irradiated a nanostructured tungsten-titanium alloy with high-energy gold ions to explore the radiation tolerance of this novel material. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory
"One of the great aspects of having both experimental and computational components to our research is that when we learn new things from our experiments, we can go back and tailor the simulations to more accurately reflect the actual materials," said Trelewicz.
Other projects in Trelewicz's research group
The research with tungsten is only one of many projects ongoing in the Engineered Metallic Nanostructures Laboratory.
"All of our projects fall under the umbrella of developing new metal alloys with enhanced and/or multifunctional properties," said Trelewicz. "We are looking at different strategies to optimize material performance by collectively tailoring chemistry and microstructure in our materials. Much of the science lies in understanding the nanoscale mechanisms that govern the properties we measure at the macroscale."
Through a National Science Foundation CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development Program) award, Trelewicz and his research group are exploring another class of high-strength alloysamorphous metals, or "metallic glasses," which are metals that have a disordered atomic structure akin to glass. Compared to everyday metals, metallic glasses are often inherently higher strength but usually very brittle, and it is difficult to make them in large parts such as bulk sheets. Trelewicz's team is designing interfaces and engineering them into the metallic glassesinitially iron-based and later zirconium-based onesto enhance the toughness of the materials, and exploring additive manufacturing processes to enable sheet-metal production. They will use the Nanofabrication Facility at the CFN to fabricate thin films of these interface-engineered metallic glasses for in situ analysis using electron microscopy techniques.
In a similar project, they are seeking to understand how introducing a crystalline phase into a zirconium-based amorphous alloy to form a metallic glass matrix composite (composed of both amorphous and crystalline phases) augments the deformation process relative to that of regular metallic glasses. Metallic glasses usually fail catastrophically because strain becomes localized into shear bands. Introducing crystalline regions in the metallic glasses could inhibit the process by which strain localizes in the material. They have already demonstrated that the presence of the crystalline phase fundamentally alters the mechanism through which the shear bands form.
Trelewicz and his group are also exploring the deformation behavior of metallic "nanolaminates" that consist of alternating crystalline and amorphous layers, and are trying to approach the theoretical limit of strength in lightweight aluminum alloys through synergistic chemical doping strategies (adding other elements to a material to change its properties).
Trelewicz and his students perform large-scale atomistic simulations to explore the segregation of solute species to grain boundaries (GBs)interfaces between grainsin nanostructured alloys, as shown here for an aluminum-magnesium (Al-Mg) system, and its implications for the governing deformation mechanisms. They are using the insights gained through these simulations to design lightweight alloys with theoretical strengths. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory
"We leverage resources of the CFN for every project ongoing in my research group," said Trelewicz. "We extensively use the electron microscopy facilities to look at material micro- and nanostructure, very often at how interfaces are coupled with compositional inhomogeneitiesinformation that helps us stabilize and design interfacial networks in nanostructured metal alloys. Computational modeling and simulation enabled by the HPC clusters at the CFN informs what we do in our experiments."
Beyond his work at CFN, Trelewicz collaborates with his departmental colleagues to characterize materials at the National Synchrotron Light Source IIanother DOE Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven.
"There are various ways to characterize structural and chemical inhomogeneities," said Trelewicz. "We look at small amounts of material through the electron microscopes at CFN and on more of a bulk level at NSLS-II through techniques such as x-ray diffraction and the micro/nano probe. We combine this local and global information to thoroughly characterize a material and use this information to optimize its properties."
Future of next-generation materials
When he is not doing research, Trelewicz is typically busy with student outreach. He connects with the technology departments at various schools, providing them with materials engineering design projects. The students not only participate in the engineering aspects of materials design but are also trained on how to use 3-D printers and other tools that are critical in today's society to manufacture products more cost effectively and with better performance.
Going forward, Trelewicz would like to expand his collaborations at the CFN and help establish his research in metallic nanostructures as a core area supported by CFN and, ultimately, DOE, to achieve unprecedented properties in classical materials.
"Being able to learn something new every day, using that knowledge to have an impact on society, and seeing my students fill gaps in our current understanding are what make my career as a professor so rewarding," said Trelewicz. "With the resources of Stony Brook University, nearby CFN, and other DOE labs, I have an amazing platform to make contributions to the field of materials science and metallurgy."
A man walks through what used to be an oasis near the southeast Moroccan town of Erfoud in the Sahara Desert
Parched Morocco which is heavily dependent on its agricultural sector is to hold prayers for rain Friday in mosques across the country under a royal decree.
"Water is becoming more and more scarce. We keep having to dig deeper to find any," said Houcine Aderdour, president of a producers' federation and an orange farmer in the Souss region of southern Morocco.
Like its Iberian neighbours to the north, Portugal and Spain, Morocco has suffered a severe shortage of rainfall since the end of the summer.
Moroccan university studies show that temperatures have risen by up to 4 degrees Celsius since the 1960s and annual rainfall been on the decline.
The drought has hit cereal production this season and could force the country of 35 million inhabitants to resort to imports.
King Mohammed VI, in his official capacity as "commander of the faithful", has called for prayers in all Moroccan mosques "to implore the Almighty to spread his benevolent rains on the earth", the ministry of Islamic affairs said in a statement.
The weather has become a major topic of conversation across Morocco, 40 percent of whose population depend on agriculture for their livelihood and where the sector accounts for more than 15 percent of GDP.
"It's too early to speak of drought. But if there's no rainfall by mid-December, the situation will turn critical," an agriculture ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.
On top of the scarcity of rainfall, aquifers have been overexploited for agriculture.
According to local media, royal police aircraft are to inject salt crystals into the clouds to artificially induce rainfall.
2017 AFP
PDB ID: 6B0S
The Canadian Light Source is celebrating two milestones reached by scientists who have conducted research at the national facility at the University of Saskatchewan.
Scientists have solved 1,000 protein structures using data collected at CLS's CMCF beamlines. These have been added to the Protein Data Bank a collection of structures solved by researchers globally. Researchers have also published 500 scientific papers based on their work using the crystallography beamlines.
Proteins are the building blocks of life and are described as the body's workhorses. The body is made of trillions of cells. Cells produce proteins, which do the work of breaking down food, sending messages to other cells, and fighting bacteria, viruses and parasites. The discoveries at the CLS range from how the malaria parasite invades red blood cells to why superbugs are resistant to certain antibiotics and how parkin protein mutations result in some types of Parkinson's disease. Understanding how these and other such proteins work can potentially save millions of lives.
"Each of these protein structures that have been solved at the CLS represents a significant contribution to the global body of knowledge in the areas of biology and biochemistry, advancing health research," says CEO Rob Lamb.
"We are proud of these milestones, and the hard work and dedication that went into achieving them. Scientists come from all over Canada and around the world to use our state-of-the-art facility supported by fantastic staff scientists."
Using powerful synchrotron X-ray light, scientists explore human, animal, plant, bacterial, viral and parasitic proteins as well as nucleic acids. After exposing a protein crystal to synchrotron light, the scientists are able to use the information to produce a 3-D model that shows the positions of the atoms. This structural information provides details about how proteins function and interact. Scientists then use this information to better understand biology, environmental processes, as well as human health and disease. Often, they use the information to develop new pharmaceuticals.
"These beamlines are a huge boost to the Canadian structural biological community," says Miroslaw Cygler, University of Saskatchewan professor of biochemistry and Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine Using Synchrotron Light. He is also the leader of the CMCF beamline advisory team.
"Every protein crystallography lab in Canada from coast to coast to coast uses this facility to do experiments. Canada is a big country. Travelling is very expensive. From the very beginning, one of the missions of the facility was to provide remote service. This is really crucial in both impact and importance to Canadians," says Cygler.
Jean-Philippe Julien couldn't agree more. Julien is the Canada Research Chair in Structural Immunology and a scientist in Molecular Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, as well as an assistant professor in the departments of biochemistry and immunology at the University of Toronto.
In the past two years, he has solved 20 protein structures using remote data collection. He sends crystal samples to Saskatoon where CLS scientists assist by mounting the samples on the beamline and then Julien's team operates the equipment from their lab in Toronto. Structure 6B0S (crystal structure of circumsporozoite protein aTSR domain in complex with 1710 antibody) is the one-thousandth protein structure solved at the CLS and is part of Julien's research into developing a vaccine that prevents the malaria parasite from causing infections.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly half of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria, with hundreds of thousands of children dying every year.
In collaboration with scientists in Germany, Julien's team examined B cells a type of white blood cell from volunteers who received a candidate malaria vaccine and were then exposed to the malaria parasite to evaluate protection in a clinical trial. By solving the protein structure of an antibody developed by one of the European volunteers in this study, Julien has learned more about how the vaccine interacted with their immune system. This provides scientists with further clues as to how to alter the vaccine to improve immunity to malaria.
"In characterizing human antibody responses to malaria antigens, it is critical to have access to a world-class synchrotron beamline within Canada," says Julien.
"Recent upgrades to CMCF have tremendously increased the sensitivity and throughput of data collection, enabling us to solve more antigen-antibody structures informing our quest towards the design of improved malaria vaccine candidates."
Julien's research describing this latest protein structure was published this week in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
More than 70 academic, government and industrial research groups from across Canada and the United States conduct research using the CMCF beamlines.
The number of depositions has been increasing every year and with upcoming upgrades on the beamlines, the volume of work is expected to continue to accelerate.
The 500th paper was the result of research by Cygler's laboratory at the U of S. Using crystallography as well as other techniques, the researchers have a better understanding of how iron-sulfur clusters are synthesized in the body. These clusters are key components of many proteins critical to life and defects in the formation of the clusters can cause severe neurological and metabolic diseases, often with fatal outcomes. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
More information: Crystal structure of circumsporozoite protein aTSR domain in complex with 1710 antibody (6B0S). DOI: 10.2210/pdb6b0s/pdb Scally, Stephen W., Rajagopal Murugan, Alexandre Bosch, Gianna Triller, Giulia Costa, Benjamin Mordmu?ller, Peter G. Kremsner, B. Kim Lee Sim, Stephen L. Hoffman, Elena A. Levashina, Hedda Wardemann, and Jean-Philippe Julien. "Rare PfCSP C-terminal antibodies induced by live sporozoite vaccination are ineffective against malaria infection." Journal of Experimental Medicine (2017). DOI: 10.1084/jem.20170869 Boniecki, Michal T., Sven A. Freibert, Ulrich Muhlenhoff, Roland Lill, and Miroslaw Cygler. "Structure and functional dynamics of the mitochondrial Fe/S cluster synthesis complex." Nature Communications 8, no. 1 (2017): 1287. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01497-1 Journal information: Journal of Experimental Medicine , Nature Communications
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Samples of sediment taken from the ocean floor of the North Atlantic Ocean have given researchers an unprecedented insight into the reasons why Europe's climate has changed over the past 3000 years.
From the warmer climates of Roman times when vineyards flourished in England and Wales to the colder conditions that led to crop failure, famine and pandemics in early medieval times, Europe's climate has varied over the past three millennia.
For the first time, researchers have been able to pinpoint why this occurs, and the answer lies far out at sea in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists from Cardiff University have studied fossil remains of shell-bearing plankton and grains buried in sediments from the North Atlantic to determine what conditions were like in the ocean on timescales of 10-20 years over a 3000-year period.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers found that during cold periods, icy-cold waters from the Arctic would flow south into the Labrador Sea in the North Atlantic, altering the ocean circulation patterns and potentially slowing down the currents that transport heat to Europe.
"Seawater can hold more heat than the air, so it can act like a large storage heater. As such, the oceans can store and transport vast amounts of heat and are hence key for modulating our climate. Interestingly, we find changes in the circulation and distribution of waters in the North Atlantic which would have impacted the transport of heat to Europe," explains Dr Paola Moffa-Sanchez, from Cardiff University's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences who led the study.
Using the data contained in tiny marine fossil plankton shells and sediment grains, the researchers were able to build a record of past ocean conditions and link this with key historical records where the European climate was known to have been, on average, colder or warmer.
For example, the researchers were able to link a slowing down of the North Atlantic currents with a notorious cold period, often called the Little Ice Age, which ensconced Europe between 1300 to about 1850. Extensive cold winters were depicted in European paintings at the time, such as the famous ice skaters on the Thames in London.
Similarly, the researchers identified another slowing down of the North Atlantic currents at the same time as an extreme cold period in the 6th century, which led to widespread crop failures and famines worldwide. It is also believed that the consequences of this cold period perhaps contributed to the spreading of the Plague of Justinianone of the deadliest pandemics in human history that took the lives of an estimated 25 to 50 million people across the world.
"Our study shows the importance of the ocean on our climate and how this has naturally varied in the past when ocean measurements were not available. We've been able to link our results to historical records and provide an explanation behind some of the significant effects that the climate has had on the European population," explains Professor Ian Hall.
"Recently, because of our human influenced warmer climate, the Atlantic is receiving more freshwater from melting Arctic ice, which is in turn affecting the movement of the waters in the North Atlantic. Future changes in ocean circulation are likely to be felt within the pattern of climate change in Europe."
A Penn State Abington professor is proposing public policy solutions to help reduce the mental health impact of incarceration among African-American men.
Frances Veale, assistant professor of Rehabilitation and Human Services, presented "The Impact of Post-Incarceration Syndrome Among African-American Male Offenders: An Emergent Need for Operational Intervention" at the college's Faculty Research Series.
"You've been stripped of all of your autonomy and suddenly released and told to get a job, and a place to live," said Veale, who served as a corrections officer in a maximum security prison. "Rehabilitation needs to start from the moment of arrest. You can't adjust on your own."
Post-incarceration syndrome (PICS) is a set of disorders that are more severe in those who were in solitary confinement and/or suffered abuse while in prison. The five disorders are institutionalized personality traits such as learned helplessness; post-traumatic stress disorder; antisocial personality disorder; social sensory deprivation syndrome; and reactive substance abuse disorder.
Besides solitary confinement and abuse, other factors leading to PICS include spending one year or more in prison and not receiving counseling or vocational training.
Veale said expanding services is critical to keep people from returning to prison. Among her proposals:
convert 80 percent of correctional facilities into rehabilitation programs;
eliminate policies that have proven to be detrimental and ineffective;
implement universal pre-release programs for all offenders; and
ensure access to publicly funded programs for addiction and mental health treatment upon release.
"Offenders come back because they are so used to the prison environment. It becomes the norm to them and it's easier being locked up than living in the free world," said Veale.
The public should be concerned about the mental health of prisoners, she continued, because the United States spends $80 billion annually on correctional operations and one in three African-American men can expect to go to prison in their lifetimes.
"We research why crime is committed but not the impact of incarceration," said Veale, who plans to interview prisoners throughout the country for her research.
Veale earned her doctorate from the University of Iowa in rehabilitation and counselor education with a minor in criminal justice.
Pupils at Cheney School digitising material related to the First World War Credit: Rumble Museum
A cigarette case which saved a man's life at the Battle of Passchendaele was one of the treasures explored by schoolchildren aiming to preserve the stories of the First World War.
Cheney School pupils recorded the stories behind an array of war-related objects brought along by people in the community at the school's Rumble Museum earlier this month.
They were trained by academics who run Oxford University's Lest We Forget project, which aims to collect and digitise artefacts related to the First World War.
Dr Stuart Lee of the Faculty of English Language and Literature trained the pupils aged 12 to 17 in how to record the items, interview visitors and digitize the objects by taking photographs.
The items brought to the collection day included medals, letters, diaries, photographs, guns, masks and helmets. The cigarette case was brought in by Oxford man Chris Dorey, and it prevented a bullet from hitting his grandfather during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
Cheney School sixth former Louis Attlee and his family brought their relative's grave marker. It belonged to Captain Charles Gorrell Barnes who was killed in action in 1918 and the wooden grave marker will now be added a national bank of artefacts due to go live next year as part of the project.
"We were thrilled to assist Cheney School in Headington last Friday when they ran their WW1 Digital Collection Day," said Dr Lee. "As part of Oxford University's 'Lest We Forget' project, which is supporting schools and communities to run such events, it was fantastic that Cheney have led the way.
"Opening their doors in the afternoon to any member of the public who had items to share related to the war over 400 items were digitised for sharing online in the future. The students at the school interviewed the contributors, and also did all the scanning and digital photography, learning not only IT skills but also key historical research skills along the way.
More information: "It was a wonderful event to kick start our project and if you are interested in running your own digital collection day in the lead up to November 2018, then please contact us at ww1collections@it.ox.ac.uk."
Credit: Frances Butcher an NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
A team of scientists led by The Open University has discovered evidence of recent glacial meltwater on Mars, despite the widely-held view that the recent climate was too cold for ice to melt.
Planetary scientists from the OU, in collaboration with University College Dublin, the University of Cambridge and the University of Nantes (CNRS), have discovered a rare 'esker' on Mars a ridge of sediment deposited by meltwater flowing beneath a glacier in the relatively recent past (about 110 million years ago), despite cold climates. The research has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
Lead author of the research, PhD Researcher in Planetary Science, Frances Butcher, explains the significance of this discovery.
What are glaciers on Mars like, and where are they?
"Similar to Earth, Mars' poles are covered in large, solid ice caps, and the equator doesn't have any surface ice at all. The regions between the equator and the poles have thousands of water-ice glaciers that are similar to those found in mountainous regions on Earth. These 'mid-latitude' glaciers are the focus of our study, and are thought to be covered in a blanket of debris, perhaps only metres thick."
What have scientists thought in the past?
"It is widely thought that glaciers in Mars' mid-latitudes have always been too cold to have produced meltwater. This is because average temperatures on Mars are a chilly -55C. However, our research suggests that underground volcanic activity, and heat generated by ice movements, may have caused rare, localised melting of ice beneath some of these mid-latitude glaciers in the past."
What is an 'esker'?
"Basically, the meltwater flowing through a glacier forms a tunnel through the ice, which then fills with sediment such as gravel, rocks, and sand. When the glacier retreats, this sediment is left behind as a ridge, known as an 'esker'."
Does liquid water flow on Mars today?
"Whilst there is no evidence that liquid water still exists under these glaciers today, the research gives important insights into environmental conditions that could have caused ice to melt in Mars' recent geological history."
What can the esker tell us about environmental conditions on Mars in recent geological history?
"Until now, only one other esker had been discovered emerging from the front of a mid-latitude glacier. Both eskers formed between 110 150 million years ago, which is very recent for geologists, and are located in deep rift valleys, which could explain why these specific glaciers produced meltwater despite cold climates on Mars. Similar to some rift valleys on Earth, we think that heat from underground volcanic activity warmed the beds of the glaciers that flow within them, causing ice to melt."
Why is this important for humans?
"If humans eventually travel to Mars, mid-latitude glaciers would be a relatively accessible source of ice that astronauts could process into water. Eskers could also provide sites of interest for scientific exploration close to these ice resources."
What about life on Mars? Could these mid-latitude glaciers support life?
"Conditions on Mars are extremely hostile for life, and we currently do not know if life ever existed anywhere on the planet. Therefore it seems unlikely that mid-latitude glaciers support life, or have ever done so. However, in cold, high-radiation environments on Earth, the beds of glaciers can be protective safe-havens for microbial life.
"Glaciers on Mars could, in effect, act like a huge shield, protecting the ground and ice at their beds from the harmful radiation that bombards the surface of the planet. If life did emerge on Mars, there is a chance that the beds of glaciers could have provided sheltered niches for life."
More information: Frances E. G. Butcher et al. Recent basal melting of a mid-latitude glacier on Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2017). DOI: 10.1002/2017JE005434 Journal information: Journal of Geophysical Research
A black hole devouring a star. Credit: NASA
LIGO scientists say they have discovered gravitational waves coming from another black hole merger, and it's the tiniest one they've ever seen.
The findings, submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters, could shed light on the diversity of the black hole population - and may help scientists figure out why larger black holes appear to behave differently from the smaller ones.
"Its mass makes it very interesting," said Salvatore Vitale, a data analyst and theorist with the LIGO Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The discovery, he added, "really starts populating more of this low-mass region that (until now) was quite empty."
Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time that are caused by accelerating or decelerating objects.
They're extremely difficult to detect, but worth searching for because they allow us to directly study extremely powerful cosmic phenomena - including black holes, which can't be seen by conventional means because no light can escape from within the event horizon.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, can find black hole binaries - a pair of black holes that are bound by gravity - as they spin toward each other and violently merge into a single black hole.
LIGO consists of two L-shaped detectors with 2.5-mile-long arms, one in Hanford, Wash., and the other in Livingston, La.
When a gravitational wave passes through the detectors, squeezing one arm and stretching the other, a finely tuned system of lasers and mirrors inside the arms can pick up those infinitesimally tiny distortions.
Since finding its first black hole merger in September 2015, LIGO has announced the discovery of several more black hole mergers, as well as a merger of two neutron stars - some of which the European Virgo detector picked up as well.
The black hole smashup GW170608 was detected on June 7.
The detectors measured a signal that came from the violent collision of two smaller black holes, about seven and 12 times the mass of the sun, sitting roughly a billion light-years away. The merger left behind a black hole with 18 solar masses; the remaining one sun's worth of mass was converted into gravitational waves.
This event was quite small compared with most black hole merger discoveries by LIGO (for example, the first pair in September 2015 weighed about 36 and 29 suns, respectively). The next smallest was found in December 2015, with black hole masses of 7.5 and 14.2 suns, respectively.
As the lowest-mass of LIGO's black hole finds, GW170608's lightweight pair is in the same class as black holes that astronomers have found indirectly via X-rays and other high-energy radiation.
Those X-rays come from outside a black hole, as all the material in its accretion disc spins around, rubs against other material and heats up, emitting high-energy radiation in the process. That material in the disc is pulled from a companion star that's gravitationally locked into a binary pair with the black hole.
But astronomers have really only spotted X-rays coming from lower-mass black holes, not the more massive ones such as those LIGO is finding.
Why haven't larger black holes been found producing X-rays? It's a mystery that researchers have yet to figure out, Vitale said. But GW170608 could help bridge that gap.
LIGO is set to start its next observing run in late 2018, and as it finds more black hole mergers, scientists will start to be able to treat them as a population and study their demographics to further probe these questions.
But Vitale said he was also hoping to see something new, beyond black hole mergers and neutron-star mergers.
"I would love to find a black hole and a neutron star," he said.
Such a hybrid merger would allow scientists to study gravitational waves but would also produce some light that astronomers could study with more conventional telescopes.
"If we see that," he added, "we'll learn a lot."
2017 Los Angeles Times
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
With tuitions ever rising and student debt exploding to $1.45 trillion, there has been increased pressure on schools to demonstrate their value based on their success in placing graduates in good-paying jobs.
A for-profit computer-coding boot camp in Philadelphia, the local branch of the New York Code and Design Academy, has taken the bull by the horns. In October, it began offering students a you-can't-lose financing promise called an income share agreement.
"An ISA puts the burden back on the school to do its job, to turn out skilled graduates who can apply what they've learned to actually make a living," said school founder and CEO Jeremy Snepar. "When, and only when, you start to make a minimum salary of $40,000, you start to pay us back - with 8 percent taken out of your salary."
The payback clock continues to run for 48 months maximum, or until the student has returned just what was borrowed with no interest, whichever comes first. "We're saying, if you don't get a fair return on your investment, then we haven't done our job and you shouldn't owe us anything," Snepar said.
Clearly, the odds are running in Snepar's favor and those of his backing group, Strayer Education, which acquired all six outposts (New York, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Washington, Salt Lake City, and Amsterdam) of New York Code and Design Academy in January 2016 and hosts the Philly branch at 1601 Cherry St.
The ISA is being offered to students enrolled in the Philadelphia and Salt Lake City branches of NYCDA's web development intensive program - a 12-week, early morning-to-late night deep dive into coding languages, "Full Stack" website construction, and UI (User Interface) design that carries a $15,000 price tag.
All 25 students currently in the Philadelphia program went for the can't-lose financing deal.
It "works out to $1,250 a week, $31.25 an hour," Pramod Abicandani, an electronics and computer-technology professor until recently based at Drexel University, said when asked to assess the program. "If they do all the things mentioned on their website - the weekly programmatic breakdown - then this is a good deal on all counts."
A onetime investment analyst for Lehman Bros., Snepar said he first saw the need for specialty schools "when I was helping start-ups raise capital, largely so they could hire more developers."
And with the average starting salary for a coder in the $60,000 to $65,000 range, "there's a lot of incentive to take this crash course, which taught me a lot more about coding than I did studying electrical engineering in college and grad school, and then graphic design in an associate degree program," said boot camp grad Chuong Nguyen of South Philadelphia. Now a front-end web designer for New Hope's Vantage Lab, the Vietnam-born, Paris-raised Nguyen said he was hired "two weeks after finishing the NYCDA course."
On the other hand, Erin Mahon didn't connect with a job (at digital-marketing agency Brolik) for more than a year after first matriculating in the program. "Honestly, I didn't feel all that satisfied about my abilities after the course sessions. So I shared that with the school administrators, and they were wonderful, said I could retake the whole course, plus separate, specialized evening classes, for no additional charges."
Creative coding is largely a mind-set and self-confidence game, said former NYCDA instructor Jonathan Wexler, now a senior software engineer for Bloomberg Law. "The school puts a lot of emphasis on team building, feedback, and collaboration, the community aspects of development, which are often missing when you take coding courses online at a Cousera, Udacity or Team Treehouse."
The ISA program functions as a great equalizer for potential attendees, said Snepar: An applicant's past achievements, native talent, and potential (judged in pre-entry screenings) rule objectively; credit history is not a factor at all. ISA also functions as a serious marketing differentiator for NYCDA.
Launch Academy set up shop in February, and Trilogy Education Services now runs a 24-week Coding Boot Camp under the auspices of Penn Arts and Sciences. Likewise on the scene are Coded by U and branches of Apprentice.io, American Graphics Institute and Horizons Academy.
Industry consolidation is being felt. Dev Bootcamp (backed by test-prep company Kaplan Inc.) and the Iron Yard (backed by the University of Phoenix's parent) are shutting down this year. New York's Flatiron School was recently bought by WeWorks.
Deploying an ISA-style solution for responsible education funding has earned attention at Purdue University and MissionU, a San Francisco-based one-year feeder program for tech industries that takes 15 percent of a grad's salary for three years as long as she makes more than $50,000 annually.
Earlier this year, Indiana Rep. Todd Young and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio proposed (for naught) the "Investing in Student Success Act of 2017" that would have designated an ISA as a "qualified education loan," with payments tax-deductible, like student-loan payments. The latter are now on the chopping block in the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" passed last week by the House.
2017 The Philadelphia Inquirer
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The world's only particle accelerator dedicated to art was switched on at the Louvre in Paris Thursday to help experts analyse ancient and precious works.
The 37-metre (88-foot) AGLAE accelerator housed underneath the huge Paris museum will be now be used for the first time to routinely study and help authenticate paintings and other items made from organic materials.
The Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museum of France (C2RMF)which is independent of the Louvrehas spent 2.1 million euros ($2.5 million) overhauling and upgrading the machine, which can determine the chemical make-up of objects without the need to take samples.
"Up to now we almost never analysed paintings because we were afraid the particle beam might change the colours" when it hit the pigments in the paint, director Isabelle Pallot-Frossard told AFP.
The AGLAE works by speeding up helium and hydrogen nuclei to speeds of between 20,000 to 30,000 kilometres (12,400 to 18,600 miles) per second and then bombarding the object, which emits radiation that can be captured and analysed.
Among the first objects to be tested by the newly configured accelerator were Roman votive statues of the household godsthe Lareswhich were said to protect the home.
They were uncovered from the ancient forum of Bavay close to the border with Belgium.
The old acceleratorwhich was built in 1988 could only work between eight and 10 hours a day, but the new one can function around the clock, the C2RMF said.
2017 AFP
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether
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The Nakanoshima district in Osaka city, Japan.
Overseas investors are shifting their attention to Japans regional cities such as Osaka for better opportunities.
By Michelle Yee
While the city of Osaka is often overshadowed by Tokyo when it comes to tourism, Japans third-biggest city is rapidly emerging as an attractive place to invest in as it offers investors with better opportunities as compared to the countrys capital city, where prices have been increasing due to rising labour and construction costs ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Just a few months back, Haswell Holdings a local leading provider of consumer essentials in Singapore was reported to have acquired a property in Osaka, Japan for JPY 575,000,000, in line with its strategy to redeploy capital into potentially higher return real estate opportunities.
Among the various asset classes, analysts observe that quality office buildings rank high on investors list as supply is scarce but demand is high.
Osaka has been seen lagging behind Tokyo economically, but its office market is now showing stronger rental growth backed by solid demand and limited supply in the market, attracting both domestic and overseas investors, said Akagi Takeshi, head of research at JLL Japan.
Echoing similar sentiments, the research team from Savills Japan shared that Osaka has been steadily attracting strong investor interest due to good rental growth.
In March, Hulic purchased the Midosuji MID Building from MCUBS MidCity for JPY9 billion at a net operating income (NOI) yield of 3.7 percent. Hulic also acquired four office and retail buildings in Shinsaibashi for a rumoured JPY38 billion in June. The company had previously shied away from investments outside of Tokyo; these recent transactions in Osaka signal a policy shift, Savills said.
Average rents for high-grade office space in Osaka, too, have been inching upwards. A recent Savills report revealed that average rents for high-grade office space in Osaka have risen 4.9 percent year-on-year to JPY17,800 per tsubo, while rents of several high-quality assets now reach JPY30,000 per tsubo. Average rents for all-grade rents, too, have been growing for four consecutive months.
Story continues
With vacancy rates continuing to tighten, experts believe that rental growth is likely to further accelerate.
As rents have started showing signs of growth, more investors may turn to Osaka and seek office properties at more attractive prices relative to Tokyo. The local government is hoping to secure the rights to host the 2025 World Expo if successful, it would be a boost for the market, said the research team from Savills.
International Spotlight
CBRE Research Asia Pacific Investment Guide
Why invest in Osaka
Tourism hotspot
A former industrial city and one-time financial centre, Osaka has evolved to become a popular tourist destination, offering great food and shopping, as well as rich culture. Tourists were also quoted as saying that Tokyo is a little too busy, and Osaka offers a more relaxing holiday experience.
According to the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, a record 9.41 million foreign tourists visited Osaka in 2016, a 31 percent jump over the previous year.
The Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi area is popular with overseas tourists even on weekdays and many of our clients can see the potential value, said Akihiko Mizuno, head of JLLs capital markets business in Japan.
Another reason for the huge improvement in tourist arrivals is due to the increased flights by low-cost carriers.
With the increase in tourist arrivals, the local economy has received a huge boost the central bank reported that duty-free sales at department stores in the region were up almost 60 percent in the first eight months of 2017 from the same period in 2016.
As a result, the areas unemployment rate has also dropped considerably, to four percent last year, while the number of companies in Osaka grew 16 percent in the 12 months through March, faster than in Tokyo or across the whole nation.
Affordable price tag
While the cost of purchasing a property in Osaka today is around 30 to 40 percent higher than in 2013, foreign buyers, especially those from Hong Kong and mainland China, still find the prices more affordable for freehold land as compared to homes in their own country, where all the land is on government leases.
The average price of an apartment in Osaka city is about JPY45,700,000 (US$405,000), compared with HK$8.4 million (about US$1 million) for a 600 sq ft apartment on Hong Kong Island, or US$554,000 for homes in New York.
Comparing to the other metropolitans in developed nations, the price is low and the rental yields are relatively high, especially in major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka where rental incomes are very stable due to low vacancies and strong internal migration, an HJ Real Estate report said.
Data by the Haseko Research Institute also showed that the average unit price of an apartment in Osaka city is about 31 percent lower than in the 23 wards of Tokyo.
Easy accessibility
Home to two airports: Kansai International Airport (serves both international and domestic flights) and Itami Airport (only domestic flights), which are both easily accessible from the city centre via public transportation, Osaka provides convenient access to major cities around the world, as well as to the neighbouring areas of Kyoto, Hyogo and Nara, among others.
Osaka castle is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Osaka set for more growth
Looking ahead, Osaka looks set for further growth as its local government has laid the groundwork to bid to host the 2025 World Expo, as well as to build an integrated casino resort.
If everything goes according to plan, the integrated casino resort will also include international conference halls, art museums, tourist centres and other cultural facilities, and is expected to help boost the citys tourism and economy.
Bright prospects
In light of surging inbound tourism in Osaka, coupled with a slew of upcoming new major developments in the city, experts predict demand for properties in the city to remain strong.
Osaka is one of the leading economic centres in Japan following Tokyo, and demand for real estate is growing rapidly boosted by a flourishing economy, explained Yuko Akiyama from JLLs capital markets team in Kansai.
According to Oxford Economics, real GDP is expected to grow 0.2 percent this year and 0.4 percent in 2018.
The research team from JLL Japan, too, also believes that the outlook for Osakas property market looks promising. Healthy demand and limited supply are expected to see the vacancy rate remain below five percent and this should support further rental growth in the remainder of 2017. In the investment market, capital values are expected to grow, reflecting rent growth and further cap rate compression, they said.
FAST FACTS
Population: 2.7 million
Total area: 223 sq km
Currency: Japanese Yen
GDP per capita (Japan): US$39,000
GDP growth (Japan): 1.0 percent
Future transport: Bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka
Distance from Singapore: 4,948 km
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Here are our top picks of investment properties in Osaka.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Grand Mansion New Osaka
Grand Mansion New Osaka
Nishimiyahara, Yodogawa Ward
Looking to own a freehold property in Osaka that offers good yields? Consider Grand Mansion New Osaka in Yodogawa-ku, which offers convenience and a host of amenities.
The development is within proximity to Shin-Osaka (Midosuji Line) and Shin-Osaka (JR Tokaido Main Line). The units for sale are approximately 58 sq m (624 sq ft) in size each, and priced at JPY15.5 million.
The estimated gross yield that investors can expect is about 6.8 percent.
Type: Residential apartment
Nearby Key Amenities: Shopping malls, convenience stores and train stations
Nearest Transport: Shin-Osaka (Midosuji Line) and Shin-Osaka (JR Tokaido Main Line)
Starting Price: JPY15.5 million ($187,000) for a two-bedroom apartment
Grandeur Hirano
Grandeur Hirano
Nagayoshideto, Hirano Ward
Another Osaka property that keen investors can look at is Grandeur Hirano, a freehold development located at Hirano-ku.
Offering relatively good yields, about 9.2 percent gross yields, the property for sale, which is approximately 17 sq m (183 sq ft) in size, is priced at JPY5.2 million (S$62,754).
To get to the other parts of the city, residents can utilise the Nagahara (Tanimachi Line), situated about a 10-minute walk away.
Type: Residential apartment
Nearby Key Amenities: Shopping malls, convenience stores and train stations
Nearest Transport: Nagahara (Tanimachi Line)
Starting Price: JPY5.2 million (S$62,754) for a one-bedroom apartment
Singapores mortgage market is expected to soften in the long term due to the new cooling measures in the private residential market
After two years of falling rents caused by a glut of supply and a sluggish economy, the promise of a bottom in the city-states office market pushed its ranking up from next-to-bottom last year to third in this years Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific 2018 report.
This position is reassuring for Singapores investment prospects, given that we have major projects in the pipeline to transform our city, such as the development of Jurong Lake District as an exciting second Central Business District, and the doubling of capacities of both our air and sea ports, said Khoo Teng Chye, Chairman of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Singapore, and Executive Director at Centre for Liveable Cities.
Jointly published by PwC and ULI, the report noted that office rents in Singapore firmed earlier than expected, while the completion of Asia Pacifics biggest office deal in September 2017 galvanized the local market as well as set a floor for valuations. A number of core office transactions have also taken place this year, with foreign funds buying actively.
The residential sector also showed signs of recovery, with increasing transactions and a slight improvement in pricing. Sales of developer sites soared amid tightening supply as developers look to replenish their land banks.
The rebound seems likely to be sustainable, given several years of pent-up consumer demand. The Chinese developers have also been active in buying land, pushing up land auction prices for residential sites significantly through 2017, noted the report, which is based on the opinions of over 600 real estate professionals, including developers, investors, lenders, property company representatives, brokers and consultants.
However, other respondents believe that talk of a bottoming in the office market is premature.
Singapores still in a difficult place. They dont have a lot of business confidence, theres quite a lot of supply and not a huge amount of expansion, said a fund-manager active in the market.
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Its challenging to bring foreign workers in because the government has responded to local concerns to protect jobs, and at the same time, a lot of the European banks are downsizing, which hits demand for space. I dont want to be negative, but were not seeing a big pipeline of deals that interest us.
This article was edited by Keshia Faculin.
Bangladesh and Myanmar will start repatriating refugees in two months, Dhaka said Thursday, as global pressure mounts over a crisis that has forced more than half a million Rohingya to flee across the border. The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world's largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing". After months of wrangling, Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday. Dhaka said they had agreed to start returning the refugees to mainly Buddhist Myanmar in two months. It said that a working group would be set up within three weeks to agree the arrangements for the repatriation. "This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working," Ali told reporters in Naypyidaw. Impoverished and overcrowded Bangladesh has won international praise for allowing the refugees into the country, but has imposed restrictions on their movements and said it does not want them to stay. Myanmar, meanwhile, has bristled at the growing chorus of global criticism. Aung San Suu Kyi, a one-time heroine of the human rights movement whose halo has been badly tarnished, shot back Thursday at foreign interference in what she said was a "bilateral" issue. "Western countries as well the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had portrayed the matter as an international issue by passing resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations," her office said in a statement. "The principled position of Myanmar is that issues that emerge between neighbouring countries must be resolved amicably through bilateral negotiations." Thursday's agreement is a "win-win situation for both countries", the statement added. - 'Horrendous atrocities' - The tentative deal comes the day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who met with Suu Kyi in Myanmar last week, issued Washingtons strongest-yet denunciation. "It is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said. "No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued." The tide of desperate humanity that has poured over the riverine border into Bangladesh is thick with horrifying stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's military and Buddhist mobs. The Burmese army insists its crackdown has been proportionate and targeted only at Rohingya rebels. Thursday's outline deal offered no detail on how many Rohingya will be allowed back and how long the process will take. The European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said it was "an important and welcomed step towards addressing one of the worst humanitarian and human rights crises of our times". Mogherini, who visited Myanmar on Monday, urged both nations to act swiftly to enable the "voluntary, safe and dignified return" of the refugees, in a statement. Rights groups have raised concerns about the repatriation plans, including questioning where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging. - 'Won't go back' - The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years. They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services. Tensions erupted into bouts of bloodshed in 2012 that pushed more than 100,000 Rohingya into grim displacement camps. Despite the squalid conditions in the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many of the refugees say they are reluctant to return to Myanmar unless they are granted full citizenship. "We won't go back to Myanmar unless all Rohingya are granted citizenship with full rights like any other Myanmar nationals," said Abdur Rahim, 52, who was a teacher at a government-run school in Buthidaung in Myanmar's Rakhine state before fleeing across the border. "We won't return to any refugee camps in Rakhine," he told AFP in Bangladesh. The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya. The latest unrest occurred after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts on August 25. The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities. The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone. Suu Kyi's government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse. burs-cc-hg/klm/boc
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will in the coming days visit Turkey's sometimes uneasy NATO ally Greece, a top official said Thursday, the first visit by a Turkish head of state to its neighbour in 65 years. Erdogan had himself, as prime minister, visited Greece in 2004 and 2010 but the trip will be the first by a Turkish president since Celal Bayer went to the country in 1952. Turkey and Greece have a history of uneasy relations dating back to the creation of the modern Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. But Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, has sought a more pragmatic relationship with Athens based on trade and tourism rather than nationalism. "Our president will be the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu, said without specifying the precise timescale, quoted by the Anadolu news agency. "I think that this visit will have significant results," added Cavusoglu, who was born in Greece. Ties between Ankara and Athens have also been aided after Alexis Tsipras, who is believed to enjoy a warm personal relationship with Erdogan, became prime minister in 2015. Greece and Turkey both joined NATO in 1952 but the thaw between the two countries only began in earnest in 1999 after destructive earthquakes struck both nations within weeks of each other. They also cooperated closely in the 2015 migration crisis, with Greece backing an EU deal for Turkey to stem the flow of migrants. However there are still many bones of contention. Athens is unhappy over Turkey's upkeep of Byzantine monuments in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia which is officially a museum but has seen an uptick in Muslim activity in the last years. Greece has also been rattled by Erdogan's sometimes angry tirades against the post World War I treaties that set the countries' modern borders and meant almost all the Aegean islands are Greek territory. Turkey, meanwhile, is unhappy that Greece has given sanctuary to suspects wanted over the 2016 failed coup, notably eight troops who escaped by helicopter on the putsch night. Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops following the 1974 invasion in response Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.
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Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta arrived Tuesday in eastern DR Congo's main city of Goma, as fresh clashes with M23 rebels occurred just to the north, sending thousands fleeing. Troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were battling M23 fighters in Kibumba, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Goma, security officials and local residents said. The M23 has recently seized swathes of territory in North Kivu province, displacing tens of thousands of people in their advance. Kibumba is considered one of the last obstacles to the rebels before Goma, a commercial hub of one million people on the Rwandan border. On Tuesday afternoon, rumours that the M23 was approaching sent a fresh wave of people fleeing to the Kanyaruchinya displacement camp, south of Kibumba. About 40,000 people are currently in the camp, according to its head. A security official who asked for anonymity said that people began to flee after seeing soldiers themselves retreating towards Goma after clashes with M23 rebels. North Kivu's military governor, General Constant Ndima, urged people to remain calm late Tuesday. "I want to reassure you... Loyalist forces are containing the enemy on the heights of Kibumba," he told reporters. The crisis has cratered relations between the DRC and its smaller central African neighbour Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of backing the militia. Uhuru Kenyatta, a mediator for the seven-nation East African Community (EAC), arrived in Goma on Tuesday and visited Kanyaruchinya. He told reporters late Tuesday that the stories he had heard were "heart-breaking". "I cannot ignore what I have seen," Kenyatta said. "I must say to all parties: You cannot negotiate in the face of human catastrophe". - 'De-escalation' - Kenyatta's visit to the DRC is the latest in a round of diplomatic bids to defuse the crisis in the impoverished country's volatile east. The former president landed in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Sunday for talks, following on the heels of a visit from Angolan President Joao Lourenco. The EAC has also called for a "peace dialogue" in Kenya's capital Nairobi on November 21. In addition, the bloc has agreed to send a peacekeeping mission to eastern DRC. Kenyan troops arrived in Goma over the weekend, as part of that operation. On Monday, Kenyatta urged armed groups to put down their arms and return to the negotiating table. "There is nothing that can be gained through the barrel of a gun," he had told reporters. On Tuesday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had discussed the situation with Rwanda's Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, on the margins of the G20 meeting in Indonesia. "I underscored the United States deep concern about the continuing violence in eastern DRC, and called on Rwanda to take active steps to facilitate de-escalation," he said in a tweet. - Rebel return - Biruta, for his part, tweeted that Rwanda is committed to regional diplomatic mechanisms to bring peace to eastern DRC, as well as to finding a political solution to the crisis. Over 120 armed groups roam the region, many of which are a legacy of regional wars which flared at the turn of the century. The M23 -- a mostly Congolese Tutsi group -- first leapt to prominence in 2012 when it briefly captured Goma before being driven out. But the rebel group returned in late 2021 after years of dormancy, claiming the DRC had failed to honour a promise to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances. It captured the strategic town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border in June. In recent weeks, the rebels have also won a string of victories against the Congolese army, edging closer towards Goma. The DRC expelled Rwanda's ambassador in late October amid the renewed M23 offensive. Despite official denials from Kigali, an unpublished report for the UN seen by AFP in August pointed to Rwandan involvement with the M23. Rwanda accuses the Congolese government of colluding with Hutu militants who fled across the border after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. hbm-at/eml/kjm
Philippine President Duterte Rodrigo Duterte has called on police to once again take the lead role in his deadly drug war, having twice demoted them in response to criticism of the crackdown. The fiery leader, who rights groups say may be orchestrating a crime against humanity with his bloody anti-drugs campaign, said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) with 2,000 officers was incapable of doing the job. "Whether I like it or not, I have to return that power to the police," he said in a speech on Wednesday night. Duterte, 72, was elected last year on a promise to eradicate drugs from Philippine society by launching an unprecedented campaign in which up to 100,000 people would die. He first ordered the police to take a step back in January, describing them as "corrupt to the core" and instructing the PDEA to lead after revelations that officers kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman. But it wasn't long before Duterte reinstated the 165,000-strong force without any major reforms, re-launching the war under the name "Double Barrel Reloaded" -- so-called for the two-pronged police strategy to wipe out drugs. In October, he announced the PDEA would again take the helm in the face of mounting public opposition, including rare street protests triggered by the murder of three teenagers -- allegedly by police officers. His latest decision follows a regional summit in Manila this month where US President Donald Trump and most other world leaders were silent on allegations of extrajudicial killings in the drug war. Trump instead hailed his "great relationship" with Duterte and praised him for hosting the meeting, a move rights groups say may have emboldened Duterte to pursue his campaign. Duterte last month admitted that he removed police from the drug war "in deference" to critics including rights campaigners, Catholic bishops and the European Union. Neither Duterte nor his spokesman Harry Roque said when police would rejoin. Asked about government reforms this time around, Roque told reporters Thursday: "He (Duterte) has also said that by and large, not everyone in the (police) is corrupt and therefore he still believes in the institution". Since Duterte took office, police have reported killing 3,967 people in the crackdown. Another 2,290 have been murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data.
Pope Francis led a special prayer for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, saying the mass murder of women and children is where "war shows its most horrid face". "This evening, in prayer, we want to sow seeds of peace in the lands of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in all lands devastated by war," the pope said in a homily at St. Peter's Basilica. Referring to "walls of hostility" in the two countries, he lamented conflicts in which children have no part, but "which rob them of their childhood and at times of life itself". "How hypocritical it is to deny the mass murder of women and children," he said. "Here war shows its most horrid face." Earlier in the year the pope repeatedly said that he wanted to visit South Sudan with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, his Anglican counterpart but the Vatican announced in May that such a trip would be too dangerous. South Sudan plunged into civil war in December 2013, two and a half years after it gained independence from Sudan. The conflict has left tens of thousands dead and forced a third of the country's 12 million people out of their homes. The pontiff has also said he wished to visit DR Congo, but would not do so before elections are held there. Violence flared in the vast country after President Joseph Kabila refused to step down as constitutionally mandated in December 2016. Kabila has been in power since his father was assassinated in 2001. Elections are now planned for December 2018. The United Nations said on Thursday that it had documented 704 human rights violations across DR Congo in October, including extra-judicial killings and rape, with children among the victims.
From the courtyard of a Catholic girls' school outside Bangkok, Sister Ana Rosa Sivori is eagerly awaiting a visit to the region from her second cousin -- Pope Francis. Six years his junior, the sprightly 75-year-old nun has watched from abroad as her cousin transforms from the "shy" kid she grew up with in Buenos Aires to a global figurehead, unafraid to speak his mind and wade into treacherous political waters. That boldness will be tested next week when the pontiff visits first Myanmar and then Bangladesh -- countries reeling from a Rohingya refugee exodus sparked by ethnic and religious hatreds. While the pontiff will not have time for a face-to-face reunion, Sister Ana Rosa will be closely watching her pen pal from her home in Thailand, where she first arrived as a Salesian missionary more than 50 years ago. "He is coming for the Myanmar people, not for us," the fluent Thai-speaker said from the schoolyard in Nakhon Pathom, where pupils buzz around her white robes and playfully grab onto her cross as she passes through the lunch area. "It is the right time for him to come to Asia. These two places, Myanmar and Bangladesh, they are in conflict....he sees the need to encourage people, to build a bridge of peace." The cousins, whose grandfathers were brothers, have not seen each other in three years but exchange letters funnelled through the Vatican Embassy in Bangkok. "I keep everything," Sister Ana Rosa said as she pulled out an envelope of notes from the pontiff -- written in tight, miniscule black script and signed with a simple "Francisco". As for the political sensitivities hanging over his Myanmar trip, the nun says her cousin is "not afraid at all". The Pope has been outspoken about his sympathy for the Muslim Rohingya -- a stance that could trigger protests in mainly Buddhist Myanmar where the minority is vilified. "He is not afraid of saying 'you should look after these people'," she told AFP, saying she expected him to talk tough with Myanmar's government leaders over their treatment of the persecuted Muslim minority. As for his interlocutors: "They cannot be the same after meeting him." - 'Shy and reserved' - That wasn't always the case. She chuckles as she recalls Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as a younger priest who didn't always have such a silver tongue. "Listening to him I thought, he was so boring," she said of a mass he gave back in the 1990s. Sister Ana Rosa now turns to his sermons as a source of solace, tracking his every move across the world stage. "His words are really profound, and practical." Francis' trademark smile is also a new development, she explains. "He was very shy person, reserved. He didn't smile before. Now he smiles a lot. He likes to be with people." The other nuns at her school often grab onto Sister Ana Rosa's wrists, just to feel closer His Eminence. But she says it is still strange to see Francis as anything other than her big cousin. Their last chat in the Vatican several years ago was friendly and familiar, she said, spanning family affairs and their shared line of work. "I thought to myself -- I'm talking to the pope?" she said with a hearty laugh.
The United States on Wednesday toughened its stance on Myanmar, accusing the country's security forces of perpetrating "horrendous atrocities" against the Rohingya that amount to "ethnic cleansing" of the Muslim minority. The statement from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who visited Myanmar last week, is the strongest US condemnation yet of the military's crackdown against the Rohingya, which has triggered a major refugee crisis and escalating global outrage. "After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said in a statement. "No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued." More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled mainly Buddhist Myanmar for Bangladesh since the military launched a counter-insurgency operation in troubled Rakhine state in late August. While the army insists it has only targeted Rohingya rebels, refugees massing in Bangladeshi camps have given chilling and consistent accounts of widespread murder, rape and arson at the hands of security forces and Buddhist mobs. "These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes," Tillerson said. Myanmar's response to the crisis will be vital to determining the success of its transition to becoming "a more democratic society," he added. - 'Looking at' sanctions - Myanmar's de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- a Nobel peace laureate -- has been criticized by rights groups disappointed with her failure to condemn the crackdown or publicly criticize the military. Washington says Suu Kyi has a crucial role to play in tackling the crisis but has been careful to focus blame on the army. On his one-day visit to Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, Tillerson said Washington was "deeply concerned by credible reports of widespread atrocities committed by Myanmar's security forces and vigilantes." He urged Myanmar to accept an independent investigation into those allegations, after which individual sanctions could be appropriate. On Wednesday, Tillerson said: "Burma's government and security forces must respect the human rights of all persons within its borders, and hold accountable those who fail to do so." Last year, former US president Barack Obama eased long-standing sanctions on Myanmar, reinstating preferential tariffs, to help the country's transition from being a military-run pariah to civilian government. The current administration says it does not favor a return to broad economic sanctions. But a senior State Department official told reporters on Wednesday: "We are looking at additional sanctions targeting individuals responsible for specific acts of violence." Myanmar's army and Suu Kyi's administration have dismissed reports of atrocities and refused to grant entry to UN investigators tasked with probing alleged abuses. Some world leaders had already described the scorched-earth military campaign against the Rohingya as "ethnic cleansing." Global human rights watchdogs over the past week issued reports accusing Myanmar security forces of slitting the throats of Rohingya, burning victims alive and gang-raping women and girls. The watchdogs described "mounting evidence" of genocide and spoke of "ethnic cleansing" founded on years of "apartheid." - Uptick in diplomacy - Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have intensified. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, on Monday both visited Myanmar. China has made a proposal to resolve the crisis with a ceasefire, refugee repatriation and poverty alleviation. A foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said Monday that the plan had won approval from leaders in both Bangladesh and Myanmar. "We understand that both Burma and Bangladesh are close to reaching an agreement on a process for voluntary repatriations," the senior State Department official said, adding that by declaring "ethnic cleansing," the US hopes to increase the pressure for such a deal. US Senator John McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed Tillerson's statement as a first step that should be followed by "targeted sanctions against the military officials responsible for these atrocities."
Celebrity hairstylist to Kate Middleton, Rossano Ferretti, is opening shop in Singapore.
Mention celebrity hair salons in Singapore, and Kim Robinsons eponymous salon or David Gans Passion might come to mind. Now, theres a new luxury hair salon in town thats famous among even bigger names, such as the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Angelina Jolie: Rossano Ferretti Hairspa.
These celebs luscious tresses are made possible by Rossano Ferrettis signature hair technique known as The Method, created by him and his sister Lorenza. Also known as the invisible cutting technique, it is based on a principle that hair should be treated according to its own structure and movement.
So if your hair flows better at shoulder-length rather than a power bob a la Anna Wintour, chances are, youll step out of the salon with the former. The 57-year-old has opened branches in over 20 countries around the world, with the recent ones opened in Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
Rossano Ferretti Hairspa is located at the Fullerton Hotel. Photo: Rossano Ferretti
In Singapore, the Rossano Ferretti Hairspa is located on the ground floor of the Fullerton Hotel and is easily accessed via Battery Road you wont be able to find it via the hotels main entrance.
The modestly-sized salon provides an intimate setting for its clients. The minimally designed outlet decked in mostly black and white consists of only four hairstyling stations, while a separate section for hair washing can only accommodate two clients at a time.
Rossano Ferretti Hairspa is located at the Fullerton Hotel. Photo: Rossano Ferretti
Prices vary for women and men. For women, a cleanse, cut and finish is priced from $375 to $510, while a cleanse and finish is priced from $100 to $190. Mens haircuts are priced from $145 to $260, while cuts for children under 12 years old are $95.
Unlike other hair salons, the Rossano Ferretti Hairspa experience begins with a detailed consultation, where the hairstylist known as a Master will seek to understand your hair, your lifestyle, and your dream look.
If that look involves colouring, the salon does not offer full hair colouring services. They do, however, offer highlights based on four different techniques spatula ($110 to $260), sunshine ($240 to $295), freehand ($300 to $445) and balayage ($450 to $650).
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Ferrettis signature Hairspa treatments such as the prodigio (hair reconstruction) are also available and priced from $125 to $240.
The service doesnt end there. If you require a cut in the comfort of your own hotel room or require the staff to fly to whichever country youre in, thats possible, too. As long as youre able to pay a 50-per-cent and 100-per-cent surcharge, respectively.
Rossano Ferretti Hairspa is located at the Fullerton Hotel. Photo: Rossano Ferretti
Want a cut from Rossano Ferretti himself? Thats US$1,500 (S$2,020)
The prices at Rossano Ferretti may be more expensive than at regular hair salons but, in comparison to a cut by Ferretti himself, they can still be considered as value for money.
Thats because a a haircut by Ferretti himself costs approximately US$1,500 ($2,020). However, the hairstylist no longer cuts hair and leaves the job to his well-trained Masters instead.
During a media preview last week, Ferretti shared that it would be difficult for him to focus on running the business while styling hair at the same time. These days, he cuts hair as part of a hobby, he shared.
Rossano Ferretti, 57, in a bespoke suit at the media preview of the Rossano Ferretti hair salon at the Fullerton Hotel. Photo: Nurul Azliah/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore
Decked in a bespoke suit, the lanky Italian shared about his life growing up with parents who cut hair his father was a barber and his mother a hairdresser. Ferretti began hairstyling in his early teens and shook the industry many years later after being the first to open an apartment salon in his hometown of Parma. Another apartment salon is located in Paris.
While Ferretti might have unofficially resigned from cutting peoples hair himself, clients in Singapore can still experience The Method from the two hairstylists running the Rossano Ferretti here, so you can still be assured of Hollywood-worthy locks.
If you plan to visit the branch in Singapore, youll be greeted by either Diego Fiorucci or Christian Serafini. Fiorucci has worked with Ferretti for 20 years and helped to open branches in Maldives and Spain, while Serafini has worked with him for about 14 years and was in charge of the branch in Beverly Hills for seven years.
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Born from the fires engulfing the Balkans in the 1990s, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia closes next month having tried and judged dozens of those behind Europe's worst atrocities since World War II. From helping to write the history of the bitter conflict, to putting war criminals around the globe on notice that they too could up in the dock, to setting international jurisprudence for such crimes as genocide, law experts say the tribunal leaves an impressive legacy. It showed it was "possible to bring to justice the high-level figures responsible for the crimes committed in the Balkans conflict", said Diana Goff, an international lawyer and research fellow at the Clingendael Institute. And "it provided an updated blue-print for how to create an international criminal tribunal in the post-Cold War era". Alarmed by reports of mass killings, systematic rape and ethnic cleansing as inter-communal rivalries ripped Yugoslavia apart after the death of its iron-fisted ruler Tito, the international community decided something had to be done. But absent political will for a military intervention, the UN Security Council in May 1993 made a gesture, adopting resolution 827 creating an international tribunal "to put an end to such crimes and ... to bring to justice the persons responsible". The ICTY was the first war crimes court set up by UN and the first international tribunal established since the Nuremberg trials went after those behind the horrors of the Nazi regime. - Low expectations - It was also to provide a model for similar ad-hoc tribunals to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and atrocities in Sierre Leone. But "expectations were not very high" at first, admitted the court's chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz in an interview ahead of Wednesday's guilty verdict and life sentence handed down to brutish former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic. Sceptics said at the time there would be no indictments, no convictions and no sentences. Now, as the court prepares to close its doors on December 31 having indicted 161 people, all of whom faced some kind of justice, expert Goff said it had set "a gold standard" for prosecuting and defining such complex crimes as genocide. It became the first international court ever to indict a sitting head of state, when in 1999 it unveiled an indictment against then Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. More than 4,000 witnesses have testified over the years, allowing their stories and their voices to be heard. And the tribunal leaves behind millions of pages of documents as a reference library for posterity. "The main legacy is these trials in which hundreds have testified and presented their irrefutable record of the mass atrocities committed in the former Yugoslavia, on frankly all sides," former US ambassador for war crimes issues, Stephen Rapp, told AFP. "That's a legacy that will last forever." - Reconciliation - But criticism remains that the tribunal failed in its loftier ambitions -- to ensure reconciliation, amid warnings of a new rise in nationalism in the region. "Virtually all parties to the conflict believe that they were targeted by the ICTY too much and their adversaries targeted too little," said Mark Kersten, a researcher into international criminal justice. Brammertz acknowledges the criticism, but stressed "a judicial process in itself can never achieve reconciliation. Reconciliation has to come from within society". Rapp, former chief prosecutor for the special court of Sierre Leone who tried ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor, agreed, saying demanding reconciliation from a court was "asking too much of justice". But he insisted the ICTY had helped dissipate calls for vengeance. "Part of the problem in the former Yugoslavia, for instance, was the absence of justice for crimes in World War II so the Serbs felt, 'the Croatians were fascists, they did horrible crimes against us and they never paid for that'," said Rapp. So could the ICTY be a model for trying those behind crimes in Syria or in Myanmar? "The international community has decided ... there is going to be criminal accountability for people in the world who do the kinds of things that we're investigating," said David Schwendiman, prosecutor for a specialist court for Kosovo. But he said the age of the expensive -- the ICTY cost about $200 million a year -- lawyer-heavy courts may be over, in favour of hybrid tribunals, using domestic law and international judges for example. While it is a "given now" that there will be accountability for war crimes, "how that's done is a big question", said Schwendiman.
Arch Resources, Inc. produces and sells thermal and metallurgical coal from surface and underground mines. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated seven active mines. It also owned or controlled primarily through long-term leases approximately 28,292 acres of coal land in Ohio; 952 acres of coal land in Maryland; 10,095 acres of coal land in Virginia; 306,033 acres of coal land in West Virginia; 81,470 acres of coal land in Wyoming; 234,543 acres of coal land in Illinois; 33,047 acres of coal land in Kentucky; 362 acres of coal land in Montana; 248 acres of coal land in Pennsylvania; and 19,018 acres of coal land in Colorado, as well as smaller parcels of property in Alabama, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, California, Utah, and Texas. The company sells its products to utility, industrial, and steel producers in the United States, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. The company was formerly known as Arch Coal, Inc. and changed its name to Arch Resources, Inc. in May 2020. Arch Resources, Inc. was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated energy company. The company operates through four segments: Exploration and Production; Transport and Logistics; Refining, Petrochemical and Biofuels; and Electric Power Transmission and Toll Roads Concessions. It engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas; transportation of crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, including diesel, jet, and biofuels; processing and refining crude oil; distribution of natural gas and LPG; sale of refined and petrochemical products; supplying of electric power transmission services; design, development, construction, operation, and maintenance of road and energy infrastructure projects; and supplying of information technology and telecommunications services. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 9,127 kilometers of crude oil and multi-purpose pipelines. It also produces and commercializes polypropylene resins and compounds, and masterbatches; and offers industrial service sales to customers and specialized management services. It has operations in Colombia, the United States, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was incorporated in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia.
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Hundreds of people in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau are at risk of losing large investments they made into a local company.
The upset investors have held gatherings at the Sao Vang Investment Consulting JSC headquarters in Vung Tau City over the past few days to demand their money back.
According to the investors, despite their holding signed investment cooperation agreements with the firm, the company has neither paid agreed-upon interest payouts since April nor allowed the withdrawal of original deposits since that month.
Angry investors at the gatherings have even turned to waving banners calling on Huynh Thi Ngan Trang, chairwoman of the management board of Sao Vang Company, to return the money.
According to their investment agreements, investors were promised a monthly interest payment of 1.5 to three percent. The company has failed to make those payments since April this year.
On June 14, Chairwoman Trang issued a notice declaring that the company would begin paying the interest owed from April and May on the following day. The payments never came.
Trang issued another statement on October 24 stating that the original deposits would be paid.
The deposits totaled over VND744 billion (US$32.7 million), the notice wrote, adding that the money would be returned over a period of two years starting from October 2, 2017.
The owed interest payouts will be paid from January 2020 to the end of 2021.
According to Nguyen Thi C., one of the disgruntled investors, Sao Vang Company has channeled the investment into 10 other companies to carry out projects related to online education, agriculture, movies, real estate, and others.
The firm also introduced a series of major projects when signing deals with clients, C. continued.
However, after investing money in the company, clients were never updated on how their money was actually being distributed, she elaborated.
The probe revealed that investors of Sao Vang come from all walks of life, including those who even mortgaged their houses to raise the capital needed to invest in Sao Vang in the hope of earning profits.
An official of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Police told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that over 600 residents have submitted denunciation forms.
The case is being investigated by the appropriate police division, the police official added.
During a phone interview on Wednesday, Chairwoman Trang said her company has established a plan to pay its debts, simply attributing the delay to difficulties.
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Vietnams Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) will work with the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Hanoi to investigate a recent report that claims female workers at two Samsung factories in the country are victims of health and workplace violations by the South Korean electronics giant.
The report was released earlier this week by the Hanoi-based Research Center for Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) and IPEN, a global network of environment and health non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to reduce the use of harmful chemicals throughout the world.
The ILO in Hanoi has received the report and acknowledged the seriousness of its claims, Nguyen Anh Tho, a labor safety official from MOLISA told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday.
Extremely fatigued workers?
The report combines industrial sector research and qualitative narratives of 45 workers at two Samsung Electronics factories in Vietnam.
Its key findings include that extreme fatigue, fainting, and dizziness were reported by all workers in its sample. It also found that miscarriages amongst the Samsung Electronics factory workers were reported as extremely common and even expected.
Workers at the two factories are expected to stand throughout their 8-to-12-hour shifts and many are kept on alternating day and night shift schedules, regardless of weekends, according to the report.
The report also claims that salary deductions were taken from workers who take breaks, including pregnant workers. During the few short, limited breaks allowed by the company, workers must request special passes to use the restroom.
Workers also reported problems with eyesight, nose bleeds, and stomach aches, as well as bone, joint, and leg pain.
The report also proposes the need for further research regarding chemical exposure, considering that assembly line workers are stationed in open factory settings where other workers use a variety of substances.
Tuoi Tres could not reach the CGFED researchers for comment on the report.
Samsung factory workers in Vietnam leave work. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Samsungs response
In an official statement sent to Tuoi Tre, Samsung Electronics Vietnam dismissed all claims made in the report, saying they regretted that IPEN and CGFED had done their research without actually having visited the factories or verifying claims with company officials.
A Samsung representative said all workers at its factories have signed labor contracts and are treated in accordance with Vietnams law on labor, including provisions on working hours and meal times.
The company has also established a center for musculoskeletal and joint care that is responsible for the study of workplace ergonomics to ensure that workers are able to relieve tension built up from from performing the same movements for long periods of time.
Assembly line workers at the factories are also equipped with protective gear to prevent chemical exposure and a ventilation system installed at the factory ensures that little chemical residue escapes into the air, the representative said.
Samsung is committed to conducting environmental assessments twice a year to maintain a safe working environment for all employees, the representative added.
Immediate investigation
Speaking with Tuoi Tre on Wednesday, Nguyen Anh Tho, a labor safety official from MOLISA, said he had yet to read the CGFRED report.
However, Tho acknowledged that the ILO had made contact with the ministry to look into the reports claims.
We will definitely launch an immediate investigation into Samsumg upon receiving the official report, Tho said.
According to the official, the ministry conducts yearly inspections at the Samsung factories and found no violations as serious those claimed by CGFRED.
We will need to reevaluate the time and scale of the survey, Tho said.
Leaders of labor unions in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, where the Samsung factories are based, said on Wednesday afternoon they had not yet received any reports or complaints about the working conditions at the factories.
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Several residents in the north-central Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh were caught on video sending their garbage out-of-town via the north-to-south train.
The video footage, uploaded to Facebook on Monday with the caption Rubbish from Huong Khe to Saigon, caused uproar from local citizens.
In the two and a half minute video clip, some residents in Huong Khe Town, Ha Tinh Province are seen hanging bags of trash from the side of a stopped train at the local station.
The town residents in the video are so desperate to have their trash removed that even as the train begins to depart the station a man can still be seen rushing to attach his last garbage bag.
The Facebook post attracted thousands of views and shares alongside an onslaught of comments expressing fierce disapproval of the action.
According to Le Huu Khai, chairman of the Peoples Committee in Huong Khe Town, the incident happened at the Huong Pho railway station in the locality.
The clip depicts the poor behavior of some residents in the town, Chairman Khai continued.
We are identifying the individuals in the video and will impose a suitable punishment. Local authorities have banned locals from bringing their garbage to the train station, he asserted.
Previous reports from the locality have publicized waste disposal issues in Huong Khe, a small town battling a big trash problem since June. The situation has gotten to the point that daily life for residents in the town has become severely marred by environmental pollution.
Authorities attribute the problem to the lack of a proper landfill and waste treatment facility in the locality.
Locals hang their bags of trash on the train at Huong Pho Station.
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New US reality show RelationShep (not a typo!) which centres around actor Shepard Shep Rose (Southern Charm) looking for love begin on NBC-U streaming service hayu next month.
This is a Bravo title and will air same day as the U.S.
This brand new reality series follows Southern Charm star, 37 year old eligible bachelor Shepard Shep Rose, as he embarks on a cross-country journey to find true love. This cheeky, funny South Carolina bar owner is broadening his horizons as he travels from coast to coast in search of a soul mate. But the fun-loving Southern gent has plenty of work to do to find that special someone and will need all the support her can get. As he makes his way from city to city, Shep relies on the help of his friends to meet new women and gauge the ideal romantic partner. Will it end in love? Or has he been riding alone on the prairie for too long, scanning the horizon for green pastures and disreputable saloons? Either way, youre guaranteed plenty of laughs.
Tuesday December 5 on hayu
ABCs Artsville umbrella will screen You See Monsters next week, exploring how Australian-Muslim artists are fighting Islamophobia with creativity and irreverence.
It follows the creative endeavours of a new generation of Australian Muslim artists working on the fault line where identity, Islam and racism intersect.
Chemical Media producer / director Tony Jackson said, ABC Arts love a creative partnership between producer and broadcaster, and they really backed us on this thought-provoking film right from the start.
You See Monsters is a film about the power of art to challenge assumptions and change the way that we view the world, said Jackson. Australias Muslim population has been demonised for so long that its inspiring to see artists from this community asserting their own agency in the face of anti-Islamic bigotry and challenging Australia to take a long hard look at itself.
You See Monsters features rising art star Abdul Abdullah, performance artist Cigdem Aydemir, graphic novelist Safdar Ahmed, comedian Aamer Rahman, sculpture and installation artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, and slam poets Sara Mansour and Zohab Zee Khan.
You See Monsters was developed and produced with the assistance of Film Victoria, with principal funding from Screen Australia. It will be distributed internationally by TVF International.
9:30pm Tuesday on ABC.
Georgie Gardner is returning to Today to co-host alongside Karl Stefanovic.
Gardner, who departed Nines breakfast show in 2014, returns from next year.
She was the hot favourite for the role following the departure of Lisa Wilkinson, although reports earlier this month had ruled her out of contention due to family.
Im thrilled to be joining the Today team, she said, It is one of the few roles of this calibre on Australian television, its not lost on me what a huge honour and great privilege it is. Its come at the right time in terms of where my family is at, and I have their full support. Its an amazing opportunity, Im really excited to be back working alongside the most talented team in the business, and reconnecting with Today viewers.
Karl Stefanovic said: Its great to have Georgie back. I think the best thing about her, is her heart. Viewers know she cares. She is connected to what other mums are going through and really feels for them and shes got a wicked sense of humour. Shes also very committed to making sure information is right, in an age where its not in a lot of news sources, thats a great attribute to have.
Nine Network Director of Morning Television, Mark Calvert, said: Theres no better person on Australian TV than Georgie. Ever since she left, viewers have been asking me when shes coming back. Well here she is, and I couldnt be happier. Shes the total package: a brilliant broadcaster, a great journalist and a top woman.
Although the Rebel Wilson defamation case against Bauer Media is facing an appeal, she will talk to Melissa Doyle on Sunday Night.
Some reports indicate other media organisations are backing Bauers appeal due to the significance of the case but it is yet to be clarified whether they can present in court.
Rebel with a Cause
We know shes funny, but there is so much more to Australian actress Rebel Wilson than the characters she plays. In a few weeks time, Rebel makes a triumphant return to the big screen with the latest instalment of her hit movie franchise, Pitch Perfect. But its been a challenging few years for Rebel, whose career was dealt a savage blow just as it was taking off after a spiteful campaign by some of Australias biggest womens magazines. With movie offers drying up, Rebel took the tabloids to court and won a multi-million-dollar defamation suit. Although the vicious court battle was settled in her favour, Rebel wants to speak for the first time about how devastating it was. And as Sunday Nights Melissa Doyle discovers on set with Rebel in Spain, her fight is far from over.
Face of Evil
He was the wild-eyed leader of a murderous cult that went on a deadly rampage at the height of the 60s. But this week, at the age of 83, Charles Manson died peacefully in hospital. And its only now his former lover, Diane Lake, feels she can reveal what life was really like living with one of the 20th centurys most notorious killers.
Sunday at 7.00 on Seven.
* Unrest escalates in PNG highlands
* Non-essential staff evacuated after worker was abducted
* PNG LNG still operating, Oil Search operations normal (Adds ExxonMobil comment on abduction)
MELBOURNE, Nov 23 (Reuters) - ExxonMobil has evacuated non-essential staff working in the highlands of Papua New Guinea due to unrest in the area, but operations are continuing at its PNG LNG liquefied natural gas project, the company said on Thursday.
"Due to recent community tension in the Highlands (Hides, Angore, Komo), ExxonMobil PNG has suspended non-essential work," the company said in a statement emailed to Reuters. It declined to specify the nature of "non-essential" work.
It said its gas conditioning plant at Hides, which processes gas before it is sent via a 760-kilometre (472-mile) pipeline to the PNG LNG export plant at Port Moresby, is continuing to operate.
"ExxonMobil PNG continues to monitor the situation in Hela Province. The safety and security of our employees, contractors and the local community is a top priority," the company said, adding that non-essential staff have been moved out of the area.
Violence has escalated in the highlands, where gas is produced for the LNG project, due to anger among locals over the nation's election process earlier this year and disputes over royalties from the PNG LNG project, an observer said.
"In fact the situation is so bad that I am unable to travel to my field site," Michael Main, an Australian doctoral student who has regularly been in and out of the highlands for his research, told Reuters.
One of ExxonMobil's staff in Angore was abducted last week but was later safely released, ExxonMobil said.
"We are taking very seriously the incident," the company said.
Oil Search Ltd, which operates oil and gas fields in the area and is a partner in PNG LNG, said there has been no impact on its operations and its staff are working as normal.
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Australia's Santos Ltd, which recently rebuffed a $7.2 billion takeover approach, is also a partner in PNG LNG.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Richard Pullin)
See Also:
FILE PHOTO: The speaker of Indonesia's parliament , Setya Novanto, leaves an ethics panel hearing in Jakarta, Indonesia in this picture taken December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Garry Lotulung
Thomson Reuters
By Cindy Silviana
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's speaker of parliament, who was arrested last week over his alleged role in a $170 million graft case, has sent a letter from his cell to house leaders pleading to be allowed to keep his job while he fights the charges.
Setya Novanto, who has denied wrongdoing, is being held for 20 days for questioning by Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). He made the request in a letter handwritten in his holding cell that was released to the media late on Tuesday.
The KPK is investigating state losses of about $170 million after allegations that sums ranging from $5,000 to $5.5 million, generated by marking up procurement costs for national electronic ID cards, were divided up among politicians in parliament.
"I ask other parliament leaders to give me an opportunity to prove that I wasn't involved," Novanto wrote.
"And in the meantime do not organize an ethics council plenary session on the possibility of making me non-active either as parliament speaker or as a member of parliament."
Novanto, also chairman of Golkar, Indonesia's second-largest party and a partner in the ruling coalition, is one of the most senior politicians to be detained by the KPK, which is popular among Indonesians for targeting members of the establishment suspected of abuse of power.
His battle with the graft agency has gripped Indonesia, where newspapers have splashed the story on front pages and memes mocking him have circulated on social media.
He has clung to power through several previous corruption cases and repeatedly missed summonses for questioning by the agency in recent months, saying he needed heart surgery.
Novanto was named a suspect on Nov. 10 again after using a controversial legal maneuver to get earlier charges dropped last month.
In another letter, addressed to Golkar, Novanto said "there has been no discussion of me temporarily or permanently stopping as chairman of Golkar".
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In that letter he nominated Idrus Marham to serve as acting chairman of the party.
Novanto's lawyer, Fredrich Yunadi, told Reuters it was up to parliament and party officials to decide if he should keep his posts, but he was confident that his client would win his case.
"We have strong proof (and) in every court we always win," Yunadi said.
Asked if he was concerned about the strength of evidence against Novanto, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said: "From the beginning the KPK has had strong evidence, and the two people we have put on trial already (in this case) have been found guilty even up to an appeal stage."
(Reporting by Cindy Silviana; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Nick Macfie)
See Also:
Refugees inside the former Manus Island detention centre said they were being moved onto buses on November 23 as part of a police operation to clear out the facility.
A number of refugees reported Papua New Guinea authorities were forcibly moving men onto buses that would transport them to alternate accommodation.
On Thursday morning, about 50 PNG police and immigration officers stormed the facility and gave the men an ultimatum to leave, News Corp reported. During the operation, PNG authorities reportedly trashed the centre and destroyed beds and confiscated phones from the men. They also arrested an Iranian refugee and journalist, Behrouz Boochani, while he was reportedly trying to film them.
This video shows people being moved onto a bus by personnel from PNG Immigration. The Department of Immigration refused to answer questions regarding the police operation, advising Storyful to Please refer any enquiries on this to the Government of PNG. Credit: Twitter/Abdul Aziz Adam via Storyful
SWNS
Feeling under the weather? Try the rom-com remedy three in five Americans say its their go-to movie genre when down for the count.
Thats according to a new poll of 2,000 millennial parents of kids ages 4-12, where theyre also watching action and adventure movies (37%) and series like Harry Potter or the Hunger Games (36%).
When sickness strikes, more than four in five (82%) spend most of their time in their bedroom, with 42% staying put on the couch in their living room.
This may contribute to the fact that the average parent watches five hours of TV or movies each sick day.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Delsym, results showed how respondents are optimizing comfort with their favorite things.
Results revealed that respondents get sick about three times per year.
Respondents were more likely to prefer old favorites than to wrap their heads around new content when feeling ill. (23% vs 15%).
When parents are sick with their children, the most popular movies to watch are the Harry Potter series (32%) and the Toy Story series (32%).
They also watch movies like Frozen (30%), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (28%) and Moana (25%).
More than half (56%) of respondents have a go-to or favorite feel-better comfort movie, with the average person saying they can watch it four times in a row without getting sick of it
In fact, 45% of those admit they can watch it more than four times and one in 10 of those (11%) even say they can watch it an infinite amount of times.
In total, respondents have watched their feel-better movie about 34 different times.
This movie has been respondents favorite for about six years, perhaps because it reminds them of good times (61%) and makes them laugh (53%).
Parents report feeling relaxed (54%), happy (48%) and calm (40%) after watching their favorite movie.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of parents agree that theyve passed their love of their favorite movie along to their child.
Nothing brings a family together quite like movie night, and nothing makes movie night better than a feel-good flick that fills you with warm, fuzzy feelings especially when youre sick. We understand that feeling better means more than just relieving your cough symptoms its about cozying up on the couch as you and your family work to feel better together, said Albert So, Marketing Director, Upper Respiratory Brands at Reckitt, including Delsym.
The survey also delved into how respondents are remedying their ailments by caring for their five senses.
In order to alleviate their symptoms, parents tend to want to taste soup (42%) and hot beverages like tea or coffee (26%).
They also want to touch things like their favorite blanket (40%), their significant other (19%) and their pet (14%).
When it comes to smell, respondents like to breathe in something clean like fresh linens (42%), medicine (36%) and something cooking in the kitchen (26%).
And while trying to feel better, respondents like to listen to music (58%) and their friends and family talking (29%).
When a family member is under the weather, the entire household is caught in the storm and that daily routine can be thrown off course, bringing with it discomfort and chaos. Families not only need fast-acting relief, but they need comforting remedies to help them navigate that storm, said So. Whether its moms chicken soup, your go-to feel better movie or cozying up with your kids, whatever it is that makes you feel better can go a long way.
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 millennial parents of kids aged 4-12 was commissioned by Delsym between October 6 and October 10, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
Police have been forcibly removing refugees from an Australian immigration detention camp in Papua New Guinea.
The men had refused to leave the camp on Manus Island, despite it being closed at the end of October on the orders of a PNG court which ruled it unconstitutional.
About 600 men had refused to move to three transition centres on the island, despite the Australian government cutting off water and electricity and food supplies dwindling.
Some of the men eventually agreed to go to the transition centres but almost 400 stayed in the camp.
They said they were worried about hostility from locals, that the new centres were not safe and the water and electricity supply was not good enough.
They had barricaded themselves in the abandoned camp before officials went in.
Tweeting from inside the camp, where he said he was hiding in a toilet, journalist Behrouz Boochani wrote: "(Police) are very aggressive and put our belongings in the rubbish bins.
"The refugees still are silent are watching them so scared.
"We are blockading right now. So many police and immigration officers are around us at this moment.
"They destroyed everything and our belongings and right now are shouting at us to leave the prison camp."
He said two of the refugees needed urgent medical treatment after falling down, describing them as "high risk" and adding: "Too much tension here".
"The refugees are chanting this slogan 'Freedom, Freedom'," he wrote.
A refugee named Abdul Aziz Adam, who said he had been hiding with Mr Boochani, tweeted a photo of him being led away.
The journalist was later released, writing: "They handcuffed me for more than two hours in a place behind the prison camp. The police commander yelled at me 'you are reporting against us.' They pushed me several times and broke my belongings."
Papua New Guinea's police commissioner Gari Baki had said on Tuesday that no force would be used to remove the men from the camp, and that the refugees would be "asked politely to pack up and voluntarily leave the centre".
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On Thursday, Chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas said 50 police and immigration officials entered the camp and persuaded 35 of the 378 men there to leave for accommodation in the nearby town of Lorengau.
Refugees who try to reach Australia by boat are not allowed to settle in the country, instead being sent to camps offshore, a stance that has been criticised by the UN and human rights organisations.
The Australian government has said this stops migrants dying at sea.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: "They think this is some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia.
"Well, we will not be pressured.
"The people on Manus should go to the alternative places of safety with all of the facilities they need."
ATHENS (Reuters) - Cyprus on Wednesday said it would try to help defuse a crisis in neighbouring Lebanon after Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri made an unexpected stopover on the island on Tuesday night.
Cyprus announced the move shortly after Hariri shelved a decision to resign at the request of Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, easing an impasse that had stirred tensions around the Middle East.
Hariri met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades at Larnaca airport for about 45 minutes late on Tuesday on his way back to Lebanon, his first visit home since he unexpectedly announced on Nov. 4 he would resign in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia.
"Our common objective is stability in Lebanon, stability in our area. Within this context... the President of the Republic will undertake some initiatives precisely to promote this objective; stability in Lebanon," Cypriot government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said.
Christodoulides said Anastasiades's initiatives would be directed towards European Union and neighbouring states, but was not more specific.
"Cyprus is uniquely placed, as a member state of the European Union which also maintains excellent relations with all its neighbours. That (position) is broadly recognised and would allow us to work to achieve stability in Lebanon," he said.
The island, perched on the edge of the Middle East, is broadly considered a neutral safe haven in an otherwise volatile region. It took in thousands of Lebanese fleeing civil war in the 1970s and successfully mediated an end to a 39-day seige of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem between Israeli forces and suspected Palestinian militants.
On Tuesday Anastasiades received an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia, Christodoulides said. It was not immediately clear if it was connected to the crisis, though Cypriot government officials told Reuters the visit had been planned for some time.
(Reporting By Michele Kambas, Editing by William Maclean)
Miguel Angel Lopez-Abrego has been charged with murder (Picture: Maryland Police)
A man murdered by the notorious MS-13 street gang was stabbed more than 100 times, before being decapitated and having his heart ripped from his chest and buried alongside him.
The grisly details of the mans death were revealed in the trial of 19-year-old Miguel Angel Lopez-Abrego, who has been charged with first degree murder.
According to court documents, Lopez-Abrego was one of ten gang members who lured the victim to the park in Wheaton, Maryland, where his body was discovered in September.
It is alleged that Lopez-Abrego helped to dig the victims grave and also used a walkie-talkie to alert the other gang members to his arrival.
A police informant also claims that Lopez-Abrego was the first to attack the victim, stabbing him with a 15-inch knife.
MS-13 gang members are renowned for their gang tattoos (Picture: REX)
The informant reportedly led police to the grave on 5 September and detailed the choking, stabbing, decapitating and dismembering of the victims body.
Police are yet to identify the victim, but describe him as a Hispanic male who is approximately 5ft 2 inches tall. He had short, dark brown hair and a missing lower tooth.
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The MS-13 gang originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s and are now one of the most feared gangs in America after spreading to countries including El Salvador and Mexico.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump vowed to destroy the gang in a typically fiery speech, describing them as animals.
Together were going to restore safety to our streets and peace to our communities and were going to destroy the vile, criminal cartel MS-13 and many other gangs, he said.
Men occupy the closed Manus Island immigration detention centre in Papua New Guinea, November 23, 2017. Abdul Aziz/Handout via REUTERS
By Tom Westbrook and Jonathan Barrett
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea police sealed off an officially shuttered Australian-run detention camp on Thursday and ordered asylum seekers occupying it to leave as they confiscated food and water the men had stockpiled, asylum seekers told Reuters.
About 380 asylum seekers have shut themselves inside the Manus Island Centre for more than three weeks, defying attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to close it in a standoff the United Nations described as a "looming humanitarian crisis".
"They destroyed our food and damaged our accommodation too, they destroyed our water tank," one asylum-seeker said in a mobile telephone message from the camp.
Many of the men climbed onto rooftops and hid in toilets, he said. Three other asylum seekers gave similar accounts of the police action.
A video shot by Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz and posted on Facebook showed police using a megaphone to tell the asylum seekers to leave because their stay at the camp, located on land used by the PNG navy, was illegal.
Footage he later posted on Twitter showed men boarding mini buses and buses. Tim Costello, chief advocate at the World Vision Australia aid group, told Reuters by phone from outside the camp that he had seen buses leaving.
Calls to PNG immigration and police were not returned.
The Manus island camp in PNG, and another on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, have been the cornerstones of Australias controversial immigration policy, which has been strongly criticized by the United Nations and rights groups.
Australia opened the camps in a bid to stem a flow of asylum seekers making dangerous voyages by boat to its shores.
Under its "sovereign borders" immigration policy, Australia refuses to land asylum seekers arriving by sea, instead sending them to the offshore camps.
'WE WON'T BE PRESSURED'
Witnesses in the camp said officials in army fatigues led away Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani, who has been at the camp for four years and regularly posts social media messages on conditions.
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Boochani earlier told Reuters by text message that police and immigration officials removed water supplies and the men's belongings.
Pictures sent via a messaging service showed upturned boxes of food and torn parcels of rice and instant noodles and smashed furniture including broken beds.
PNGs Supreme Court ruled last year that the centre, first opened in 2001, breached its laws and fundamental human rights, leading to the decision to close it.
But the asylum seekers say they fear for their safety if moved to a transit centre also on the island, and risk being resettled in PNG or another developing nation permanently.
"We don't want another prison. We want to leave this place, but they need to give a good solution for us," the first asylum-seeker said.
"We don't want another prison. We want a third country."
Most of those in the camp are from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Thursday that the transit centre facilities had food, water, security and medical services.
"They think this is some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia. Well, we will not be pressured," Turnbull said.
The United Nations has urged Australia to accept an offer by New Zealand to take some of the men.
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook and Jonathan Barrett in Sydney. Additional reporting by Swati Pandey.; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Leslie Adler)
At least two Manus Island refugees collapsed as Papua New Guinea authorities entered their shuttered detention center on November 23.
Around 50 PNG police and immigration officers entered the facility on Thursday morning and gave the men an ultimatum to leave, News Australia reported. Around 40 men were forcibly moved onto buses to move them to alternative accommodation, the outlet reported.
During the operation, one of the men collapsed and had a seizure, according to a refugee in the center. Another man was seen lying on the ground, being attended to by other men.
This footage was shared by Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist and refugees based on the island. He was arrested and later released during the operation.
In a tweet following his release, he alleged that he was handcuffed for more than two hours and pushed by the police. He also said the police commander yelled at him for reporting against them. In another tweet he said police beat up some of the refugees and forced them to the new prison camp in East Lorengau, Hillside Haus and West Haus.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the men on Manus Island should obey the authorities of Papua New Guinea, adding that Australia would not be pressured to take the men or change its border protection policies by the standoff. Credit: Twitter/Behrouz Boochani
Elizabeth Denham Town Hall Speech 21072016
ICO
Uber concealed a huge data breach in 2016 that affected 57 million people.
The company paid hackers $100,000 to delete the data they had stolen.
It's not clear how many UK citizens were affected but the Information Commissioner plans to investigate.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data regulator, said on Wednesday that it plans to investigate a huge data breach that Uber concealed.
Uber said on Tuesday that a hack in 2016 affected 57 million Uber customers and drivers. The San Francisco taxi app kept the breach a secret and paid the hackers $100,000 (75,000) to delete the data.
When asked whether the ICO plans to issue Uber with a fine, a spokesperson told Business Insider: "It's too early to say but it's something that we'll definitely be investigating."
James Dipple-Johnstone, ICO deputy commissioner, said in a statement:
"Uber's announcement about a concealed data breach last October raises huge concerns around its data protection policies and ethics.
"It's always the company's responsibility to identify when UK citizens have been affected as part of a data breach and take steps to reduce any harm to consumers. If UK citizens were affected then we should have been notified so that we could assess and verify the impact on people whose data was exposed.
"We'll be working with the NCSC plus other relevant authorities in the UK and overseas to determine the scale of the breach, how it has affected people in the UK and what steps need to be taken by the firm to ensure it fully complies with its data protection obligations.
"Deliberately concealing breaches from regulators and citizens could attract higher fines for companies."
UPDATE: The ICO has now confirmed that UK citizens were affected by the breach, according to James Titcomb, technology editor at The Telegraph.
An Uber spokesperson was unable to say how many people in the UK were affected.
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The breach took place in October 2016. The hackers were able to steal the names, emails, and phone numbers for 50 million riders globally, in addition to the personal information of 7 million drivers. This included US driver's license numbers, but no Social Security numbers, according to Uber.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi quietly published a blog post about the incident on Tuesday.
"As Uber's CEO, its my job to set our course for the future, which begins with building a company that every Uber employee, partner and customer can be proud of. For that to happen, we have to be honest and transparent as we work to repair our past mistakes.
"I recently learned that in late 2016 we became aware that two individuals outside the company had inappropriately accessed user data stored on a third-party cloud-based service that we use. The incident did not breach our corporate systems or infrastructure."
Khosrowshahi said Uber's staff have not found any evidence that trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers or dates of birth were downloaded.
He added that two of the Uber employees that led the response on the breach left the company on Tuesday.
"None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," said Khosrowshahi. "While I can't erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes. We are changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make and working hard to earn the trust of our customers."
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May released this statement about the Uber breach:
"These are obviously concerning reports and the National Cyber Security Centre is working closely with domestic and international agencies including the national crime agency and the information commissioners office to investigate how this breach has affected people in the UK.
"We have not seen evidence that financial information has been compromised. It is unclear at this stage what countries were affected by the attack.
"Uber did not notify individuals, the UK government or UK regulators last year at the time of the breach. As soon as we became aware of the breach we reached out to international partners to get a better understanding of the threat. That work is ongoing."
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US president-elect Donald Trump has added tech executives Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick to his team of business advisers ahead of his entrance into the Oval Office in January of next year.
The two men are CEOs of two of the most important companies in the technology industry - car-maker Tesla and ride-sharing app Uber. They will join Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, the Republican announced in a statement ahead of a key summit of industry leaders at Trump Tower on Wednesday.
PepsiCo chairman and chief executive Indra Nooyi will also form part of the group, which will be used by Trump for advice on matters of business importance.
At the beginning of the month, the president-elect announced the addition of 16 business leaders to the Strategic and Policy forum, but only IBM chief Ginni Rometty represented the tech industry until the incorporation of Musk and Kalanick.
Wednesday's meeting will see big-hitters from the sector converge on New York for a key meeting which will provide an indication of how their relationship with Trump is likely to be.
"America has the most innovative and vibrant companies in the world, and the pioneering CEOs joining this Forum today are at the top of their fields," said Trump in a statement.
The group will include Musk and Rometty, as well as Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
Trump has been busy in recent weeks making key appointments to his first administration, with the majority being subject to Senate approval.
A little help is literally on the way to increase Fannin County's literacy rates by providing another place to pick up books, thanks to a partnership between the University of North Georgia (UNG) and Habitat for Humanity.
The UNG Blue Ridge Scholars and Habitat for Humanity volunteers built a Little Free Library on Nov. 11 on UNGs Blue Ridge Campus. Soon it will receive a fresh coat of paint, before being installed on the campus grounds.
Students will fill the small box about the size of a post office mailbox with an assortment of books compiled from a book drive.
"Donations came from a local church and members of the community," UNG Blue Ridge Executive Director Sandy Ott said, adding UNG students also donated books. "We have three full boxes now waiting for the Little Free Library to be built."
The Little Free Library is a national organization that allows millions of books to be exchanged each year, increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.
The UNG Blue Ridge Scholars and Habitat for Humanity volunteers built a Little Free Library on Nov. 11 on UNGs Blue Ridge Campus. Soon it will receive a fresh coat of paint, before being installed on the campus grounds.
UNG students will be responsible for maintaining it, said Alison Hite, a senior lecturer of psychological science at UNG. Some of those students are UNG's Blue Ridge Scholars, first-time freshmen who take all their classes together, participate in leadership development opportunities and participate in a service-learning component.
"Our scholars program's focus is on poverty this year," Hite said. "Theyve learned people living in poverty often have to make difficult purchasing choices, and those choices do not usually include books.
With that in mind, Hite hatched the plan to build the Little Free Library with Habitat for Humanity which had the supplies and construction know-how as a way to help children and even adults in the community have more access to books. The Blue Ridge Campus is in a tourist area, allowing for good foot traffic and enabling residents to pick up or drop off a free book.
"Thirty percent of children in Fannin County are living in poverty," Ott said.
Hite, who lives in Ellijay, pointed out many people drive up and down Georgia State Route 515 not realizing people are living at or below the poverty level. According to the U.S. Department of Education, up to 61 percent of low-income families do not have any books for their kids at home.
Therefore, supplying free books to area children is one element UNG can do to contribute to the community.
"We want to show the community that we appreciate them, that we are here and that we want to give something back," Hite said.
Building the Little Free Library is not the only community outreach UNG Blue Scholars are working on this semester. They are working with Fannin County's Family Connection, a collaboration of organizations committed to improving conditions for at-risk children, families and communities.
Family Connection works closely with communities to foster relationships with local partners, increase policymakers awareness of local issues, implement proven programs and practices, and leverage additional funding to support community plans.
Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking products and services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services. It also provides mutual funds, insurance and securities brokerage, foreign exchange, financial leasing, factoring, financial consulting and advisory, investment management, foreign trade, treasury, and transactional services, as well as specialized services to finance projects for the real estate industry. In addition, the company offers short-term financing and fund raising, and brokerage services, as well as derivatives, securitization, and other tailor-made products. It serves individuals, small to middle-sized entities, companies, and large corporations, as well as universities, government entities, and local and regional governments. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 326 branches, which include 220 under the Santander brand name, 14 under the Select brand name, 7 specialized branches for the middle market, and 22 as auxiliary and payment centers, as well as 1,338 ATMs, including depository ATMs. Banco Santander-Chile was incorporated in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
Events this week include an opera at NSU, Winterfest and Miss Aberdeen
Looking for something to do this week, check out an opera at NSU, Winterfest or the Miss Aberdeen coronation.
EL PASO, Texas In a story Nov. 22 about a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was injured in a Nov. 18 incident being released from a hospital, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation said both that agent and an agent who didnt survive the incident, Rogelio Martinez, may have fallen. The official only said Martinez may have fallen.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Border agent injured in West Texas incident out of hospital
A Border Patrol agent injured in an incident that left a fellow agent dead has been discharged from an El Paso hospital
EL PASO, Texas A Border Patrol agent injured in an incident that left a fellow agent dead was discharged Wednesday from an El Paso hospital.
The agent was discharged Wednesday from the University Medical Center in El Paso, said Doug Mosier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso. He declined to identify the agent and referred to the FBI all questions about the status of the investigation into Saturday nights incident near Van Horn that left agent Rogelio Martinez dead.
A message left with an FBI spokeswoman Wednesday wasnt returned.
Speculation about the incident has run rampant with several politicians calling it an attack and promoting the building of a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. in the FBIs El Paso office had said Tuesday that investigators were treating the incident as a potential assault, but they could not rule out other scenarios.
Representatives from the border patrols union were also insistent from the accounts of other agents who responded to the scene that the incident was an attack. Chris Cabrera, a spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council, told The Associated Press that agents responding to the scene called it grisly.
However, a U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press on Monday that Martinez may have fallen, and that the surviving agent had no memory of his duty-shift. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and is not authorized to speak publicly.
Border Patrol officials hoped to have answers for Martinezs family as they planned his visitation and funeral, set for Friday and Saturday in El Paso.
___
Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE A Santa Fe woman says she did not use racist or foul language against a local Native American man during an encounter at a restaurant Monday.
Lee Moquino, who had protested the Fiestas de Santa Fe Entrada, told the Journal on Tuesday that Theresa Lucero had called him offensive names around 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Sunrise Family Restaurant on St. Michaels Drive and Sixth Street.
Moquino, 32, says he went up to Lucero to say hi, but said he was escorted out by the restaurant owner after shouting at Lucero for allegedly making offensive remarks.
He filed a report with the Santa Fe Police Department accusing Lucero of simple battery, saying that Lucero slapped his phone out of his hand after he took it out to record a video of her.
But Lucero said Wednesday that Moquino was not friendly with her and she was afraid for her safety because Moquino has a criminal past.
Lee approached me with his camera on, and I fear him because he was arrested for battery on a household member, Lucero said. He bumped my table and I told him to get away from me.
Lucero says she is part Native American and denies saying anything racist or profane to Moquino.
Im a disabled Hispanic woman with Native American blood, she said. I have the utmost respect for Native Americans and their beautiful culture, and we always got along. I dont use the F word in public. Thats not a word anyone should use. I have respect.
Moquino filed his police report under the name Mark Moquino. A man named Mark Lee Moquino was arrested for battery on a household member in January 2009, but the charge was eventually dismissed.
Moquino vocally protested during the September Fiestas de Santa Fe Entrada, a re-enactment of the Spanish resettlement of Santa Fe in 1692, and claims Luceros actions were related to her ties to the Fiesta Council.
However, Lucero said she has never had any involvement with the Fiesta Council.
During my final week as the mayor of Albuquerque, my family and I will spend a very special Thanksgiving together. We have much to be thankful for.
First and foremost, I am thankful to the people of this great city who have given me and my family the opportunity to serve you and your families over the past eight years. I have cherished every day of it.
I appreciate that you have been willing to passionately share your thoughts, dreams and concerns with me. You are our greatest strength, and I have witnessed your kindness and compassion firsthand throughout our eight-year journey together as we worked to improve Albuquerque. Sometimes we had the wind at our back, and sometimes the journey was hard on all of us, but I always knew that we were in it together. I have felt supported as your mayor, and as a soon-to-be-private citizen, I am honored to now have nearly 600,000 people whom I consider brothers and sisters throughout our city.
Public service is very much a family affair, and I am thankful for my beautiful wife, Maria, my son, Jacob, our parents and our entire family who have all served this community every bit as much as I have. I am eternally grateful for your love and steadfast support, as well as your insights and your shoulders to lean on. Above all, thank you for your understanding that public service is a calling that requires sacrifice from the entire family, not just the one who is elected to office. I wouldnt trade the all-nighters, cancelled vacations and working weekends for anything, but I now look forward to more date nights and the opportunity to enjoy the amazing New Mexico outdoors with my family.
I am thankful for my staff and directors, whom I consider the best in government. Working for an elected official is hard work, and I have been a demanding mayor. There has been some heavy lifting to do during the past eight years and you have always risen to the challenge on behalf of the people we serve. You have definitely earned our ranking as one of the best-run cities in America.
I appreciate the nearly 6,000 city employees who work hard to make Albuquerque great. They are dedicated and passionate about what they do. I know because I see it every day. I have been honored to work beside you as we strive to leave things better than we found them. I am especially grateful for our veterans and first responders, who risk their lives to protect our freedoms, keep us safe and help us in our times of greatest need. Say thanks to a veteran, police officer or firefighter next time you see one. They have earned and deserve your respect and support.
Albuquerque is blessed to have great leaders in the business community, the faith community and the nonprofit sector. Government is here to serve, but civic leadership makes a real difference. And some of the greatest leaders I have met dont have official titles. They lead from the kitchen table, the classroom, the homeless shelters and the neighborhoods. These folks bring our community together for the common good. Keep up the great work.
Thank you to the City Council for embracing a spirit of bipartisanship over the past eight years. We have collaborated to build critical infrastructure, balance budgets, implement nationally recognized social and educational initiatives, and bolster environmental stewardship and our business climate, while also improving every district in the city.
I am also thankful for the work of our former mayors. One thing I have learned is that all mayors face challenges when we take office, and the work of our city never ends. My predecessors have left positive imprints on our community and have set foundations from which to build. I hope that I have done the same.
Best wishes to Mayor-elect Tim Keller and his family. It is my hope that he finds the work as rewarding as I did.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Albuquerque. On this Thanksgiving, Maria and I wish all the best to you and your families!
WASHINGTON Tryptophan, an amino acid in turkey, is unjustly blamed for what mere gluttony does, making Americans comatose every fourth Thursday in November. But before nodding off, give thanks for another year of American hilarity, including:
A company curried favor with advanced thinkers by commissioning for Manhattans financial district the Fearless Girl bronze statue, which exalts female intrepidity in the face of a rampant bull representing (1) a surging stock market or (2) toxic masculinity. Then, the company paid a $5 million settlement, mostly for paying 305 female executives less than men in comparable positions.
New Yorks decrepit subway system took action: Henceforth, gender-neutral announcements will address passengers rather than ladies and gentlemen.
Washingtons subway banned a civil liberties groups ad consisting entirely of the text of the First Amendment, which ostensibly violated the rule against ads intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions.
California now can jail certain caregivers who willfully and repeatedly fail to use a residents preferred name or pronouns.
A Massachusetts librarian rejected a donation of Dr. Seuss books because they are steeped in racist propaganda and The New Yorker discovered that Thomas the Tank Engine is authoritarian. Always alert about planetary crises, The New Yorker also reported: The world is running out of sand.
A food truck offering free lunches to workers cleaning up after Hurricane Irma was banished from a Florida town because its operator had no government permit to do that.
United Airlines said: Assault? Dont be misled by your eyes. That passenger dragged off the plane was just being re-accommodated.
Even Sen. Bernie Sanders went to Mississippi, to the Nissan plant in Canton, to help the United Automobile Workers with yet another attempt to convince Southern workers of the delights of unionization. The workers, 80 percent of whom are black, voted 2-to-1 against the UAW.
A New York Times tweet about the South reported a shooting at a nightclub in downtown Arkansas.
Louisianas Democratic Party joined the virtue-signaling by changing the name of its Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
In toney and oh-so-progressive Malibu, the City Council voted to become a sanctuary city. The councilwoman who made the motion for protecting illegal immigrants said: Our city depends on a Hispanic population to support our comfortable lifestyle.
In more-progressive-than-thou Oregon, where you can get state-subsidized gender reassignment surgery at age 15 without parental permission, the Legislature made 21 the age at which adults can buy cigarettes.
UCLA researchers warned that because Americans pets eat meat, they endanger the planet by generating 64 million tons of carbon dioxide. Forty-two years after the government began with fuel economy standards trying to push Americans into gas-sipping cars, the three best-selling vehicles were the Ford, Chevrolet and Ram pick-up trucks.
A year after a NASA climatologist from the settled science of climate said California was in a drought forever, torrential rains threatened to break dams.
Pierce College in Los Angeles was sued after it prevented a student from giving away Spanish-language copies of the U.S. Constitution because he was outside the .003 percent of the campus designated a free speech zone. Two years after social justice warriors convulsed the University of Missouri in Columbia, freshman enrollment was down 35 percent. An Arizona State University professor allowed some students in her human rights class to stage anti-Donald Trump protests in lieu of final exams. The University of Arizona guide instructed instructors to encourage students to say ouch when something said in class hurts their feelings. Clemson Universitys diversity training washed brains with this idea: Expecting punctuality might be insensitive because in some cultures time is considered fluid. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that student snowflakes are not the only victims of academic suffering. It seems that after the nine-month school year, professors endure isolation, solitude and depression during their three-month vacations.
Massachusetts continues to be surprised that the smuggling of cigarettes into the state increased when state cigarette taxes increased. Although San Franciscos hourly minimum wage has not yet reached its destination of $15, the city is surprised that so many small businesses have closed. McDonalds probably was not surprised when its shares surged after it announced plans to replace cashiers with digital ordering kiosks in 2,500 restaurants.
Finally, Dominos Pizza is going to need bigger menus. Government labeling regulations require calorie counts for every variation of items sold, which Dominos says counting different toppings and crusts includes about 34 million possible combinations. None, however, has excessive tryptophan.
Back in 1983 in Amarillo, a friend of Melody Wattenbargers served on the founding board of the High Plains Food Bank.
She asked if Id be interested in coming to work for them, and I asked her what a food bank was. I had no idea, Wattenbarger said.
Food banks were just getting started around the country. Prior to then, I had worked for the state of Texas, helping low-income people sign up for different benefits and programs, including food stamps. So the idea of a food bank appealed to me, because it would serve the same kind of population I had worked with before.
Wattenbarger said it didnt take long before she realized, This is what Im supposed to be doing.
She eventually became director of the food bank there, and later, after moving to Albuquerque, became the president and chief executive officer of Roadrunner Food Bank.
On Dec. 15, Wattenbarger, 67, will retire.
She and her husband, Steve, will return to their native Texas, where their adult daughter lives, as well as other family members. Her replacement has not been named.
During her 22-year tenure, Roadrunner Food Bank developed a collection and distribution system that now provides food to 70,000 people each week through a network of 450 partner pantries, soup kitchens and schools throughout the state.
Last year, Roadrunner distributed more than 32 million pounds of food.
In addition, under Wattenbargers leadership, Roadrunner nurtured a network of thousands of volunteers, acquired a fleet of refrigerated trucks to accommodate ever more donations of fresh foods and produce, and greatly expanded its operation, moving into a larger and more modern 166,000-square-foot warehouse.
Earlier this year the national food bank network, Feeding America, named her a John van Hengel Fellow, an award that recognizes people for outstanding service and accomplishments in the field of hunger relief.
The history of food banks in this country is a reflection of what communities can do when they put their minds to it, Wattenbarger said, reflecting on her career. Its millions of people throughout the country saying hunger is not acceptable and wasting food is not acceptable.
Today, there are 200 food banks across the United States providing food to more than 63,000 partner distribution sites and pantries. Of more than 3,100 counties from coast to coast, every one of them has access to this food, she said.
Most of the food banks in the United States started from 1978 to 1985, including Roadrunner, which began operation in 1980, Wattenbarger said.
I knew pretty early on that I was part of the birth of a movement. It was total luck that I ended up being part of the something that has grown into the largest feeding network in the United States, and probably the world, she said.
Obviously, much has changed over the years.
When she first began working at the food bank in Amarillo, the biggest challenge was convincing potential food donors to donate, she said. I was thrown out more than once from restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses because the operators didnt want to admit they had food that would ultimately wind up in a landfill. They somehow saw it as a reflection that they werent good businesspeople or that they were wasteful.
It was also difficult in the beginning to persuade people and businesses to contribute financially and to donate their time as volunteers to this new food bank thing.
Another formidable task was persuading organizations to accept the food and become part of a distribution network. Initially, the organizations had to go to the food bank to pick up the food, but after the food banks began delivering it became easier to get them to sign on, she said.
The type of foods being donated has also shifted.
In the early years, there was almost nothing in the way of fresh foods and produce, little refrigerated or freezer space in which to store it, and no refrigerated trucks to transport it to our distribution centers, Wattenbarger said.
Now, 65 percent of Roadrunners food is perishable items, including produce. The food bank has 272,000 cubic feet of cooler and freezer space and a fleet of about 15 tractor-trailers and box trucks, nearly all of them refrigerated.
What hasnt changed is the enormous need to feed hungry people, a need caused by the intractable problem of poverty, she said.
New Mexico is perennially ranked as one of the hungriest and most poverty-stricken states in the nation, with one of the highest percentages of children and families living at or below the federal poverty level.
Its all about income. People need enough income to live, and New Mexico workers just dont make a living wage, or there arent enough of the kinds of jobs here that pay a living wage, or people dont qualify to get those kinds of jobs because of a lack of education, Wattenbarger said.
Conceptually, its not that complicated. People wouldnt need help with food if they had enough money to buy it themselves. And they would always choose to buy it rather than get it for free by standing in a line for hours, sometimes in the dark, or the cold or the heat. Nobody chooses to do that. Its misery and shame, and they dont want to do it, she said.
Hunger is a direct result and the worst symptom of poverty.
Fortunately, there are places like Roadrunner and people like Melody Wattenbarger to treat some of the symptoms.
UpFront is a regular Journal news and opinion column. Comment directly to Rick Nathanson at rnathanson@abqjournal.com.
CANBERRA, Australia Papua New Guinea authorities said Friday they had relocated the last asylum seekers who had refused for three weeks to leave a closed immigration camp for fear they would face violence in the alternative accommodations.
Police Chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas said police and immigration officials removed all 378 men from the male-only camp on Manus Island over two days and took them by bus to residences in the nearby town of Lorengau.
Everybodys gone. Everybody got on the buses, they packed their bags and they moved over, Kakas said.
Refugee advocates say officials used force and destroyed asylum seekers belongings to make them leave Manus.
Video was released of officials in the camp wielding what appeared to be wooden sticks.
Water, power and food supplies ended when the Manus camp ended officially closed on Oct. 31, based on the Papua New Guinea Supreme Courts ruling last year that Australias policy of housing asylum seekers there was unconstitutional. But asylum seekers fear for their safety in Lorengau because of threats from local residents.
Australia pays Papua New Guinea, its nearest neighbor, and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru to hold thousands of asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East and Asia who have attempted to reach Australian shores by boat since mid-2013.
Before confirmation that Manus Island had been emptied, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull welcomed news that asylum seekers were leaving.
Im please to say in terms of Manus, that the reports we have are that busloads of the people at Manus are leaving, theyre complying with the lawful directions of the PNG authorities and moving to the alternative facilities available to them and thats as they should, Turnbull told reporters.
That is precisely what you should do, if youre in a foreign country. You should comply with the laws of that other country, he added.
Shen Narayanasamy, activist group GetUps rights campaigner said in a statement: I awoke this morning to frantic phone calls from refugees on Manus screaming: Help, help, they are killing us. It is astounding that refugees being beaten and dragged out to buses has the support of the Australian government.
Police maintain no force was used.
Australian Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton accused refugee advocates of making inaccurate and exaggerated claims of violence and injuries on Manus, without providing evidence.
Dutton also accused asylum seekers of sabotaging backup generators and water infrastructure at the new accommodation provided by Australia in Lorengau.
What is clear is that there has been an organized attempt to provoke trouble and disrupt the new facilities, Dutton said in a statement.
Australia will not settle any refugees who try to arrive by boat a policy that the government says dissuades them from attempting the dangerous ocean crossing from Indonesia. The navy has also been turning back boats to keep them from reaching Australia since July 2014.
The United States has agreed to resettle up to 1,250 of the refugees under a deal struck by former President Barack Obamas administration that President Donald Trump has reluctantly decided to honor. So far, only 54 have been accepted by the United States.
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to 70 years to life in prison for assaulting three children in a Highlands ranch home.
Forty-one-year-old John Cornell had pleaded guilty Oct. 20 to four counts of sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
Douglas County District Judge Shay Whitaker sentenced Cornell on Friday. Prosecutors announced the sentence on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Cornell had a previous sexual assault case. He was on parole when the child assaults occurred in the home of a Highlands Ranch woman. Two of the womans children and a niece were assaulted.
Prosecutors say the woman was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in June to evidence tampering by helping destroy pornographic photos Cornell had taken of the children.
TUCSON, Ariz. Officials are reminding people to hike safely over the holiday weekend after a hiker was rescued inside Saguaro National Park.
Park officials say a man fell 100 feet Sunday inside the southern Arizona park.
The 22-year-old hiker was hiking in the dark without a headlamp or warm clothes and became lost.
Search and rescue teams were dispatched after a dropped 911 call placed him in the area of a trailhead.
He was located later in the night in a remote and rugged side canyon.
He was flown to an area hospital in good condition.
Authorities say hikers should let someone know their plans and carry essential items.
Laban Stretchy Man, the new human shaped, stretchy, fruit flavoured chews from Orkla- Norways number 1 confectionery brand, has been launched and localized by MTR Foods in India.
The brand joined hands with Dentsu India, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network to launch its first TV Commercial for the product, bringing alive the key properties of Laban as the TVC focuses on the mischievously funny Laban-fueled exploits of two kids based purely on their imagination.
The TVC plays out an encounter between two school-going brothers and a taxi driver. When a taxi driver rudely shouts at the children who are trying to cross a busy traffic signal, the kids bring out their Laban Stretchy Men and catapult them across the street. The imaginary Stretchy Men stretch, jump and fly across the crossing and finally land on the traffic signal itself. They then proceed to dance on the lights, changing colours in the process. This confuses the taxi driver who thinks the signal is green. When he tries to cross the signal, he gets caught by a traffic policeman who shows the taxi driver that the signal is actually at red and that the taxi driver has almost broken a traffic rule by jumping a red light. This leaves the kids laughing and feeling satisfied that they have taken their revenge on the rude taxi driver with the help of Laban Stretchy Man!
The concept of the TVC was based on the insight that kids see themselves as small but they wish they could have the last laugh. The personality of Laban, which is uniquely differentiated from other confectionary in the market, provides a moment of escape for kids from their fixed routines. Laban is an idea engine that pushes their imagination and empowers them with creative ideas to help overcome everyday challenges. The communication and the new TVC has emphasised on this concept.
Samrat Chengapa, Senior Vice President, Dentsu India said, Communicating to children is a happy problem. Theyre imaginative and relish the randomness you throw at them
Especially in a category that is flooded with humour. Laban is a product that is truly imaginative at the product level. And that set the platform for us to build on with a memorable jingle that captured the in-built craziness of being stretchy and human shaped. With this TVC, weve managed to showcase all the fun and create a sing-along track that kids will just love. And this is just the beginning.
On the launch of the new campaign, Sunay Bhasin, CMO, MTR said, Laban is a powerful product that is capable of sparking imagination and encouraging creativity in the consumers minds. For its first TVC campaign, we wanted to focus on what makes Laban so unique by showcasing its differentiated properties and at the same time emphasize on the true spirit of joy and playfulness that the confectionary personifies. The new TVC is fun, engaging and relatable for our consumers with a memorable jingle Laban ki Pahunch Lambi Hai that has added to its fun aspect. We know that this TVC will be well-received and loved by our consumers.
Campaign Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: Rahul Sengupta
Group Creative Director: Ajesh N
Senior Creative Director: Rajesh Narasimhan
Associate Creative Directors: Vimalkirti Deshmukh & Ashwin Leon Mariadoss
Director: Abhijit Chaudhuri a.k.a Dadu
Production House: QED films
Music Director (Optional):
Languages: Hindi & Tamil
With a rapidly evolving business and economic landscape there is a dire requirement of fresh thinking, new skill sets, greater flexibility & adaptability, more collaboration as well as the ability to think on ones feet.
Diversity in the workforce has become a necessity today, and more so in the leadership positions. It cant be denied that women bring a high level of creativity and empathy while solving problems and handling crises. Women leaders bring to the table a different level of dexterity.
AdGullys The W-Suite series features interactions with influential women leaders in India, who share some deep insights on what being a woman leader means in Indias business landscape, the mantras to succeed, achieving work-life balance, pay parity and much more.
Prachi Karan is Media Director at Isobar India. She is also a part of Isobars Womens Council. Karan recently represented Isobar at the Media Works 2017 workshop that was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has been awarded as Indias Top Digital Planner (2017) by Digital Market Asia and Business World. She has also received the Star Youth Achiever Award by Youth Marketing & Social Media Forum in 2016. An MBA from Welingkars Institute of Management Studies, Karan has been an active part of the digital industry since the beginning of 2011.
What defines a woman leader in todays ecosystem?
In a word Fearless and let me explain why.
Recently, I was working on a pitch for a beauty brand that wanted to speak to the women of today, particularly those who are the influencers that many other women look up to. The team and I at Isobar spent hours and days discussing, debating about what made this woman different from all the other women. Circumstances maybe, education and support sure, but besides all of these there was one thing which was common that was tying all these exceptional women together. I am not a copy writer, so I am going to have to borrow some lines from Mark Anthony. I came across this while I was researching. I hope this gives you a slight visualisation of who she.
And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.
Why do you think a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions?
I feel it is due to choice. A choice they have made voluntarily, or involuntarily. Maybe at that time she thought it was either this or that and not I may be able to figure out a way to do both.
There is a very popular interview of PepsiCo Chairperson & CEO Indra Nooyi, where she talks about how she believes that Women cannot have it all. This happens because a womans career clock and biological clock are always in total conflict with one another, which is absolutely true. However, she also provides a solution to this constant issue which is to develop coping mechanisms.
In reality nobody can have it all, but people still do believe that they can. And if you believe strong enough, things somehow come together and you have a solution. You have a solution most of the times, and for all the other times, there are coping mechanisms. But do note that adopting coping mechanisms or strategies constantly can be extremely fatiguing.
An example could be The prove-it-again bias, where women are expected to repeatedly demonstrate their competencies more often than men before others believe they are fit to lead. This constant expectation of doing more, to be seen as equally good, can also take a toll over time. However, having a strong mentorship from colleagues and senior management really helps. The right counsel at a conflicting and critical time can change and completely transform a womans career.
Isobar India is one of the very few agencies in the country that has a Womens Council team and strives to do exactly this. I am fortunate enough to be a part of this team and we have taken steps towards helping women reach their highest potential based on merit. One of the goals is to have more women in the organisation occupying leadership positions.
Do you think women leaders are still scrutinised as much for style as for substance?
I dont think most of the women leaders really care about it. Their personalities are so vibrant and their belief in themselves and their work is so strong that people listen to them, and hold great value to their thinking and opinions. You simply cannot hide talent, even if you want to.
Do you think the leadership effectiveness of women is higher than men? Why?
I dont think that gender matters as much as the life experiences do. Women generally do not have things easy when it comes to career. Along their way to leadership they have to make a lot of choices, deploy a lot of coping mechanisms, much more than the average men do. That kind of gruelling, challenging experience does make you tougher and that reflects in your work and how you handle things professionally. But then again, you put a man under similar circumstances and you would get similar results.
Women leaders in the 80s and 90s and women leaders today - what are the key differences? And what are the things that havent changed much?
In the 80s or the 90s only a certain percentage of women got the kind of support and backing needed to launch, grow and sustain a successful career. Today, that percentage has increased quite a bit not as much as what we would like but yes, it is happening and we are all watching it evolve. This can largely be attributed to the shift in the mindsets of people as the society has also progressed. This has increased the level of confidence in women and is a step forward towards gender equality. The change is here, it is happening. These are exciting times.
How do you maintain a balance between career goals and family responsibilities? How frequently do you have to sacrifice one for the other?
It is not easy because you constantly have to choose and juggle between the various professional and personal roles that you play. This also holds true for some of the men, because relationships today have evolved and the concept of equality is beginning to reflect in society. We all need a lot of support, collaboration and backing at work from our colleagues and at home from our family and friends. The degree changes depending on the life stage you are at and the choices you have voluntarily made.
Do you think pay parity exists in our corporates today across levels? What about pay parity at the leadership levels?
Yes, it does exist across industries and businesses. To bridge this gap, we need more than just women supporting women. We need the men also to come forward and support us. We need to educate women on how to negotiate better pay. I very much believe in the HE FOR SHE campaign that was launched by Emma Watson. This championing by men would be a strong factor in bringing gender equality.
What would be your advice to women aiming for the C-suite?
There are two things:
Have Grit. Stick with your future day in, day out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for as long as you intend to work. Do not be satisfied. Ever. You can go as far as you can imagine you can go, and imagination is an extremely powerful tool.
What, according to you, are the 3 important lessons new women leaders need to learn?
Lesson One Be Humble. Humble enough to see your mistakes, admit them, learn from them and adapt to a better version of yourself.
Lesson Two Trust your instincts. Because you always know what is right and wrong, in your gut.
Lesson Three Do not get comfortable, ever. Because comfortable is the worst place to be. It confines you, doesnt let you be you.
Mobidiag Ltd, a Finnish molecular diagnostics company, today announced a distribution agreement with Interlux OU, supplier of technologies for medicine, science and biotechnology industry. Under this agreement, Interlux becomes the exclusive distributor of the Amplidiag product line in Estonia, in vitro diagnostic tests and compatible instrument for the detection of gastrointestinal infections.
Thanks to a large distribution network, our Amplidiag product line is now accessible in most Western European countries. This new distribution agreement allows us to introduce the Amplidiag product line to the Baltic region starting with Estonia. We are then very happy to start this new partnership with Interlux to support us in this new market, said Miquel Vernet, CCO at Mobidiag.
Cooperation with Mobidiag offers the customers of Interlux high-quality diagnostic results. I believe that together with Mobidiag we can improve the medicine in Estonia and offer solutions to laboratories that will have greater effect on the patient, said Karin Kond, CEO at Interlux OU.
The agreement is effective immediately and covers all Amplidiag IVD tests (Amplidiag H. pylori+ClariR, Amplidiag Stool Parasites, Amplidiag CarbaR+VRE, Amplidiag C. difficile+027, Amplidiag Bacterial GE, Amplidiag Viral GE and upcoming Amplidiag CarbaR+MCR) as well as the Amplidiag Easy instrument.
About Amplidiag products
Amplidiag are innovative multiplex tests for the detection of gastrointestinal infections. They allow panel screening of the most relevant gastrointestinal pathogens. Based on well-established real-time PCR technology, they ensure optimal performance, suitability for high-volume screening use and cost-effectiveness in mid-sized to large laboratory settings. In addition, Mobidiag allows process automation from sample extraction to PCR set-up with the Amplidiag Easy system.
About Mobidiag Ltd
Established in 2000, Mobidiag develops innovative solutions to advance the diagnosis of infectious diseases and serves the European clinical diagnostics market since 2008. Mobidiag is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with a subsidiaries in France, UK and Sweden.
Mobidiag addresses both high to medium volume screening with the Amplidiag Easy instrument, bringing the Amplidiag suite further by automating the workflow from sample to results, and the upcoming Novodiag instrument & associated panels for fully automated diagnostics for targeted and syndromic testing, and suitable for smaller volumes and labs.
Visit www.mobidiag.com.
About Interlux
Interlux is an international company providing to the customers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia safe and effective, highest-quality technologies for medicine, science and biotechnology industry. Since the start of its activity in 1994, the Company has been continuously and successfully growing while expanding the range of the products and diversifying its activities. Interlux opened an office this year in June in Estonia, starting actively the business in current territory and now covering the whole Baltics. Today Interlux represents more than 250 brands of the top world-famous producers, has over 1 million different products and a team of nearly 100 employees only in Lithuania.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171122005454/en/
Mobidiag Ltd
Miquel Vernet, +358 10 5050 770
info@mobidiag.com
MUSCAT, Oman, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
In partnership with Community Jameel; with this year's trategic partners Riyada, Omantel, Oman Technology Fund and Zain Group as a digital partner
Finals to be held on 19 April, 2018 ; Application deadline December 5, 2017
The MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan Arab announced the final award ceremony of The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition which will be held in the Sultanate of Oman on the 19th of April 2018. The announcement came during a press conference held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, Oman and was attended by Representatives from institutions supporting this competition. This year's edition is yet again in partnership with "Community Jameel", a social enterprise organization that operates a wide range of initiatives which promote and contribute towards positive societal change and economic sustainability. In addition, the strategic partners include Riyada, the competition's governmental backbone, Omantel, a key contributor and supporter as well as Oman Technology Fund and Zain Group, the competition's digital partner.
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/609883/MITEF_Pan_Arab.jpg )
The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition opened its registration process from the 3rd of September till the 5th of December on the competition's official website: Mitarabcompetition.com. The semi-finalist teams will be announced on the 12th of January 2018 and will compete for a cumulative of cash prizes worth US$160,000.
In her speech, Hala Fadel, Chair of the board of MITEF Pan Arab emphasized the importance of betting and investing in the capacities and talents of the Arab youth to ensure societal development. She said, "We proceed with the annual MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition for the 11th year in a row. Throughout the years it has become a platform for young talents to embark on their careers, express their ideas and achieve them on the ground. The closing ceremony will be held in Sultanate of Oman to be the incubator for hundreds of young people and entrepreneurs in their journey towards discovery, development and success."
Fady Jameel, President of Community Jameel International said, "We thank the Sultanate of Oman for hosting the closing ceremony of the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition. The annual competition continues to play a key role in creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the region, and Community Jameel is delighted to again support its already excellent reputation. We look forward to further developing entrepreneurship in the Arab region by promoting dialogue on how entrepreneurship can be encouraged, developing innovation and discussing the challenges that young men and women may face in the future."
The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition incorporates three tracks: the Ideas track, the Startups track and the Social Entrepreneurship track. Each winning team will receive a cash prize in addition to advanced training sessions, personal mentorship and guidance, not to mention a great deal of media coverage and excellent networking opportunities.
About MITEF Pan Arab: Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.
About Community Jameel: Established in 2003, Community Jameel is a social enterprise organisation that operates a wide range of initiatives to promote a positive society and economic sustainability. From individual, community and Arab life as a whole, in Saudi Arabia and beyond, Community Jameel promotes Arab arts and culture in the Middle East and around the world, works against unemployment, enables research for poverty alleviation and food and water security, and provides education and training opportunities.
Community Jameel supports and partners with global institutions, which employ hundreds of people, all aiming to provide people with opportunities and training in the following areas:
Job Creation - Bab Rizq Jameel
Arts and Culture - Art Jameel
Global Poverty Alleviation
Food and Water Security
Education and Training
Health and Social
Contact: Maggie El Eid +()961-1-973030 x.3124, maggie.eleid@jwt.com
November 22, 2017
European powers, most notably Britain, have rebuffed US President Donald Trumps Oct. 13 refusal to certify that the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran meets congressional requirements. Issuing a joint statement almost immediately afterward, UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her French and German counterparts reasserted their commitment to the nuclear deal, expressing concern over Trumps new Iran strategy.
Since then, the British government has continued its staunch defense of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Speaking at the Chatham House London Conference on Oct. 23, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson praised the JCPOAs achievements in curbing Tehrans path to a nuclear weapon. While expressing apprehension over Irans regional behavior, Johnson prescribed further engagement with Tehran and warned against disrespecting the Iranian population a subtle reference to Trumps inflammatory rhetoric. Given Mays emphasis on maintaining good relations with Trump, not least to secure a trade deal with the United States following Britains departure from the European Union, the UKs vocal support for the JCPOA is particularly significant, marking a shift from the prime ministers previous Trump strategy and the making of an independent British foreign policy toward Iran.
Britains support for the JCPOA is justified. The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has repeatedly verified that Tehran is fulfilling its nuclear obligations. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano on Oct. 30 yet again confirmed that the nuclear-related commitments made by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented.
Unable to critique Tehran on the implementation of its commitments under the nuclear deal, Trump has cited Irans regional behavior as the primary reason for his decision to decertify that Iranian compliance with the JCPOA meets congressional requirements.
However, the JCPOA relates only to Irans nuclear program and nothing else. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions. The JCPOA is simply irrelevant to other outstanding issues between the West and Iran such as Irans regional behavior, missile testing or domestic human rights violations. This explains why sanctions relating to non-nuclear issues remain in place. In an interview with this reporter earlier this year, Sir Simon Gass, the UK lead negotiator during the nuclear talks with Iran and former British ambassador to Iran, strongly emphasized that Tehrans regional policy was completely off the table during the nuclear talks, stressing that the JCPOA was exclusively about Irans nuclear program.
Addressing the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Iran on Oct. 24, Middle East Minister Alistair Burt reiterated Gass remarks, saying, The UK never took the view that this was an all-encompassing deal that dealt with every article of disagreement between the UK and Iran. Speaking in the House Commons, Burt underlined that although the UK shares concern over Iranian behavior in the Middle East, Tehrans regional policy was not part of the JCPOA, adding that the nuclear deal presents an opportunity to work on other disagreements with Iran.
As expected, Trump has hit back at the European defense of the JCPOA. Tweeting shortly after the Oct. 13 joint statement issued by Britain, France and Germany, the president accused the supporting parties of the nuclear deal of making lots of money on trade with Iran. Contrary to Trumps claim, however, major trade deals between Britain and Iran have been few and far between. This is primarily because, despite the lifting of international sanctions, major banks are still reluctant to handle Iran-related transactions. In July, parliament member Richard Bacon, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Iran, told me that senior officials at the Bank of England had made it clear to him that at present, no major Western bank seeks to facilitate trade with Iran due to primary US sanctions that still remain in place.
Moreover, in late October, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw underlined to me that virtually none of the Department for International Trades 500 million pound line of credit for Iran has been used, almost certainly due to US pressure on the banks.
The absence of banking facilities has prevented Iran from enjoying the full benefits of sanctions relief in the way agreed to under the terms of the JCPOA. Therefore, as Straw said, while there is not a shred of evidence that Iran is not implementing its side of the deal as confirmed by the IAEA it is the West that is failing to implement its side of the bargain by not providing adequate banking provisions to facilitate trade with Iran. This argument is beginning to gain resonance in both Westminster and among frustrated city businesses, which view Iran as a key target economy.
Beyond this point, however, the lack of trade between the UK and Iran since the JCPOA proves that contrary to Trumps assertion, Britains defense of the nuclear deal is not about economic interest; rather, it is grounded in principle.
With all this in mind, the UKs support for the JCPOA should not go unnoticed not least by Irans leaders. Iranian hard-liners often blame the failure of the 2003-2005 nuclear talks between Iran and the EU3 on Britains reluctance to diverge from then-US President George W. Bushs hawkish position on Tehran. This may be unfair, but at least Iran should acknowledge that now the UK has not only split with the US position but is also proactively challenging it.
Sir Peter Westmacott, former British ambassador to the United States, told me late last month that British diplomats were again lobbying Congress to dissuade it from reimposing nuclear sanctions on Tehran, which would de facto kill the JCPOA; the diplomats are doing so just as the six world powers that negotiated the deal with Iran did two years ago when there were strong moves on Capitol Hill encouraged by the Israeli government to strangle the deal at birth. Johnson also traveled to Capitol Hill on Nov. 8, where he urged congressional Republicans to stick to the agreement. Johnson is now preparing to visit Tehran to discuss the release of a dual citizen imprisoned in Iran. While there, it is likely that he will reiterate the UKs commitment to the nuclear deal.
Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has frequently referred to the nuclear agreement as a test to see if Iran can trust the West. And while it is true that the Trump administration has broken this trust, Britain, France and Germany have kept to their word. Given the nature of the special relationship between the UK and the United States, however, it is London more so than Paris and Berlin that could prove essential in determining the fate of the JCPOA.
November 22, 2017
On Nov. 22, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani traveled to the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi for a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Turkish counterparts. The summit has been described as highly important for the future of Syria, particularly given the three leaders call for a Syrian congress to be formed to discuss the future of the war-torn country.
Meanwhile, Iranian parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani, who is on a trip to Turkey, said that the Sochi summit is a "turning point" in the region.
Larijani stated Nov. 21, Iran, Turkey and Russia [have formed] a good and complementary group that if they pursue [this process], [they] can play a more important role in Asia, because the performance of these countries in Syria and the work they did in Syria calmed down the atmosphere and almost destroyed the terrorists.
He added, Now it is time to establish stability in the region, and the Sochi summit is being held with the aim of stabilizing the situation in Syria and is very important.
Meanwhile, Iranian newspapers and news sites described the Sochi meeting as a process leading to a new Middle East.
In this vein, Reformist Shargh daily wrote Nov. 22, This summit indicates that the unity among Iran, Russia and Turkey is more prominent than in the past and these countries are engaged in a joint road map that is designed for Syria, and has been pursued in various summits. Today, Iran, Turkey and Russia are drawing a road map for the new Middle East.
Moreover, Bahar, a Reformist daily, argued Nov. 22, It seems that the results of all seven rounds of negotiation and summits in Astana will be finalized in the meeting of Turkey, Russia and Irans heads of government in Sochi. In reality, seemingly the three countries are planning to reach important final agreements on the Syrian crisis in this meeting.
Quoting a source, Bahar daily added, Two goals are pursued in the trilateral meeting: First, Tehran, Ankara and Moscow are planning to state the importance of the achieved agreements and trilateral cooperation between them on Syria. Second, they are attempting to reach a final agreement based on what they have negotiated in Astana, and then design a joint plan for the Geneva negotiations that is agreed on by all sides.
In addition, Reformist Etemad newspaper highlighted the importance of the presence of the Turkish president whose main demand has been the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the beginning of the crisis in Syria.
[Recep Tayyip] Erdogan will meet today with Rouhani and [Vladimir] Putin, and Iran and Russias leaders will pressure him to [accept] a political solution [for Syria] and the presence of Bashar al-Assad [in the future of Syria]. But Saudi Arabia is supposed to state its view through choosing the chairman of the Syrian opposition, reported Etemad daily Nov. 22.
Mentioning the Sochi talks, Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, an adviser to Irans foreign minister, told Shargh daily, The developments in Syria are happening [with a view] toward [reaching] a political solution. Following the military victory in Syria against Daesh [Islamic State] and after Daesh forces and terrorisms defeat, their last organized base in the region collapsed. Other opposition to Bashar al-Assad is present in Idlib, and now Syria has stepped toward the political dialogue more than before, and this victory has turned into a political solution.
Meanwhile, conservative Khorasan daily emphasized the presence of the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces in Russia, writing Nov. 22, While Daesh has no official presence in any Syrian cities, and prior to the meeting of Iran, Turkey and Russias leaders, the highest ranking military officials of the three countries reached an agreement over increasing the cooperation for destroying the remaining terrorists in Syrias post-Daesh [era]. Enhancing the transition process and solving the crisis in Syria was one of the issues discussed. Of note, Iranian Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri left Tehran for Russia on Nov. 20.
November 8, 2017
The Syrian revolution witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of cultural expressions. Since the protests erupted across the country in 2011, citizens from all walks of life employed art, satire and creative writing to stand against the regime. These protests did not initially call for the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but for greater freedoms and dignity, and remained relatively peaceful until December 2011, when rebel groups began forming under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army in response to violence by the state security forces. As the voices of ordinary Syrians have been lost amid the violent clashes that have dominated the past six years, how will the creative spirit of the revolution be remembered in the coming years?
Syrian graphic designer Sana Yazigi wanted to make sure that these peaceful voices and creative works are not forgotten. After fleeing her hometown of Damascus and settling in Beirut, she created a simple Wordpress site to publish some of them. Her aim was to document how Syrians spoke out and asked for their rights after 50 years of government-imposed silence.
Today, the trilingual website, called The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution, boasts some 23,000 documents available in Arabic, French and English. This project and a related book, The Story of a Place, the Story of a People, are sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, the Swiss and Norwegian embassies, and the CCFD-Terre Solidaire, in a special partnership with TANDEM and Scene Nationale. The projects aim to shed light on the pacific civil movement and the just cause of the Syrian people, which has always been neglected by the media, explains the introduction of the book.
Yazigi and her 25-person team of artists, language specialists and geographers collected various forms of Syrian expression on the web and researched their context graffiti, murals, drawings, sculptures, videos, photos, poems, songs, caricatures, texts beginning around 2011 and classified them according to their dates and places of creation. The findings also inspired the book The Story of a Place, The Story of a People, which started as a sub-project under the website.
They pinpointed 235 different geographical places of origin for the various forms of cultural expression calling for revolution. We have taken up only 50 of them for the book, Yazigi said in an interview with Al-Monitor. The fact that there were so many locations where revolutionary civic activities emerged is an answer to the question why only Daraa and Homs witnessed protests. When you really document the revolution, you see how protests and nonviolent civil activities spread throughout the entire country.
In order to understand the extent of civil frustration and the subsequent artistic expression that surfaced, each archive includes a text explaining the historical and human contexts of the work. For example, the 2013 chemical weapon attacks on the Ghouta agricultural area around Damascus confirmed by a team of UN inspectors are represented in the form of caricatures, paintings and sculptures and recount another version of history told firsthand by artists and activists. Syrian cartoon artist Diala Brisly, whose illustrations are featured prominently on the website, told Al-Monitor, Its fantastic to have a group of people archiving our artwork and putting them in a platform in the middle of the mess, especially since most of the work is linked to very important events.
Beyond visual art, the revival of folk songs, traditional Arabic melodies and catchy new tunes became central to the revolution. What better way to fire back at Bashar than to replicate the classic melodies of Umm Kulthum, for example, Syrian blogger and translator Yaaser Azzayyaat said on the occasion of the book launch that took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beirut last month. On his YouTube channel, which is currently suspended, Azzayyaat began sharing and analyzing the discourse of protest songs and dances before the revolution became fully militarized in the summer of 2012.
While archival work cannot prevent future violence, it can serve as a reminder and warning. The creative culture that expanded across all classes of Syrian society not only belonged to the elites, said Fawaz Traboulsi, a Lebanese university professor, historian and author of "A History of Modern Lebanon."
Traboulsi said at the book launch, Lebanon went through different wars in the 1950s and 1960s, and we also lived through a civil war. So what should we remember from Syria? We should always remember why the revolution or the war erupted. Yazigis project is one of the most powerful examples of how the regime used violence to respond to peaceful people.
According to Yazigi, the project has been difficult in an environment of governmental repression and Assads discourse in his attempts to suppress the popular and peaceful movement. Few foreign journalists have been admitted into the country, making reporting very difficult. Recently, Facebook and YouTube inadvertently deleted thousands of videos from citizen journalists that could have been used to document potential war crimes in Syria, she said.
As a result, Yazigi made sure to cross-check the information gathered and check it against countless sources as well as to include testimonials from residents and activists to produce background texts as close to reality as possible.
The most difficult challenge of all, she said, has been the psychological toll her team of researches faced, many of them quitting along the way. Normal people forget what happened to be able to continue their daily lives. We do the opposite, and on a daily basis. It is an exercise in suffering, Yazigi said. For example, one of her colleagues discovered in the research process that both the poet Mohammad Bashir al-Aani and his son were kidnapped and executed by the Islamic State.
Those who die give us their lives, and we have to take those lives and continue with them in order to make their deaths meaningful. My responsibility is to remember this fight is legitimate and stripped forever from Assad's tyranny, she said.
November 22, 2017
In mid-November, the emblematic hunger strike of Turkish teachers Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca passed the 250-day mark. Gulmen, a literature professor, and Ozakca, a primary school teacher, lost their jobs in the massive purges that followed the failed coup attempt in July 2016. Their protest to get their jobs back began as a sit-in in downtown Ankara a year ago and then turned into a hunger strike, landing them behind bars in May on terrorism-related charges. Since then, Gulmen has been transferred to hospital detention, while Ozakca has been placed under house arrest.
The pairs saga also has sucked in their lawyers. On Nov. 13, Selcuk Kozagacli became their 18th attorney to land behind bars.
Kozagacli who used to chair the Progressive Lawyers Association, one of the many civic groups Ankara has shut down since the putsch is a well-known lawyer whose legal battles have covered a wide range of human rights issues, from torture and maltreatment to the 2014 mine disaster in which 301 workers perished. He was jailed pending trial on charges of belonging to an outlawed organization, based on incriminating testimony by a secret witness.
According to his lawyer Serhat Cakmak who is also the spokesman of the Libertarian Lawyers Platform the evidence used to incarcerate Kozagacli is unlawful. The purpose of his arrest is to suppress dissidence in society, Cakmak told Al-Monitor.
Stressing that Kozagacli had taken part in many politically charged cases as a lawyer, Cakmak said, He was put on trial many times, and every time he was acquitted. Judging by the information provided by Cakmak, Kozagacli is now being linked to the case of the two hunger strikers he represents; they stand accused of membership in the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party/Front, a far-left group that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.
Kozagacli is not alone. Lawyers Sezin Ucar and Ozlem Gumustas landed in jail on charges of links to an outlawed organization after attending the funerals of clients. Lawyers Ebru Timtik and Oya Aslan met the same fate after their names appeared on papers found in the pockets of slain militants.
According to Meral Danis Bestas, a parliamentarian belonging to the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party and a lawyer by profession, attorneys are being criminalized over the cases they take. A lawyer who defends a rapist is not a rapist, and a lawyer who defends a murderer is not a murderer. Lawyers represent the defense and are obliged to defend the rights of their clients, Bestas told Al-Monitor. The lawyers of Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca cannot be legally associated with [the case of their clients], she added.
Kozagaclis arrest triggered indignation from various quarters, from human rights groups to political parties. Remarkably, the Turkish Bar Association remained silent. In a television program, Bar association Chair Metin Feyzioglu argued that the reasons cited for the arrests of the lawyers do not include their representation of Nuriye and Semih. When reminded that 18 lawyers who had represented the two hunger strikers had been incarcerated, Feyzioglu said, No one should expect me to be so sympathetic as to adopt Nuriye and Semih. In a pointed retort, Ozakca said, No one should expect me to be so sympathetic as to declare Feyzioglu a father. If he shows us sympathy, he will be arrested, and if he shows empathy, he cant curry favor with the government.
For Bestas, Feyzioglu has taken an unacceptable stance. The head of the Turkish Bar Association takes interest in anything but the attacks on the rights of lawyers. He is failing his duty, she said. This is unacceptable. The Turkish Bar Association is supposed to defend the right to defense, regardless of what political convictions lawyers have and what cases they take.
The Libertarian Lawyers Platform plans to launch a campaign for Feyzioglus resignation. According to Cakmak, Feyzioglu is trying to say that the lawyers in question have nothing to do with the profession of defense, that they are involved in criminal activities and thats why [the bar association] will not stand up for them. This is a very absurd argument with no legal basis. We are demanding Feyzioglus resignation.
In a recent speech in parliament, Bestas said the total number of lawyers arrested for alleged membership in outlawed groups was believed to have exceeded 500 and urged the Justice Ministry to reveal the precise figure. The ministry has yet to respond. Bestas said the majority of incarcerated lawyers face charges of belonging to the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization the term now used for Gulens followers, who stand accused of perpetrating the botched coup attempt.
Judging by Bestas estimates, many of those arrested appear to be lawyers who have been involved in terror-related cases. That lawyers defending suspects accused of membership in terrorist groups are themselves put on trial for belonging to terrorist groups is a reason for serious alarm over the right to a fair trial not to mention that Turkeys judiciary is already under fire for having become largely politicized. As opposition quarters are being terrorized via a politicized judicial system, coupled with widespread media pressure, the defense itself is becoming defenseless. More should be revealed in the coming days as more political cases hit the courts.
Facebook has just introduced an update to its Messenger app that allows sharing of images in even higher resolutions, allowing the users to send and receive 4K images or, to be precise, images in resolution of up to 4,096 x 4,096 pixels. This update comes as a response to many users request and the resolution is the highest quality modern smartphones can support. Right now, 4K sharing is available to users in the US, Canada, France, Australia, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, with more countries to come in the upcoming weeks.
This happens to be the second major update to Facebook Messengers features, following the reimplementation of Messenger Day. Earlier last week, the rumor broke out that Messenger Day might be going away after less than a year after being introduced to Messengers users. Facebook representative later clarified that the feature isnt actually going away, but is rather being merged with Facebook Stories, a feature that is available on both desktop and mobile and one that was also recently added to groups and pages on this social network. Speaking of updates and changes happening around Facebook and its vast digital ecosystem, the company has been going full steam ahead these couple of months, adding many new features like VR support inside News Feed and even experimenting with the introduction of Explore Feed in select countries that separates friends updates from the news coming from pages you follow on Facebook.
As for the image sharing, the company claims its on the rise to overtake pure text messages, at least when it comes to Messenger. Therefore, the decision to up the maximum resolution from 2K to 4K is what the companys hoping to encourage even more image sharing over its mobile app. Sharing your high-resolution photos with friends and family will remain the same, all you have to do is tap the camera roll icon when inside a conversation, choose an image and hit the send button. Facebook has also provided several comparison images to show before and after quality differences for the new algorithm. You can find out yourself how much the quality of photos has improved in the gallery below.
Xiaomi has just announced a new color variant of its Redmi 5A handset, the Light Blue model has arrived. This handset was originally announced last month, and it is the companys entry-level smartphone. The Redmi 5A originally arrived in Champagne Gold, Platinum Silver, and Rose Gold color options. This handset has been available in China for a while now, and the new color version is already available for pre-order in China, while it will go on sale starting on November 24, just in case you live in China, and you happen to be interested. This version of the Redmi 5A is priced at 599 Yuan ($91), which is the same price point as all the other color variants, as this phone is identical to all of those, except it comes with a different paint job, of course.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5A is made out of metal, and you can see what this phone looks like exactly by checking out the provided image above. This handset doesnt exactly have the thinnest bezels out there, though thats not all that surprising considering its price point. The phone comes with a set of capacitive keys which are placed below its display, while all of its physical keys are included on the right-hand side of this phone. A SIM card tray is placed on the left side of the Redmi 5A, while the phone comes without a fingerprint scanner. The Xiaomi Redmi 5A is fueled by the Snapdragon 425 64-bit quad-core processor, while it comes with a 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) IPS LCD display. This handset also comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of native storage, while a 13-megapixel snapper can be found on its back side. A 5-megapixel camera is included on the front side of this smartphone, and the device comes with a 3,000mAh non-removable battery.
Android 7.1 Nougat comes pre-installed on this smartphone, while you will find Xiaomis MIUI 9 OS / skin applied on top of Googles OS. This phone comes with two SIM card slots, and were looking at a hybrid dual SIM setup here, which means that you can use the second SIM card slot in order to insert a microSD card and expand the phones internal storage. This phone comes with two nano SIM card slots, by the way. The device measures 140.4 x 70.1 x 8.4mm, while it weighs 137 grams, in case you were wondering.
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Broadcom Ltd. might decide to offer a higher price to acquire giant chipmaker Qualcomm after its initial proposition was rejected earlier this month and following pressure from some investors for Qualcomms board of directors to negotiate with Broadcom over its bid. Earlier this month, Broadcom kicked off consultation with advisers over a potential plan to acquire Qualcomm in what would become the biggest tie-up in the chip industry.
However, a few days later, Qualcomm turned down Broadcoms offer of $130 billion including $25 billion in debt to purchase the San Diego, California-based semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company. Qualcomms board of directors agreed to dismiss the offer because it was considered too low for the present market value of the company as well as for its future in the industry, with Qualcomm Chief Executive Officer, Steve Mollenkopf, boasting then about the recent successes of the company in various sectors such as mobile device, networking, automotive, general computing divisions, and Internet of Things, which he said have together made Qualcomm more valuable than Broadcoms offer. The bid included $60 per share, which Broadcom would have paid to Qualcomm in cash, and an additional $10 per share which would have been paid from Broadcoms own stock. Now the Irvine, California-based fabless semiconductor firm has proposed to offer more of its own stock to Qualcomms shareholders, though no concrete amount has been reached yet between the two parties as of this time. However, Daniel OKeefe, manager of Artisan Global Value Fund one of Qualcomms large shareholders has recently suggested that the investment group is interested in considering an offer of $80 per share for Qualcomm to be acquired, an indication that at least one of the chipmakers major shareholders has publicly expressed its intention to discuss an acquisition bid with Broadcom even without the approval of the board.
On top of corporate concerns, the acquisition bid might also face regulatory roadblocks, as Qualcomm previously indicated significant regulatory challenges facing the merger and several possible antitrust investigations that regulators could launch in the future should the two companies reach an agreement. For instance, some industry watchers believe that the Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China may oppose Broadcoms acquisition bid for Qualcomm. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not Qualcomm will give in to Broadcoms raised merger bid.
MadridAll of the imprisoned ministers have asked to be released, formally acknowledging that they are complying with the application of Article 155 [of the Spanish Constitution] and that, as a result, they accept that they are now ex-ministers. Carmen Lamela, National Court judge --or Judge Pablo Llarena, if the Supreme court takes over the case-- will have to decide whether compliance with Article 155 is enough to curb the cautionary measures and, as requested by the defense, impose bail or require passports to be surrendered as a condition for leaving prison. The situation is, however, exactly the same as on November 2nd in the National Court, as revealed by recordings of the ministers' statements, to which ARA has had first access.
The lawyer for Vice-president Oriol Junqueras and ERC ministers asked Lamela to release them, claiming that they had agreed to their removal from office and, therefore, there was no risk of reoffending in the alleged crimes they have been charged with. "Let's face it: Carles Mundo has registered with Social Security and returned to his law firm. And these gentlemen here [referring to the other Ministers] have not returned to their offices [in the Generalitat]. It appears that they have formally agreed to abide by 155", said Andreu Van den Eynde that day, who also spoke of the declaration of independence as a "political statement" without practical effects.
Judge Lamela, in contrast, granted the cautionary measures requested by the Prosecutor: prison without bail for all the ministers, and release on bail for Santi Vila for having distanced himself from the unilateral strategy. The prosecutor argued that there was a flight risk, as well as risk of reoffending, and stressed the "violent" nature of the pro-independence demonstrations in September and October, during which there were "public derision of politicians and security forces, massive gatherings of volunteers, and blocked highways, all with the aim of separating a part of Spanish territory by violent means". The ministers, nevertheless, had each individually rejected the use of violence to achieve their political aims.
As is already known, all of them chose to reply only to the lawyers for the defense-- the majority only to their own lawyer-- and none of them, except Vila, had to recant the declaration of independence because they weren't even asked to. This was a significant difference from what happened in the hearing of Carme Forcadell and the members of the Parliament's Executive committee before the Supreme Court, when they also responded to the prosecutors' questions.
The democratic path
"Have you promoted acts of a violent nature and tumultuous actions?" "No, never. I am a religious person, and as such, anything to do with violence is unacceptable to me". This was Junqueras' answer, but could be extrapolated to the rest of the ministers. "We have always defended freedom of expression and fundamental rights in a peaceful way, always via a democratic path", said Foreign Minister Raul Romeva in his turn.
"To me, violence is unjustifiable under any circumstances", noted Jordi Turull, Minister of the Presidency. Dolors Bassa, Minister of Social Welfare, resorted, like Junqueras, to reasons of conscience in remarking that she would never consider violent actions to be valid: "I'm a teacher in a Christian school in Torroella de Montgri, and my principles are against any form of violence, in the streets or anywhere.
The lawyers also added that the gatherings which the prosecutor characterized as "tumultuous" were not violent in nature and, at any rate, none of the defendants was an instigator. The Mossos didn't collaborate either. Minister of the Interior Joaquim Forn stated before Judge Lamela that he always urged them to comply with judicial orders.
Request for adjournment rejected
The other leitmotiv in the statements was that of complaints over the lack of time to prepare a defense. Madrids National Court summoned the majority of ministers with less than 24 hours notice, and Meritxell Borras did not even receive a summons. Therefore, their lawyers called for the declarations to be adjourned although, unlike the Supreme Court's decision regarding independence supporters on the Parliamentary Executive Committee, Lamela rejected this.
Van den Eynde sent his request on Wednesday via the Lexnet system (used by the court system) at 20:41, and on Thursday morning he sent a solicitor and a lawyer to the court secretary with a copy that was not accepted. Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, who on that day was acting as the lawyer for Josep Rull, Jordi Turull, and Joaquim Forn, also used Lexnet to request the suspension at 9:05 that morning, although he neglected to request it of the judge directly until the first Minister, Turull, had finished his statement. Judge Lamela dismissed both requests and alleged that the defense had neglected their duty. Now, Daniel Perez, the lawyer representing Forn, has filed an appeal with the court in which he notes that there is "an incontestable documentary trail", to show that they tried to suspend the hearings "because it was materially impossible to prepare a defense due to the lack of time". Lamela or Llarena if the Supreme Court takes over the case will have to decide whether to set bail for the ministers. Llarena demanded one other thing besides compliance with 155 from Carme Forcadell and the members of the Catalan government: a renunciation of the unilateral option.
An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2022 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in ...
Target, Walmart And Best Buy Announce iPhone And Galaxy Black Friday Deals
Trending News: Here's How To Get $250-$350 Off A New iPhone Or Samsung Galaxy
The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.
Long Story Short
If you're looking to upgrade your phone, Black Friday is definitely the time to do it as America's big retailers are offering some pretty tasty deals.
Long Story
When the top of the line phones come out, there are the kinds of people who line up for hours to be the first to get their hands on one. Then there are the kinds of people who say: 'Damn, who's got that kind of money?' and pass on the new device (especially the $999 iPhone X).
All power to the ones who brave days outside or drop the big bucks for all the attention they'll inevitably receive, but for the patient ones who held off, now's your time. Target, Walmart and Best Buy are offering some pretty crazy Black Friday deals and it's getting near impossible to resist an upgrade.
By the way, while you're pondering whether to get a new phone or not, head on over to our main Black Friday deals page or check out what's happening with Amazon's deals. Things are really starting to heat up and there are some amazing deals available right now.
Best Buy
Gotta hand it to Best Buy, this is a mighty attractive deal. It's offering a full-on $350 off the very instant you buy either a Galaxy S8, S8 Plus or Note 8 with Verizon and Sprint installment plans. For the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, it's $200 off on Verizon, AT&T or Sprint plans. Best Buy is also offering what's arguably the best bang-for-your-buck iPhone available with $150 off the iPhone 6S on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint installment plans.
Galaxy Note 8
Ah, what a beauty she is. The Note 8 is arguably the best phone available (#sorrynotsorry iPhone X) and it's on sale now. Splurge a little?
$350 off at BestBuy.com
iPhone 8/ 8 Plus
Essentially the iPhone 7S with some necessary upgrades. Sure, it's not the iPhone X (if you're an Apple guy), but do you really need something that pricey?
$200 off at BestBuy.com
iPhone 6S
The bestselling phone of 2016 is still arguably the best phone. And at this price, it's definitely worth an upgrade if you're still holding onto an earlier iPhone.
$150 at BestBuy.com
Walmart
If you buy a new iPhone (7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus or X) or a new Galaxy (S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8) on an AT&T or Verizon installment plan at Walmart, you get a free gift card worth $300. That's a sh*t ton of groceries and $5 T-Shirts. In other words, not too shabby Wally.
iPhone 7/7 Plus
This is going to be your best price on a new phone, and while it's not the newest thing, it's obviously still an awesome top quality phone.
$300 gift card at Walmart.com
iPhone X
This is the big boy. The 10th Anniversary iPhone that'll have all your friends talking. The one you'll cherish and cuddle and caress (too much?). Everyone was concerned about the price when the iPhone X was released, but does this discount make it a must-buy?
$300 gift card with purchase at Walmart.com
Galaxy S8
Screw the iPhone cult. The Galaxy S8 has it all, and way more. If you're a Samsung fan and looking to upgrade, this is the choice.
$300 gift card with purchas at Walmart.com
Target
Over at Target, the iPhone deal is similar in that you get a free $250 Target gift card if you buy an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus and an installment plan with any of the major providers, Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. Or, if the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus or Note 8 is more your fancy, you can get a $300 gift card if you get an installment plan.
iPhone 8/ 8 Plus
Same as above, but you get some cash back at Target. If you're a Target shopper, then you might want to opt to get your new precious here.
$250 gift card with purchase at Target.com
Galaxy S8 Plus
Bigger is better. Get something you can use for a smartphone as well as a computer and video-player. Plus, you'll be gifted with a solid amount to spend at Target.
$300 gift card with purchase at Target.com
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question
Why isn't anyone offering deals without plans?
Drop This Fact
Not looking for a one-off gift? Subscription services are also offering some great deals for Black Friday.
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Cameron Madgwick
Jenny Hughey
Jason Pou
Community Law Centres o Aotearoa has elected new joint chairs as its long-serving co-chairs are stepping down.The new leaders of the national body, which represents the interest of Community Law Centres across New Zealand, are Jenny Hughey and Jason Pou.They succeed Cameron Madgwick, who stepped down at the bodys recent AGM, after more than 20 years volunteering with Community Law. His co-chair, Bernadette Arapere, retired in July.Hughey, whos currently on the board of Community Law Canterbury and formerly on the board of Marlborough Community Law, is a veteran volunteer of the movement. She is currently a Christchurch City Council community governance manager. She also holds leadership roles in various community organisations involved in mediation, womens advocacy, community justice, and school trustee boards. She holds an LLB and LLM (first class) from the University of Auckland.Pou is director at his practice, Tu Pono Legal, which he established in 2014 after six years as partner at Aurere Law. He is a current board member of the Rotorua District Community Law Centre and trustee on various charitable trusts. He regularly advises SMEs, iwi trust boards, runanga, and not-for-profit organisationsMadgwick became chair of the organisation in 2008. He played a key role in the collective renegotiation of the national funding contract of Community Law in 2010. The following year, he led in the development of a national association governance structure for 26 Community Law Centres. He currently leads Petroleum Exploration & Production New Zealand as CEO.Liz Tennet, Community Law Centres o Aotearoa chief executive, said the organisation is fortunate to have two strong leaders in Hughey and Pou as the organisation ramps up its effort with more funding promised by the new government . She also paid tribute to Madgwick.Cameron has been with the organisation since he was a student, volunteering at the Wellington & Hutt Valley Community Law Centre. He has played a significant role in establishing the national body, maintaining funding for Community Law Centres in a constrained funding environment, and securing significant recurring non-government funding through the Lawyers and Conveyancers Special Fund, Tennet said. He has left Community Law in a strong position to provide more and better services to clients delivering access to justice for all New Zealanders.
Karen Grumley
Karen Grumley, Pacific National legal counsel, is the new Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia national president.Grumley has been an in-house lawyer for more than nine years, rising through the ranks at Aurizon before moving on to Pacific National in October. She has also been director and national vice president of ACC Australia, as well as Queensland president of the organisation. She started her legal career at Kenny & Co. before moving to Gadens Grumley takes the helm at the peak in-house counsel body at a time of great change in the wider business community.In-house lawyers are no longer just lawyers. Increasingly, our members are becoming an integral part of the senior management team as organisations come to grips with the risks and legal challenges of the 21st century, Grumley said. Of course, we need the legal skills, but equally importantly for todays in-house lawyers, they must know and understand the business, be commercially oriented and a respected adviser to the Board and senior management team.Another major focus as national president will be health and well-being of in-house lawyers, she said.It was been well documented that the legal profession is struggling to overcome physical and mental health issues and in-house lawyers are no exception. As president I will be encouraging members to look after themselves and their colleagues. We need to support each other, build healthy in-house legal teams to secure a sustainable and fulfilling future, she said.In-house lawyers constitute approximately 30% of the total Australian legal profession or about 14,000 practitioners, making the role of ACC Australia vital for furthering and advancing the profession, Grumley said.She also congratulated the recent winners of ACC Australias 2017 Australian In-House Lawyers Awards.
Unveiled in Indonesia and compact in size (4.4 meters or 14 feet 7 inches), the Terios-Rush pair was developed against the backdrop of a global boom in SUV sales. Both models ride on the platform ushered in by the Daihatsu Xenia/Toyota Avanza, and both are equipped with the 2NR-VE.Developed from the 2NR-FE in the Sienta , the 1.5-liter engine boasts Dual VVT-I and develops 104 PS (103 hp) at 6,000 rpm. Torque stands at 136 Nm, translating to 100 lb-ft. Daihatsu and Toyota offer two transmission choices in the form of a five-speed stick shift and four-speed automatic.1,695 millimeters wide and 1,705 millimeters tall, the Terios/Rush seat seven people who benefit from a 23-millimeter longer wheelbase than Honda offers in the BR-V. Daihatsu and Toyota may describe this fellow as being a crossover, but the truth of the matter is that what youre looking at is a lifted wagon with plasticky cladding and a high roofline.The design principle is similar to what Mitsubishi pulled off with the Xpander : turn what can only be described as a multi-purpose vehicle into a crossover. The 205-millimeter ground clearance makes the Xpander less capable off the beaten track than the Terios and Rush, which sit 220 millimeters above the ground.To this effect, the Terios and Rush are exclusively available with 2WD, with drive sent to the rear axle. Youve heard that right, ladies and gents! By comparison, arch-nemesis Honda BR-V is front-wheel-drive by nature. But then again, the Bold Runabout Vehicle ships with a six-speed manual.The newcomers are manufactured at the Sunter plant in Indonesia, and the naturally aspirated 1.5-liter engine comes to life at the Karawang plant. Daihatsu targets monthly sales of 1,500 units per month for the Terios.
For one thing, the model they captured seems to have been lower down the scale as the two displays had large piano black bezels to hide the fact they sit in a place designed for larger screens. Of course, the model chosen by Mercedes-Benz to showcase the new interior of the A-Class at the TecDay event was top of the line.And it showed. The new compact model will have a cockpit worthy of its most expensive relative, the S-Class, while managing to mix its luxury with a healthy dose of excitement and dynamism. It's meant to appeal to a much younger audience, some of which are new to the brand, and it looks like the new A-Class will provide an excellent entry point.The previous generation was responsible for rejuvenating the company's exterior styling, and while this new one isn't just as radical about interior design as it takes a lot of cues from the larger cars, it still represents a huge departure from the cluttered dashboard of the model it replaces.If you look closely, you'll see the two horizontal areas that Mercedes-Benz talks about. Starting from top to bottom, the first is taken up by the two large displays (at least in this configuration) sitting side by side. Not only do they have a much higher resolution, but also the graphics have been drastically improved. They are separated from the second section by what the company refers to as a "trench," which is also lit at night.The lower block starts off with the three turbine-like air vents and the buttons controlling the air conditioning positioned below them. Going further down, we find the bottom area where the central console tunnel lies. Freed from the gear selector, it has a sliding cover that presumably reveals some storage space and cup holders underneath, as well as a large touchpad that replaces the COMMAND rotary dial closer to the armrest.The door panels too deserve a special mention as they complement the dashboard design perfectly with a small trim insert and ample handles. It looks like all the parts except the window and mirror controls are new, but even those integrated well into the new styling.Mercedes says it used pioneered the use of "computer-based comfort simulation" in this segment with the new Class, which allowed to eliminate guesswork and come up with a very comfortable first prototype seat for further improvement.The new A-Class promises cooled front seats as well as a "Multicontour Seat" package which allows individual adjustments to several seat cushions via a pneumatic pump for a tailored fit. This optional feature will also include lumbar massage.Finally, loading space has also been enhanced. The trunk is now 29 liters larger than on the current generation, bringing the total to 370 liters. Not only is there more room inside (the floor has grown in length by 11.5 cm), but the hatch opening is also a very hefty 20 cm wider, meaning larger objects can be inserted with greater ease.By showing the interior now, Mercedes-Benz is suggesting the full reveal is near. However, with no major European event left for this year, the closest one is the Geneva Motor Show next March, which is when we might get to experience this new cabin first hand.
SUV
The low-slung crossover went official at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show . Since then, the DBX Concept stopped by RAF St Athan, where Aston Martin bought three hangars from the Ministry of Defence. Its in those hangars the DBX will be born, with production scheduled to start in 2019.To give credit where credit is due, the DBX Concept looks unlike anything else Aston Martin did before or since. In fact, the companys first utility vehicle doesnt look anyting like other ultra-luxury crossovers, a detail chief creative officer Marek Reichman takes pride in. In fact, he argues that Aston Martin does it much better than the Volkswagen Group.Its our platform, therefore its our proportion, Reichman told Car Advice . So its not an Audi Q7 with a Bentley face, its not a Volkswagen with a Porsche face I know it came out as a Porsche but it started as a Volkswagen. Shots fired, but the man has made his point loud and clear considering how hard it is for the Volkswagen Group to give all those MLB Evo-based sport utility vehicles their very own identities.Its our architecture, so every millimeter is determined where I want it, where its right for vehicle architecture to make it drive, ride and handle beautifully, and have a brilliant internal package, added Reichman. Reading between the lines, beauty will be on par with the way the DBX will handle in the twisties. And thats thoroughly exciting considering how dynamically capable the all-new Vantage is in the most basic of configurations.The Second Century-based DBX will be offered with 4.0-liter V8 and 5.2-liter V12 engines in the first instance. Later on, electrification will make its way into the range, with the DBX expected to be offered with hybrid assistance and as an all-electric. The road to pure-electric drive will be spearheaded by the RapidE , which will debut in 2019 with know-how from Williams Advanced Engineering.
That weekend was voted as the most unforgettable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by Formula 1 fans, chiefly because a fuel pressure problem ended Lewis Hamiltons race on lap 20. The Britons retirement opened the door for Kimi, who inherited the lead and kept his cool until the checkered flag.The most memorable moment of the race, however, was lap 23. The race engineer radioed tire temperature data that Raikkonen couldnt care less about, distracting Kimi from his driving and prompting the Finn to lash out at Simon Rennie, replying: Leave me alone, I know what Im doing.As if that quote wasnt notable enough in the realm of Formula 1, the world of advertising decided to refresh our memories with a clever ad. Raikkonen is the brand ambassador of Hartwall since January 2017, and the Finnish brewery launched a PR campaign in Japan at the beginning of November starring Kimi. The first ad, titled Live Original, is not bad, but Raikkonen shines the brightest in the second ad thus far.Titled Leave Me Alone, the 20-second spot sees Kimi enjoying a refreshing Original Long Drink in northern Finland, telling the narrator: I know what Im drinking. Dont know about you, but I have this sudden urge to enjoy a brew.Original Long Drink is my favorite drink in Finland you cant find anything similar anywhere else in the world. Im proud to introduce this favorite to people abroad, too, said Raikkonen. The campaign is aimed at the Japanese market, where Original Long Drink is offered in Iceman Edition to mark the companys partnership with the Formula 1 driver.
The freshest example of this comes from the rear-engined beast we have here, which is dressed in Irish Green. The Gen 2 GT3 has been spotted in Ingolstadt, Germany, which many of you know as Audi's home turf - pixel tip to Instagram user felixfrucht for the spotting (via PTSRS).It seems like the configuration of this particular car added all the right elements for a track stint, while skipping some of the other uber-expensive bits. As far as we can see from this image, the first part of the deal is covered by the PCCB (Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes) hardware and the full bucket seats of the 911, which are shared with the 918 Spyder . Note that the banana-colored calipers draw even more attention since they're found inside Satin Black wheels.Nevertheless, the headlights are not the full-LED units - we're dealing with the Xenon hardware instead.Speaking of the new GT3, while we've shown you everything there is to see in terms of real-world appearances of the standard car, if we may call it so, we still have a bit of waiting to do.That's because the 911 GT3 Touring Package has yet to reach dealers. However, Frank Walliser, Porsche Vice President for Motorsport & GT cars, recently swept us off our feet with the help of a GT3 TP.The VP took the thing on a 1,000 km (under 700 miles) roadtrip, sharing his adventures on Twitter. Interestingly, the car hooned by the executive came in Midnight Blue Metallic, a hue that isn't offered on the GT3.And, as you could expect, we've got our hopes up for the moment when the GT3 palette will include this wonderfully understated shade.
MINI, once the undisputed ruler in this competition, had to settle for a low (by its standards) sixth place after the French company took all three podium positions, and two Toyota teams came in fourth and fifth. Next year, though, the BMW-owned British brand seems determined to put up a better fight by fielding out an experimental 2WD buggy.Companies use this kind of competitions to bolster the credits of some of the technologies used for their road-going vehicles. With MINI starting to branch out into crossover territory, a four-wheel-drive Dakar competition car made a lot of sense, and it proved to be successful.However, all is pointless unless you're actually winning, which is why MINI is now taking a step back and reevaluating its strategy. For the next Dakar Rally, it will use two types of vehicles, one of which will instantly appear familiar while the other is a complete newcomer.The John Cooper Works Rally is your standard take on a MINI Paceman beefed up for desert racing. It looks as if the body was bolted on a completely redesigned chassis, which is most likely exactly what happened. It'll use four-wheel-drive just like before and act as the known quantity in this experiment.The bet the team is making is called John Cooper Works Buggy, and it's a two-wheel-drive desert-roaming machine that bears no resemblance to any MINI model you've seen so far. That being said, it not only looks gorgeous, but also like it could go through sand and skip over rocks for days on end.Which is what it'll have to do if it wants to get MINI back to its winning ways. The Buggy is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel engine with 340 hp and a mountain of torque: 590 lb-ft (800 Nm). The transmission will convey that power to the rear wheels through a specifically designed driveline.Nobody really knows what to expect from the John Cooper Works Buggy, which is what makes it so dangerous for all the other teams. It might prove a flop, but at the same time, it might cruise to a victory. And depending on which of the two happens, we might see it on 2019 as well or not.Until then, keep an eye out for the newcomer this January when the next Dakar Rally kicks off. The first stage takes place less than a week after the start of the year, on January 6, while the champagne will be popped two weeks later, on January 20.
EV
kWh
Introduced at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show as the SM3 Z.E ., the compact-sized sedan enters the 2018 model year with improved everything. Part of these improvements for the most popularin South Korea is driving range, which has been boosted by 57 percent to 213 kilometers (132 miles). It isnt impressive, but worse still, SM3 Z.E. isnt great value for the money.Renault Samsung Motors offers the electric vehicle at KRW 39,000,000 including the government incentive, translating to a well-equipped QM6 (a.k.a. Renault Koleos ) or $35,970 at current exchange rates. For that dribble of cash, gone is the 22battery of the old model. The 36 kWh that replaces the old pack doesnt take a toll on weight, which is good news considering that heftiness is one of the biggest enemies of range.The drivetrain soldiers on as is, with the electric motor developing 95 PS (94 horsepower) and 226 Nm (167 pound-feet) of torque. As ever, drive is sent to the front axle through an automatic transmission. From a practical standpoint, the rear bench seats three at a squeeze and the trunk can swallow up to 450 liters (15.9 cubic feet) of bits and bobs and whatnots.1,200 cars were purchased by South Koreas Ministry of Health and Welfare last April, while the model is also popular as an EV taxi in Seoul, Daegu and Jeju Island, highlights the South Korean automaker. If Samsung were to offer the subcompact-sized Renault Zoe Z.E. 40 , however, the SM3 Z.E. would be rendered obsolete.In related news, Renault took to itself to bring 8 electric vehicles and 12 electrified vehicles on the market by 2022. This roadmap is made possible by synergies within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, synergies that could see the Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol share the same platform in a few years' time.
The Fisker Karma was a very unappealing hybrid drivetrain (electric range-extended, to be more precise, much like the Chevy Volt) enclosed in a very sexy four-door coupe/GT body. The exterior design wasn't to everyone's taste, but it definitely stood out among the rest of the models available at that time.We're talking about 2011, two year before the Tesla Model S launched and slowly but surely became the face of green cars that have a bit of luxury added to them. During its short existence, the Fisker Karma received backing from Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, but that didn't prove to be enough. Henrik Fisker bailed out once the company lost its sole battery supplier, and was forced to go bankrupt. Chinese auto parts conglomerate came to the rescue and bought the design rights and some assets of the former Fisker Automotive, with the intent of relaunching the Karma one way or another.The Chinese did it in 2016 when the 2017 model year Karma Revero was put on sale . The vehicle had the same design and pretty much the same powertrain. That meant 403 hp of electric power delivered to the rear wheels and a maximum battery-powered range of 50 miles (80 km). For longer trips, the Revero relies on its 260 hp four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine to charge the battery on the go.Our spy photographers have just caught a camouflaged Karma Revero testing for the first time, pointing out the 2011-old design might finally be getting a facelift. The funny part, though, is that its appearance is the last thing the Revero needs changed if it wants to become competitive.The car is currently priced at $130,000, which is dangerously close to the price tag of the top-of-the-line Model S, the P100D. The only two areas where the Karma stands a chance are design (subjective) and build quality. In every other respect (including maximum range, even though the Revero also burns gasoline), the Tesla either beats it, or sends it into oblivion.We have no idea what the Chinese are planning for this facelift, but it better be more than new bumpers and headlights. Because if it isn't, then this troubled company might have to find another buyer over a few years as it's once again headed for bankruptcy.Worst case scenario for finding out more information on the Karma Revero is waiting until 2019, when the revamped model is due to be released. Hopefully, though, we'll be able to squeeze out something before that so we can at least know if it's worth paying any attention to the project or not.
Airbus has created a new innovation center in Shenzhen, China, near Hong Kong, where it will pursue research that would enable a single pilot to fly commercial aircraft, according to Bloomberg News. Airbus Chief Technology Officer Paul Eremenko told Bloomberg this week, Were pursuing single-pilot operation as a potential option, and a lot of the technologies needed to make that happen have also put us on the path towards unpiloted operation. Eremenko said a projected pilot shortage drives the research. Airbus said in a news release the new innovation center will work to accelerate R&D, application, and industrialization of in-flight experience, connectivity, new energy, and urban air mobility [and] cultivate an integrated hardware and software ecosystem.
I think the general aviation space in China is just opening up, Eremenko told Bloomberg, in Hong Kong. Theres an opportunity for China to sort of take a leap ahead, as it has been prone to do in other areas, and design the aerospace system, design the regulatory regime to be future looking, forward looking, to enable urban air mobility. The new Innovation Centre is part of an extended worldwide innovation ecosystem which includes the Silicon Valley innovation centre, A^3, which is working on the Vahana flying taxi.
U.S. Navy file photo
A U.S. Navy C2-A aircraft with 11 crew and passengers on board crashed into the Philippine Sea on Wednesday afternoon, the Navy has reported. Eight of the personnel were rescued by the U.S. Navy Golden Falcons helicopter squadron, and all were reported in good condition. Three people are missing. Our entire focus is on finding all of our sailors, said Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, commander, Task Force 70. U.S. and Japanese ships and aircraft are searching the area of the crash, and we will be relentless in our efforts. The aircraft was conducting a routine transport flight carrying passengers and cargo from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
The C2-A is assigned to a logistics support squadron deployed in Atsugi, Japan. The squadrons mission includes the transport of high-priority cargo, mail, duty passengers and visitors between USS Ronald Reagan and shore bases throughout the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. Several other ships and aircraft based in the region have joined the search for the missing crew. The incident will be investigated, according to the Navy public affairs office.
Donald Trump was a symptom, not the cause, of our cancerous politics and the disease is metastasizing. Signs of it spreading are everywhere: in politics, in media and in business.
Without the calming influences in those spheres, there are no checks on the forces reshaping the national discourse. People talk about how they are worried that what's happening now will be normalized. They've got it backwards. This is now normal. And it will only get worse.
The cable news channel you watch is now a statement of your politics. Once a bipartisan issue, feelings about Russia are now a marker of right vs. left. Thirty million people even believe it's acceptable to hold neo-Nazi views.
See our 10 indicators of America's polarized politics.
Donald Trump was a symptom, not the cause, of our cancerous politics and the disease is metastasizing. Signs of it spreading are everywhere: in politics, in media and in business.
Without the calming influences in those spheres, there are no checks on the forces reshaping the national discourse. People talk about how they are worried that what's happening now will be normalized. They've got it backwards. This is now normal. And it will only get worse.
The cable news channel you watch is now a statement of your politics. Once a bipartisan issue, feelings about Russia are now a marker of right vs. left. Thirty million people even believe it's acceptable to hold neo-Nazi views. Jump into our political polarization stream for the stark indicators of our polarized politics.
Data: Pew Research Center; Note: Excluding "both," "don't know," and "refused" responses; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios
A growing number of Americans 41% believe "racial discrimination is the main reason black people can't get ahead" in society, per a Pew Research report published this fall. This is up from 32% in 1994.
When presented with the statement: "Racial discrimination is the main reason why many black people can't get ahead these days," the participants who agreed were:
Reproduced from a Nov. 9, 2017 Pew Research Center study.
The partisan gap in the concerns of Americans about U.S.-Russian relations has widened and flipped since Trump was elected last year, per a Pew Research report.
Democrats and Republicans generally agreed on whether Russia posed a threat to the U.S. until the Trump era. Now 63% of Democrats see Russia as a threat, compared to 38% of Republicans.
A customer tries out a new Apple iPhone 6S at an Apple store in Chicago. Photo: Kiichiro Sato / AP
Nartron, a Michigan-based company also known as UUSI, has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that several of the tech giant's mobile devices are infringing on a touch screen patent.
In the lawsuit, Nartron says that it notified Apple of the potential infringement back in 2007, suggesting a licensing deal. However, Apple declined, arguing that its tech was not infringing on the patent.
Vice President Mike Pence is planning to give a landmark speech at the Knesset the Israeli Parliament during his trip to Israel in Mid-December. Israeli officials said the initiative for the speech came from the Vice President and his advisers, and received a positive response from the Israeli side immediately.
The Israeli officials said Pence will arrive at the Knesset on December 18th, will be given a formal welcoming ceremony and will have a working meeting with Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein before his speech.
A White House official said: "The Vice President's trip is still in the planning stages. Therefore, we cannot confirm the speaking venues at this time".
The big picture: Pence will use his visit in Israel and his speech at the Knesset to talk about the U.S.-Israel alliance and common threats like Iran. But he will also use it to further boost his foreign policy credentials and Pro-Israel record for a possible presidential run in the future.
Go deeper: Pence is the Trump administration's point man to the Jewish and Pro-Israel community. He will be the first U.S. official to give a speech at the Knesset in almost a decade. The last such speech was given in May 2008 by then-President George W. Bush. President Obama thought about giving a speech at the Knesset during his visit in 2013 but decided to move it to a conference center in Jerusalem to avoid possible protests by Israeli Members of Knesset during the speech. President Trump wanted to give a speech at the mount of Masada but eventually picked the Israel museum in Jerusalem as the venue for his speech to the Israeli people.
Stock for Roku, an streaming platform company, was up over 20% in after-hours trading Wednesday after it beat Wall Street estimates for its first earnings report as a public company. Of note, the company says it expects full year revenues to reach or exceed $500 million in 2017, nearly double those from the year prior. Two-thirds of Roku's revenue last quarter came from video advertising served on ad-supported channels, including "The Roku Channel."
Why it matters: Roku continues to be the the most-used connected-TV device in U.S., per eMarketer, beating Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. Its success points not only to the momentum of digital TV in the U.S., but its popularity with consumers.
By the numbers:
Zimbabwe's military has granted ousted dictator Robert Mugabe immunity from prosecution and guaranteed the safety of his family, per the Guardian. Mugabe, 93, has said he wants to spend the rest of his life in Zimbabwe. He will be provided a pension, health care and a travel allowance.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former vice president, is set to take office on Friday. He has a reputation as a ruthless strongman. The coup was precipitated after Mugabe fired Mnangagwa, 75, and seemed to be attempting to establish his 52-year-old wife, Grace, as his successor.
NATO has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue negotiations on the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh problem and avoid any new escalation of the conflict.
After a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels on Thursday, NATOs Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict a matter of concern for the Western military alliance.
At the same time, he emphasized that this conflict cannot be resolved militarily.
Stoltenberg said that NATO has no direct role in the matter, but supports the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europes Minsk Group, an international format jointly headed by the United States, Russia and France that brokers a peaceful solution to the conflict.
The NATO chief added that he was encouraged by renewed dialogue between Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, who held talks in Geneva last month that the two sides called constructive.
Aliyev said the situation surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh was not changing, unfortunately, and accused Armenia of seeking to keep the status quo.
The unsettled conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the greatest danger to regional security, the Azerbaijani leader said.
Both Aliyev and Sarkisian are slated to meet EU leaders at the Eastern Partnership summit in the Belgian capital on November 24.
23 November 2017 12:11 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 122 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on November 23.
Armenians were using large-caliber machine guns.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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23 November 2017 15:00 (UTC+04:00)
By Anne-Marie Slaughter and Aubrey Hruby
Hardly a day goes by without another article, conference, or research initiative devoted to the future of work. The robots are coming, or theyre not coming as fast as we think; when they do come, theyll put everyone out of work, or theyll create as many jobs as they destroy. Thus the conversation goes. But what if, instead of trying to predict the future, we look at realities that exist today for billions of people?
Some 80% of the global population lives in emerging economies defined by informal markets and fluid employment structures. The SHIFT: Commission on Work, Workers, and Technology invited groups in five cities across the United States to imagine four scenarios along two axes of change more or less work, and more jobs or more tasks. Participants were divided as to the amount of future work, but almost all foresaw the continuing disaggregation of jobs into tasks in both low- and high-end work, from driving to lawyering. That is the reality in emerging economies today.
Examining work patterns in these diverse countries yields three key lessons. First, people layer multiple work streams and derive income from more than one source. Second, platform economies are emerging rapidly and build on traditional networks. Finally, these work patterns often go hand in hand with dramatic income inequality.
Flexibility and uncertainty define informal markets in developing countries. Those lucky men and women who have formal jobs (less than 40%) often have side hustles through which they sell their time, expertise, network, or ideas to others in an effort to hedge against an uncertain labor market. A Nigerian saying you have a 9 to 5, a 5 to 9 and a weekend job aptly describes the environment of layered work.
The same pattern is starting to emerge in developed countries. A report by the JPMorgan-Chase Institute concludes that platform jobs are largely a secondary source of income, used to offset dips in regular income.
A key difference, however, is that in emerging economies flexible networks of individuals or small businesses take the place of formal employers. Kenyas informal sector called in Kiswahili the Jua Kali (hot sun) is the countrys main job creator. The 2017 Economic Survey in Kenya showed that the Jua Kali generated 747,300 jobs the previous year, whereas the formal sector added only 85,600.
The Jua Kali comprises sector-based associations among workers and artisans that harken back to medieval guilds. The associations of carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, and so on enable pooled savings, provide opportunities to upgrade skills, and create a form of market regulation.
As technology has been added, many of the associations are going online to match supply and demand in the informal labor market more effectively. Go-Jek in Indonesia (named as a pun on ojek, a motorcycle taxi) is a $2.5 billion company that delivers everything from food to hairdressers by motorbike through an app. The company, with more than 200,000 drivers on the platform, boosts Indonesians productivity in the face of snarling traffic.
The market for low-cost legal services in Accra, Ghana, provides another interesting example. Journalist Joseph Warungu describes a narrow alleyway at the back of the court buildings teeming with notaries, commissioners for oaths, letter writers, and lawyers offering services from witness statements to contracts, all processed efficiently and at a pocket-friendly rate. That alleyway is a platform, bringing together multiple sellers of separate legal services together with buyers, in contrast to a traditional law firm, which requires clients to purchase multiple services from the same source. It simply needs to migrate online.
Developed economies are only beginning to catch up. Bliss Lawyers has a bench of more than 15,000 lawyers across the US who are paid over $200 an hour for work on an engagement basis for in-house legal department and law firm clients. More broadly, the Business Talent Group provides in-demand business talent on-demand, across a wide range of professional services.
Emerging markets also offer a cautionary tale concerning the downside of the on-demand economy. They have some of the highest levels of inequality in the world. The worlds 50 most unequal economies are in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, with South Africa taking the prize for the highest income inequality.
Informal markets, lack of access to finance, and poor educational opportunities in these countries continue to trap most people in relative poverty. Gig economy platforms that provide small jobs without benefits or career progression can supplement income and buffer other employment, but they do not add up to the security and advancement opportunities of a formal job. Indeed, most emerging-market workers turn to the gig economy not out of a desire for flexibility or to follow their passions, but simply to make ends meet.
Nonetheless, informal markets in developing countries provide a vast field for experimentation to transform a patchwork of jobs into a steady upward path for workers. Tailoring education to allow workers to get the on-demand skills they need when they need them, and creating verifiable work histories through blockchain, are two ways to help gig economy workers find suitable opportunities more efficiently and capture more value from selling their labor.
While developed countries in Europe, North America, and Asia are rapidly aging, emerging economies are predominantly youthful. By 2040, one in four workers worldwide will be African. They are products of dynamic informal markets, and that should ease their absorption into a tech-enabled gig economy. Nigerian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese young people will shape global work trends at an increasingly rapid pace. We can learn from them today to prepare for tomorrow.
Copyright: Project Syndicate: The Platform Economy
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23 November 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)
By Aygul Salmanova
Running alongside the UK-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme, a pioneer and leading UK lubricants manufacturer and distributor Millers Oils Ltd opened its new facilities in Baku on November 23, jointly established with Azerbaijan National Academy of Science (ANAS) in the High Technology Park.
Opening the ceremony President of ANAS Akif Alizade stressed that he highly appreciates the cooperation with the Millers Oils Ltd. and said that this cooperation is aimed at strengthening the links between science and production, bringing research in the field of applied sciences in line with the needs of the market.
The British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Carol Crofts stressed on the future aspects of the cooperation between the two countries.
Great Britain and Azerbaijan are waiting for a long-term productive cooperation in the energy sector, noted the diplomat.
The cooperation of the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences with Millers Oil is a huge step for the production potential of Azerbaijan and has already led to the use of the latest technologies in Azerbaijan, Crofts said.
The diplomat added that Azerbaijans export potential and the number of the country's energy specialists will undoubtedly increase as a result of this cooperation.
The ambassador also congratulated Azerbaijan with the extension of the "Contract of the Century", which will allow the country as well as the countrys people to fully use energy resources.
Executive Director of Millers Oils LTD Jemi Rhein and other officials also attended the opening ceremony.
A wide range of products will be produced as a result of cooperation between UK and Azerbaijani specialists, Ryan noted. He added that Azerbaijan will be able to further export those products in the region.
The UK and Azerbaijan enjoy cooperation in different spheres such as education, trade, tourism, ICT, as well as other infrastructure and transit projects.
The cooperation in the energy sector is currently the key factor of the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. Azerbaijan cooperates with the United Kingdom in the field of exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.
BP as a leading oil company, which has launched its operations in Azerbaijan in 1992, participates in the main production sharing agreements such as the Contract of Century (Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli) and the Shah Deniz project.
It is noteworthy that this year BP and its partners in Azerbaijan's giant ACG oil production complex agreed to extend the production sharing contract by 25 years to 2049 and to increase the stake of state-owned SOCAR, reducing the size of their own share.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Great Britain amounted to almost $82.67 million in January-April 2017.
Thanks to the reliability as a partner, Azerbaijan has attracted British investment amounting to more than $23 billion in its national economy.
23 November 2017 14:52 (UTC+04:00)
By Aygul Salmanova
Since ancient times, embroidery, fragments of clothing, decorated with patterns, made with gold threads, has been one of the most common and favorite occupations in Azerbaijan.
To get acquaint foreigners and local population with the beauty and colorfulness of these embroideries, Azerbaijan National Museum of Art hosts the exhibition Silk Treasures: Azerbaijani Patterns of the 16th-18th centuries, presented in the framework of the 5th International Symposium on Azerbaijani carpet.
The curators of the exposition the Chairman of the Academic Committee of the ICOC (International Conference on Oriental Carpets) Alberto Boralevi and the independent expert of the Culture and Tourism Ministry Asli Samadova noted that holding such an exhibition is an important fact not only for Azerbaijan but also for international museum practice.
The exhibition was the first opportunity to collect and show less-studied embroidery to the wide international public, which in foreign literature is called early Azerbaijani embroidery referring to the period between the years 1600 and 1850.
It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani craftsmen are still working on gold embroidering gyulyabatin, which is the type of embroidery made of gold or silver handles, as well as the fibers, which are admixed with materials similar to them.
The skill of embroidery takelduz, the art of tambourine embroidery with silk threads on black and red velvet or a thin woolen bosom, is also transferred from generation to generation in Shaki.
Despite the fact that the technique of early Azerbaijani embroidery is a very painstaking process, it is these embroideries that are most valued by Western experts and collectors.
Many elements of the early Azerbaijani embroidery are closely related to the patterns of the Azerbaijani carpets of the dragon group of the 16th-18th centuries, which a number of pro-Armenian foreign scientists attribute to Armenians, as well as the carpets with the image of palmettes and central medallions typical of the carpets of the Safavid period.
It is noteworthy that unlike carpets, which are given the general name of "Caucasian", these are the only items of decorative and applied art of Azerbaijan, which in foreign literature are known as Azerbaijani.
Cases of falsification have recently become more frequent, when at the French auctions the consultants of Armenian origin, in the descriptions of the antiquarian exhibits, indicate them as Artsakh told Samadova to Day.az. However, every time, even before the intervention of Azerbaijani representatives, foreign experts express written protests and openly criticize this policy of armenization of Azerbaijani embroidery.
In order to prevent such claims on the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, the Culture and Tourism Ministry together with the American NGO ICOC (International Conference of Oriental Carpets) in 2016 supported the proposal of the London publishing house Hali Publications Ltd. to publish the first book dedicated to Azerbaijani embroideries of the period 1600-1850.
The book represents a collection of works by ten foreign authors from the U.S., Britain, Italy and Georgia. Separate chapters are devoted to the largest collections of embroideries in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Textile Museum in Washington.
Significant was the fact that in the process of working on the book one of its authors, an expert from England Michael Frances, found errors in attribution in several leading museums in the world. So, more than 60 embroideries instead of officially indicated 22 are stored in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is explained by the fact that in many museum funds, work on studying and reclassifying collections is very rarely carried out. Therefore, the projects of such publications or exhibitions give an external impetus and motivation for museum curators to go down from their offices to museum stores for working with funds.
Within the framework of the two-year research activity of the curators of the exhibition about 400 similar embroideries were found and an electronic database was compiled.
Until November 2015, in international circles it was believed that such embroideries in Azerbaijan did not survive. However, thanks to the preparatory work for ISAC 2017, it was a pleasant surprise to find a collection of such rare embroideries in the ANMI museum storage.
After long analysis and arrival of groups of foreign experts at the personal invitation of the Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev in December 2015 and November 2016, two of them were identified as early Azerbaijani embroidery and attributed to the middle of the 18th century.
At the exhibition Silk Treasures: Azerbaijani Patterns of the 16th-18th centuries, exhibits from the fund of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art are shown for the first time in comparison with specially brought foreign exhibits from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Berlin Museum of Islamic Art, as well as private collections in Europe.
Thanks to the support of the Goethe Institute the participation of the Berlin Museum of Islamic Art became possible and will this be the first initiative of this organization in Baku on the eve of the opening of the representation in Azerbaijan.
The exhibition, a successful result of international cultural and scientific activity, will last until January 15, 2018.
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23 November 2017 13:15 (UTC+04:00)
By Aygul Salmanova
Some of Azerbaijans mountainous regions, popular beauty spots of the country, turn out to have high concentrations of radon - a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium 238, the second leading cause of lung cancer.
The Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS) told Trend that number of settlements in the mountainous regions of Azerbaijan recorded radon in the air, exceeding the permissible norm.
The institute noted that radon is widely distributed on the planet, but its high content in the air leads to lung cancer. Among the causes of lung cancer, radon is second only to cigarettes.
In the world today, radiation levels are measured to ensure safe life of people. As for Azerbaijan, radiation exposure rates are monitored by the Radiation Problems Institute.
Studies on the distribution of radon in the country were started in 2010 with the participation of foreign scientists. As a result of the research conducted with the financial support of the National Science Foundation of Switzerland and with the help of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of ANAS, a Map of the distribution of volumetric activity of radon in the territory of Azerbaijan was compiled.
Currently, the research continues, and within the framework of the Radon Safety Research Program and measures aimed at radiation decrease in the Azerbaijan Republic for 2014-2018, the public will be informed about the ways to combat this natural gas.
One of the main channels of radon penetration to the earth's surface is tectonic cracks. And the fact that Azerbaijan is considered a seismically active region creates concerns, since gas emerging from such cracks, as a rule, accumulates in the basement and lower floors of buildings.
Natural radiation areas in Azerbaijan are the Greater Caucasus Range and Kur-Araz plain. The levels of natural radiation in the Oghuz, Gabala, Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Zagatala and Balakan regions are 12-20 mr/hr.
Despite this there is no radiation hazard in the country, noted earlier Matanat Avazova, Deputy Director of the National Environmental Monitoring Department at the Ecology Ministry.
We have automatic stations for measuring radiation in Azerbaijan. These stations are mainly located in border areas. These stations have been operating for many years. During this time, no emergency situation has been registered in the country. Radiation conditions are stable in the country, because there is no radiation source in Azerbaijan, she said.
As a rule, radon is detected on the lands where oil was extracted. And Absheron has almost 60 percent of such lands. For Absheron this background level is 6-8, 8-10 mr/hr.
Speaking about radioactive radon gas in the oil fields in Azerbaijan, Avazova said that this radioactive element has no danger to human life in open air.
Such radiating elements are not dangerous in the open air, and can be dangerous only in indoor conditions, she said.
Exposure rates of up to 30-50 micro-roentgen per hour are considered normal. But the large dosages can have dramatic effects.
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23 November 2017 18:29 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Russia's Gazprom started delivering natural gas to Azerbaijan on Nov. 22 evening, a source in Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR told Trend on November 23.
This gas will be pumped into underground gas storage facilities with a view to its further use in processing, or for domestic needs. If there is a need, some volumes can be exported, said the source.
These supplies will also allow SOCAR to check the capacity of its underground gas storage facilities, added the source.
The deliveries are being carried out under the contract signed in Moscow on November 21, 2017. Under the contract, it is planned to deliver 1.6 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to the Azerbaijani market in general.
Earlier, Gazproms Board of Directors decided to open a representative office in Azerbaijan.
There are two gas storage facilities Kalmaz and Garadagh in Azerbaijan. Capacity of Azerbaijans underground gas storage facilities allow to store more than 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas.
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23 November 2017 10:27 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Ashgabat hosted the sixth Turkmen-Russian economic forum on November 22, Turkmenistan State News Agency reported.
An important incentive for the current forum was the agreements reached during the talks between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin who paid an official visit to Turkmenistan on October 2, 2017.
The delegation of Russia included representatives of a number of state institutions and companies specializing in the oil and gas sector, spheres of trade, food industry, construction, electronic and information technology, as well as machine building.
The Turkmen side at the forum was represented by heads of ministries and departments, the countrys Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, representatives of facilities and companies that manufacture export-oriented products.
At the time, the heads of state expressed their intention to promote the expansion of trade, economic and investment cooperation in order to further improve the welfare of the two friendly nations.
As the forum participants noted, the Turkmen-Russian partnership is of a strategic nature. This is confirmed by regular bilateral meetings and top-level talks, including in the framework of major international events.
Priority is paid to the implementation of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Russian Economic Cooperation Program for 2017-2019 and projects in the areas of trade, industry, energy and engineering, construction, agriculture and fisheries, transport and transport communications, sports, tourism and healthcare, the report said.
A bright indicator of effective cooperation in the sphere of economy is the presence of a number of leading Russian companies involved in implementing joint projects in the Turkmen market and their interest in further building up business contacts. So, today more than 180 facilities with the participation of Russian capital are registered in Turkmenistan.
A more detailed discussion of the opportunities for Russian companies to participate in the implementation of large-scale projects initiated by the President of Turkmenistan took place during bilateral meetings.
Russia occupies a leading position in the ranking of the largest foreign trade partners of Turkmenistan. In recent years, cooperation has intensified at the regional level, including Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, Sverdlovsk regions. The companies KAMAZ, Arety, and the airline Siberia are among traditional partners.
Gas supply was one of the strategic areas of partnership between Turkmenistan and Russia until recently. In 2015 bilateral trade volume between two countries decreased by 21 percent to $0.97 billion compared to $1.23 billion in 2014. Turkmen exports to Russia fell to $0.07 billion (by 20 percent) while imports fell to $0.90 billion (by 21 percent).
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 11:45 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Sochi - Russia's Black Sea resort city - hosted a trilateral meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 22.
Wednesdays talks followed Syrian President Bashar al-Assads surprise visit to Russia on Monday for talks with Putin.
The meeting, which lasted two hours, between the three powers, all deeply involved in the Syrian conflict, is set to pave the way for a settlement of the conflict and define Syrias future as a country.
By hosting the meeting, Russia decided to take the central role in a major diplomatic push to finally end a civil war and try to leave its ally - Bashar al-Assad - in power.
Large-scale hostilities against terrorists are coming to an end, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Federation, Iran, and Turkey, it became possible to prevent the disintegration of Syria, Putin said, opening a trilateral meeting.
The Russian leader stated that the militants in Syria suffered a decisive blow, and that there was a real chance to end the long-term civil war.
Putin further noted the special role of the Presidents of Turkey and Iran in the Astana process, as without their participation a political settlement in Syria would be impossible.
Less than a year ago, we initiated the Astana process, assumed the responsibility to guarantee the implementation of agreements, promote the intra-Syrian dialogue under the auspices of the UN, he said.
Putin noted that Astana gathered representatives of the government and the armed opposition at one table for the first time.
The Russian leader also said that following seven rounds of meetings, the fateful decisions for Syria have been adopted and are being implemented: the ceasefire regime is being observed, four zones of de-escalation have been established and are functioning in key regions of the country.
Putin also expressed hope that Russia, Iran and Turkey will make every effort for the effectiveness of the National Dialogue Congress.
The three-way summit endorsed the plan for a Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Russia in December. The meeting is intended to help frame a constitution for an integrated Syria, including the terms of presidential elections in which Assad would be entitled to stand.
The Syrian people will have to determine their own future and agree on the principles of the state system. It is obvious that the process of reform will not be easy, and it will require compromises and concessions from all its participants, including, of course, the government of Syria. I hope that Russia, Iran and Turkey together will attach the most active efforts to make this work as productive as possible, the Russian leader said.
In addition, Putin suggested thinking about the joint development of a comprehensive program for the restoration of Syria.
Given the colossal scale of destruction, it would be possible to think together about the development of a long-term comprehensive program for the revival of Syria, he suggested.
Putin expressed confidence that the success of the upcoming reforms will largely depend on the solution of the social and economic problems of Syria, the restoration of industry, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education systems.
The humanitarian aspect, including targeted assistance to the population, demining of the liberated territories, rendering assistance in the return of refugees is equally important, according to the Russian leader.
He also noted that after the creation of de-escalation zones, thousands of refugees have already begun to return to their homes.
Speaking about the creation of a comprehensive program for the revival of Syria, the Russian leader said that experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran have conducted serious preparatory work on the meaningful filling of the talks.
Therefore, I am confident that the discussion will be substantive and effective, and the agreements reached will serve to further restore peace and security in Syria, strengthen its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, will help to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, the Russian head of state concluded.
Russia, Turkey and Iran have to concentrate their efforts on long-term normalization in Syria and the country's reconstruction in the post-war period, he stressed.
We can confidently say that we have approached a new stage that opens the door to a real political settlement process. I believe that our efforts should be focused on ensuring long-term normalization in Syria, first of all, I mean the process of political settlement with the finalization of these negotiations within the framework of the Geneva process and on the promotion of the settlement of the country in the post-conflict period," Putin said.
He stressed that the meeting is aimed at solving this particular task. The participants will discuss in detail further joint steps to consolidate and develop the recent positive changes in Syria.
Putin added that the participants in the trilateral meeting will exchange views on how to give a powerful impetus to the political settlement on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. He recalled that this document envisages the launching of a broad intra-Syrian dialogue involving all ethnic, confessional and political groups of the population, without exception.
In the course of the talks, Rouhani said the main foundations of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS aka ISIS/ISIL) have collapsed, but the fight against terrorism is not yet over. He added that fighting against terrorism is necessary in Syria until eradicating all its cells in the country. Moreover, Rouhani argued it was unacceptable for foreign troops not invited into Syria by the government to remain in the country.
The Iranian president further said that grounds are prepared for political settlement in Syria. The Syrian national sovereignty should be respected, Rouhani said, adding that interference of foreign powers in the country would not be legitimate.
Those who created, funded the IS terrorist group in the Middle East will face repercussions of terrorism, he said. Rouhani also emphasized that the Islamic Republic will stand against plots to create split in the Middle East.
Iran is acting based on UN regulations to ensure stability and security of the region, he said, adding that Iran is serious in fighting against terrorism. The Iranian president further called on international community to focus on alleviating the suffering of Syrian people and reconstruction of the country.
Erdogan, in turn, hailed a key meeting on the fate of Syria.
We have agreed on an inclusive, free, fair and transparent political process under the leadership of the Syrian people, he said at the end of the summit.
The stance of the Syrian regime and the opposition will play a key role in the future of the political process, Erdogan said, adding that Turkey would not accept existence of terrorist groups in Syria in the process, in an open reference to the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).
No one should expect us to be under the same roof with terror organizations that target our national security, he said. The Turkish leader also said the steps for the ceasefire were reviewed.
In a joint statement which followed the talks, the three sides called on the Syrian government and moderate opposition to participate constructively in the planned congress, to be held in the same city.
However, the date and the list of invitees were not specified. The list of participants has been a sticking point, with Turkey which objected the participation of some Syrian Kurdish groups.
Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, which support Bashar Assad, are the guarantor countries who brokered a December ceasefire in Syria, that led to the Astana talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire.
Astana talks also involve Kazakhstan - as an organizing country, sides to the Syrian conflict - governmental and opposition, and observers from the U.S., United Nations and Jordan.
To date, seven rounds of negotiations on the ongoing Syrian conflict were held in Astana.
The seventh international meeting focused on approving the provision on a working group on the release of hostages, prisoners, the transfer of bodies of the dead and the search for missing persons. The parties also considered combating international terrorism and humanitarian demining in Syria.
Guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime - Russia, Turkey and Iran - had agreed on May 4 in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to establish "de-escalation zones" in war-torn Syria. De-escalation zones in Syria allowed to significantly reduce the scale of the conflict and contributed to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Syria.
While the Astana process is separate from the UNs Geneva talks on Syrian crisis, the attendance of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura links the Kazakh platform to broader international efforts.
Syria has been locked in civil war since March 2011. All previous efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution were ruined, with the opposition demanding Assad leave power, the government insisting he stay on, and neither side able to force the issue by achieving a military victory.
According to UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, around 500,000 people have died in the conflict while half the population has been driven from their homes.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 13:38 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
The first long-term contract for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to South Korea was signed in the course of the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Seoul.
The explored and estimated reserves of uranium make about 190,000 tons, of which more than 140,000 tons fall for uranium deposits of sandstone type and 47,000 tons - for black shale type, according to the Uzbek State Committee of Geology.
In addition, Uzbekistan has recently signed a contract for the supply of uranium to the U.S. Uzbekistan will begin supplying uranium to the U.S. and plans to obtain a sovereign credit rating. Uzbekistan will supply U.S. Nukem company with uranium concentrate worth $300 million in the next seven years.
India has also expressed interest in additional supplies of uranium from Uzbekistan. Also, Uzbek uranium has been successfully supplied to Japan.
Uzbekistan has large mineral reserves, which include more than 1,800 known mineral deposits. The countrys mineral resources include petroleum, natural gas, gold, silver, uranium, molybdenum, tungsten, coal, copper, zinc and lead. Uranium, copper and gold are the countrys chief minerals.
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 require substantial investment in economic terms.
Attraction of the foreign investors comes from the following factors. Firstly, Uzbekistan has significant resources for increasing capacities of the operating enterprise and creation of new ones. Secondly, the Republic possesses a highly developed efficiency of the mineral industry, a favorable infrastructure and highly skilled manpower. Thirdly, many deposits can be developed by open mining which is the cheapest method. Finally, Uzbekistan has the favorable investment climate provided by The Subsoil Law and a support by the governing bodies.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 14:12 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was officially welcomed at the residence of President of South Korea Mun Zhe Ying, the press service of the Uzbek president reported on November 23.
Mirziyoyev and Mun Zhe Ying first met in narrow format and exchanged opinions on priority directions of further development of the bilateral cooperation for the long-term perspective, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The presidents continued talks with the participation of official delegations of the two countries.
The parties considered issues of expanding cooperation in trade-economic, investment and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
During the meeting at the highest level, it was noted that the existing potential and opportunities for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation are not fully used, and new steps will be taken to further improve the indicators in this direction.
Mirziyoyev also participated in a business forum with the participation of heads of economic and financial structures, leading businessmen of both countries.
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23 November 2017 14:39 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Uzbekistan is interested in becoming a shareholder in the construction of Kambar-Ata HPP-1.
This was stated by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov during the session of the Jogorku Kenesh on November 23, Kyrgyz media outlets reported.
Productive negotiations were held on Kambar-Ata HPP-1. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to good results, because earlier Uzbekistan was against the project, and now supports it. In addition, Uzbekistan expressed the opinion to participate in the project as a shareholder. Therefore, we think, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other neighboring countries should build this hydroelectric power plant, he said.
The official added that when building Kambar-Ata HPP-1, the neighboring countries should be among founders as they are the potential buyers.
He further said that they will consider this issue, but the main thing is the issue of security in the region.
Of course, we should put our national interests first, but our relations with our neighbors are among national interests as well. I think if we build a hydropower plant with Uzbekistan, this will be a very correct decision, he said.
The Kambar-Ata project is only the first of several projects planned along the Naryn River, which rises in the Tien Shan Mountains and is dammed at Toktogul, the largest reservoir in Kyrgyzstan, before running on to merge with another river to become the Syr Darya. The power plant has received critique from energy experts who argue that the Kambar-Ata dams are too expensive.
The planned capacity is 1,860 megawatts with an average annual output of 5.1 billion kilowatt hours. According to the plan, the volume of the reservoir will be more than 4.6 billion cubic meters.
The construction and exploitation of Kambar Ata HPP and the Upper-Naryn cascade will allow Kyrgyzstan to produce about five billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year and cover the growing needs of the population.
However, the implementation of Kyrgyz ambitious project to construct the Upper-Naryn cascade remains questionable due to inability to attract foreign investment. Representatives of the Czech company Liglass Trading, which was the surprise winner of a tender last summer, acknowledged on September 18 that they do not have the money to proceed with the project.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 15:13 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev informed about further changes in business environment of Uzbekistan while speaking at the Uzbek-Korean business forum in Seoul which was attended by heads of economic and financial structures, leading businessmen of the two countries.
He noted that Uzbekistan has entered the top ten leading countries in the dynamics of improving the business climate.
In just a year, our country has risen by 13 positions in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking. We set ourselves an ambitious and quite achievable goal - to include Uzbekistan into the top twenty in this rating by 2025, the head of state said.
Overall, the country improved its position in six of ten indicators in Doing Business report. Uzbekistan carried out reforms in such spheres as starting business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, paying tax and protecting minority investors.
As previously noted by the chairman of the State Committee for Investments Azim Ahmedkhadzhayev, the republic should first of all refine the investment policy in order to achieve this goal. The concept of the Investment Code which is under development will be of particular importance in this direction.
Uzbekistan is systematically working to reduce the tax burden for small businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as foreign investors, according to the head of state.
Mirziyoyev informed Korean businessmen that all types of unscheduled inspections are prohibited in order to protect interests and create favorable conditions for business. The powers of controlling bodies are sharply limited and the institution of the Ombudsman for the protection of entrepreneurs' rights is also established, according to the head of state.
I would like to note that this is only a small part of the new course of structural reforms that are currently supported by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and many other international structures, he added.
The Uzbek president, speaking at the business forum, noted the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries, conditions and opportunities for doing business in Uzbekistan, the countrys interest in cooperation with South Korean entrepreneurs.
Foreign investments in Uzbekistan amounted to $4.2 billion since the beginning of the year. Some $ 3.7 billion of total investments came accounted for the foreign direct investment. Among the investors are companies from the USA, Turkey, South Korea, Germany, Russia and Japan, he noted.
The total volume of investments of South Korea attracted to the Uzbek economy exceeds $7 billion, there are 461 facilities operating in Uzbekistan with the participation of South Korean capital.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 16:23 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
The authorities of Egypt will restore the visa regime with Qatar from November 24.
The decision of the Egypts Interior Ministry was approved by the countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs and published in the official media.
Qatari nationals intending to visit Egypt will have to obtain an entry visa. At the same time it remains unknown whether a visa will be required for Qatari married to Egyptians.
In October, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa decided to restore the visa regime with Qatar.
Meanwhile, two Islamic organizations and 11 individuals have been added to an existing terror list drawn up by four Arab nations that are blockading Qatar, claiming the entities and individuals are supported by Doha.
State-run Saudi Press Agency issued a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 23, saying the quartet's move was taken in light of their commitment to fighting terrorism, drying up their sources of funding, combating extremist ideologyand its promotion.
The four Arab states - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain - in June cut off diplomatic relations, severed air, land and sea links with Qatar, accusing the latter of supporting terrorism, and ordered Qatari citizens to leave their countries within two weeks. A number of other states joined the decision later. Doha refused the accusations.
They issued a 13-point list of demands to end the standoff. The demands include shutting down the Al Jazeera news network, closing a Turkish military base, cutting ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, and downgrading relations with Tehran.
Qatar insisted it would not agree to any measures that threatened its sovereignty or violated international law.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 15:56 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Uzbekistan is willing to have a stake in Iran's petrochemical ventures around the Persian Gulf, the head of the National Petrochemical Company said on November 22.
Uzbekistan is rich in natural gas resources, but the country is open to making investment [in petrochemical projects] where there is abundant gas supply and access to international waters, Seyyed Reza Norouz-Zadeh said.
Potential investment of Uzbekistan in Iran's petroleum industry came to the forefront last week during a meeting between Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Alisher Sultanov.
Representatives of NPC and the government of Uzbekistan are now set to assess petrochemical investment opportunities in Iran, Norouz-Zadeh said.
The Central Asian state is particularly interested in methanol-to-olefin projects. Olefin is the building block for wallpapers, carpeting, ropes and vehicle interiors.
The minister said earlier that Tehran and Tashkent also discussed the shipment of Iranian oil to Uzbekistan, but the talks are reportedly at an early stage. Iran is fully ready to meet the energy needs of Uzbekistan, according to the minister.
It should be noted that Iran opened its energy market for foreign investments after the lifting of international sanctions in January 2016. Iran's current oil export capacity stands at about 2.6 million barrels per day most of which is shipped to Asia, a quarter to Europe and the rest to the other markets.
Uzbekistan is rich in hydrocarbon resources, and about 60 percent of its territory possesses potential oil and gas reserves. However, the supplies no longer meet the demand for oil products in the country. Oil production drop in the last years has resulted in only 60 percent operation of its full refining capacity.
Moreover, oil production in the country is forecasted to further decline. As a result, Uzbekistan has turned from a net exporter into a net import of crude oil to process it in its refineries.
While oil-processing capacity of Uzbekistan will remain within the same range of 225,000 and 230,000 bbl/day up until 2024, the volume of the refined oil products is expected to decline from 75,640 bbl/day to 69,050 bbl/day by 2024. Therefore, Uzbekistan will have to increase the volume of crude oil imports in the near future from Russia, Kazakhstan and now Iran if it decides to take the advantage of its oil refining capacity.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 17:45 (UTC+04:00)
By Kamila Aliyeva
Tehran continues to fulfill its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is in constant control of this process, Yukiya Amano, General Director of the Agency said.
He recalled that he visited Tehran in late October, where he held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other government officials and called on Iran to ratify the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement that it is currently applying.
As my report on verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 shows, the agency continues to monitor Iran's implementation of its nuclear energy commitments under the JCPOA. Iran's obligations related to nuclear weapons are being implemented, he said, speaking the board of governors of the agency on November 23.
Amano added that IAEA experts continue to check non-diversion of nuclear materials announced by Iran in accordance with the Safeguards Agreement, to assess the absence of undeclared nuclear materials and activities in Iran.
To date, the agency has access to all the places that we should visit, the IAEA Director General said.
Despite eight reports by the IAEA which confirm Tehrans compliance, On October 13, U.S. President Donald Trump, long been known as the main critic of the landmark deal, declared his view of the JCPOA, which was reached under his predecessor - Barack Obama.
The nuclear deal has become a hot topic for discussion since Trump, who constantly voices anti-Iranian rhetoric, took the office.
The recent proposal of French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Iran's missile program and renegotiate some parts of nuclear deal was welcomed with discontent in Iran.
Macrons recent statement can be explained by the youth of the French leader,Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Ali Jafari said, RIA Novosti reported.
Earlier, Macron stated the need to preserve the nuclear agreement of 2015, but noted that it should be supplemented with new provisions.
In particular, the French leader suggested starting a discussion of Iran's ballistic activity and more clearly defining the boundaries of the country's nuclear program, as well as limiting Iran's hegemony in the region during the press conference in Dubai.
We associate the proposal to discuss Iran's missile capabilities with the youth and inexperience of the French president. He will soon realize that these attempts are inconclusive, Jafari said.
Tehran has repeatedly stated that issues related to the country's defense capability are not subject to discussion.
The Iran nuclear deal was negotiated in July 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China as well as Germany. By ratifying the plan, Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Trump announced that he would not certify Irans compliance with the deal. At the same time he did not challenge the compliance of Iran at the international level. The move paves the way for Congress to put new restrictions on Iran. It now has less than 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran which were lifted under the nuclear accord in 2016.
The other parties to the agreement - Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China and the European Union - have all reaffirmed their commitment to it and called on the U.S. not to step out.
However, it is believed that Trump would not recommend the Congress to re-impose sanctions in order to reach a compromise with many congressional leaders who stand for keeping the deal at least with some changes.
In case sanctions are applied, the U.S. would find itself in breach of its commitments. This means a unilateral withdrawal from the agreement, which will damage the reputation of the U.S. in the eyes of world community.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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23 November 2017 16:12 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL) is currently considering the possibility of launching flights to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, AZAL told Trend on November 23.
Meanwhile, the company did not rule out that the Egyptian side is considering this possibility.
Currently, there is the entire necessary legal basis for this purpose, said AZAL.
Egypts Air Cairo launched direct Baku-Sharm El Sheikh-Baku flights in June 2016, thereby creating conditions for increasing the tourist inflow from Azerbaijan.
However, later the company decided to temporarily suspend the flight from this resort city to Baku.
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AB INTER RAO Lietuva (hereinafter referred to as the Company) announces that on 23 November 2017 the Company before repayment date has repaid these amounts under loan agreements dated 24 May 2017:
1. The Company has repaid EUR 1.033.905,67 out of EUR 5.202.000,00 loan and the accrued interest to the shareholder of the Company - RAO Nordic Oy (registration number 1784937-7, registered at Tammasaarenkatu 1, FIN 00180, Helsinki, Finland) which has 51 % of shares and the same number of voting rights in the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company.
2. The Company has repaid EUR 587.907,16 out of EUR 2.958.000,00 loan and the accrued interest to the shareholder of the Company UAB Scaent Baltic (registration number 3006 61378, registered at Jogailos str. 9, Vilnius, Lithuania) which has 29 % of shares and the same number of voting rights in the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company.
Loan amounts have been used to finance working capital of the Company.
Legal grounds: Article 17.1 of the EU Regulation on market abuse No 596/2014
Aerospace giant Airbus got the "deal of the century" when it acquired a majority share in Bombardier's C Series, a House of Commons committee has heard.
Representatives of trade union Unite were giving evidence as part of an NI Affairs Committee inquiry into tariffs imposed by the US following action by rival Boeing on the C Series aircraft, the wings of which are made in Belfast.
The committee is probing the possible impact on jobs in the city if a preliminary decision to impose the tariffs is ratified in February. Around 1,000 of Bombardier's 4,000-strong workforce create the wings of the C Series.
DUP MP Ian Paisley told the committee he had emailed US President Donald Trump over the crisis.
Responding to a suggestion that America is treating Bombardier as a "test case" in enforcing more protectionist trade policies from the administration, the North Antrim representative said: "It's very easy to blame Trump but I think he's the wrong enemy in the room. I emailed him twice over this issue.
"I'm reluctant to say what was said but I thought it was my duty to engage with him on this issue." Last month, Airbus announced it had acquired a majority stake in the C Series programme.
The planes will be assembled in its Alabama facility in the US, in a bid to circumvent the American tariffs.
Unite representative Jimmy Kelly said Airbus had got the "deal of the century" as it hadn't sold an A318 or A319 - its offering in the short to medium-bodied, narrow passenger jet - "in years".
And he claimed Boeing was cheating the US public out of a good experience.
"What has happened is denying the US public a chance to fly in a far, far superior aircraft. It's environmentally friendly and outperforming all the things it's been set," Mr Kelly said.
Mr Paisley said the US had a track record of stifling aviation competition.
He added: "It's almost like deja vu. The US effectively destroyed Concorde by their conduct - no doubt there's an attempt by a large company to flex its muscle to destroy another aircraft."
But he said problems with major manufacturers were compounded by the province's low productivity and more businesspeople in the mould of Wrightbus co-founder William Wright are needed.
Mr Paisley said: "How do we get the next 10 Willie Wrights out of Northern Ireland instead of the next 10 lawyers? He's one of the most creative geniuses."
A deal for Belfast could see a decade of investment to help boost and improve the region, it has been claimed.
Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed that a consultation will now begin into a "City Deal" for Belfast.
That could give Belfast additional devolved powers with greater control over the spending of public money and over transport and investment.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister said the deal "would be a 10-year investment plan to improve infrastructure in the region, develop innovation and skills, and attract more and better jobs".
Neil Gibson, chief economist with EY Ireland, said the "specific mention of a Belfast City Deal was welcome and will add impetus to the work already underway to shape and focus such a deal".
But he said that "it is important to remember this is a deal, not a no-strings-attached pot of money".
Mr Gibson added: "It requires careful agreement as to what is funded and how the performance of those investments are measured. The requirement will be investments that deliver a tangible return.
"In Britain many of the deals focus on the transfer of powers, many of which already reside with devolved governments, so if and when Stormont returns it will have an influence on the particular nature of the Belfast deal." But SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it was "shocking" that the Chancellor had "completely ignored" Londonderry.
That was reiterated by Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts.
"Retail NI has long championed the need for City Deals for Belfast and Londonderry and we welcome the Chancellor's green light of negotiations for a Belfast deal," he said.
"However, we are disappointed and surprised that a city deal for Londonderry was not included."
But David Armstrong, PwC partner in Belfast, said that with Belfast slipping down its poll of the top cities to live and work in the UK, "moving towards a City Deal for Belfast should provide the city with a more cohesive set of levers to boost competitiveness across the entire region where Northern Ireland is already struggling to grow productivity that is still languishing around pre-recession levels".
Former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Jeremy McConnell has been jailed for failing to attend court ordered community service.
The Irish star, from Swords in Dublin, will face 18 weeks behind bars.
It's after McConnell violated terms of the 12 month suspended sentence he was handed in August for attacking former girlfriend and mother of his son, Stephanie Davis.
The 27 year old was told he would be jailed at Cardiff Magistrates Court on Thursday.
He reportedley skipped the community service to get a hair transplant in Turkey.
Before heading to court, McConnell wrote on Instagram: "If I dont see yas have a good Christmas."
He was found guilty of assaulting Davis at an address in Rainhill, Merseyside on March 10.
Its difficult to beat a cosy Sunday lunch, and its especially tempting when the weather forces us indoors or were just not in the mood to cook.
A good Sunday lunch can make the weekend seem that wee bit longer, providing the perfect opportunity to lay low and fill up on great food, drink and chat before the week begins.
Not sure where to start? Find below 7 great Sunday lunches to experience this winter.
1. Bull & Ram, Ballynahinch
Bull & Ram offers the quintessential Sunday lunch with its cosy setting and locally-sourced menu.
A trip to the Ballynahinch restaurant is a good place to stop when out for a Sunday drive, and the restaurants setting could not be more authentic, based in a grade I listed Edwardian butchery.
Unsurprisingly, the meat takes centre stage on Bull & Rams Sunday Lunch menu, with delicious sides like purple broccoli, roast potatoes and homemade gravy providing a perfect accompaniment.
Sunday lunch is from 12-4pm, with three courses at 24.95 per person. Find out more at bullandram.com.
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2. Il Pirata, Belfast
An Italian restaurant may not be the obvious choice for a traditional Sunday lunch, but Il Pirata's sharing roasts are truly unmissable.
Located on the ever-growing foodie hub of Ballyhackamore, east Belfast the restaurant offers a rustic style ambiance and relaxed, friendly service along with an extensive locally sourced menu.
The sharing roasts alternate week by week with choices including beef, pork, chicken and salmon - which are, of course, accompanied with the traditional Sunday roast sides.
A sharing roast for two people is priced from 22-28 and is served from 12-9pm. For more information, visit www.ilpiratabelfast.com
3. Ballygally Castle, Ballygally
Situated along the north coast and overlooking the Atlantic, the picturesque setting of Ballygally Castle makes it even more appealing come Sunday afternoon.
Then there is the food to look forward to, which consists of several great starters, a carvery menu of beef, turkey, ham and lamb and a selection of delicious trimmings. To finish off (and if you still have room), are various tempting desserts to choose from.
Sunday lunch is served at 12-2.30pm
Cost: 27 per adult and 15 per child
Visit www.hastingshotels.com/ballygally-castle for more information.
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4. Balloo House, Killinchy
Based in the quaint village of Killinchy, Balloo House is a treat for those looking to have a day out in the countryside. The houses county-style pub or its fine dining area - provide a perfect setting for Sunday lunch.
A lot of love has gone into Balloo Houses Sunday lunch menu, typically including a selection of adventurous starters, as well as main dishes such as beetroot risotto or roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding. For afters, the restaurants sticky toffee pudding or crumble are hard to beat.
3 Courses 22.95
Find out more at www.ballooinns.com/balloo-house
5. Noble, Holywood
A new (ish) restaurant in Northern Ireland, Noble is already being praised for its wonderful menus and great atmosphere.
'Noble Sundays' has a tantalising choice of carefully curated starters, traditional and seasonal mains (including a tasty beef option), as well as a dessert list that will have you struggling to resist the whole three courses.
2 Courses 18 / 3 Courses 23 per person
Find out more at nobleholywood.com
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6. The Parsons Nose, Hillsborough
The Parsons Nose is as rustic as they come with its setting in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse and a roaring fire greeting you as you enter through its doors. Plus, the food offerings will have your taste buds bursting.
Choose from a selection of well thought out dishes including Peter Hannon meats, seasonal vegetables and a great dessert menu to boot.
Visit ballooinns.com/the-parsons-nose to find out more.
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7. 4 Vicars Restaurant, Armagh
Situated along the historic hill of Armagh, 4 Vicars is in a wonderful spot after a day of Sunday shopping or sightseeing in the city.
The menu is limited but will impress with its variety of locally sourced produce and inventive dishes. Having won the Georgina Campbell Award for Best Casual Dining, at 4 Vicars you can be sure of a relaxed and enjoyable lunch come Sunday.
2 Courses 23 / 3 Courses 26. Served between 12-3pm.
Find out more at www.4vicars.com
Looking to combine your Sunday lunch with a night or two away? Check out Expedias epic road trips for an opportunity to make the most out of your weekend and see more of Ulster.
David Davis' approach to Brexit negotiations are criticised in the leaked document
The UK Government's performance in Brexit talks has been branded chaotic and incoherent in a leaked paper focusing on the views of top European officials.
The internal Irish government paper, obtained by RTE news, apparently documents EU figures' scathing assessments of key UK Cabinet members such as Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
The confidential document is based on a compilation of political reports from Irish embassies across Europe between November 6 and 10.
It claims that Brexit was barely mentioned during a meeting between Mr Davis and French ministers for defence and foreign affairs - something which was viewed as a wasted opportunity.
In another meeting, a minister in the Czech government described Boris Johnson as "unimpressive" but noted that at least he had "avoided any gaffes" during a visit in September.
The Czech deputy minister for foreign affairs Jakub Durr told officials "he felt sorry for British Ambassadors around the EU trying to communicate a coherent message when there is political confusion at home".
Meanwhile, during a meeting in Luxembourg, Ian Forrester, the British judge in the European Court of Justice bemoaned "the quality of politicians in Westminster".
He also wondered if the British public would view Brexit as "a great mistake" when they realised what leaving the EU entailed, according to the leaked paper.
The report was compiled just weeks after Theresa May told EU leaders in Brussels that focus would be on three key issues.
It highlights the significant concerns that will make it difficult to progress negotiations ahead of next month's summit.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin has declined to comment on the report.
Downing Street defended the UK's preparations for Brexit and insisted there was a "good and constructive" relationship between London and Dublin.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I don't comment on leaked documents. The Government is working hard on preparations for Brexit."
He added: "There is good and constructive working relationship with the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach."
There had been progress in talks on the issues with Ireland - particularly the common travel area - but there was "more work to be done, everybody accepts that", the spokesman said.
"Equally I think everybody is committed to ensuring a frictionless border," he added.
In the Commons Liberal Democrat former minister Tom Brake called for a debate on the back of the revelations.
In questions to the Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, Mr Brake said: "H as the leader had time to read a leaked report from Irish embassies round the world which paint a rather unflattering picture of the UK Government's negotiating skills in relation to Brexit?
"They talk variously of feeling sorry for British ambassadors trying to present a coherent picture when there's confusion at home.
"Will the Leader make time available for a debate on the G overnment's incompetence and inability to deliver Brexit and increasing the risk of no deal?"
Ms Leadsom refused to grant a debate, saying: "I would encourage him to stop talking the country down, we are extremely optimistic about the prospects for the UK as we leave the EU and his constant pessimism is not helping."
Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Nuala McAllister and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Councillor Maoliosa McHugh at the launch of the European Capital of Culture 2023 bid
Belfast and Londonderry's taxpayer-backed joint bid to be named European Capital of Culture may not be allowed due to the UK's exit from the EU.
The cities launched a high-profile bid to secure the title for 2023, which was unveiled back in July by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister and Derry City and Strabane District Council Mayor Maoliosa McHugh.
But according to a letter, published by the website Politico, a city within the UK will not be allowed to host the event, following the vote for Brexit.
The letter, which is from the European Commission, says that after consulting relevant services of the Commission, I would like to inform you that following its withdrawal from the European Union, the participation of the United Kingdom in the European Capital of Culture Union action will not be possible.
It has not yet been revealed how much has been jointly spent on the bid.
Belfast City Council said it is "deeply disappointed" with the recent development and that they are seeking "urgent clarification".
"We are aware that DCMS is still in discussions with the European Commission on behalf of all five cities involved and are seeking urgent clarification on the matter", a Belfast City Council spokeswoman said.
"We are, however, deeply disappointed with this recent development, but are committed to ensuring that the time, energy, enthusiasm, ideas and resources put into our bid are carried forward regardless.
"It is still our intention to ensure our cultural ambitions are realised and will be in discussion with DCMS and Derry City and Strabane District Council in the coming days."
DUP MEP Diane Dodds said it is "needless and spiteful posturing by the Commission".
"In spite of the assurances that they will not act in malice or attempt to punish the UK, here we have an example of the schoolboy pettiness we have come to expect from Brussels.
"Belfast's bid has been built upon renewing and building on the foundations of the peace process, breaking down barriers and showing communities where culture is often contested that what unites them is greater than what divides.
"Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland is something that Europe has often enjoyed associating itself with, claiming credit for and even using as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
"Yet there is clearly scant consideration for the benefits this opportunity would have presented to Belfast and Londonderry to consolidate the peace."
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it was "deeply disappointing" and has written to the EU Commission "to ask that we are treated as a special case".
He said: The news that the European Commission has written to the British Government to state that a British City cannot be a European Capital of Culture in 2023 is bitter blow for the joint bid from Belfast and Derry.
This is deeply disappointing for the people of the two cities and for those who have worked so hard to progress the joint bid.
The SDLP has today written directly to the EU Commission to ask that we are treated as a special case. Ive also made contact with the Irish Government to ask for their immediate intervention with the EU Commission to ask that the bid for the two cities on the island of Ireland can proceed.
The SDLP long warned that Brexit would lead to economic instability and prevent growth in our communities, that reality has now hit home.
The people of the North voted to remain, they voted to protect their socio-economic needs. We must unite and face down the DUP/Tory Brexiteers to protect Irelands interests."
Sinn Fein councillor Jim McVeigh has called on Europe to recognise that the bid "should not be excluded".
He said: "The decision to exclude the bid of Belfast, Derry and Strabane from the European Capital of Culture decisions is wrong and short sighted.
It is yet another example of the disaster that Brexit continues to be for Ireland.
In 2008 the Liverpool economy benefited to the tune of close to a billion pounds and visitor numbers increased by 34%.
The potential of this for Belfast, Derry and Strabane in 2023 is now gone and the DUP, the Tories and other local pro-Brexit parties need to bear the blame.
It highlights clearly the need for Designated Special Status within the EU for the north of Ireland.
If this decision is allowed to stand it will have a massive negative impact on our tourism and hospitality sector and will affect the potential creation of a huge number of jobs.
Every effort must be made to overturn this decision and Sinn Fein will play its part in opposing this decision.
It is now incumbent upon businesses, tourism organisations and the public to stand up and speak out for special status and against those whose support for Brexit is causing serious economic damage to the economy.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said the decision needed to be challenged.
Mr Roberts said: "Retail NI is a strong supporter for Belfast and Derry to secure the title of European City of Culture. To have achieved this would be a game changer, not just for our two main cities, but also potentially for our wider NI economy.
Previous experience shows that securing the European Capital of Culture title can act as a catalyst to supporting the social, cultural, economic and physical regeneration of the wider region
We urge the UK Government to challenge this unfair decision and for the European Commission to think again."
Coffee is "more likely to benefit health than harm", a review has found
Coffee is "more likely to benefit health than harm", a review has found.
People appear to reduce their risk of a range of health problems when they drink three to four cups a day, experts said.
They concluded that drinking coffee seems safe "within usual patterns of consumption", except in pregnancy and among women who are at risk of a fracture.
Experts from the University of Southampton and the University of Edinburgh reviewed evidence from over 200 studies which examined the effects of coffee consumption on health.
Their study, published in The British Medical Journal, found that drinking three or four cups a day, compared to drinking none, has been linked to a lower likelihood of developing or dying from cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and stroke.
Meanwhile, high consumption levels compared with low consumption levels appeared to confer benefits of an 18% lower risk of incident cancer.
Consumption also had "beneficial associations" with other conditions including diabetes, gallstones, gout and some liver conditions.
The authors wrote: "Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide. As such, even small individual health effects could be important on a population scale.
"Coffee consumption seems generally safe within usual levels of intake, with summary estimates indicating largest risk reduction for various health outcomes at three to four cups a day, and more likely to benefit health than harm."
Mice accounted for 82% of experiments carried out on animals
More than 22,000 research procedures were carried out on animals in Northern Ireland in a single year, it has emerged.
Rodents, pigs, sheep and cattle were among the animals used in experiments.
The number of procedures has risen by 27% in the last decade.
A Department of Health report shows that in total 22,214 procedures took place here in 2016. This represents 0.6% of animal research across the UK.
Most procedures were carried out on mice, which accounted for 18,287 (82.3%) of the total.
Next was pigs, sheep and cattle with 2,332 experiments (10.5%). Some 575 procedures involved rats (2.6%), while 1,020 procedures (4.6%) were carried out on "other animals". This included 155 cats and 73 dogs.
While there was a 1% fall in procedures between 2015 and 2016, animal use has risen over the past decade from 17,434 procedures in 2006 to 22,214 in 2016 - a rise of 27.4%.
This rise has mainly been in mice experiments which accounted for 18,287 procedures in 2016, compared with 8,468 in 2006, while the use of other species such as rats, birds and cattle has fallen.
The severity of all experiments are assessed as sub-threshold, mild, moderate, severe or non-recovery (where an animal is put under anaesthetic for surgery and then intentionally not woken up).
The number of non-recoveries was 251 and 762 were classed as severe.
The Department of Health said Northern Ireland regulates its animal research and compiles its statistics separately from the rest of the UK.
Every year, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland produces a report explaining what animals were used in different types of research over the year. The research is regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986.
In 2016, England, Scotland and Wales reported 3,936,729 procedures on animals, of which 92.7% were on mice, fish and rats.
Tom Holder from Understanding Animal Research said: "Animal research in Northern Ireland, like the rest of the UK, is heavily regulated. Research must be approved by an ethical committee, and can only go ahead where there are no viable alternatives and the potential benefits outweigh any potential harms to the animals.
"With animal research contributing towards 96 of the last 108 Nobel prizes, it is clear that it remains an important component of medical, veterinary and scientific development."
Brian Service was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in north Belfast in October 1998
A mother bereaved in the Northern Ireland Troubles has penned a heartfelt open letter to the Government claiming victims are being forgotten amid the delay addressing the legacy of the conflict.
Ann Service's son Brian, 35, was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in north Belfast in October 1998 - six months after the signing of the Good Friday peace agreement.
The widow said her family has been able to learn no more about the circumstances of his death since the day he was killed.
Mrs Service, whose husband Davy died four years ago, said she does not have time to wait further years to have the case re-investigated.
In the letter, she urged Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire to act to ensure stalled mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles are finally established.
Proposals signed-off in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement - including a new independent investigatory unit, a truth recovery body and an oral archive - are still on ice due to a small number of outstanding political disputes.
Mr Brokenshire is planning a public consultation exercise on the framework in a bid to move on from the impasse.
Mrs Service recounted the night her son, a Catholic construction worker, was shot as he walked home from his brother's house in the Ardoyne.
"When they told me he was dead I just wanted to lie down on the ground where he died alone to be close to him even for a moment," she said.
"I am telling you all this so that you know that Brian was a real person because after his murder that's not the way he was treated.
"It was as if he never really existed as a person and that his life and death did not matter.
"The police hardly seemed to bother with an investigation.
"He was dead and that was it."
Mrs Service said she complained to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland but did not expect her son's case to be dealt with for many years due to a well publicised backlog.
"The Police Ombudsman has already said that it will take over 20 years to get through current cases," she said.
"I can't wait that long. I don't have time.
"I do not think for a minute that I am any different from hundreds of others who have not seen anything approaching justice for the murder of their loved one.
"It is three years since the Stormont House Agreement.
"There is to be an Historical Investigations Unit to look at unsolved cases and an Information Retrieval Commission for those who want information rather than trying to get prosecutions.
"Secretary of State can you assure me that Brian's case will be looked at properly this time?
"Can you assure me that they will have the time and resources to do the job properly this time?
"Can you assure all the others who feel they have been forgotten because their loved one's murder made headlines only for a day that their loss will be acknowledged with respect?
"My husband Davy died four years ago knowing no more about what happened to our son than we did when they came to our house at 7am that day to tell us he was dead.
"Please don't let us be forgotten all over again."
In response to the letter, Mr Brokenshire said: "I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to Ann Service and to Brian's wider family on their loss.
"The Government believes that the Stormont House Agreement proposals represent the best means of addressing Northern Ireland's past in ways that will be fair, balanced and proportionate.
"We are obliged to move forward so that victims and survivors are able to get the progress they have been seeking for such a long time.
"I believe that the next phase is to consult publicly on the details of how the new institutions would work in practice.
"A public consultation would provide everyone with an interest the opportunity to see the proposed way forward and contribute to the discussion on the issues."
A mud-covered passenger in a car containing 30,000 worth of cocaine claimed he had been out chasing his lost dog, the High Court has heard.
Ryan McGlinchey, 23, was arrested with two other men after police stopped the Vauxhall Astra between Ballykelly and Greysteel, Co Derry last week.
Officers recovered four blocks of cocaine weighing half a kilo and 133 Pregabalin prescription pills from the vehicle.
McGlinchey, of Benview Estate in Coshquin, Derry, faces charges of possessing Class A drugs and a medicinal product with intent to supply over the seizure on November 15.
He is also accused of having a small amount of cannabis found in a subsequent search at his home.
During a bail application prosecutors said when detained he been covered in mud and wearing no shoes.
McGlinchey told police his state was due to an unsuccessful pursuit of his dog through briars.
Defence counsel said: "It was a Staffordshire he previously owned which his mother made him give away because of how it was barking in the house.
"But she allowed him to attempt to retrieve the dog and bring it home."
He added: "Mr McGlinchey does have considerable apprehension about how this explanation sounds."
Describing the account as "fantastical", judge Sir Richard McLaughlin questioned why the animal was not in the car when police stopped it.
The accused's lawyer submitted: "He wasn't able to retrieve the dog, he chased it and was covered in mud."
Following the explanation Sir Richard responded: "The poor dog is now roaming the countryside, and there's certainly no posse out looking for it."
The court heard a co-defendant claims the accused had exited the car and "disappeared" for a period before returning in a mess and told to take his shoes off.
According to that man's account McGlinchey had asked to be picked up in return for 50 and a strip of Pregabalin.
McGlinchey denies knowing anything about the cocaine, but accepted that the journey was to collect the prescription tablets.
"He does have a history of addiction issues, he's addicted to Pregabalin," his barrister confirmed.
Adjourning the bail application, Sir Richard said he wanted more information on any possible drugs rehabilitation.
The judge added: "The background here appears obvious; somebody is moving stuff at the behest of somebody bigger.
"Whether the bigger person is in the car or somebody outside, there's always a bigger man until you get back to Colombia."
James Brokenshire said in July he aimed to lift anonymity on donations
The Government has pressed ahead with legislation to publish the names of major political donors in Northern Ireland - hours after the Electoral Commission criticised a delay.
Secretary of State James Brokenshire announced in July his intent to lift the veil of anonymity on donations.
It had been a pledge in the Conservative Party's Northern Ireland general election manifesto.
On Thursday morning the Electoral Commission expressed frustration that laws to give effect to the move had still not been passed.
The Commission said it had expected to be in a position to publish the first set of data on donations to Northern Ireland political parties on Thursday, alongside the information on donations in Great Britain.
It said it was "extremely disappointed" and said the "continuing secrecy" only served to "undermine trust and confidence amongst the public in the democratic process".
On Thursday afternoon, the Government announced it had laid the legislation before Parliament, starting its journey toward becoming law.
Ann Watt, head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, welcomed the move.
"We are pleased that the UK Government has acted to make this important change a reality," she said.
"Transparency in how our political parties are funded is key to ensuring public trust and confidence in the democratic process. We hope to be able to begin publishing this information early in the new year."
The names of political donors in Northern Ireland have long been kept confidential due to security concerns dating back to the Troubles.
Mr Brokenshire has already faced criticism for declining to exercise his legislative ability to backdate publication of donation details to the start of 2014.
The name of individuals who donate more than 7,500 after July 1 2017 will be made public.
A UK Government spokeswoman said: "There remains widespread support for full transparency among the people of Northern Ireland.
"There has been a welcome recognition by the political parties of the importance of transparency to the broader political process and confidence in the democratic process.
"In line with that aim, we have brought secondary legislation before Parliament that would provide for the publication of all donations and loans received by Northern Ireland parties."
A man who posed as a barrister to defraud a woman seeking legal advice about the death of her mother has been jailed for eight months
A man who posed as a barrister to defraud a woman seeking legal advice about the death of her mother has been jailed for eight months.
Christopher McDonnell (34) initially took 590 off the woman and told her he was going to use it to bribe a judge.
After being told McDonnell was a qualified barrister, the woman sought advice about possible medical negligence following the death of her mother in December 2014.
During yesterday's sentencing, Judge Patricia Smyth said the woman had "lost her trust in people".
Belfast Crown Court heard McDonnell, from Limewood in Banbridge, first met the woman after he rented an office in a church in Carrickfergus, which he then turned into a gym.
His offending began at a time when he was trying to keep the business afloat.
The woman met McDonnell via a friend, and a month later, when they met again, McDonnell "listened to her story" about her mother's death.
A Crown prosecutor said McDonnell told the woman he was a barrister and worked on behalf of the English Chambers in Northern Ireland.
In March 2016, the woman handed McDonnell differing sums of money. He claimed after one payment that the money she gave him was going to be used to bribe a judge.
McDonnell told the woman he was taking her case to a court in England - but by September 2016 she had concerns that things were not quite right.
The prosecutor said as part of the scam, McDonnell forged a letter addressed to her from a recognised law firm. He also manipulated legal and other documents he then showed to the woman - but were branded "gobbledygook" by the prosecutor.
McDonnell's offending emerged after the woman became so concerned about the progress of her case that she contacted Chambers in London, only to be told McDonnell was not on their list of approved barristers.
She also contacted the firm of solicitors named in the letter sent to her, and was informed they had never heard of McDonnell or her case. She was advised at this point by the law firm to contact police, which she did.
The total amount the woman handed to McDonnell was 2,590. She will receive 1,000 by way of compensation paid by McDonnell.
When an investigation was launched, it emerged that McDonnell had defrauded a second woman. She told police she met him at church, that he ran a gym and he told her he was a qualified barrister.
The prosecutor said McDonnell's offending was "not spontaneous", but instead was "pre-meditated, intended deception".
He pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of theft and two charges of forgery.
Defence barrister Joel Lindsay said it was accepted these were "very nasty offences", telling Judge Smyth: "He knew the pendulum would only swing so far before it came round and caught him."
Mr Lindsay said McDonnell was "robbing Peter to pay Paul" after he came under financial pressure linked to the gym he opened at the church.
Sending McDonnell to prison, Judge Smyth said she accepted the offences were committed against a backdrop of his own marital difficulties and "mounting debts".
The judge told McDonnell he will spend eight months in prison, followed by eight months in licence.
James Brokenshire said in July he aimed to lift anonymity on donations
The UK Government has begun the process to allow donors to Northern Ireland political parties to be published.
It comes after the Electoral Commission strongly criticised the government for not having the legislation in place on Thursday morning.
The Secretary of State James Brokenshire announced in July his intent to lift the veil of anonymity on donations of more than 7,500 made after July 1 2017. Originally it had been proposed the publication would be back-dated to 2014.
The Electoral Commission said it intended to publish the first set of donations on Thursday, but was frustrated at the law not being in place to allow it to do so.
There is nothing to stop Northern Ireland's political parties revealing their donations themselves.
On Thursday evening the government announced it had begun the process of legislating for the donations.
A UK Government spokeswoman said: "There remains widespread support for full transparency among the people of Northern Ireland.
"There has been a welcome recognition by the political parties of the importance of transparency to the broader political process and confidence in the democratic process.
"In line with that aim, we have brought secondary legislation before Parliament that would provide for the publication of all donations and loans received by Northern Ireland parties. This would take effect in respect of donations and loans received on or after 1 July 2017."
The Electoral Commission welcomed the move.
Ann Watt, head of the organisation said: "We are pleased that the UK Government has acted to make this important change a reality.
"Transparency in how our political parties are funded is key to ensuring public trust and confidence in the democratic process. We hope to be able to begin publishing this information early in the New Year.
It is thought the donations will not be made public until January at the earliest given the parliamentary timetable to pass the legislation.
The Irish government's failure to support a former unionist leader contributed to the collapse of the 1974 Sunningdale Agreement, a former top-level diplomat in the Republic has said.
The short-lived power-sharing deal between the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP collapsed after just five months when an Ulster Workers' Council strike brought Stormont down.
A Council of Ireland proposed in the deal also never met but the biggest failure was not preventing further sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland.
Former SDLP deputy Seamus Mallon famously called the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 "Sunningdale for slow learners".
In a major new book on Anglo Irish relations by Noel Dorr, the former secretary general of the Republic's Department of Foreign Affairs, reveals that the Irish government at the time contributed to Sunningdale's downfall by not doing more to support the UUP leader Brian Faulkner.
Although laying most of the blame with the British Government and loyalists in Northern Ireland, Mr Dorr said the Irish government led by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and minister of foreign affairs Garret Fitzgerald had "more than a gleam in their eye" that the Council of Ireland would lead to Irish unity and did little to reassure unionist fears.
"Unionists still felt under siege and, understandably, many believed that the continuing violence showed they had nothing to gain and much to lose by the agreement," he said.
He also revealed the Department of the Public Service in Dublin had proposed assigning up to 20,000 civil servants to work on the Council of Ireland.
"If it had become public at the time it might well have sunk the concept of the council on the spot," he said.
Despite Sunningdale's failings, Mr Dorr said it succeeded in making the UK Government realise "the Irish question" had not been settled after partition in 1921.
He added: "If in future, there was to be a devolved government then representatives of the minority would share in exercising the devolved powers, and the aspiration of the minority to Irish unity achieved by consent would have to be recognised."
Sunningdale: The Search for Peace in Northern Ireland, is published by the Royal Irish Academy.
A Northern Ireland road is likely to remain closed for some time after a truck hit a bridge.
The incident happened on the Ballysallagh Road between Bangor and Dundonald on Wednesday evening.
Police have had to close the road until an assessment of the damage can be made by structural engineers.
Road users have been warned the road will likely be closed for the "foreseeable future".
Police described the impact of the incident on traffic as "a nightmare" and urged anyone to avoid the area if possible.
It's thought the low bridge has been hit on a number of occasions and the road closure will cause delays on the A2 between Bangor and Belfast.
"This incident has to potential to cause significant traffic disruption during peak periods," Transport NI said.
Schoolchildren as young as 12 have been accused of issuing death threats to another pupil at a secondary school in Northern Ireland.
A concerned parent of the pupil from Breda Academy in south Belfast told the Belfast Telegraph that she repeatedly told the school about the extreme bullying, which has included physical assaults and resulted in suspensions lasting a couple of days.
The mother also claimed that up to seven teachers have said that despite witnessing the abuse, they have little power to do anything in fear of compromising pupils' human rights. The 12 and 13-year-old pupils, who have been accused of bullying another pupil, allegedly used social media as a tool to harass and intimidate their classmate, and comments were left on a website last week saying they were going to "kill".
In addition to these threats, one of the pupils is said to have run around the school looking for the student saying they were going to kill the alleged victim.
Police are aware of the incidents and said it was "quite a serious matter", and the situation has been under investigation for the past two weeks.
When the alleged intimidators are not in school, the pupil reportedly achieves good grades, is high achieving and works hard. But when they are in school the pupil is forced to hide in empty classrooms for fear of another assault, the mother said. She added: "It's a struggle getting my child up for school in the morning. They have removed these pupils from my child's classes but there is an issue with safety and the school recognises that.
"I have considered taking my child out of the school - but why should my child have to suffer because these pupils are bullying?"
The mother added that her child is contacted by these pupils when away from school through chats on social media.
"Seven teachers have said that they have seen this behaviour towards my child, including one hearing that the bully wasn't afraid to slap my child," the mother claimed.
"I understand that the teachers have had the threats shown to them and there was one time when one of them shouted in a teacher's face that she was going to kill my child and the teacher said she was too scared of the student to turn her back on them." Breda Academy principal Matthew Munro said: "I cannot comment on an individual ongoing case for reasons of confidentiality and safeguarding.
"However, I would make the following general observations. Breda Academy takes allegations of bullying, including physical assault, very seriously. The safety of pupils is our paramount concern.
"Where the actions of individual pupils are harmful towards others we have policies and procedures in place to address them. This includes acting swiftly on information of a serious concern and - where necessary - liaising with EA officers, PSNI and other agencies outside school. With regard to suspensions and expulsions, Breda Academy - as a controlled school - abides by the current EA Scheme for suspensions and expulsions."
Twelve protected birds of prey have been killed through criminal activity in two years, an animal protection agency revealed yesterday.
Six buzzards, five peregrine falcons and one sparrowhawk were illegally poisoned or shot, the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW NI) said.
Dr Eimear Rooney from the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group said birds of prey had been killed in five of Northern Ireland's six counties, with Co Fermanagh being the only exception.
She explained: "This latest persecution report helps us all to understand the scale and distribution of the problem.
"It is particularly shocking to see new areas appear on the hotspot maps, showing the issue of raptor persecution to be widespread. It is heartbreaking to think of the deaths of these protected birds but it is particularly shocking to see the continued usage of highly toxic Carbofuran.
"The PAW NI group will continue to take action to tackle raptor persecution and it is encouraging to see all the partners proactively working together on this report."
The investigation found that in three cases, the birds were poisoned using Carbofuran, a pesticide that has been banned across the European Union for over 15 years.
It was blacklisted in 2001 because of its high toxicity to animal and human life.
In the nine remaining instances, death occurred through the use of other banned substances used to kill rodents while some of the birds had been illegally shot.
The Ulster Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) said the destruction of birds of prey is "undoubtedly an under-reported crime that proliferates well away from the public view".
A spokesperson said: "Poisons and traps are indiscriminate and this charity has, on many occasions, seen companion animals and other unintentional victims endure terminal suffering.
"Like all wildlife crime, the agencies responsible for investigation and prosecution rely on receiving reports of concern to trigger investigations.
"The USPCA is fully committed through its membership of PAW to support the PSNI in their efforts to bring those responsible for the destruction of these magnificent creatures to justice."
The latest figures also show that overall, 57 birds of prey were killed illegally in Northern Ireland during the last eight years.
There were 49 cases of suspected wildlife crime involving birds of prey reported to the PSNI in 2015 and 2016.
In some of these cases the birds were found to have died of natural causes and others were in a state of such advanced decomposition it was impossible to come to any conclusions.
However, 20 birds tested positive for the consumption of rat poison laid out by landowners.
Superintendent Brian Kee, PSNI service lead for rural and wildlife crime, added: "Wildlife crime, including the illegal killing/poisoning of birds of prey, is taken extremely seriously by police.
"It isn't acceptable for birds of prey or any other wildlife to be killed in this way.
"These actions are illegal and the use of toxic poisons is indiscriminate as they put children, pets and livestock at risk too."
Ireland is determined to hold firm on the demand for matching customs rules north and south of the border post-Brexit, the Taoiseach has said.
Leo Varadkar said the proposal to avoid a hard border was backed by all members of the EU 27, but he made clear that even if there was a softening of stance among other European leaders he would not back down.
"We have the absolute support of the other European Union member states that are remaining," he told the Dail.
"We have not come under any pressure as yet to soften our position.
"However, I am not so naive as to think that that may not occur. We will avoid at any cost being isolated. However, even if we are isolated, we have to hold to this position, in my view."
Responding to claims that the UK and Irish governments' relationship has markedly deteriorated due to their opposing views on how to manage the border, Mr Varadkar insisted personal relations remained "very good".
He added: "The difficulty is not so much one of relations or relationships but rather the enormous policy gap that now exists between a United Kingdom government that wants to leave the European Union - it seems to be pursuing a hard Brexit policy by leaving the single market and customs union - and an Irish government that accepts the decision the UK people have made but wants to protect our national interests, not only those relating to trade between Britain and Ireland but our national interests in respect of Northern Ireland as well."
He predicted a "difficult few weeks and months ahead" in the Brexit talks.
"This is potentially a historic decision for us," he said.
Politicians in Dublin and Brussels have warned that if Northern Ireland operated outside the rules of the customs union and single market it could have dire consequences for the island's economy and the cross-border provisions of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
Europe is calling for a solution that would see Northern Ireland continue to be in compliance with the EU's regulatory framework, to enable the retention of a free-flowing border.
Mr Varadkar told TDs: "We think it can be best achieved if the United Kingdom, either on behalf of all of the UK or on behalf of Northern Ireland, commits to regulatory equivalence, that is to say, that we will operate the same rules and regulations. Without doing that, it is almost impossible to avoid some form of hard border."
This week Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster accused Dublin and Brussels of acting "recklessly" in regard to Northern Ireland and claimed they were trying to use the region as a bargaining chip.
This suggestion of Northern Ireland operating under different trade regulations from the rest of the UK has angered the DUP and other unionists.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney claimed the UK was failing to offer credible answers to the "hard questions" Ireland and the EU were asking about the fate of the border.
Mr Coveney rejected suggestions that Dublin and Brussels are seeking to exploit the uncertainty over Northern Ireland's position to strengthen the EU's hand in the negotiations.
"We are certainly not seeking to exploit anything," Mr Coveney said on a visit to Belfast.
"We are trying to protect a peace process that so many people from all backgrounds, unionist and nationalist, have worked so hard to create."
The Fine Gael minister added: "What's happening here is we are asking the hard questions and unfortunately we are not getting credible answers, which is why I think some people seem to be uncomfortable."
An Audi Q7 like the one in which the family got trapped
Algae on the slipway which would have made it difficult for the vehicle to get any traction
Rescue services at the pier in Buncrana where a family of five perished after their car slide into Loch Swilly
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Joe Bolan / Press Eye
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye
Garda at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
John McCarthy from the RNLI at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Sean McGrotty and his two sons Evan and Mark died at the scene. His partner Louise wasnt present at the time of the tragedy, but her baby Rioghnach-Ann, whom she is cradling here, was rescued
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Louise McGrotty with baby Rioghnach-Ann, who survived the tragedy, and son Evan (8), who lost his life
Evan McGrotty, aged eight, died alongside his father Sean McGrotty (49), 12-year-old brother Mark, grandmother Ruth Daniels, 59, and her 14-year-old daughter, Jodie Lee Daniels, when their SUV sank after sliding off a "slippery as ice" slipway in Buncrana in March 2016.
A father whose car slid into Lough Swilly in Co Donegal, killing himself and four other members of the same Londonderry family, was more than three times over the drink drive limit at the time, an inquest has heard.
Sean McGrotty (48), who was behind the wheel of the Audi, died alongside his two sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), his partner Louise James's sister Jodie Lee Daniels (14) and her mother Ruth Daniels (58) on March 20, 2016.
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Pathologist Dr Catriona Dillon, who carried out the post-mortem, told the opening day of the inquest the fact that he was three times over the limit may have affected events.
The inquest conducted by Coroner Dr Denis McCauley also heard that Ms James, who was in Liverpool when the tragedy occurred, had a "feeling" something terrible had happened at around the time all five perished in Buncrana.
The couple's baby daughter Rioghnach-Ann, who was then four months old, was the sole survivor.
Ms James's statement to gardai was read out yesterday. The inquest heard how she last saw her family at around 4pm on Friday, March 18, 2016 before she left for a hen weekend in Liverpool, although she had been in constant contact with them.
She last spoke with her sister Jodie Lee and two sons Evan and Mark at 6.55pm on the Sunday when she told them she would see them all later that day - just 17 minutes before tragedy struck.
She said: "At 7.25pm I had a feeling something wasn't right. I don't know why but I got a feeling something wasn't right.
"I tried to contact Sean and Jodie but I couldn't get through."
Ms James called her brother Nathan to ask if her mother had returned home and when he said she hadn't she called her brother Joshua. He asked her if she was on Facebook because a car had gone off the pier at Buncrana.
Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Pictured is eye witness Francis Crawford. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Pictured is Martin McGuinness. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 Louise James (front -left) one of five Coffins during The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 Louise James (front -left) one of five Coffins during The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/03/2016 Francis Crawford ( who raised the alarm) during The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Alan Lewis- PhotopressBelfast.co.uk 24-3-2016 Today's funerals in Londonderry of the family of five who drowned at Buncrana pier tragedy at the weekend in Donegal. Photopress Belfast Funeral of Derry family who drowned in Buncrana Co-Donegal pier accident. 24-3-16 The funeral for five members of the McGrotty/Daniels family taking place at Holy Family Church in Derry city on Thursday. Louise James lost her partner Sean McGrotty, sons Mark and Evan, sister Jodie-Lee Daniels and mother Ruth Daniels. The jeep the victims were in slipped off the pier at Buncrana in Co-Donegal on Sunday night. A four month old baby girl was rescued from the vehicle. Picture Margaret McLaughlin please by-line 24-3-16 see story LOUISE JAMES (BLACK COAT) CARRIES ONE OF HER YOUNG SONS - Funeral of Derry family who drowned in Buncrana Co-Donegal pier accident. 24-3-16 The funeral for five members of the McGrotty/Daniels family taking place at Holy Family Church in Derry city on Thursday. Louise James lost her partner Sean McGrotty, sons Mark and Evan, sister Jodie-Lee Daniels and mother Ruth Daniels. The jeep the victims were in slipped off the pier at Buncrana in Co-Donegal on Sunday night. A four month old baby girl was rescued from the vehicle. Picture Margaret McLaughlin please by-line 24-3-16 see story Funeral of Derry family who drowned in Buncrana Co-Donegal pier accident. 24-3-16 The funeral for five members of the McGrotty/Daniels family taking place at Holy Family Church in Derry city on Thursday. Louise James lost her partner Sean McGrotty, sons Mark and Evan, sister Jodie-Lee Daniels and mother Ruth Daniels. The jeep the victims were in slipped off the pier at Buncrana in Co-Donegal on Sunday night. A four month old baby girl was rescued from the vehicle. Picture Margaret McLaughlin please by-line 24-3-16 see story The final hearse arrives at the Holy Family chapel, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry for the funeral of the five people killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Hearses arrive at the Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry for the funeral of the five people killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Mourners arrive at the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry for the funeral of the five people killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Coffins are place into hearses at the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Louise James (front left) who lost her partner, two sons, sister and mother carries a coffin out of the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Louise James (right) who lost her partner, two sons, sister and mother carries a coffin out of the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Mourners outside the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Louise James (right) who lost her partner, two sons, sister and mother carries a coffin out of the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 24, 2016. Sean McGrotty and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died along with his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels after their SUV sank after sliding off the pier slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal. See PA story FUNERAL Pier. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Louise James (front left) who lost her partner, two sons, sister and mother carries a coffin out of the Holy Family church, Ballymagroarty in Londonderry after the funeral of the five people who were killed when their car slid off a slipway in Co Donegal. PA PA Funeral of Derry family who drowned in Buncrana Co Donegal pier accident. Picture Margaret McLaughlin The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal last Sunday night. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funeral of five pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. The victims were Ruth Daniels, her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, her son-in-law Sean McGrotty, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight. The only survivor was Mr McGrotty's four-month old daughter, Rionaghac-Ann. They died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana County Donegal. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, who was in England at the time and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, third from left and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. The only survivor of the tragedy was Mr. McGrottys baby Rioghnach James. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan James, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, who was in England at the time and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. The only survivor of the tragedy was Mr. McGrottys baby Rioghnach James. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan James, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, who was in England at the time and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. The only survivor of the tragedy was Mr. McGrottys baby Rioghnach James. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan James, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, who was in England at the time and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. The only survivor of the tragedy was Mr. McGrottys baby Rioghnach James. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 Louise James, in black, places her son Evan in a hearse. The funerals of Sean McGrotty, 46, his two young sons Mark 12, and Evan James, 8, Ruth Daniels, 57, the mother of Mr McGrottys partner Louise, who was in England at the time and Ms Daniels teenage daughter Jodie-Lee,15, who died when their car slipped into the water from a slipway in Buncrana at the weekend. The only survivor of the tragedy was Mr. McGrottys baby Rioghnach James. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 24.03.17 Louise McGrotty and brother Josh carry remains of their sister Jodi-Lee into their Hazelbank home Louise McGrotty with baby Rioghnach-Ann, who survived the tragedy, and son Evan (8), who lost his life Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Jodie Lee Daniels Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Sean McGrotty Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Proud granny Ruth Daniels gives Mark and Evan McGrotty a hug Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Sean McGrotty (49) with son Mark (12) Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Ruth Daniels (59) with daughter Jodi-Lee (14) Sean McGrotty and his two sons Evan and Mark died at the scene. His partner Louise wasnt present at the time of the tragedy, but her baby Rioghnach-Ann, whom she is cradling here, was rescued Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye Jodi-Lee playing with nephew Evan Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye The familys Q7 which slid into Lough Swilly Buncrana pier tragedy: Former Ballymena United footballer Davitt Walsh heroically dived into the water and saved baby. Image: RTE News Mark (12) and eight-year-old Evan. The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin Sean McGrotty The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin Ruth Daniels The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Jodie Lee Daniels. The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Jodie-Lee Daniels. Photopress Belfast Martin McGuinness at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Jodie Lee Daniels Photopress Belfast Garda Superintendent Colm Nevin speaks to the media. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker John McCarthy from the RNLI at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Jodie Lee Daniels Photopress Belfast Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Garda at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Joe Bolan / Press Eye Tributes left at the scene of the tragedy. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Emergency services on the pier at Buncrana after yesterdays tragic accident Rescue services at the pier in Buncrana where a family of five perished after their car slide into Loch Swilly The pier in daylight Algae on the slipway which would have made it difficult for the vehicle to get any traction An Audi Q7 like the one in which the family got trapped / Facebook
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Whatsapp The funeral of the five Buncrana pier victims takes place at Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty on Thursday. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press
Ms James told her brother her family were in Buncrana and asked him to check if they were okay and to get back to her "quickly" because she was about to board a plane and had to switch her phone off.
When she arrived at the airport, Joshua called to break the devastating news.
After arriving in Derry city, Ms James was taken to the morgue at Letterkenny General Hospital where she first spent time with her baby before going to identify the bodies of her partner Sean, mother Ruth, sister Jodie Lee and sons Evan and Mark. No questions were put to Ms James about her evidence by Dr McCauley or any of the legal representatives.
Earlier the inquest heard from two witnesses who arrived on the scene as Mr McGrotty's car was sinking into the water and who raised the alarm.
Francis Crawford arrived at the pier by car along with his wife Kay at around 7pm, by which time Mr McGrotty's car was around four inches deep in water.
Mr Crawford said he realised very quickly that "something had gone badly wrong" just before he heard Mr McGrotty call out "phone the coastguard, phone the coastguard".
Mr Crawford made the call and emphasised the scale of the tragedy unfolding in front of his eyes, saying "there is a car going off the pier".
He also told the inquest how he could hear a child "squealing, roaring, crying" from inside the car.
Mr Crawford told how the car was "slowly moving off the slipway" and was bobbing in the water before the nose of the vehicle tipped "suddenly" and sank below the water.
By this time another man, Davitt Walsh, had arrived on the scene, had stripped off his clothes and had swam out to the family and rescued the baby before returning to the shore.
Mr Crawford said he had hoped against hope that others could have been saved.
He also explained how, as a local resident, he knew how treacherous the slipway was because of algae and told the court there were around "10 other incidences" when cars had previously entered the water, although none had resulted in tragedy.
Pathologist Dr Dillon told yesterday's hearing that Mr McGrotty's death was caused by drowning.
She also said that blood samples taken from Mr McGrotty contained 159mg of alcohol per decimetre. The legal limit for driving is 50. Dr Dillon said the level "may indicate a level of intoxication" but she could not say what the level of impairment might be.
She explained that she couldn't be sure because it affected different people in different ways.
Evidence from gardai who were on the scene between 16 and 17 minutes after Mr Crawford made his emergency call showed Mr McGrotty's car was already submerged in the water and a body recovery operation was taking place.
After the victims were pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor, they were removed to Letterkenny Hospital morgue. The area around the scene was secured after gardai confirmed with a family member the number of people who were in the car and that all members were accounted for.
Expert evidence about the effect of algae on the slipway and the traction of vehicle tyres on these types of surfaces was also heard from the director of Road and Transport at Donegal County Council and John Leech from Irish Water Safety.
The inquests continues today where evidence concerning the deaths of Mark and Evan McGrotty, Jodie Lee Daniels and Ruth Daniels will be heard.
An Audi Q7 like the one in which the family got trapped
Algae on the slipway which would have made it difficult for the vehicle to get any traction
Rescue services at the pier in Buncrana where a family of five perished after their car slide into Loch Swilly
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Joe Bolan / Press Eye
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Presseye
Garda at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Francis Crawford Who raised the alarm, at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal, after Five people, including children, have died after a car went off a pier. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Flowers left at the Scene at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
John McCarthy from the RNLI at the Pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
The scene at the pier in Buncrana Co Donegal. Picture Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Sean McGrotty and his two sons Evan and Mark died at the scene. His partner Louise wasnt present at the time of the tragedy, but her baby Rioghnach-Ann, whom she is cradling here, was rescued
Remains of the five members of the same family who drowned at Buncrana pier are taken to the family home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Joe Boland / Press Eye
Louise McGrotty with baby Rioghnach-Ann, who survived the tragedy, and son Evan (8), who lost his life
Evan McGrotty, aged eight, died alongside his father Sean McGrotty (49), 12-year-old brother Mark, grandmother Ruth Daniels, 59, and her 14-year-old daughter, Jodie Lee Daniels, when their SUV sank after sliding off a "slippery as ice" slipway in Buncrana in March 2016.
Louise James, the Derry mum who lost her partner, two sons, mother and sister in the Buncrana pier tragedy has said she hopes lessons are learned and paid tribute to Sean McGrotty as a "wonderful" partner and father.
Evan McGrotty, eight, his father Sean, 12-year-old brother Mark, grandmother Ruth Daniels, 59, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels died when their SUV sank after sliding off the "slippery as ice" surface in Donegal.
A jury found the five victims died by misadventure following a two-day inquest in Buncrana, Co Donegal, near where the accident happened in March last year.
The jury described it as a "heartbreaking tragedy" and recommended national guidelines for all piers and slipways across Ireland.
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A post-mortem examination found that driver of the car Sean McGrotty was more than three times over the legal drink-driving limit, a pathologist told the inquest in Buncrana on Wednesday.
He was found to have consumed 159 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, when the drink-drive limit is only 50. That could indicate an "element" of intoxication, pathologist Dr Catriona Dillon told an inquest in Buncrana, Co Donegal. However she could not say how this affected his ability on the day.
Mr McGrotty's four-month-old baby Rioghnach-Ann was saved by heroic rescuer Davitt Walsh who entered the freezing waters of Lough Swilly in response to the distressed cries of the children and pleas for help from their father.
Louise James was in Liverpool at the time of the tragedy. The inquest was told she had a "feeling" something terrible had happened at around the time all five perished in Buncrana. She had just arrived back in Northern Ireland at the airport when she was told of the devastating news.
Speaking outside the inquest, family solicitor Owen Galllagher read out a statement on behalf of Louise.
In it, she said: "It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I have listened to all the evidence that has emerged during the course of this inquest.
"There are simply no words capable of expressing my pain, my disbelief and anger over what happened that favourite day.
"My heart is shattered. Every moment of every day is filled with thoughts of of my beautiful boys Mark and Evan, my mother Ruth, my sister Jodie Lee and my partner Sean.
"The one ray of sunshine in my life is my daughter Rioghnach who survived this horrible tragedy and for that I must once again thank Davitt and all the others who helped to save her on that day."
The statement continued: "I firmly believe the slipway should have been closed to public or else proper warning signs display it was an accident waiting to happen.
"Hopefully lessons will be learned and recommendations implemented.
"Finally regarding Sean. Not withstanding the evidence that has emerged, he was a wonderful partner to me and an adoring father to his children.
"He lived from him.
"And as it has emerged from this inquest he died as he lived - he could have saved himself and chose not to."
Mr Gallagher ended saying Ms James would not be making any further statement and appealed for her to be given her privacy.
Mr Coveney also warned a proposed amnesty for soldiers accused of crimes during the Troubles has the potential to undermine legacy processes
Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has told a parliamentary committee that he wants to see a united Ireland in his political lifetime.
Mr Coveney was addressing the Oireachtas committee on the Good Friday Agreement.
He said: "I am a constitutional nationalist, I would like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime. If possible, in my political lifetime."
He added that any moves toward Irish unification should be careful, learn from the past and ensure more steps are taken to protect and include a unionist minority.
Meanwhile, during the committee session Mr Coveney also warned that a proposed amnesty for soldiers accused of crimes during the Troubles has the potential to undermine legacy processes.
Earlier this week it was revealed an upcoming UK government consultation on how to deal with legacy issues from the conflict will include a proposal that soldiers who committed crimes while deployed in Northern Ireland may be subject to a statute of limitations, meaning they would cease to be prosecuted once a certain time limit has expired.
Mr Coveney told the committee: "Our view is that it would be very unhelpful to have as part of the consultation process any new questions around the use of a statute of limitations or a creation of an amnesty.
"What that creates is a tiering of categories, if you like, in terms of atrocities that happened and treating them differently depending on where a person comes from or who they were working for, whether they were working for the state or not."
Mr Coveney added he would speak to Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire on Thursday evening to raise his concerns about it with him directly.
A number of unresolved killings from the conflict have been the subject of reinvestigation in recent years, including alleged murders by paramilitary groups and soldiers.
The DUP has previously raised concerns about whether soldiers are being subject to an unfair focus within these investigations.
Mr Brokenshire announced in September that a public consultation would be launched on a number of proposals on how legacy issues should be dealt with. The policy document has yet to be published.
Following a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May at Downing Street on Monday, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said his party had not been informed that a statute of limitations would be contained in the consultation and accused the UK government of acting in "bad faith".
MPs will finish their line-by-line assessment of key Brexit legislation before Christmas, according to Andrea Leadsom.
The Commons Leader said the eighth and final day of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bills committee stage will be December 20 the penultimate sitting day before the Christmas recess.
The Bill, which seeks to transfer European law into British law, has completed three days at committee and has yet to be amended despite numerous concerns among Tory MPs.
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Mrs Leadsom confirmed the timetable in her weekly statement outlining business in the Commons.
The Governments lack of a majority has seen concessions offered to avert potential defeats, including over how rights will be protected post-Brexit.
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve and former minister Anna Soubry are among the senior Tory backbenchers who have raised repeated concerns about different parts of the proposed legislation.
Speaking in the Commons, Mrs Leadsom said committee stage is provisionally scheduled to resume on December 4.
Day five of committee stage is scheduled for December 6, day six on December 12 and day seven on December 13, Mrs Leadsom added.
Some MPs cheered as the Conservative frontbencher confirmed December 20 as the final day of the Bills committee stage.
A toddler has died in hospital after being discovered seriously hurt at a house in Birmingham.
The 21-month-old girl, found at a house in the Northfield area of Birmingham on Sunday, died at the citys childrens hospital on Wednesday evening, West Midlands Police said.
A 30-year-old woman and a man, 28, have been arrested on suspicion of causing or allowing serious injury to a child.
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Police said they went to a house in The Green at 3pm on Sunday after reports that a girl was unconscious.
She was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and pronounced dead at 8.30pm on Wednesday.
Inspector Ian Wilkins said: This is a terribly sad case which has resulted in the death of a little girl.
At present her death remains unexplained. Our inquiries will focus on determining whether any of the injuries she sustained were deliberately inflicted or whether this was a tragic accident.
A post-mortem will be carried out in due course which will hopefully confirm the precise cause of death.
The man and woman were arrested when the girl was still alive and they have been released on conditional bail.
The address where she was found has been sealed off while investigations continue, WMP said.
A kitesurfer off West Wittering beach in West Sussex, as the UK prepares for heavy wind and rain this weekend
The UK and Ireland look set to get their first real taste of winter today.
Scotland is braced for snow as heavy rain and strong winds lash much of the of the UK, causing widespread flooding.
Heavy and persistent snow is forecast north of the border this morning, with 2cm to 5cm likely for many parts and up to 20cm on the highest ground, the Met Office said.
And in the Republic, Met Eireann warned that freezing weather will hit Ireland from today with Friday and Saturday set to be bitterly cold as temperatures sink to -3 degrees overnight.
It said that a "polar low" is approaching the north of the country.
In Northern Ireland, today's maximum temperature is predicted to be 7C.
The Met Office forecasts frequent showers with a fresh to strong westerly wind, possibly gale force along the north coast at first. It will also feel colder with the showers turning wintry on high ground.
Friday through to Sunday will be much brighter here with some sunshine at times along with a few showers which will be wintry at times, especially over higher ground.
Sunday will be mainly dry.
Police have ratcheted up pressure on more than 300 asylum seekers to abandon a decommissioned immigration camp in Papua New Guinea
Authorities in Papua New Guinea have removed dozens of asylum seekers and ratcheted up pressure on more than 300 others to abandon a decommissioned immigration camp.
Police Commissioner Gari Baki said 50 police and immigration officials entered the Manus Island camp on Thursday morning and "peacefully relocated" 50 asylum seekers among the 378 men to alternative accommodation in the nearby town of Lorengau.
Some refugees said their shelters, beds and other belongings had been destroyed, and Shen Narayanasamy, a human rights campaigner for the activist group GetUp!, said some of those transported from the camp reported being forced to leave.
Mr Baki said in a statement that all had "left voluntarily", except for Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochan, a journalist who used social media to report on disturbing conditions on Manus.
Australian immigration and border protection minister Peter Dutton told Sky News that Mr Boochan was among "a small number of people ... arrested".
But Mr Baki said Mr Boochan had not been arrested or charged.
"He was stirring up trouble and telling the other refugees not to move out of the centre so police and officers ... simply escorted him out," Mr Baki said. "I am glad that this relocation exercise was done peacefully and without use of force."
Mr Boochan had earlier tweeted from the camp: "They are destroying everything. Shelters, tanks, beds and all of our belongings.
"Right now are shouting at us to leave the prison camp."
Police Chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas denied reports that authorities destroyed asylum seekers' property in an effort to persuade them to leave.
Water, power and food supplies ended when the Manus camp officially closed on October 31, based on the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court's ruling last year that Australia's policy of housing asylum seekers there was unconstitutional.
Asylum seekers fear for their safety in Lorengau because of threats from local residents.
Amnesty International cited reports of immigration officials entering the camp armed with sticks and knives.
"The risks of serious injury if the authorities use force now is completely foreseeable," the London-based rights group's researcher Kate Schuetze said in a statement.
Authorities had previously made conditions tougher in the camp by emptying drinking water tanks and removing shelters. Deadlines to abandon the camp passed without authorities taking action.
Australia pays Papua New Guinea, its nearest neighbour, and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru to hold thousands of asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East and Asia who have attempted to reach Australian shores by boat since mid-2013.
The US has agreed to resettle up to 1,250 of the refugees under a deal struck by Barack Obama's administration that President Donald Trump has reluctantly decided to honour. So far, only 54 have been accepted by the US.
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull dismissed asylum seekers' fears for their safety in Lorengau, accusing them of trying to pressure Australia into resettling them by refusing to move from Manus.
"They think that ... in some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia. Well, we will not be pressured. We will not outsource our migration policy to people smugglers," Mr Turnbull told reporters.
"People on Manus should go to the alternative places of safety with all the facilities they need, they should do so peacefully and they should do so in accordance with the legal directions of Papua New Guinea."
Mr Baki said "refugees cannot continue to be stubborn and defiant".
AP
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said an RAF Voyager, which took off from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, arrived in Argentina on Wednesday. (Nick Ansell/PA)
An RAF aircraft has landed in Argentina some 35 years after the Falklands War, as it joins search efforts to find a missing submarine with 44 sailors on board.
The Argentine navy said it lost contact with the ARA San Juan on November 15.
Since then, more than a dozen international vessels and aircraft, including those from the UK, have joined the search, with efforts hindered by stormy weather and 20ft waves.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said an RAF Voyager, which took off from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, arrived in Argentina on Wednesday.
It is understood the landing of the Voyager marks the first time since the 1982 conflict that an RAF aircraft which departed from the UK has landed in the South American country.
The MoD spokesman said the Voyager is packed with three tonnes of equipment, including 12 deep emergency life support pods.
HMS Protector, a Royal Navy ice patrol ship, which arrived on Sunday was deployed to the vessel's last known location, and used its sonar equipment to search below the waves for the missing sub.
An RAF C-130 transport aircraft has also joined the search following an offer of assistance.
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Uzbek Ministry of Health and a number of Korean clinics will be signing relevant agreements and few memorandums of understanding.
A number of meetings have been taking place with the heads of the South Korean leading clinics at the Uzbek Health Ministry.
Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon, Myongji Hospital in Seoul, Medical Leaders Corporation, Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju and Kwai Chung Hospital are few of the clinics involved in the collaboration.
A wide range of issues, in particular, telemedicine, leading Korean experts master classes in Uzbekistan, improving of the skills of Uzbek doctors and training of students in Korea, the construction of high-tech and modern clinics in Uzbekistan, were discussed during the meetings.
Following the talks, the Uzbek Ministry of Health and a number of Korean clinics decided upon signing relevant agreements and few memorandums of understanding.
Two more agreements are expected to be signed with Myongji Hospital in Seoul and Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju.
Negotiations were also held with the minister of health and welfare of Korea, where priority directions for the development of bilateral relations were discussed.
The National Health Mission forms the backbone of the Indian public services and is one of the world's largest health programmes.
The flagship health programme of the government has received approval almost 20 percent lower than what the health ministry said was needed. The National Health Mission was renewed by the Finance Ministry in August with $20 billion of funding between 2017- 2020. This figure was against the health ministry's estimated requirement of $25 billion.
It was stated that the finance ministry reduced planned funding because of other spending priorities and because of state governments' poor track record of spending the health budgets they've been allotted in the past.
The National Health Mission forms the backbone of the Indian public services and is one of the world's largest health programmes. It provides everything from free drugs to immunisation services to millions of rural poor.
The National Health Mission typically accounts for about half of the Union health budget and officials said the lower spending approval would make achieving the government's 2025 target more difficult.
The government is also concerned about states that do not have the governance capacity to spend large health budgets efficiently. A shortage of workers, bureaucratic bungling and slow procurement processes have plagued the states' health systems.
Previously, the health officials faced criticism from other government departments for the National Health Mission's inefficiencies and were asked to rework the renewal proposal for 2017-20 after they drew up spending estimates of $33 billion.
Is AMR Modern-day FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER?
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. The rising AMR is a matter of huge concern that needs to be tactfully handled and health authorities of several countries, including India, have formulated action plans for its containment. Significant efforts by the government, an active involvement of startups and diagnostic players is a good start. The question remains, whether this will be enough.
For Feedback, please email us at: communications@mmactiv.com
Switzerland Is Offering $60,000 For People To Move In Pulse oi-Syeda Farah
All thanks to the image that Bollywood has created for Switzerland, this is the destination where people wish to spend their honeymoon period in with their partner.
But going there is not a cup of tea for all! Well, there is a solution for this, as now the Government in Switzerland is offering people 53,000 to live in a town!
You May Also Like To Read: Most Colourful Places Around The World!
Sounds fishy? Well, the reason why the offer is being made to the public is because of the human population becoming extinct in the village!
Check out more on this interesting town of Switzerland...
The Town Albinen is the town that is located in a gorgeous valley at an altitude of 4265 feet above sea level. The place is a typical mountain town that has its own church and traditional Valais architecture all over the place. According To The President Of The Town... The town is characterised by its quietness, phenomenal views, great air quality and many hours of sunshine throughout the year. But, unfortunately, this beautiful town is threatened with extinction, as the residents are moving away and out of the countryside and into the city. life Countries That Pay You To Live There There Are Just 240 People Living There Currently The town has just 240 people left and among these people, there are just seven kids who have to go by bus to nearby towns to attend school. The town school was shut down after families moved to bigger cities. The Offer The government is offering people under the age of 45 years to move into this beautiful place, as they can buy or own houses of their own in the place. The offer is aimed for couples with 2 children. They would get 53,000 to move into the town. But There Is A Catch If the couple decides to move out of the place, they need to repay the Government of Switzerland the entire amount before they move out. So, what do you think? Isn't it a beautiful place to move in to? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 18:56 [IST]
Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell isn't buying the banks' claims that lending to small business is booming and says action is needed.
In a speech to the Institute of Public Accountants conference on Friday Carnell will call out the barriers to investment for small business including access to capital.
Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell is concerned with the barriers to finance for small business. Credit:Louie Douvis
Carnell is sceptical about Westpac business banking chief, David Lindberg's claim lending to small firms is booming and that a government backed small business bank is not needed.
Similar claims were made by other banks appearing before parliamentary committees over the last few weeks.
When I've experienced a period of unhappiness in my life I've often sought external change switching my job, hairstyle or even home only for such feelings to eventually find me again.
After weeks of flipping my thoughts, what became clear is that we cant believe everything we think. Credit:Stocksy
While it would be unrealistic to eliminate our negative thoughts altogether, psychologists have found that dwelling on them excessively can be detrimental both mentally and physically as essential parts of a cell's DNA, its telomeres, become shortened when stressed, affecting the way cells age.
We spend a lot of time thinking negatively. Nearly half our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we are doing we ruminate on past disappointments, worry about the future, or recall embarrassing moments over and over.
Changing the way I think could be longer-lasting. According to Blackburn and Epel, making changes to our mental habits can protect our telomeres and improve our health. One such strategy is thought awareness, which can build resilience as we learn to attach less meaning to our thoughts. I decided to put such internal awareness to the test through an opposite-thought experiment.
Taking the advice of the late Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, I tracked my most common thoughts and devised a new set.
In the first week of the experiment, I noted and catalogued my thoughts in the notes section of my smartphone. By day seven, the themes were clear: worrying about the future, worrying about what other people think, beating myself up for perceived flaws, comparing myself to others, negatively internalising other people's actions or words, and ruminating on the past.
What was most startling when reflecting on this list was that many things I worry about are outside my control. What people think of me, the future, and what other people do are not things I can change by mulling them over. For the most part I can't control what happens in my life, but I can control how I think about it.
In the second week, I developed an alternative thought to each on my list, and then consciously applied these. Each time I noticed myself falling into the mental loop of worrying about my career trajectory, for instance, I would tell myself, "I'm doing what I can now with what I have." If I found myself lost in thoughts of the past or replaying interactions, I repeated, "Be open to the surprises in the present."
The Turnbull Government's foreign policy White Paper paints a picture of an uncertain future for our region, and a nation forced to reconsider our role and friendships. While the paper speaks about the need to hedge our bets by building stronger connections to emerging neighbouring powers, by wedding Australia to American and regional attempts to contain the rise of China it commits us to pursuing the impossible.
China, as many commentators have already observed, cannot and will not be "contained". It appears increasingly likely that, over the coming decades, it will replace America as the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific region.
While that transition, which has been underway for more than a decade, will not be achieved overnight, it is a reality that will drop the curtain on a horrific two centuries for the Chinese people.
The Middle Kingdom, for so long the plaything of foreign imperialists including Russians, Germans, English, French, Americans and the Japanese, took control of its own destiny following the communist victory over the nationalists in 1949.
Nigel Stanier arrived at his office in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade suspecting he wouldn't be assigned to his usual duties in human resources on July 18, 2014.
The events of the previous day are etched in the memories of families and friends of those who died when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down from pro-Russian rebel controlled territory over eastern Ukraine.
DFAT staffer Nigel Stanier travelled to Ukraine within hours of the downing of flight MH17. Credit:Rohan Thomson
Australia's foreign policy white paper, released Thursday, also revealed the event remains alive in the government's thinking, making special mention of the incident amid other comments signalling it would "work with partners to resist Russia's conduct when it is inimical to global security."
Thinking back on the immediate aftermath, when DFAT dispatched him to Ukraine within hours of the tragedy, Mr Stanier remembers the time as one of massive pressure.
A multi-vehicle crash on the Pacific Motorway blocked two lanes near Yatala, creating a headache for motorists heading to Brisbane on Friday morning.
Emergency services were called to a three-vehicle crash on the M1 northbound near Exit 41, which caused one vehicle to flip onto its roof about 6am.
Paramedics assessed two patients on scene but neither required transport to hospital.
Traffic was backed up to Pimpama after the crash closed two lanes of the four-lane motorway. The lanes reopened by 7.20am.
Queensland police are extraditing a New Zealand man wanted over an alleged million-dollar boiler-room scam.
Sunshine Coast detectives were in Christchurch to extradite the 48-year-old man, who was expected to face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday on 21 counts of fraud.
Police allege the boiler-room type scam fleeced $1.2 million from 21 victims across Australia, including a 71-year-old Sunshine Coast man who claims he lost $78,000 in 2014.
The alleged fraudulent business was set up under the trading name of Freedom Connect and later changed to Leading Edge Strategic Group. It continued operating until September 2015.
Police say the proceeds were used to fund a lavish Gold Coast lifestyle involving the leasing of luxury properties, purchasing vehicles and overseas holidays.
A Perth neurologist has been found guilty of professional misconduct after he financially exploited an elderly patient with dementia and Parkinson's disease under his care.
Professor Peter Panegyres worked as a neurologist at his private clinic at Subiaco, the Neurosciences Unit of the Western Australian Department of Health and the Mid-West Country Neurology Service.
A WA neurologist has been found guilty of professional misconduct. Credit:Jessica Shapiro
In 2009, he began treating a Paraburdoo man, aged in his 70s, for tremors.
As the Paraburdoo man's condition worsened, the patient was admitted to Joondalup Health Campus for ongoing hospital care in late-2012.
On the evening of July 25, 2016, an image of a skinny, semi-nude male youth was beamed into living rooms across Australia. The spindly, inert figure was sitting in a chair in the middle of a drab, featureless room, surrounded by men in khaki uniforms. The youth's arms, legs, waist and neck were bound to the chair's frame. A bag covered his head, muffling his already weak-sounding voice. This, we were told, was a scene from a youth detention facility in the Northern Territory.
In a country that has proved itself to be largely immune to documentary imagery of tragic, state-sanctioned violence think of the endless flow of footage and photos from Manus and Nauru the public response to the Four Corners program was, for once, commensurate with the content. Talkback radio and television news short-circuited into a playback loop, returning again and again to the images of the shackled, hooded youth. Comparisons with Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay abounded as we realised the limits of our visual vocabulary, our very few points of comparison for an event that seemed almost unprecedented.
Meanwhile our politicians, not least our chameleonic Prime Minister, switched into damage-control mode, looking frantically for a way to get out in front of events that threatened to take on a momentum of their own. Something had to be done, or be seen to be done.
Malcolm Turnbull and those in his corner must have immediately known that the problems documented in the program were simultaneously shocking and, to some degree, predictable. They were shocking because, as a society, we have chosen not to want to know too much about what happens in our prisons (unlike the open and transparent models of corrections operating in some European countries, including Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands). But they were also, with the admitted benefit of hindsight, predictable results of an archaic model of youth "justice".
Papua New Guinea authorities have entered the decommissioned Manus Island detention centre and given some 400 men still in the facility an ultimatum to leave.
There are unconfirmed reports authorities have been aggressive, and one detainee claimed two men had been "beaten up". One man was said to be unconscious.
PNG police told Fairfax Media they would not use force against the refugees but confirmed they were in the camp talking to the men, hoping to convince them to leave.
The early morning action follows repeated deadlines issued but not enforced by the PNG government over the three weeks since the centre was shut down.
Pauline Hanson has called a Labor candidate a grub and a coward, and has demanded the Queensland Premier dump him for allegedly bullying a One Nation opponent.
Senator Hanson confronted Labor's candidate for Hervey Bay, Adrian Tantari, on Wednesday, accusing him of abusing his One Nation opponent Damian Huxham.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson with Damian Huxham, Cody Stevens, 4, and Cody's father, Troy Stevens in Hervey Bay. Credit:AAP
She was filmed telling Mr Tantari: "You are nothing but a bully ... we don't need people like you on the floor of Parliament."
"How am I bullying? How am I bullying? How am I bullying?" the Labor candidate repeated during a heated confrontation at a polling booth, and then challenged Senator Hanson to prove her claims.
Queensland's Labor government could be returned with a majority, a new poll shows, as the premier and opposition leader make a final push to woo undecided voters.
Labor leads the Liberal National Party 52 per cent to 48 per cent in two-party preferred terms, a News Corp Galaxy poll published on Friday shows.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has covered a lot of friendly ground. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP
Two-thirds of regional Queenslanders did not want Labor in power but the poll showed she could win enough south-east seats to replace losses in the region, where voters have turned on both major parties.
Polling in Queensland's south-east corner - which holds two-thirds of the state's 93 electorates - points to a clearer lead for Premier Annastacia Palasczczuk's government.
The LNP will redirect funds from Cross River Rail and other Labor projects to pay for its election commitments, shadow treasurer Scott Emerson said on Thursday as he released his partys election costings.
The opposition plans to reduce the states $81.1 billion debt by $680 million, to $80.5 billion by 2021.
LNP treasury spokesman Scott Emerson releasing his party's election costings. Credit:Jono Searle/AAP
The LNP has promised $4.3 billion in policy initiatives, which include free off-peak bus and train travel for seniors (estimated to cost almost $500 million over forward estimates) and $150 learn-to-swim vouchers for children.
We are also delivering $1 billion in cost of living and tax relief, Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson said.
The Sunshine Coast has finally had its first visit from the Premier of the election campaign, with only two days to go.
On Thursday, Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk dropped by Australia Zoo to announce $140,500 to support its animal rehabilitation and koala habitat restoration work.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk meets Ruby the koala during a visit to Australia Zoo in Beerwah, on the Sunshine Coast.
The zoo is in the electorate of Caloundra, which has a margin of 4.7 per cent to the LNP.
Ms Palaszczuk has visited other cities, including Cairns and Townsville, several times on the trail, and defended her decision to not visit the coast earlier.
Beijing: The Chinese government has rebuked Australia for "irresponsible" remarks about Chinese island building in the South China Sea in its Foreign Policy White Paper issued on Thursday.
The paper says the South China Sea is a fault line, and that Australia is particularly concerned at the "unprecedented pace and scale" of China's activities in the region crucial for shipping.
Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop during the official launch of the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. Credit:AAP
"Australia has been saying it will not take sides," said China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang in a briefing late on Thursday. "We hope Australia will stop issuing these irresponsible remarks, especially when ASEAN countries have reached consensus".
However, China's foreign ministry said that, although it contained "some negative statements", a full reading of the White Paper showed "an objective look at the China Australia relationship".
Australia is a country worried about a future under a mighty and demanding China, and afraid that American leadership has already checked out.
Those concerns have been the motive behind the Turnbull government's white paper on foreign policy. And the white paper itself is the government's plan for what to do about it.
A breakthrough concept in the paper is that Australia should start something it has never done before. Balancing.
Not balancing one priority against another, or balancing the US alliance against the China relationship. But balancing in the meaning of classical European statecraft.
Why did John Shortis and Moya Simpson title their end-of-year cabaret 2017 - The Year of the Haircut?
"It came about," Shortis says, "because the world being brought to the brink by the two worst haircuts in world history - Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un."
Moya Simpson, left and John Shortis
That conceit got them going and then they noticed other prominent people whom they did not think were terrific in the tonsorial department - people like Boris Johnson ("the Blonde Bombshell himself") and former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont ("he looks like he's wearing a Beatles wig").
Then there were the High Court justices in their wigs who have had a prominent role to play this year - particularly in the latter part of 2017 as the citizenship issue continues to affect Parliament and Shortis and Simpson's show.
The German Federal Office for Radiation Protection reported the radiation cloud, and then on October 9 pinpointed its likely origin as the southern Ural Mountains in Russia or Kazakhstan. That is near the closed town now called Ozersk but known as Chelyabinsk-40 when Fomina worked there as a young woman from 1954 to 1960. The agency said that the cause of the cloud "is still not clear." French radiation safety authorities mapped wind patterns and reached the same conclusion: the contamination was floating in from somewhere near Mayak, a region of cedar forests, lakes and swamps about 1600 km east of Moscow. The French nuclear safety institute, which tracked the cloud, said that if the accident had occurred in France, authorities would have taken measures to protect the local population within a few kilometres, and taken precautions over longer distances to halt the sale of contaminated crops. But the concentrations in the air over Europe, the institute said in a November 9 report, "are of no consequence for human health and for the environment." Puzzlingly, on October 9, regional authorities in the Chelyabinsk region, home of the plant, issued a statement saying that the Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, had regularly tested the air and that "the radiation background in the region is within norms." A string of official denials followed. The press offices of several Russian nuclear plants issued statements denying any accidents or leaks and asserting that they had detected no elevated levels of ruthenium 106 in the air. One spokesman, for a plant in Smolensk, told RIA, a state news agency, "this is a rare element and we would have noticed it."
Rosatom, which runs the Mayak site, announced on October 11 that, "the radiation condition around all nuclear objects in the Russian Federation are within norms, and correspond to background radiation levels." The press office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said on October 13 that "no radiation cloud was found over the territory of the Ural Mountains." Then this month, the statements suddenly shifted. The agency responsible for monitoring radiation in Russia, Roshydromet, said it had in fact found in late September and early October what it called "extremely high" levels of ruthenium 106 at two monitoring sites near Mayak. "The cover-up is more interesting than the accident," said Frank N. von Hippel, a physicist at Princeton who advised the Clinton White House and who has repeatedly visited Russian nuclear sites. "I think they're probably more worried about upsetting the locals than the world," von Hippel said. "This could be very disruptive politically of the calm that Putin has imposed on the place. The environmentalists are the most likely ignition point for any unrest." The Roshydromet statement about the ruthenium 106 levels was undated. Officials at the agency pointed it out on their website on Friday to a researcher from Greenpeace, Rashid R. Alimov, in response to a question about the radiation cloud posed by the conservation group last week.
The agency then published a statement saying that "the discovery of even insignificant concentrations of radioactive isotopes on Russian territory speaks to the high effectiveness," of the Russian monitoring system. Environmental organisations, the statement said, were publicising the incident to raise money. "The heightened attention to this monitoring was created by some conservation organisations in the period of their budget formation for next year, with the goal of 'elevating' their importance in the eyes of the public," it said. Alimov said, "They say we were worsening the situation, driving everybody into a panic." In fact, he said, Greenpeace has emphasised that the now dissipating cloud over Europe is harmless, though it may have posed dangers near the source. What is worrisome, Alimov said, is the Russian government's apparent reluctance to publicise information about a radiation leak, and a potential health hazard. Officials at Mayak denied in interviews with the newspaper Kommersant that the plant was the source of the leak. Rosatom, the nuclear company, did not return calls to the press office.
Stepan Kalmykov, a chemistry professor at Moscow State University, told N+1, an online news portal, that while posing no health hazard, the leak clearly raised other worries in Russia and beyond. "Somewhere, apparently, the process broke down," he said, "and nobody can guarantee that at the same place a more serious and more dangerous accident will not happen." The ruthenium cloud is not an indication of a reactor meltdown, which would spew a bouquet of many different isotopes, not just the one, said Vitaly G. Fedchenko, senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. "The release would have to come from a container or a place where already separated ruthenium isotope is stored," he said. Scientists say the ruthenium 106 release appears to be over. While European authorities have traced the cloud back to a region around the Mayak plant, the precise source has not been determined. It might have spilled in a transportation accident.
"The problem is, we don't know," Fedchenko said. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, coming on the heels of the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986, the framers of Russia's new constitution prohibited the classification of information about the environment, though that provision has been flouted before. The Mayak spill in 1957 is often compared in its severity with the two worst power plant meltdowns, at Chernobyl and at Fukushima, Japan. In Chelyabinsk-40, residents were left largely in the dark, and the scope of the disaster was suppressed for decades. The source of the radiation that killed the daughter of Fomina's friend -- the radioactive bed -- was discovered only after a teenage girl living in an apartment one floor lower also died. Three years later, the infant's mother also died. Loading "People just didn't know," Fomina said. "Radiation doesn't smell."
Pat Breen TD, Minister for Trade, Employment and Business, has today welcomed the publication of the Microfinance Ireland (MFI) report for the third quarter, 2017.
The latest report shows that 21m of loans have been approved under the Microenterprise Loan Fund to date, supporting 3,336 jobs in borrowing companies. The Microenterprise Loan Fund is part funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
MFI offers four separate loan packages ranging between 2,000 and 25,000 to start-ups or established businesses who want to scale up, all with no fees or hidden costs. Businesses given funding so far come from a diverse range of sectors, including Retail, Wholesale, IT, Hospitality, Transport, Professional Services, Social and Support Services, Construction and the Arts. MFI also offers expert one-to-one mentoring to approved loan applicants through Local Enterprise Offices.
Speaking today, Minister Breen said, "It is now 5 years since Microfinance Ireland first opened its doors and it continues to show its support for our microenterprises throughout the country through its suite of distinct loan offerings. It is also worthy to note that almost 80% of Microfinance Ireland loan approvals go to microenterprises outside of Dublin which is supporting the Governments target of creating 135,000 jobs outside of Dublin by 2020. I congratulate Garrett Stokes, CEO of Microfinance Ireland and his team on their continued good work."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
It was announced today that Enterprise Ireland has launched a new fast-track Agile Innovation Fund, to give companies rapid access to innovation funding.
The new measure has been introduced by Enterprise Ireland for companies to respond more quickly to market opportunities and challenges, including those posed by Brexit.
The new fund will allow companies to access up to 50% in support for product, process or service development projects with a total cost of up to 300,000. Responding to the export challenges and opportunities presented to companies, the new fund is designed to help companies develop new products, processes and services for new market opportunities, enabling exporters to respond quickly and maximise export performance.
Launching the Agile Innovation Fund, An Tanaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD said, "Innovation is a proven source of advantage and a driver of competitiveness and global performance for companies. Enterprise Irelands Agile Innovation Fund will help deliver on the Innovation 2020 action of optimising enterprise innovation supports and increasing their accessibility to firms. The Government has a strategic and concerted approach to supporting businesses to adapt to Brexit, and this new fund will further support Irish companies as they respond to these challenges."
Enterprise Ireland CEO, Julie Sinnamon added, "In the context of Brexit, investment in Irish innovation will prove to be a key driver of global growth for Irish companies, helping them to diversify their product base, be competitive, and allow them to build their scale and reach into new markets. Historically, Enterprise Ireland client companies who have received funding to build their innovation capability have seen tangible exponential growth in their global sales performance."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Sterling hit a six-week high against a weaker dollar on Thursday, with traders largely brushing off sharp downward growth forecast revisions and refocusing on Brexit negotiations.
Finance minister Philip Hammond announced during his budget statement on Wednesday that Britain's Office for Budget Responsibility had slashed its growth and productivity forecasts, knocking sterling down towards $1.32 during his speech to parliament.
But the currency recovered as Hammond announced new measures intended to help first-time house buyers, with traders saying they had expected the lower forecasts.
Some analysts said the new projections were seen as deliberately pessimistic.
"The markets recognize that both the OBR and BoE have recently been seen to take a more cautious stance when forecasting growth, so many are looking at these new forecasts as a worst-case scenario that is likely to be bettered," wrote FxPro analysts in a note to clients.
Sterling reached as high as $1.3337 in Asian trading, its strongest since Oct. 13, before easing back to trade at $1.3305 by 1000 GMT, down 0.2% on the day but half a percent up compared with before the budget statement.
Part of that strength, however, was down to dollar weakness, driven by a more dovish statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday than had been expected. Against the euro, the pound was trading 0.3% lower at 89.00 pence.
Sterling also drew some marginal extra support on Thursday from data showing that the economy grew at 0.4 percent in the third quarter of this year, as expected, with households increasing the pace of their spending.
"With the impending cloud of Brexit uncertainty shadowing over proceedings, as long as expectations are met in the short-term pessimists will be held at bay," said Alex Lydall, head of dealing at brokerage Foenix Partners.
"The notion of revising down growth forecasts in budget statements is not alien to us, and in the current environment analysts treat the notion as familiar ground."
The Brexit talks remain at the forefront of most investors' minds.
Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Brussels on Friday, where European Union negotiators will be listening intently for signs that Britain is preparing to risk a domestic backlash by raising its divorce bill offer to secure a Brexit deal in December.
Hopes have been raised by reports in British media over the past week that May has secured backing from pro-Brexit hardliners in her cabinet to increase the offer. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Elevated coal prices have brought big profits to coal producers, but caused massive losses at power companies. The state planner has called for the creation of mechanisms to better stabilize prices at times of gluts and shortages. Photo Visual China
Chinas state planner has called on coal miners and power producers to work more closely together to stabilize prices of the commodity, following wide gyrations over the last year caused by a sector cleanup.
Companies on both sides of the power-generation aisle should take three major steps to bring stability to coal prices, officials from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told market players during an industry conference this week in Hebei province.
Chief among those should be more efforts to sign long-term supply contracts between coal and power producers, the agency said. It also urged closer cooperation between the two kinds of companies such as equity tie-ups, and the creation of mechanisms to stabilize prices during times of gluts and shortages.
Coal prices overall are still relatively high, so the government will take steps to try and guide them down, said Lian Weiliang, an NDRC vice chairman.
The agency rolled out its campaign as high prices have caused major headaches this year for power producers, while bringing big profits for coal miners. Those high prices are partly the result of Chinas efforts to clean up the broader coal sector by shutting down smaller, less efficient mines, which has resulted in tight supplies.
Chinas largest coal producers saw their overall profits soar seven-fold in the first nine months of the year to 226 billion yuan ($34 billion), thanks to the higher prices. But power producers experienced the opposite effect, with the top five posting a collective loss of 24.7 billion yuan, versus a 37.2 billion yuan profit for the same period a year earlier.
In January, the NDRC and industry associations representing the coal and power sectors agreed to aim to keep coal prices in a reasonable range of 500 yuan to 570 yuan per metric ton, with anything above 600 yuan or below 470 considered outside the desired range. Spot coal prices have varied from as little as 550 yuan per metric ton in May to as high as 740 yuan in October.
In a bid to better help power producers gage the market, the China Electricity Council last week launched an index to track the price of coal used to generate electricity. The China Electricity Coal Indexs launch was timed to come just before power plants will finalize their contracts for 2018 with coal suppliers later this month.
Beijing is also pushing for more equity tie-ups between coal and power producers to reduce price volatility. In the largest of those, earlier this year the central government merged state-owned giants Shenhua Group Corp. Ltd., a top coal producer, with China Guodian Corp., a top power producer.
Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)
Vanke plans to add 100,000 apartments for long-term rental this year, mainly in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Photo: IC
China Vanke Co., the nations leading property developer, is repositioning its strategy to seek future growth from rental properties as the government encourages development of the fledging residential leasing market in a bid to rein in housing bubbles.
Yu Liang, Vankes chairman and chief executive officer, said Tuesday that the company has set its sights on becoming the leading player in the home rental market. Yus statement sparked a surge in Vankes Shenzhen-traded stock to a record 33.08 yuan ($5) a share during the day. The shares have recorded robust growth so far this year, rising 60% from the beginning of the year.
Yan Yuejin, research director for property industry information provider E-House China R&D, said Yus statement indicated Vankes confidence in Chinas residential leasing market, despite relatively low yields on investments in rentals. The upbeat performance of Vankes shares also reflects investor recognition of Vankes value, Yan said.
Vanke and other property developers are betting on the fledging residential leasing market as the central government steps up efforts to encourage the growth of the rental market to expand alternative supplies of housing and tame wildly rising home prices. Since July, several central government departments have issued a flurry of incentives to promote residential leasing in big cities, including the scaling-up of land sales for rental-only housing developments and tax breaks for residential service firms.
At a recent industry meeting, several property companies disclosed plans for the rental sector and said the business would offer stable cash flow and profits.
Chinas residential leasing market has remained underdeveloped. A 2016 study by the China Academy of Social Sciences found that fewer than 10% of Chinese households lived in rented homes, compared with more than 30% in the U.S. and Europe.
As one of the pioneers in Chinas residential leasing market, Vanke first tapped the rental market in 2007 by developing small rental apartments and launched a project brand designated for long-term rental last year.
According to Zhu Xu, Vanke's board secretary, the company plans to add 100,000 apartments for long-term rental this year, mainly in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, in a bid to become Chinas largest rental project provider. As of September this year, Vanke operated 24,000 rental units in 24 cities, the companys financial report showed.
Vanke has also partnered with financial institutions to develop the rental business. Earlier this month, Vanke and 10 other developers entered into a partnership with China Construction Bank to develop rental homes in southern Chinas tech hub Shenzhen. The bank will offer low-interest loans to support the partner companies rental projects in the city.
But Vanke is still struggling with low investment returns on rentals. A company source told Caixin that the yield on Vankes rental business in Beijing is 1.5% to 2%. Tan Jiehua, Vankes senior vice president, said earlier that yields below 2% for rental projects in big cities would barely be profitable.
Zhang Dawei, chief analyst of Centaline Property, said the low yields are the biggest challenge for developers venturing into the leasing business. Despite Vankes ambition, it is still too early to see a real leading player in the market, Zhang said.
Air China Ltd. has suspended flights from Beijing to North Koreas capital due to weak demand, a company representative told Caixin on Thursday.
Business was not good, said a press officer surnamed Ding from Air Chinas Beijing office.
The suspension of the route halts one of the few international flights to North Korea, just as tensions rise between it and United States, which recently put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Air Chinas decision came shortly after a visit by a senior Chinese envoy to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
Air China is the only airline besides North Koreas own Air Koryo that operates flights in and out of the isolated country. Chinas flights to Pyongyang, which began in 2008, have been frequently suspended in the past, according to Chinese state media.
In April, Air China canceled some of its flights, but then in May said that it would increase their number.
At the time, representatives from Air China told state media that these kinds of conditions are very common due to the weak demand that sometimes results in flying empty flights.
State-owned television news has reported that the airline has halted flights between the two capitals in certain seasons, especially in winter.
When asked on Tuesday whether Air China had stopped flights to Pyongyang and closed their offices there, Chinas foreign ministry said it was unaware of the companys situation.
The airlines work out their own operation plans based on the state of their own operations and the state of the market, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said.
Air Chinas Ding declined to elaborate on whether it would restart the route, saying only that it depends on future conditions.
Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
ICAI CPT 2017 admit cards have been released by the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India.
What does the ICAI CPT 2017 admit card contain?
It has photographs and signatures of the candidates along with the details of the exam venue.
Where to find the ICAI CPT admit card?
Candidates can find it on the official website icaiexam.icai.org, the official website of ICAI Common Proficiency Test (CPT).
Note:
There will not be any physical admit cards. Candidates must download theirs online only and print it out. The institute will not be sending any hall ticket by post. This is the rule that is in effect from May 2017.
TSPSC AEO Admit Card Released Check Now!
ICAI CPT Exam 2017 date
The ICAI CPT exam will be held on 17 December 2017 (Sunday) in two sessions (10.30 am to 12.30 pm and 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm).
Exam centres
The exam will be held at 191 cities in the country along with centres at Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Kathmandu and Muscat.
How to download ICAI CPT Admit Card 2017?
In order to download ICAI CPT Admit Card 2017, follow the steps given here:
Log on to the official website http://icaiexam.icai.org
Enter your details such as Login ID (i.e. Registration Number) and password
Click to submit
The admit card will be displayed on the screen
Save it to your computer and take a print out of it for future reference
Also Read: IGNOU December 2017 Exam Admit Card Released: Download Now!
The queen of England has been gifted a variety of bizarre gifts throughout her reigning years. Yet, none of them quite compare to the variety of exotic animals given to her by presidents, governments, royal families, and people over the years. From elephants to exotic birds, see some of the most exotic animals every gifted to the queen, ahead.
1. An elephant
In 1972, the queen of England was gifted an African forest elephant named Jumbo. Given to her by President Ahidjo of Cameroon, the elephant was actually flown home to Britain and placed in the London Zoo. According to the Royal Collection, Jumbo was fed an in-flight meal of bananas, avocados and sugar.
2. Several crocodiles
The queen and her family members have been gifted crocodiles on several occasions. Including a baby crocodile given to Prince George by Australia when he was just three days old.
3. A pair of sloths
In 1968, the queen left for a state visit in Brazil. She returned with not one, but two sloths.
4. Two black jaguars
In addition to sloths, the queen was also gifted two black jaguars, named Marques and Aizita from Brazil. She sent them to the London Zoo, as well.
5. Liberian pygmy hippos
The exotic animals dont stop there. In 1961, the queen graciously accepted a pair of Liberian pygmy hippos from President Tubman of Liberia.
6. A couple of beavers
While on an official visit to Canada in 1970, the queen was gifted a pair of Canadian beavers the countrys official animal. When she returned home, she donated her furry friends to the London Zoo.
7. Several toucans
Land animals arent the only exotic animals gifted to the queen. Shes been gifted several types of birds, too. In fact, in 1976, she accepted a pair of toco toucans, a pair of red-billed toucans, and a pair of Ariel toucans, gifted to her by President Artur da Costa e Silva of Brazil.
8. Giant anteaters and an armadillo
In addition to toucans, President Artur da Costa e Silva of Brazil also gifted the queen two giant anteaters and an armadillo. They were sent to the London Zoo with the toucans.
9. A pair of Aldabra giant tortoises
While some of her royal pets have passed on, the queen has a few that will live an entire lifetime (if not, longer). Case in point: the Aldabra giant tortoises given to her by the government and people of the Seychelles in 1972.
10. Kangaroos
Australia has gifted the queen many exotic animals throughout her reign, including six red kangaroos. Given to her to commemorate her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the queen donated all six kangaroos to the London Zoo.
11. Trumpeter swans
Fun fact: The queen owns all of the breeding mute swans in Britain (a total of 5,300 pairs). And she once owned a pair of trumpeter swans, given to her by British Columbia, Canada, in 1956.
12. Cockatoos
Another exotic animal gifted by Australia? Two pairs of bare-eyed cockatoos. Given to her in 1963, the cockatoos (along with one dwarf cassowary and two white Bennetts wallabies) were donated to the London Zoo.
13. A pig
In 1963, the queen was gifted a pig from the people of Fiji. That said, this was one animal the queen didnt bring back to England with her. The pig remained in Fiji.
14. Jersey cows
The queen has been gifted many different types of cows throughout her reign, including several Jersey cows. In 1957, the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society gifted the queen her first Jersey cow, which was later sent to live with the royal dairy herd at Windsor Castle. Twenty-one years later, in 1978, the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society gifted her another Jersey cow.
15. Several Arab stallions
The queen loves her horses and the rest of the world knows it. On several occasions, shes been gifted Arab stallions, as well as Oldenburg horses, Danish horses, and Bay horses.
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Facebook Shouldn't Censor Pro-Life News Outlets Why Facebook should offer pro-life outlets a platform
This month, the New York Times ran an op-ed by Rossalyn Warren entitled "Facebook Is Ignoring Anti-Abortion Fake News." In the piece, Warren expresses displeasure over the fact that articles from pro-life websites such as LifeNews.com and LiveAction.org are frequently shared on Facebook, while abortion-related stories from mainstream-media outlets apparently receive less online attention. Warren applauds Facebook's efforts to censor articles that are hoaxes, generated by spammers, or written with a clear profit incentive. But Warren also calls on Facebook to explicitly censor content from pro-life news outlets because she believes such articles spread "misinformation." There is plenty to criticize about Warren's piece.
First, she provides no evidence that pro-life websites run stories that are factually inaccurate. Certainly some articles rely on anecdotes and some engage issues such as the abortionbreast cancer link about which there exists scholarly debate. But Life News, Life Site News and Live Action make no effort to disguise their ideological leanings. Online viewers certainly account for this when they read those articles, and surely those sites receive so much traffic in part because mainstream media outlets rarely publish news or commentary that even bothers to include pro-life perspectives. An article recently published in the journal Contraception is instructive on this point. The authors interviewed 31 progressive journalists who frequently report on abortion-related issues. During the interviews, over a third of the journalists admitted that they felt no need to present "pro-life" and "pro-choice" arguments with equal weight. Instead, these reporters felt it was their responsibility to address differences in merit between the two sides. Of course, in practice this often means entirely ignoring pro-lifers.
While pro-life spokespeople tend to be quoted from time to time in political stories about abortion, the useful perspective of pro-life researchers is almost always ignored when policy developments occur or when new studies on these topics are published. Warren's notion that mainstream-media outlets present unbiased information on life issues is truly laughable. For instance, in 2006, the New York Times ran a front-page story claiming based on a superficial analysis of state-level abortion data that six recently passed pro-life parental-involvement laws were ineffective at lowering abortion rates among minors. The article all but ignored the 15 peer-reviewed studies in academic journals finding that parental-involvement laws reduce minors' abortion rates. Furthermore, in 2016, New York Times columnist Gail Collins claimed that funding cuts to Planned Parenthood resulted in an increase in the unintended-pregnancy rate in Texas. But Collins's source was George Washington University law professor Sara Rosenbaum, who in fact wrote a study predicting an increase in the unintended-pregnancy rate; Rosenbaum provided no data indicating that such an increase had actually occurred. When this was brought to the attention of Collins and Rosenbaum, neither took steps to issue a correction.
Overall, the development of Facebook and other social-media sites has been beneficial to pro-lifers, making it easier for them to organize online. These sites have also made it far easier for the pro-life movement to bypass mainstream media and disseminate news and commentary on a range of life issues. Americans of all political stripes benefit when there is rich and open debate about issues of public concern. Facebook and other social media sites should recognize this and take a clear stance in favor of free speech, resisting the urge to censor articles and opinion pieces simply because of their ideological content.
Michael J. New is a Visiting Associate Professor at Ave Maria University and an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_J_New
Treat Every Day Like It's Thanksgiving and Christmas Treat every day like it's Thanksgiving.
"We love all of our lights. The crazier, the better!" I had found myself in Manila, Philippines, in what was my first ever October-November business trip outside the U.S. And here I was, gazing with wonder at the extensive display of lights on practically every house and small business throughout this gritty, densely-packed city. These weren't just any lights they were Christmas lights! Little did I know just how much the Filipino taxi driver would enlighten me on this humid, autumn evening.
"We just love Christmas. You know the Filipino people, we always look for any excuse to celebrate, and we can think of no better reason to celebrate than the birth of Jesus Christ. So, we light up the night with every color you can imagine because it reminds us constantly of the reason for our hope, even though many of us have endured so much difficulty."
In a nanosecond of American ignorance, I replied, "But what about Thanksgiving?" The moment those words escaped my lips, I sunk down into the back seat of the cab, laughing while secretly chastising myself in my mind. Of course they skipped Thanksgiving and went straight into Christmas decorating; Thanksgiving is a U.S. celebration. To my deeply Western mind, however, the whole October Christmas light spectacle safely resting in the realm of gaudiness still looked funny to me.
My taxi driver chimed in with a smile, "You Americans have a special occasion that marks the origins of your country, making November a special time for you. We don't have that in November here, and we're not too big on Halloween. For us, it's all about getting to Christmas as soon as possible!"
Then he said something that will stick with me forever."We don't need another holiday getting in the way of Christmas," he said sharply. "Besides, we try our best to treat every day like it's Thanksgiving."
Treat every day like it's Thanksgiving. What an incredibly simple, yet profound idea.
Suddenly, an epiphany broke forth in my mind with a thought I was sure God had deposited directly into my spirit: "They got it right, and Americans are missing it completely," I thought to myself. "It's like we're suffering from a holiday version of 'waiting for Friday' all year, every year. What would it look like if, instead, we treated every day like it's Thanksgiving? And Christmas too for that matter? Like two sides of the same coin."
Each November, I come back around to this idea and share this moment from Manila with others. Considering the numerous troubles we're witnessing in our world today, I feel led to expand the conversation to include each of you this year. Perhaps this paradigm shift can be one of the small gifts you share this season.
Here are just a few ways you can "get into the holiday spirit," starting today and enduring into the New Year:
- If God has blessed you and I'm most certain he has in some way then tell someone! Declaring our thankfulness draws us closer to God.
- Consider today, and every day, to be a precious gift. If you're still fogging up the mirror and are blessed to be surrounded by family and friends, then give thanks.
- Remember the little things. Shoes on your feet, a warm meal, or the laughter of a tender child don't overlook these simple gifts.
- Both holidays are about giving, not taking. Find a way every day, as simple as it may be, to be a blessing to others.
- Slow down. Enjoy this special season without worry of where you need to be next or work that needs to be done.
- Don't take a minute for granted. There's never a day wasted when it's spent on quality time with those you love.
I returned to the Philippines many times over the next few years, developing a deep love and appreciation for the Filipino people and the way they approach life with consistent, daily gratitude. Despite the countless challenges they face as an emerging economy, so many of those I've met from across this special place always seem to remember the One from whom all blessings flow. Thanksgiving flows so naturally to them and through them.
So now I ask you: Are you thankful enough for all the blessings in your life? Please don't wait until the turkey is served or the Christmas tree is laid bare, stripped of its gifts. Look around and observe your world with fresh eyes. You are truly more blessed than you may realize. We all are.
I pray God will continue to shower you and your family with love, joy and peace this holiday season and all throughout the year.
Mark Nation is a globally-recognized management expert, leadership consultant, executive coach, author, and speaker with an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is personally driven to discover what makes individuals, teams and organizations amazing those elements which power the heart and soul of individuals and businesses worldwide.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wedding date news: Couple to wed in summer, reports claim
Reports say American actress Meghan Markle and British royalty Prince Harry are planning to get married in summer.
A source told Us Weekly that the couple are planning to wed in late June. While the two have yet to announce their engagement, the 33-year-old prince has reportedly commissioned a ring for the 36-year-old "Suits" star, using diamonds from a brooch once owned by his mother, Princess Diana.
Markle, who stars as Rachel Zane in the legal drama "Suits," has just finished filming her supposed last episode on Nov. 17. Her future in the show's eighth season still remains unknown, as many believe the actress is leaving Toronto to move to London. E! News has earlier reported that moving vans have been seen outside her apartment.
"With Suits over, so is her life in Toronto. She's really excited about starting a new chapter with Harry," Markle's friend told Us Weekly.
Another source said Markle's new home will be Prince Harry's Nottingham cottage, which she has been designing with plants and candles since spring.
"There are are no plans for them to live separately. Meghan will move right in," said a source close to Markle.
The actress' new living arrangement brings her closer to another royal couple, her future brother and sister in-law, Prince William and Duchess Kate. An insider said this was meant to make the transition easier for Markle.
The public could also expect an official proclamation of their engagement by the new year. This will include a photo call at Kensington Palace as well as a syndicated TV interview.
It has been a year since Markle and Prince Harry first confirmed they are dating, but they have been rarely photographed together, save for some paparazzi photos. Rumors of their engagement sprung after they made their first public appearance together at the Paralympic-style Invictus Games in Toronto last September.
'Middle-earth: Shadow of War' DLC update: Slaughter Tribe, free content now available
The first downloadable content (DLC) for the role-playing game (RPG) "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" has been released along with free content.
Warner Bros. Interactive recently released the Slaughter Tribe DLC, which features the titular tribe, a gory and flesh-eating group. The trailer for this DLC shows natives slicing and chopping heads off while blood splashes to the camera. Fans could also see how the tribe brutally dices other denizens and slams heads with humongous bats.
Composed of bloodthirsty Orcs, this new enemy will be an excellent challenge for players, as they could ambush anyone easily. For players wanting to take on the group, one of the missions added to the "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" DLC allows players to take on the tribe's captain.
Aside from this, fortresses can now be decorated in line with the Slaughter Tribe for a thematic, albeit dark, vibe during gameplay. A gear set also comes with the update, and it will be available for players who defeat the legendary Slaughter Tribe Orcs.
Meanwhile, other additions revealed alongside the Slaughter Tribe DLC include free content. First, players can explore the Endless Siege, where gamers defend their stronghold from Sauron endlessly. Next, there is Rebellion, which allows players to destroy rebellious Ologs and Uruks who plan against the Bright Lord. Lastly, for the ultimate gaming experience, players could use new frames, filters, and textures in the photos of their fights.
Another DLC that should keep fans' waiting is arriving in December. The Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion introduces mighty and defiant warriors that would fight anyone, regardless if it is an invader or a Lord of Mordor.
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" was released on Oct. 10. It is available in PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
'One Punch Man' manga update: Illustrator Yusuke Murata shares massive update for next chapter
The Japanese manga animation "One Punch Man" remake version of Yusuke Murata, which is based on the original webcomic by author One, is one of the most popular manga which features the protagonist Saitama. Although Murata is merely adapting the series from One, he has added unique touches to it and created an amazing storyline.
While waiting for the release of the next chapter, Murata revealed a massive update which will surely make fans excited about chapter 84. This month, chapter 83 was already released and chapter 84 will be out in December.
On Twitter, Murata posted an image of the manga sketches he has done. The picture comes with a caption revealing the next chapter manuscript will only have 125 pages. Fans of "One Punch Man" will no doubt wait for the release of this manga which has the most number of pages so far.
ComicBook reported that Murata is known to make many pages for every chapter. This stretched out the 30-page manga of the original creator, One. Chapter 81, 82 and 83 were both more than 50 pages long. This means that the last three chapters are more than 150 pages long. Another interesting point is that these were a tie-in with the web comic version of One's "One Punch Man."
A separate report also revealed that Murata paid tribute to the death of "Dragon Ball" voice actress Hiromi Tsuru. The 57-year-old actress was found unresponsive and her death saddened many. Tsuru is known for her role as Bulma in the long-running Japanese animated television series.
To honor Tsuru, Murata sketched Bulma when she appeared in the original "Dragon Ball" anime. He shared it on Twitter and said that he would miss Tsuru. Murata is a big fan of Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball" which explains why he is also mourning the death of the voice actress.
Raped by Boko Haram: How this Christian girl clung onto hope, and her faith, in the darkness
Esther, a Nigerian Christian teenager was only 17 when her life changed forever. She fell pregnant after being raped countless times by her captors, the Islamist militants Boko Haram.
The violent insurgents attacked her town of Gwoza in October 2015, and along with Esther (not her real name) abducted several young women. Having previously lost her mother, Esther had been caring for her ill father the best she could while also attending school. As she and the other young women were seized Esther endured the pain of watching her father be struck down and left for dead at the hands of her captors. While being carried away into the Sambisa Forest she continued to look back, longing for her father to get up. He died during Esther's captivity.
The extremist group, Boko Haram, are known for targeting Christian communities in northern Nigeria, where many women in these communities, just like Esther, are abducted and forced to marry Muslim men. In Esther's case Boko Haram wanted the girls to renounce their Christian faith. She tells of the numerous methods they used, trying to lure them with various privileges. However, when their attempts failed they reverted to violence, threats and intimidation. Many of the girls broke under the pressure and surrendered their faith.
For Esther the experience of cruelty and attempts to force her to convert continued to mount. Many of her imprisoners found her extremely beautiful and wanted to take her as a wife. She, however, took a brave decision and resolved never to yield her faith. Esther tells an Open Doors worker the words she spoke in her heart at the time: 'If I perish, I perish, but I will not become a Muslim'.
Esther's courageous decision to hold firm to her faith had unimaginable consequences. She tells how she was raped continually by countless men. While struggling to hold back her tears she relives her imprisonment, saying: 'I cannot count how many men raped me. Every time they came back from their attacks, they would rape us, defile us.'
She adds: 'Each passing day, I hated myself more and more. I felt that God had forsaken me. There were times when I was so angry with God'.
Yet through this torment Esther clung to her faith, saying: 'But still I could not get myself to renounce Him. I found myself remembering His promise to never leave me or forsake me.'
During her captivity Esther eventually fell pregnant. She has no way of telling who the father is. Speaking honestly to Open Doors revealed her feelings at the time: 'I had no idea how on earth I would ever be able to love this child.'
Over a year later in November 2016, the military rescued Esther and the other girls. However, the overwhelming joy of freedom was soon eclipsed by the rejection she received from her community. Many were not so keen to welcome back the 'Boko Haram women'.
As Esther had lost both her mother and father she had no choice but to go and live with her grandparents. However, she was not warmly welcomed there, because of her pregnancy, even her own grandparents taunted her. Esther says: 'They mocked me because I was pregnant. Even my grandparents despised me and called me names. I cried many tears. I felt so lonely. What broke my heart even more was that they refused to call my daughter "Rebecca".' Instead, they referred to her as 'Boko'.
Even though Esther's captivity ended her torment had not. Through her church leaders Esther was put in contact with Open Doors. They invited her to a trauma care centre seminar. The centres have been provided by Open Doors to give professional care to those like Esther who have been the victims of severe persecution.
During the seminar Esther and the other participants were invited to bring their sorrows to the cross. As a symbolic act she wrote her burdens on a piece of paper and pinned it to the wooden cross. The trainer leading the session later burned the pieces of paper. Esther said of this experience: 'When I pinned that piece of paper to the cross it felt like I was handing all of my sorrow over to God. It felt light within me. When the trainer later removed all the pieces of paper from the cross and burnt it to ashes, I felt like my sorrow and shame disappeared, never to come back again.'
Even though many in her community still struggle to accept Esther and her child, she is full of hope, saying: 'People have noticed a change. Some of those people who used to mock me now ask me my secret. I tell them, "I forgave my enemies and now trust God to take vengeance in His time".'
She is now working on a farm to provide for herself, and her family while also receiving support from Open Doors.
Although Esther has endured great pain and suffering she pours all the love she can into her daughter and, speaking about Rebecca, says: 'She has become my joy and laughter amidst sadness'.
Robert Mugabe's 'miracle' resignation: 'The hand of God is at work'
Robert Mugabe's exit as Zimbabwe's president is being hailed a 'miracle' by a longstanding campaigner in the country.
Ben Freeth, who rose to prominence after taking Mugabe to court a battle that featured in the documentary Mugabe and the White African was speaking to Christian Today from Harare as the 93-year-old president's successor was sworn in on Friday.
'It's incredible. It is unbelievable what has taken place,' he said.
The army swept to power early last Wednesday and took control of the state broadcaster as well as key institutions. Mugabe, known as the 'grand old man' of African politics, clung to the presidency and initially refused to quit before eventually resigning earlier this week.
The peaceful transition is a surprise to many who expected Mugabe's departure after 37-years in power to be bloody. Freeth hailed it a 'miracle'.
He told Christian Today: 'There has not been a drop of blood split in this whole coup. There has been process. There has been constitutionality.'
He said: 'God's hand has been so unbelievably present in this whole thing that has taken place right the way through.'
Mugabe's resignation prompted scenes of wild excitement as Zimbabwe saw the back of the only president it has known since British colonial rule left in 1980.
'There has just been joy. Absolute joy. People have been completely bowled over about the fact that after 37 years Mugabe has walked out voluntarily,' said Freeth.
'People have just been jubilant but already there is a slight fear of the future,' he added, referring to the former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is due to be sworn in as the new leader on Friday.
'He has a background of being part of the oppression, part of the system, part of the genocide. But we remain hopeful. He has said there will be a free and fair elections next year.'
Mnangagwa, nicknamned the 'Crocodile' returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday after he fled for his life when Mugabe fired him last week.
'We hope and pray,' said Freeth. 'People are uncertain at this stage.'
But he went on: 'This is God. The world must know that this is God. God is able to work his miraculous way in nations. This really is an instance of God's hand.'
Military rulers have agreed to give Mugabe immunity from prosecution and insisted he can live safely in Zimbabwe.
A government source confirmed to Reuters that Mugabe had told negotiators he wanted to die in Zimbabwe and had no plans to live in exile.
'For him it was very important that he be guaranteed security to stay in the country ... although that will not stop him from travelling abroad when he wants to or has to,' the source said.
A second source added: 'The outgoing president is obviously aware of the public hostility to his wife [Grace], the anger in some circles about the manner in which she conducted herself and approached Zanu-PF party politics.
'In that regard, it became necessary to also assure him that his whole family, including the wife, would be safe and secure.
'It was very emotional for him and he was forceful about it.'
Sharon Tate's sister shares how Charles Manson affected the lives of her family
Cult leader Charles Manson died at the age of 83, and his death is a reminder of the murders he committed and how it affected the family of one of his victims, Sharon Tate.
Tate, the wife of film director Robert Polanski, was 26 and pregnant when Manson committed the murder. She was just back from dinner together with friends Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent.
That very same night in 1969, Manson and his followers stabbed Tate and her friends in an attempt to start a race war called "Helter Skelter." The four met their demise in Tate's Los Angeles home, and the crime spree was later known as the Tate/LaBianca murders.
Manson got a life sentence for the crimes. However, the effect it had on the Tate family was compelling enough that Debra Tate, the actress' sister, admitted that it was her life's defining moment. Through the years, she fought to keep Tate's murderers from gaining parole.
"I said a prayer for his soul," Debra told People Magazine, referring to Manson. However, she confessed that even after decades, she vividly remembers the time when she found out about her sister's death.
Meanwhile, their mother, Doris Tate, championed the Victim's Bill of Rights. Doris was instrumental in passing the bill in California in 1982. This bill allowed "victim impact statements" to become a part of the judicial legal process. It gave victims of crime the opportunity to speak either on the sentencing of the convicted or at parole hearings.
The actress was one in the series of victims who lost their lives to "The Manson Family." Besides Tate's friends Sebring, Folger, Frykowski, and Parent, Leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca also met their demise through the named cult. The LaBiancas were apparently tied-up, and Manson left the killing to his cult members.
Charles Manson met his demise on Sunday, Nov. 19. He died of natural causes while serving his life sentence at the Corcoran State Prison in California.
Of the 68bn spent by the charitable sector in England and Wales in 2015, only 2.9bn was spent overseas, a study by the by the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester have shown.
The report showed that 78 per cent (53bn) spent by the charitable sector was by charities whose remit is solely in the UK. While development charities spending constituted 10 per cent of all charitable expenditure.
The report Changes in Expenditure, Income and Income Sources for Development NGOs based in the UK was produced by Dan Brockington, director of the Sheffield Institute of International Development at the University of Sheffield, and Nicola Banks, from the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester.
It tracked the finances and activities of 898 international development NGOs based in England, Wales and Scotland.
It found that the sector is highly unequal in terms of its allocation of resources, with eight per cent of organisations in the survey controlling 88 per cent of expenditure.
The report also found that the public is the most important source of revenue for development NGOs, providing 40 per cent of all revenues. This has increased in real terms over the last five years, but decreased marginally in relative importance as the sector has diversified.
It found that corporate donations generally account for little more than five per cent of income, and have not increased except for the largest NGOs.
It showed that returns of fundraising investments are high and favourable for the sector as a whole. It said that if more was invested in fundraising it is possible that hundreds of millions of extra income could be earned.
Charity begins at home
Brockington said: The vast majority of charitable money is spent by charities which only operate in this country. Charity clearly already begins at home.
When people say that we need to do less abroad and more at home I wonder if they realise what the current distribution is.
Charity should begin at home but should it also end there? Its important to contextualise the international narrative against the national picture and this research does just that.
The report concluded that there was a lot of inequality in the sector. It said: We knew that the sector was unequal in terms of its command of resources, but not as unequal as we found it to be, nor so dramatically concentrated on London.
It also said that there is something rather remarkable about the development NGO sector. It said: In an era of Brexit, growing insularism, anxiety about refugees and pressure on the aid budget, the number of charities which work on famine relief and overseas poverty increases at double the rate of other charities
The report concluded with the authors saying they were dissatisfied with results so far.
Adding: We feel there is much more to be learnt by exploring further which regions of the world the sector works in, on what activities and with what sorts of partnerships. We feel there is much more to be learnt about the changing patterns in giving and fundraising activities.
Civil Society Media is hosting its NGO Insight 2017 conference on 28 November 2017. For more information, and to book, click here.
A man has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to forging the signature of a dying relative removing Medecins Sans Frontieres from receiving the balance of a 7m estate.
The BBC reports that Paul Coppola, 65, has been jailed for two years at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after admitting forging the signature of his second cousin Desiderio Coppola to change his will, removing any mention to international aid charity Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Desiderio Coppola made a will in July 2010 bequeathing much of his 7m estate to friends and family, including 100,000 to Paul Coppola. Desiderio Coppola had stated in this will that the residue of his estate was to go to MSF. However, days before Desiderios death, the court heard that Paul Coppola presented a new will to the family that made no mention of the charity.
According to court documents, Paul Coppola held a meeting with friends and family of Desidero Coppola in the days after his death, and explained that he had found that the deceased was due to leave the majority of his wealth to charity and that he had persuaded the deceased to change his will.
Coppola recieved 'more than 270,000' plus two properties
As a result of the fraud, Paul Coppola received more than 270,000 from the estate into his bank account in October 2013 and received a property which he sold for a further 290,000. He also received a second property in Edinburghs Waterloo Place.
In late 2013, solicitors representing Desiderio Coppolas estate went to the Court of Session in Edinburgh and successfully raised an action to have the will set aside. Paul Coppola chose not to defend the action and later admitted to police officers that he had forged the signature of his second cousin.
In sentencing, Sheriff Frank Crowe said: "Your actions caused much grief, inconvenience and disappointment to the other legatees and your friends and uncertainty to the tenants of properties which were rented from the deceased."
Coppolas guilty plea meant his jail sentence was lowered to two years from a possible three.
A spokeswoman from MSF said the charity does not comment on the detail of individual donations. Adding: "However, we are very grateful to Mr Desiderio Coppola for his generous bequest and indeed all our supporters without whom our work would not be possible."
Tesla is burning through cash and is dependent on the capital markets and that should cause concern, investing expert Christian Hoffmann told CNBC on Wednesday.
"So far, capital markets have remained open. But capital markets can be fickle, and if the euphoria around this story changes that could change very quickly," the portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management said in an interview with "Closing Bell."
He said the electric-auto maker has burned over $5 billion in the last couple of years.
"To believe in the story at this point you're making a James Bond trade. The company needs to dodge the avalanche, avoid the gunfire, ski off the cliff, pull off the ripcord on their parachute and glide to safety so that they can save the world," Hoffmann said.
Tesla revealed a new electric Semi truck and Roadster at an event last week. The first 1,000 Roadsters will cost $250,000 each, paid in full up front, with later models starting at $200,000.
Those deposits would put $250 million into Tesla's cash drawer today for a car that is likely to go into production in 2020. CEO Elon Musk did not offer details about how Tesla would generate additional funds to deliver its latest vehicles.
Colin Rusch, senior research analyst at Oppenheimer, said the deposits will help, but he expects Tesla to come to the markets to raise capital in the first quarter of 2018.
"The questions are what sort of terms are they going to end up with and what market are they going to tap if they end up back in the equity market or if they are able to dip back into the high-yield market again like they did earlier this year," he told "Closing Bell."
Shares of Tesla are up 46 percent year to date.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Disclosures: Oppenheimer makes a market in Tesla.
Correction: Christian Hoffmann is the correct spelling of the investor's name
The world's second-largest economy raised its hand this week to help halt the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. But it's not just altruism: China has an eye on ensuring stability for its hefty investments in the region.
In the wake of rising brutality against Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic minority in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, China proposed a three-point plan to resolve a crisis that threatens to bring a return of U.S. sanctions to the former military dictatorship.
The proposal involves a cease-fire, repatriation of refugees from neighboring Bangladesh and talks for a long-term solution to improve economic prosperity in the northern Burmese state of Rakhine, where the Rohingya are largely based. As one of Myanmar's poorest provinces, Rakhine is also the site of a special economic zone currently being built by a China-led consortium.
Based in Kyaukpyu, one of Rakhine's major towns, the zone includes a $7.3 billion deep sea port, oil and gas pipelines that will run from Rakhine's coast to China's Yunnan province and a $2.3 billion industrial park.
It's not unusual for Beijing to intervene in Burmese domestic affairs China has previously played a mediating role in Myanmar's Kachin and Shan states, areas also struck by ethnic strife. But the Asian giant's latest diplomatic initiative has a clear business agenda, analysts said.
"It is fair to say that commercial interests are at play, China has significant investments in Rakhine state, the center of the crisis," said Nick Marro, China analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit.
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Wendy Poth, my aunt, lost her sight when she was 7. She's now completely blind, so she doesn't see shadows, faces or even the darkness when she closes her eyes. Wendy, who's now in her 60s, has lived an independent life as a therapist and trained social worker. These days, she's a die-hard technology enthusiast and is rarely seen at home without her Apple Watch Series 3, Amazon Echo and iPhone, which she uses to get news updates, call friends and track her daily activity. So I wasn't surprised to learn that Wendy signed up to be among the first to try out a new product for the blind and partially sighted called Aira. Here's how it works: Wendy puts on a pair of Google Glass, picks up her iPhone and uses Siri to place a call to Aira's network of "agents." As we strolled through Kansas City's downtown plaza, she asked her designated agent -- Wendell was his name -- how to navigate to a coffee shop and read the menu.
Christina Farr, CNBC
Her agent was careful to stay quiet as she walked in the right direction. Wendy had requested only light chatter so she could listen to the sounds of the street traffic. Previously, she relied on a cane and her acute sense of hearing. For a variety of reasons, she hasn't had a guide dog in several years. When Aira worked, Wendy said the experience was "magic." The agent relied on the camera feed recorded via Google Glass and used Google Maps to help her get around and provide specific instructions, like suggesting she move eight steps to the right. It gave her a feeling of independence. "I don't need to ask anybody for assistance," she said. "And I don't have to be nice when I am in a bad mood." Wendy also didn't care whether the Google Glass made her look nerdy, a common complaint among the sighted, or that she was giving up some personal privacy by sharing her location in such detail. The utility more than compensated for any of the downsides.
It still needs work
Generic stores and static brands don't quite cut it anymore with experience-hungry millennials who want to show the world they're unique.
Dwindling foot traffic in malls and competition on shelves has forced companies to rethink how they reach consumers. Pop-up shops offer both a testing ground and a marketing tool, making them a favorite, especially during the holidays.
Yankee Candle's version in New York is a stark departure from its classic mall store layout. Inside, visitors explore various settings: a forest, a poolside lounge, a field of giant roses and a sideways room that could be a scene in "Alice in Wonderland." In another room, visitors can use their fingers to guide koi fish on a screen.
Traditional candles comprise just a corner of the space, while personalized jars are the centerpiece of the store. Visitors can choose an image, add words, select a fragrance and have it printed on a candle. Brands WoodWick and Chesapeake Bay are also featured, both of which Yankee's parent company, Newell Brands , acquired this year.
Four New York-themed scents are unique to the store. Exclusive products are essentially an unwritten rule for pop-up shops.
"We really want to show the brands to customers in a different way, so they think about them in the way they always have and in a new way they never have. This experience absolutely gives them the opportunity to do that," said Hope Margala, Newell Brands' CEO of home fragrance.
A major robotic disruption appears set to hit the tea industry, putting at stake the livelihoods of millions of mostly low-wage workers around the world, according to the CEO of a global beverage business.
At Sri Lankan tea company Dilmah, tea picking a fundamental step in the production process has been handled largely by humans, said Dilhan Fernando, the firm's chief executive.
But artificial intelligence could very soon reach a level of expertise to supersede existing workers, according to Fernando.
"I have no doubt that within a few years, particularly after seeing Sophia this morning ... we will see robots or drones picking tea," Fernando said, referring to the humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based firm Hanson Robotics.
How soon AI solutions can be broadly adopted in the industry depends on the rate at which engineers can solve several existing challenges.
"With tea, to pick the two leaves and bud, you need to be able to understand the different colors [and] gradations. That, a robot can do. But it's also [about traveling] across certain undulating terrain, so it's a little difficult even for a drone," Fernando said.
Uber co-founder Garrett Camp has joined The Giving Pledge, a commitment to give away half of their wealth to charity. So has Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, who signed on along with his wife Rohini.
Camp's net worth is estimated at $5.1 billion while Nilekani's is estimated at $1.7 billion.
The Giving Pledge was created in 2010 by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to encourage the world's richest people to "publicly dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy" while they're still alive.
In a personal blog post announcing his plans, Camp spoke of recent travels to Kenya, where he connected with people living without access to basic services like clean water, food and electricity.
"Beyond just making charitable donations, I [will] also begin spending part of my time on projects where hands-on systems design can create more efficient solutions, and help people who need it most," he wrote.
Camp will be conducting philanthropic research and projects via a new foundation, Camp.org. He told CNBC in an email that the foundation's research is just beginning and its initiatives will ramp up over the next few years.
The Nilekanis announced their commitment in a letter posted to The Giving Pledge website.
"Inequality is increasing sharply in most countries," the wrote. "We see the young and the restless in this interconnected unsure of their future, wanting more but anticipating less...What must the super wealthy do?"
Through the EkStep foundation, the Nilekanis have thus far focused on education. In their statement, they promised to be supportive of "societal platforms," including software that can be used to make a positive impact on those most in need.
According to reports from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative, more than half of the non-profits in the U.S. raise between 50 percent and 100 percent of their money from individuals rather than from foundations and corporations. Most of their largest gifts, however, come after a wealthy donor dies.
More airlines will collapse as players in the industry do battle in an ever-more-crowded sector, according to one analyst.
In recent months, a loose grip on cost-control allied to high capacity in Europe has led to the demise of low-cost carriers Air Berlin and Monarch Airlines.
John Sneller, head of aviation at IHS Market, said Thursday that airlines are crowding a market sweet spot and some were bound to lose out.
"Budget airlines are squeezing up. The full-cost airlines are squeezing down. So somewhere in the middle there is going to be some consolidation," he said.
Sneller highlighted UK-based airlines Thomas Cook and rival TUI as two firms that will be battling hard to avoid a dangerous squeeze to margins.
The analyst said firms will be looking to find the correct mix of new fleets, added routes, and competitive pricing in order to maintain profitable flights.
The share price of Thomas Cook plummeted sharply on Wednesday after earnings at its U.K. tour operator business fell by 40 percent in the year to September 30. The firm's share price dropped 13 percent after those results but recovered some ground.
But the wider group saw more encouraging results, driven by growth in Continental Europe and the Nordic region.
Peter Fankhauser, chief executive of Thomas Cook said in the audited results Wednesday that there was "real momentum" in the group's airline division.
"The strong performance of our Group Airline in what has been a difficult year for European aviation is a particularly encouraging sign of our progress," Fankhauser added.
Travel and tourism firm TUI Group, which own TUI Airlines, reiterated guidance in September for at least 10 percent growth in underlying earnings for the financial year.
This article has been updated to reflect a more accurate portrayal of the airline performance at the Thomas Cook Group.
The CEO of a cryptocurrency start-up that raised nearly $375,000 through an initial coin offering (ICO) and then disappeared, lied about his employment history on the company's website, CNBC has learned.
Confido billed itself as a blockchain start-up that was disrupting traditional escrow services and transactions.
After it raised the money, all of its social media platforms went dark, with the company claiming in a now-deleted blog post that it was in a "tight spot" due to "legal trouble" with a contract.
Investors have reported on websites including Reddit that they have been unable to get in touch with the founding team. CNBC has also tried to contact Confido without success.
On Confido's website, which has also been deleted, a man called Joost van Doorn is named as the CEO. His biography said that he previously worked at eBay, PepsiCo and Zalando.
But two of the companies have no record of him.
After being contacted by CNBC, a PepsiCo spokesperson said that its human resources department could not find him. And German online retailer Zalando said that his name could not be found on any employees or freelancer list.
However, eBay has not yet responded to CNBC's request for comment.
An ICO is the latest way for cryptocurrency start-ups to raise money by issuing their own digital tokens in exchange for a virtual currency like ether or bitcoin. Investors don't get a stake in the company, but the tokens they receive can be traded or used on a service provided by the platform. ICOs have exploded, with more than $3.55 billion raised via this method so far this year.
Confido managed to raise just under $375,000 via an ICO on a platform called TokenLot. On Monday, TokenLot, the firm that hosted the ICO, put out a statement saying the Confido team had "pulled an exit scam." The company also said it had lost all lines of communication with Confido.
ICOs are currently unregulated in the majority of the world and banned in China and South Korea. This means that investors do not have any protection should an event like this take place.
A number of people in the cryptocurrency and technology world have criticized ICOs.
Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by value, told CNBC in a recent interview that "a lot of what's happening in the ICO market is actually fraud."
iStock/Thinkstock(SEOUL, South Korea) -- Hospital records from a young North Korean soldier who defected earlier this month offer telling details about health problems in the closed country.
The soldier had both parasitic infections and a dangerous hepatitis infection -- conditions that speak to the poor sanitation and rough conditions those in the hermit nation experience on a day-to-day basis.
The most shocking details, perhaps, are the reports of large parasitic worms, some measuring 11 inches, recovered from the 24-year-olds intestines.
An estimated five million people in North Korea have intestinal roundworms, thats 20 percent of the population, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor.
Doctors found the parasites -- likely Ascaris roundworms -- when repairing intestinal damage from multiple bullet wounds the soldier sustained during his escape. The eggs of these worms are frequently found in the soil, especially in developing countries that use human waste as an inexpensive fertilizer. Once inside the body, these eggs hatch to form larvae, eventually developing into large, mature worms that infect the small intestine. They can reach lengths of more than 13 inches.
But despite the size of these creatures, Ascaris roundworm infections may not be accompanied by noticeable symptoms. However, Hotez said they can lead to malnutrition in those infected. In children, this can lead to developmental delays and short stature.
"Instead of feeding the kid, youre feeding the worms," said Hotez. "They rob children of nutrition."
Multiple large worms in an infected person, however, can also cause intestinal blockages, and these worms can travel to the nearby liver, gallbladder, or pancreas and cause damage and inflammation to these organs as well, Hotez said.
While dramatic in appearance, roundworm infections are easy to treat, generally requiring only a single dose of anti-parasitic medication.
Likewise, another parasitic worm infection the soldier reportedly had, Toxocara, is also fairly easily treated. Toxocara is a parasite similar to Ascaris, though it is normally found in the intestines of dogs and cats; the worms do not usually grow as large in the intestines of humans. The larvae of these parasites often migrate to other organs in the body - often the liver, brain, lungs and eyes - causing damage to the affected organs.
But even more problematic than these parasitic infections are reports that the soldier was also infected with hepatitis B, a viral infection of the liver that can lead to life-threatening cirrhosis if untreated.
The soldier is just the latest case report of health problems among hundreds of other refugees and defectors from North Korea. Past reports have shown that many who have successfully fled suffer from these maladies, as well as tuberculosis, a common and frequently difficult to treat lung infection.
Studies comparing North Korean defectors to other refugee populations found they were more likely to be underweight -- and another estimated that about one-third of North Korean children under the age of 5 is malnourished. Dental and vision problems, such as cataracts, are also frequently reported.
Though the reclusive nature of the country limits what is known about its active and ongoing health problems, Hotez said these health issues are common to other places in the world that face devastating economic conditions.
These are not unique to North Korea, he said. These are all infections that are extremely common in the poorest parts of Asia. Toxocara is found in poor neighborhoods in the United States, as well.
Worm eradication programs were successfully implemented in South Korea following the Korean War, Hotez added, and pharmaceutical companies have been willing to donate global supply of anti-parasitic drugs to countries in need.
Other conditions afflicting North Koreans, such as hepatitis B, are completely preventable through vaccination programs.
But North Korea's tense political and economic relations with other countries makes assessing, and attempting to eradicate, these conditions in the country complicated.
Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Michael Flynn's lawyers recently told lawyers for President Donald Trump that they can no longer discuss special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing sources involved with the case.
The move, which has been confirmed by CNBC, could be a sign that Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor, is cooperating or negotiating an agreement with Mueller. The former FBI director's probe is investigating the Trump campaign, Russian meddling in the U.S. election last year and other related concerns.
The Times reported that the president's attorneys believe Flynn "has, at the least, begun discussions" with Mueller's investigators regarding possible cooperation.
Jay Sekulow, an attorney for the president, told CNBC he wasn't surprised by Flynn's decision. Such a move is a typical when a plea is being discussed, Sekulow said. An attorney for Flynn did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
"Assuming that the story is true, cooperation is the most likely explanation," Sol Wisenberg, former deputy independent counsel under Kenneth Starr, told CNBC.
Flynn was an important advisor to the Trump campaign and served briefly as national security advisor in the Trump White House. in the administration following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence regarding conversations he had with top Russian officials.
Trump made Flynn national security advisor despite the retired Army lieutenant general telling members of the transition team he was under investigation for his undisclosed work on behalf of the Turkish government.
The fact that Flynn's attorneys have stopped cooperating with Trump's team does not necessarily mean that Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors. The Times wrote: "Some lawyers withdraw from information-sharing arrangements as soon as they begin negotiating with prosecutors. And such negotiations sometimes fall apart."
In March, Flynn's attorney released a statement saying that "General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit."
The president tweeted at the time that Flynn "should ask for immunity," arguing that investigations into his former advisor were a "witch hunt."
The Senate Intelligence Committee later rejected Flynn's immunity request, NBC News reported. Here's how Flynn's attorney responded to the situation in March:
Flynn attorney Tweet from March
Read the full report from The New York Times here.
Smoke billows following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held parts of Jobar in Damascus, Syria on August 9, 2017.
Islamic State's days of territorial gains and military wins in Iraq and Syria might be over as the last vestiges of territory are won back from the self- proclaimed caliphate, but international experts are warning that any hopes that the group is gone and forgotten are premature and misguided. The U.K.'s minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa said Thursday that even as ISIS crumbles, its influence remains strong. "There's no doubt that the threat to us all continues to grow," Alastair Burt said Thursday, speaking at a counterterrorism conference hosted by U.K.-based defense and security think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). "Even as we see Daesh (ISIS) push back on the physical battlefield, we know that they will continue to pose a threat in the region. We also know that the battle of ideas is far from won, Daesh is still capable of inspiring people to carry out attacks in its name and, as such, it remains a serious global threat," he said. "We've seen tragic evidence of this on the continent, in the U.S. and here in the U.K., with five deadly terrorist attacks this year alone," he added. Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, agreed that the violent terror group was likely to be defeated soon but the reasons for its creation, which go back into the early 2000s but evolved to counter Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in recent years, had not been addressed. "If we don't address the grievances which led to the creation of Daesh - Sunni grievances against sectarian Shia policies and state violence from Assad, we're likely to see the resurgence of something that could be Daesh 2.0," De Kerchove told the RUSI conference.
Not gone, and not forgotten
The so-called Islamic State is largely made up of Sunni militants from Iraq and Syria but has drawn jihadi fighters from across the Muslim world and Europe. There is increasingly positive noise that the group, which has controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria amid governmental and regional instability, is soon to be defeated. Syrian and Iraqi government forces and disparate rebel groups, particularly in Syria, have fought to reclaim territories lost to ISIS over the last few years as it attempted to spread a caliphate a state governed by a strict interpretation of Islam.
The tide has turned more strongly against ISIS this year, however, with the group losing Raqqa (in Syria), Mosul (in Iraq) and numerous other strongholds to such an extent that . He thanked those who had fought against ISIS in Syria and Iraq for helping to "put an end to a group that did not bring anything for us but evil, misery, destruction, murder and savagery." In addition, on Thursday, Iraqi forces launched an operation to clear the desert bordering Syria of Islamic State militants, calling it a final campaign to clear the group from Iraqi territory. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was cautious earlier this week, saying he'd only declare that ISIS had been defeated once its militants were dispelled from the desert.
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Shiraz Maher, deputy director of The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) at King's College London, had a similar view. "I don't think we're anywhere near looking at an after-Daesh reality. Daesh is here, it's very much remaining as a player on the ground," he told the RUSI conference. "It is now reverting to type this was a group that emerged from being insurgency to a protest state and it's now pulling back to what it knows best. It will slip back into the deserts ready to regroup, to return and to fight another day," he said.
Sleeper cells
With martyrdom a key factor of Islamic State's jihadist ideology (drawing on the concept of a "holy war"), many of the group's fighters are expected to die in the last battles for territorial control. Some, however, are expected to go underground and reconvene in so-called "sleeper cells" in their countries of origin, although the number of both cells and returning fighters is unknown. The EU's De Kerchove said that he expected a "trickle" of ISIS fighters flowing back to Europe and that there were still "cells" already within the continent. "For those who do return we need to spot them at the border," he said.
Hopes of ISIS' defeat have risen after the Syrian army and its allies took control of Abu Kamal (also known as Al-Bukamal), the last significant stronghold of Islamic State in Syria. The loss of Abu Kamal leaves the group with only a handful locations in the country, a far cry from 2014 when the terrorist network controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria. Since then there has been a concerted global push to demolish the militant group, which has inspired and claimed responsibility for numerous deadly terrorist attacks around the world. Islamic State's towns and territories have been bombarded by a U.S.-led coalition of Western allies overseeing airstrikes but ground forces made up of rival bands of fighters and militias have done a large part of the hard work in routing out ISIS forces from towns and cities across Syria and Iraq.
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That's not to say that those forces have been a coherent body, with the battle sometimes seeming of secondary importance to rebel groups and regional powers vying for power, influence and territory. Indeed, the battle against Islamic State quickly became a complex web of rival rebel groups and international powers with shifting allegiances making it far from clear cut. While some rebel groups and their international backers are loyal to controversial Syrian President Assad (such as Russia and Iran and mainly Shia Muslim militias) others would prefer to see him removed from power. This particularly applies to the U.S.-led coalition as well as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other Sunni Muslim countries that have backed a range of rebel groups, some of whom have been fighting both Assad troops and Islamic State.
To complicate matters further, Syrian Kurds who have declared an autonomous region in the north of the country also entered the fray and have been widely regarded as one of the most effective fighting forces against ISIS. However, Turkey (which is located to the north of Syria) and the Kurds have a long-standing history of hostility and Turkish forces have been accused of attacking Kurdish anti-ISIS forces just as much as ISIS itself in a bid to stop the Kurds gaining territory at its border. As it stands, Syria is largely divided into four camps of government-controlled areas, rebel-controlled areas, ISIS-controlled areas (albeit a quickly dwindling area) and a Kurdish-controlled area.
Crumbling, but still deadly
Despite the complexities and mixed motives, a combined push against Islamic State has made the pseudo-state crumble, according to the statistics. IHS Markit's specialist research unit, Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC), released a report Wednesday underlining the "extent of the degradation of the Islamic State's armed campaign in the country (Iraq)" with the number of attacks and resultant fatalities hitting the lowest level since ISIS declared a caliphate in 2014.
North Korea is facing a growing number of international sanctions, but there are still plenty of ways the reclusive state can do business. Despite restrictive conditions, the pariah nation's overall economy grew 3.9 percent last year its fastest since 1999. Pyongyang did business with at least 80 countries during that time, according to figures from the South Korean government. It's not yet clear how the North Korean economy is faring this year, but the situation may be growing tougher for the country: The United States announced more sanctions this week after President Donald Trump put the country back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
China ties
When the world has been tough on Pyongyang, leaders in the reclusive state have long turned to allies in Beijing to alleviate their troubles. But that relationship is showing signs of fraying. China makes up more than 80 percent of North Korean trade and has been credited for holding up the regime, but analysts say that China has become more assertive this year in exercising pressure on its ally. Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul and a specialist in Korean Studies, wrote on Monday that there is an "ongoing U-turn in China's North Korean policy." He cited strong Chinese support for "the toughest" United Nations Security Council-approved resolution ever on the North Korean issue an action which he said surprised many observers, including him. He added that Chinese policymakers and scholars are now saying that "China has had enough and should switch to a tougher policy." Over the last week, China deployed a special envoy to North Korea for the first time since February last year. China-watchers deemed the four-day trip as important, but its consequences were not immediately apparent. For its part, North Korea is likely to be feeling the effects of China's new approach. China released figures last month showing that its fuel exports to North Korea fell sharply in September. Imports of North Korean coal was down 71.6 percent from last year, while exports of petrol were down 99.6 percent.
The pivot to Russia
Given the apparent frostiness with Beijing, it's no surprise that North Korea is looking to put some eggs in other baskets. In May, the country's state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent his Lunar New Year greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin before he reached out to any other international leaders. Moscow has a long history with North Korea the Soviet Union made up almost half of North Korea's foreign trade for almost 30 years until it collapsed in the 1990s. Russia looks to be ramping up its involvement again. Last month, a major Russian telecommunications company was reportedly providing an internet connection to North Korea. The new link came at a time when U.S. Cyber Command was carrying out attacks against North Korean hackers, The Washington Post reported. More collaboration is on the way. A new ferry service was launched in May to transport cargo between North Korea and the Russian port of Vladivostok, while Russia's state news agency reported plans to expand railway links between the two countries. Still, official trade volumes last year hit only $77 million, down from $113 million in 2013. That is a far cry from when Russia's then-minister for Far East development announced in 2015 that Moscow wanted to increase its trade volume with North Korea tenfold to $1 billion by 2020.
People work in a field just outside Pyongyang, North Korea October 8, 2015. Damir Sagolj | Reuters
Experts note, however, that Russia's oil deliveries to North Korea do not appear on official customs data, estimating that actual trade volumes are at least three times higher than what is recorded. Data for the first quarter of 2017 showed that Russia's trade with North Korea more than doubled to $31.4 million. Academics say Russia's backing of North Korea serves several strategic purposes, such as projecting Russia's image as an international broker and reinforcing its image at home as a great power. Still, it's likely to remain murky just how Moscow develops its relationship with Pyongyang. Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, a researcher with the Foreign Policy Research Institute who tracks North Korea's economy, told CNBC via email that "at the end of the day, it's very hard to say for sure exactly what sort of trade North Korea conducts, and with whom." "North Korea's trade with countries other than China, in various forms, is probably much greater than we tend to recognize. That with Russia especially may well come to increase in the coming few years depending on how the international environment develops," he said.
Global clients for arms, slaves and statues
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman (2nd L) takes his seat to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and his delegation on April 19, 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has become much more aggressive in the Middle East as the United States has pulled back from its traditional role in the region, according to Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, global geopolitical strategist at Standard Chartered bank.
"We're seeing a series of miscalculations We tend to think that Saudi Arabia has become an irrational actor in the Middle East," Dauba-Pantanacce told CNBC Thursday.
His comments come as the Sunni Islamic kingdom's foreign policy actions are increasingly forcing instability upon smaller nations, where analysts believe Saudi Arabia is seeking to amplify sectarian divisions. These moves have unfolded against the backdrop of escalating competition between Saudi Arabia and its Shia arch-rival Iran.
"I say this because every single foreign venture they (Saudi Arabia) try has reached the opposite result that they wanted. In Yemen, in Qatar, and now in Lebanon," he said.
In the latest twist to come out of Middle East geopolitics, Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday suspended his previous resignation, apparently in order to open "a new gateway for responsible dialogue," he said in a statement. Whether this came with Saudi approval is not yet known.
The prime minister returned to Beirut Tuesday night following an unexpected two-week stay in Saudi Arabia, where he delivered a shock resignation from the capital Riyadh on November 4. This prompted widespread speculation that the prime minister was "held hostage," as well as consensus among analysts that Saudi Arabia forced Hariri to resign.
"What Saudi Arabia is miscalculating is that in (holding) the PM of Lebanon probably against his will in the country, it has managed the feat of unifying all of Lebanon against Saudi, including the constituency of Lebanon that is traditionally sympathetic to Saudi," the strategist explained.
Regulators around the world are probing a massive data breach at ride-hailing service Uber and its apparent role in covering it up.
On Tuesday, Uber disclosed that hackers stole data from 57 million riders and drivers in an attack that happened in 2016. The company paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and keep the breach quiet.
Uber fired Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan for his role and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who was not with the company at the time of the hack, said "none of this should have happened."
But the U.S. technology firm is now in the cross-hairs of regulators around the world.
Australia's data protection watchdog said it has "commenced inquiries with Uber."
"Incidents such as this are a timely reminder to Australians of the value of the personal information we provide in order to receive products and services," the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner's office, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission told CNBC in an emailed statement on Thursday that it is "aware of the breach and is in touch with Uber for more details."
The U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) told CNBC on Wednesday that Uber could face an investigation and even potential fines up to 500,000 ($661,900).
"We will be investigating but as regards what actions we eventually take, that depends on what we find, and obviously it's very early days at this stage," an ICO spokesperson told CNBC by phone on Wednesday.
An Uber spokesperson told CNBC on Thursday that it's in the process of notifying various regulatory and government authorities and expects to have "ongoing discussions" with them.
"Until we complete that process we aren't in a position to get into any more details."
At home in the U.S., five states said they would investigate the data breach, according to a Recode report on Wednesday.
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When delay in the planning system is identified as a restriction on the housing supply, the planning officers are usually quick to come up with the answer: more planning officers. The answer also involves increasing fees which then provide the revenue to fund the extra salaries.
I am sceptical. There is seldom any undertaking to improve performance in return for the higher fees. Vague references tend to be made to investing the extra resources in the service. What about something more tangible such as refunding fees if deadlines are missed?
The reality is that the inefficiency in the system is staggering. A report from the House Builders Federation offered some examples of the absurdities they face.
There is scant evidence of much correlation between the number of planning officers and the number of planning applications approved. I put in FOI requests to London councils asking how many planning officers each Council employs and how many planning applications are approved. The figures suggest a wide range in productivity.
Barking and Dagenham
Nine planning officers approved 1,338 applications last year, 149 each.
Barnet
67 planning officers approved 7,708 applications last year. 115 each.
Bexley
14 planning officers approved an estimated 2,500 applications last year. 179 each.
Camden
76 planning officers approved 4,468 applications last year. 59 each,
Croydon
40 planning officers approved 4,111 applications last year. 103 each.
Greenwich
30 planning officers approved 1,032 applications last year. 34 each.
Hackney
21 planning officers approved 2,650 applications last year. 126 each.
Hammersmith and Fulham
22 planning officers approved 3,248 applications last year. 148 each.
Haringey
32 planning officers approved 3,424 applications last year. 107 each.
Havering
13 planning officers approved 1587 applications last year. 122 each.
Kingston upon Thames
13 planning officers approved 1,341 planning applications last year. 103 each.
Lambeth
51 planning officers approved 2,011 applications last year. 39 each.
Merton
14 planning officers approved 2,652 applications last year. 189 each.
Newham
59 planning officers approved 1,947 applications last year. 33 each.
Redbridge
26 planning officers approved 3523 applications last year. 135 each.
Southwark
85 planning officers approved 5,498 applications last year. 65 each.
Sutton
13 planning officers approved 1,922 applications last year. 148 each.
Waltham Forest
18 planning officers approved 1,175 applications last year. 65 each.
Westminster
47 planning officers approved 8,522 applications last year. 181 each.
Of course the planning system has vast complexity that is the whole problem. Therefore this measure is pretty rough and ready. There are an array of different types of planning applications some councils may be able to dig into the detailed statistics to show they have a higher share of big developments to cope with.
Another point is that some councils might be more liberal about permitted development rights. Often some minor application goes through pretty much automatically very little work for the planning officer, but they still charge a resident a fee and delay the work being done. Greater use of permitted development rights would be efficient as planning applications are then not needed yet that would perversely make a council less productive on the measure in the table above. However, I am not aware of that being the case in practice.
So there could be explanations as to why Newhams planning officers approve 33 applications a year each, while Westminsters average is 181. Or why Lambeths score is only 39 while next door Merton manages 189. Greenwich Council may offer some plausible account of why their planning officers can only cope with 34 each, when in in neighbouring Bexley the equivalent figure is 179.
All I would suggest is that it is naive to expect increased planning fees to improve the housing supply. Councils have a monopoly on this. Greater revenue could well embed inefficiency and allow bureaucratic empires to be kept in tact. Pointless impositions and delays that should be swept away would be maintained.
As Cyril Northcote Parkinson so clearly explained to us all those years ago:
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
Daniel Hannan is an MEP for South-East England, and a journalist, author and broadcaster. His most recent book is What Next: How to Get the Best from Brexit.
What do you suppose was the biggest problem faced by Brexit campaigners last year? The fact that we were up against the entire government machine? The funding imbalance? The inertia bias of a cautious electorate?
Nope. Speak to almost anyone from Vote Leave HQ and theyll tell you that by far their worst headache was Leave.EU, the wrecking operation set up by Arron Banks. It caused them ten times as many problems as Downing Street did. By the end, they were convinced that Banks wasnt interested in winning, only in using the campaign as a vehicle to promote himself and Nigel Farage.
I realise that thats a big claim. How could something calling itself Leave.EU not be primarily focused on, you know, leaving the EU? It may have been hapless and hopeless, but surely it at least wanted to win?
Well, behavioural psychologists teach us to infer motive from behaviour. Ask yourself something. What did Banks do during the campaign that might have made a Leave vote more likely? Almost every day he attacked, in crude and puerile language, other Brexit campaigners, especially Nigel Lawson and Matthew Elliott, Vote Leaves CEO. But can you recall him ever attacking the EU? Chances are, you can remember only one example: the catastrophic Breaking Point poster showing a refugee column in the Balkans. On the day it was published, support for Leave dropped by six points the single biggest one-day fall of the entire campaign.
OK, you might say, but maybe he was trying to be helpful. Really? What undecided voter, at that stage in the campaign, was suddenly going to be swayed by the image of immigrants in Slovenia? As a way of helping Leave across the line, it was plainly counter-productive. As an attempt to keep Banks and Farage centre-stage, on the other hand, it worked a treat.
Banks and Farage were the Leavers Remainers loved. Craig Oliver, who organised Remains media, is frank about it in his readable memoir. Above all else, he aimed to turn the poll into a Cameron-Farage contest. Hence his greatest tactical success of the campaign: offering ITN the Prime Minister for a televised debate, but only on condition that Farage was the opponent. Hence, too, David Camerons constant description of the other side as Nigel Farages campaign whose victory would lead to Nigel Farages Britain.
Remains pollsters were plainly telling them what ours were telling us. Up to 25 per cent of the electorate were broadly Faragiste, and responded to his arguments. But these voters would have crossed a six-lane motorway to vote Leave, Ukip or no Ukip. The voters who might go either way an unusually high number, around a third of the electorate at the start of the campaign were Eurosceptic but change-averse. They didnt like Brussels, but were worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy. They wanted reassurance, not rage. They responded badly to the half-bellicose half-jokey tone of Bankss campaign. They had a low opinion of Ukip.
And heres the thing. Banks knew it. Farage knew it. But they didnt care. Their primary objective was to be seen to lead the campaign, not to win it. If those two objectives were in conflict and, plainly, they were the first trumped the second. All of which made for a bizarre alliance between Remain and Leave.EU: they shared an interest in making Leave.EU the voice of Brexit.
Theyre still at it. News that Banks is under investigation by the Electoral Commission has naturally delighted the pro-EU establishment, especially the Guardian and Observer. Except, of course, they dont report this as Banks being under investigation. They report it as the Leave campaign being under investigation. But Banks wasnt the Leave campaign. If he had been, wed have lost.
There have been technical investigations into both Leave and Remain on compliance issues. But its Banks who is attracting the most fevered speculation about where his money came from. No proof of wrongdoing has been found, but the lurid nature of the accusation is being used to suggest that Leave won improperly.
To repeat, Bankss outfit was not Vote Leave, or even an ally of Vote Leave. Vote Leave was the official cross-party campaign organisation, bringing together Labour, Tory, Green and Liberal Democrat Eurosceptics along with the best elements of UKIP (Patrick OFlynn, Douglas Carswell, Suzanne Evans). Bankss organisation spent the referendum attacking the official Leave campaign, which he frankly described in a Times interview as the real enemy.
It was no idle phrase. Every day, some new distraction would come our way from Leave.EU. We had lawyers letters. Banks himself has written of putting a tail on Elliott. We even got to the point where, with days to go before the vote, Banks was giving out the phone numbers of our staff and encouraging people to spam them. Ask yourself again: is this the behaviour of someone who actually wanted Brexit?
As far as the Electoral Commissions investigation goes, Banks is as entitled as anyone else to the presumption of innocence. Being a boastful, belligerent man-child doesnt make you a Russian agent. The burden of proof is not reversed when we dislike the accused a principle that is too often forgotten in politics.
Still, I wish Europhile reporters would stop pretending that Banks was a big player, something they know to be nonsense. In truth, Banks is a charlatan, whose promises repeatedly turn out to be false. Think of his recent record: he pledged to challenge Vote Leaves designation in court, to stand as a candidate in Clacton, to found a new party called the Patriotic Alliance, to sue Elliott, to organise a pro-Brexit rock festival, to set up a pirate radio station. And yet, despite his conspicuous failure to do any of these things, journalists keep reporting his next empty boast.
Their agenda is clear enough. If they can somehow establish in the public mind that Banks was part of the Leave coalition, and if some impropriety on his part is discovered, they will claim that the result is thereby delegitimised.
In fact, Bankss chief contribution to the Brexit cause was repeatedly to try to sabotage it. Fortunately, as in much else, he failed.
Davies goes on the attack as Jones faces formal inquiry over bullying allegations
ITV Wales reports that a formal inquiry into historical allegations of Welsh Government bullying has come a step closer this week.
A debate and vote has been scheduled to be held in the Welsh Assembly on Wednesday 29th on a motion tabled by the Welsh Conservatives, who launched their push for an inquiry a week ago. They want it to be comprised of members of the Assembly. Plaid Cymru have apparently backed earlier Tory calls for an independent figure to conduct an investigation.
Carwyn Jones has come under mounting pressure since Carl Sargeant, a former minister in his administration, hanged himself after being suspended over sexual misconduct allegations allegations which Sargeants family and allies accuse the First Minister of badly mishandling, as we reported last week.
Now he faces two challenges: allegations that a toxic bullying culture prevailed in his Government and led to ministers being bullied, and suspicions that he misled AMs when he was previously questioned about it in the Assembly chamber.
Andrew RT Davies, writing for the Institute of Welsh Affairs, sets out the case against Jones in detail as well as highlighting some of the Tories proposed solutions. Key to these is reform of the ministerial code so that the First Minister is no longer its sole arbiter a situation which, the Welsh Conservative leader rightly points out, allows him to simply ignore it.
Hammond tries to induce Stormont to reform with, you guessed it, more powers
One might not think, given the lamentable performance record of Northern Irelands devolved institutions, that a sober and cautious custodian of the nations finances would be keen to install more economic levers therein.
But if the Budget is any indication then, in this at least, Philip Hammond is a gambling man. The Times reports that the Chancellor has offered Ulster the prospect of slashing Corporation Tax to parity with the Republic of Ireland if a reformed executive could demonstrate sustainable finances.
In his determination to tape the Northern Ireland Executive back together the Chancellor is at least of a mind with the Northern Irish Secretary, but he might pay more care to the more sceptical voices in Ulster itself.
Scepticism about the institutions tends to be confined to those who live under them, so its easy for Westminster politicians not to pick up on it, but likely due to both being owned by Johnston Press the News Letters Sam McBride now writes for mainland audiences in the i.
He makes a strong case that the cash-for-ash scandal suggests that there are some policy areas where the default instinct of devolved politicians to grasp for more power is fundamentally counter-productive because their smaller institutions dont have the capacity to wield those powers effectively.
Corporation tax, McBride moots, is just such a power. Hammond, like some of the Scottish Conservatives, should be wary of tinkering with the constitution in pursuit of short-term expedients at the expense of big long-term risks.
Scottish Tories highlight positive contribution to the Budget
Ruth Davidson won the leadership of the Scottish Conservatives with fierce opposition to proposals to split it off from the national Party, and todays Budget stories highlight the dividends of this approach.
As the Daily Telegraph notes, the Chancellor went out of his way during his speech to highlight the role the Tories 13 Scottish MPs had bent his ear on a range of issues and directly influenced the final proposals.
This will serve both Davidsons interests and the Governments. Highlighting the role of Scottish MPs not only allows Davidson to illustrate how positive engagement with British institutions is the most productive way to stand up for Scotland, its also a handy way of putting the Governments policies front and centre in Scottish press coverage.
Davidson enjoyed another boost this week too when she won the Heralds Scottish Politician of the Year award for the second time for her revival of Tory fortunes north of the border. She remains the only Conservative ever to win the devolution-era prize.
Labour MP criticises the Tories for Sinn Fein not taking their seats
Since the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) lost their last seats in Junes general election, the Commons chamber has been without any formally-designated Irish nationalists.
In a long tradition, therefore, a Labour MP has stepped into the breach. Ulster-born Conor McGinn has charged the Government with failing to adequately represent Irish nationalist opinion in Parliamentary debates over the Budget.
Although he focused his fire on ministers, as if the Conservative and Unionist Party could lay its hands on many Irish nationalist MPs even if it wanted to, Sinn Fein were quick to rebuke his claim that their abstentionist stance creates a democratic deficit.
Conor Murphy, an MLA and former MP, argued that the republicans represent their constituents in other ways. He might also have told McGinn as might the Tories that Irish nationalists voted for Sinn Fein in full knowledge of the level of service they were getting. Or not getting, as the case may be.
Whats inexplicable is why Sinn Fein recieve a special form of Short Money, available to nobody else, for extra-Parliamentary duties. If the Chancellor is looking for ways to induce the republicans to return to Stormont, he could start by cutting that.
If youre looking for an explanation as to why Northern Irish voters seem to be coalescing around hard-line parties I recommend this excellent piece by Newton Emerson. He sets out how Gerry Adams, with his self-exculpatory justifications for IRA violence, has hugely deepened the mental distance between Northern Irelands communities and sown the seeds for the next conflict.
In other Northern Irish news Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist leader and former First Minister, has attacked the Irish prime minister for playing around with Ulster over Brexit, according to the BBC, whilst her Sinn Fein counterpart Michelle ONeill has taken to the Guardian to revive the idea that the Tory-DUP pact jeopardises the Good Friday Agreement.
Flora Coleman is Deputy Chair of the Tory Reform Group.
This was an optimistic Budget from Philip Hammond at a time when wider economic challenges were leaving many concerned that this would be a disappointment.
It seeks to tackle the big challenges that we as a society face of technological change and inter-generational unfairness, and reaches out to those most concerned, setting out clear and well targeted policies.
It serves as a Budget of compassionate Conservatism, with policies that seek to bring us together as one nation that is ready for the future. So much was aimed at those trying to get on in life and the looser definition of young that we saw emerge in the general election: anyone under 45.
For this, the Chancellor should be commended it continues to be evident that lessons have been learned from the result in June, and there has been a conscientious effort to address our offering to younger voters especially.
There will be an inevitable criticism that too much is being done to woo this age group. The millennial railcard has proved especially controversial, but this is misplaced. Like it or not, the party needs to future proof itself and face up to some seriously concerning polling in terms of the under-45s.
Hammond himself might not be able to do it alone, but to ensure the success of the Conservatives into future generations it is vital we seek to address inter-generational unfairness.
The Tory Reform Group, which has its highest membership ever, is one channel to understanding the needs of the under-45s. Many of our members are young professionals in this age bracket and we must ensure we offer them a reason to champion the party and the Conservative cause.
Hot on the heels of the much-needed changes to student loan repayments that we saw at the Party Conference, the Government ensured that real wages of those on the lowest incomes will continue to rise. For example, as a result of tax cuts and National Living Wage someone working full-time on NLW will take home 3,800 a year more than in 2010. This is the Government making the best of its powers to increase real wages in a free-market society.
I cannot be alone as an early thirty-something in seeing my social media feeds full of overjoyed friends, about to take their first step on the housing ladder, excited at the prospect of that little extra cash to help sort their first home, pay for movers etc. I spotted soft Corbynistas, previously swept away by seemingly easy socialism, actually congratulating the Chancellor by name.
To some this might seem almost a miracle. It is not. For too long we have been unfairly portrayed as against youngsters by certain parts of the media, which is something we all know is untrue. Labours pipeline dreams of abandoned tuition fees will ultimately saddle even more generations of debt, whilst our Conservative policies show a pragmatic approach in securing a stake in society for the next generation.
The technical education measures and commitment to retraining through schemes such as UnionLearn will prepare our future workforce, and enable our current workforce to take the opportunities in our world-leading tech industries. Coupled with the taxation and investment changes, this will make the environment better for our high-growth knowledge intensive companies that are delivering jobs, growth and innovation.
Could the Budget be criticised for lacking an overarching narrative? Yes. But so what? It contains the right measures for our people and our society.
Its still a challenging time in the United Kingdom the General Election showed this and yesterday the Office of Budget Responsibility proved it. There is still much more to be done: next years local elections could well still be tricky, especially in London.
However it is in our cities that we need to ensure our messaging around optimism and home ownership really cut through. Its not easy but we are creeping along the right path this package of measures are much needed and most importantly, hopeful.
NORTH GLENGARRY, Ontario After more than six years as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Township of North Glengarry, Daniel Gagnon has announced that he will be stepping down.
Gagnon has been offered and has accepted the job as CAO of Elliot Lake, ON. Gagnon had worked for the municipality of Elliot Lake prior to coming to North Glengarry in 2011. There he had held positions in Economic Development, recreation and CAO.
Ive had a great opportunity to work with a wonderful staff and council, said Gagnon in an interview with Seaway News. Its a lifestyle choice. Im going back to my roots in Northern Ontario.
North Glengarry Deputy Mayor Jamie MacDonald wished Gagnon the best going forward.
Dan is returning home to his roots after a very successful tenure here, he said in a statement. He was a valued team member and instrumental in driving positive changes to the community that will be in place for decades to come like the Maxville water project and the Community Improvement Plan. We are sad to see him go but understand his motivation and wish him well in his future endeavours.
Gagnons tenure as CAO of North Glengarry will end on Dec. 31 and he will begin his new position in Elliot Lake on Jan. 2.
The Township of North Glengarry has yet to name a successor or interim replacement, stating that such details will be forthcoming in the near future.
MSC Cruises is upping its game out of South Africa as the MSC Sinfonia made its first call to Pomene Bay in Mozambique, a new destination MSC said is a marine safari-style experience.
Pomene Bay is a remote and unspoiled peninsula, 605 km north of Mozambiques Capital Maputo and 170 km south of Vilanculos, the company said.
It will offer a marine safari experience, complete with its own beach club, the MSC Pomene Safari Beach Club, exclusively for MSC Cruises guests sailing on the MSC Sinfonia from Durban, South Africa.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman said: The addition to South African itineraries of Pomene Bay will be a game-changer for cruise holidays in the region. It is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to innovation, also when it comes to destinations and guest experiences.
Vago continued: Our vision for creating this unique marine safari experience is to give our guests exclusive access to some of the most beautiful and remote destinations in the world, as we are already doing for example with the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Caribbean. We want guests to discover the rich and varied marine life that inhabits the waters around Pomene Bay within a context that puts the preservation and respect of the local environment as our top, uncompromising priority.
At MSC Cruises, as a company with over 300 years of seafaring tradition we have a passion for the sea and we respect the environment in which we operate, Vago noted. For this reason, wherever possible we create opportunities to protect and preserve the natural habitat of some of the amazing destinations that we have the privilege to call. We hope that in the future we can establish Pomene Bay as an official marine reserve. In the meantime, we committed to developing its facilities in harmony with the natural surroundings and with a strong environmental focus. We are also working with the local community to ensure a positive, long-term impact.
There is a no trash policy and all garbage will be taken back onboard and delivered to the adequate port facilities in Durban.
MSC Cruises employed local workers for the renovation and construction work and will continue to employ local people to deliver the shore excursions and activities, upskilling them to meet international tourism standards.
Ross Volk, MSC Cruises Country Manager South Africa said: The addition of Pomene Bay will give guests more reasons to cruise with MSC Cruises. Portuguese Island is represents a day of fun and festivities, Pomene Bay will enhance the cruise experience with an element of tranquillity, serenity and discovery, bringing something fresh and exciting to our itineraries. Whether seeking a romantic getaway, exploring one of the spectacular beaches in the world, or a vacation that meets the needs of the whole family, our guests will be able to discover and enjoy an extraordinary example of Mozambiques magnificent nature.
The MSC Pomene Safari Beach Club, will offer a range of facilities dedicated to the guests, including a Club House complete with swimming pool, three beach bars and spa services from the MSC Aurea Spa in two private cabanas. A further eight cabanas able to accommodate up to six people each and six private cabanas can be booked for the day. For the kids, there is a jungle gym play area that will host animations, games and activities. Local artists have provided carvings and light fittings for the buildings and many of the furnishings have been made locally. Guests are able to visit a nearby fishing village, where they can purchase local handicrafts.
Malware. Data theft. Ransomware. Everyone wants to know who was behind the latest audacious attack. Several attempts have been made over the years to use linguistics to identify perpetrators, but when it comes to attribution, there are limitations to using this method.
Linguistic analysis came up recently when analysts at intelligence firm Flashpoint said there was a Chinese link with the WannaCry ransomware. Much of the security research up till then had pointed to North Korean ties, as the attacks reused infrastructure components associated with the shadowy Lazarus Group. Before that, a Taia Global report suggested the The Shadow Brokers manifesto was actually written by a native English speaker, despite the broken English. Linguistic analysis also was used to suggest that Guccifer 2.0, who released documents stolen from the Democratic National Committee, was likely not Romanian as claimed. Back in 2014, Taia Global said linguistic clues pointed the Sony breach to Russian actors, and not the North Koreans as the United States government had claimed.
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Attribution is hard enoughand relying on linguistic tools appears to be just adding to the confusion. Was WannaCry the work of the Chinese or the North Koreans? Is Guccifer 2.0 Romanian or Russian? Linguistic analysis will very rarely lead to the smoking gun. At the very least, it will uncover a whole set of clues for researchers to track down, and at the best, it will support (or confirm) other pieces of evidence uncovered by technical research and forensics methods. Linguistic analysis is another tool in the arsenal when it comes to attribution.
Linguistic evidence, to be reliable, must show a consistent pattern of different features pointing in a single direction, says Shlomo Argamon, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He was behind Taias original analysis of the Sony hackers and that of The Shadow Brokers.
Understanding the analysis
There are two kinds of analysis, one looks at the actual source code and the other examines the actual text that is used. In the first kind, the analysis focuses on code style and patterns to see similarities to other known code samples. Many researchers have relied on this method to link different attacks to a single actor, but this isnt linguistic analysis.
The second method relies on human language, such as error messages, dialog boxes and messages directly shown to victims. For it to be effective, there needs to be text and plenty of it. Flashpoints WannaCry analysis focused on the ransom notes that victims were shown. Argamon analyzed The Shadow Brokers rambling manifesto. In the case of Guccifer 2.0, Argamon looked at Motherboards Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierais interview with Guccifer 2.0 over Twitter. In some cases, there is text in the code itselfsuch as commentsbut that is typically considered too little to be useful. You have to have enough text, says Argamo
First EU Cyber Defence Exercise
EU Defence Ministers participate in EU CYBRID 2017, a strategic table-top cyber defence exercise. The exercise, the first of its kind, is organised by the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Estonian Ministry of Defence and the European Defence Agency (EDA).
In the simulation, hackers sabotaged the EUs naval mission in the Mediterranean and launched a campaign on social media to discredit the EU operations and provoke protests.
Each of the defense ministers tried to contain the crisis over the course of the 90-minute, closed-door exercise in Tallinn that officials sought to make real by creating mock news videos giving updates on an escalating situation. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the extremely exciting war game showed the need for EU governments to be more aware of the impact of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure in the EU.
EU CYBRID 2017
The objective of EU CYBRID 2017 is to raise awareness of cybersecurity incident coordination at political level and of the potential effects of offensive cyber-campaigns. It focuses on situational awareness, crisis response mechanisms and strategic communication.
Cyber is widely recognised as a major threat in the EUs Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), yet there has been limited attention to EU missions and operations resilience.
To address cyber threats in CSDP, Estonia organised in cooperation with the European Defence Agency a strategic table-top cyber-exercise EU CYBRID 2017 for EU Ministers of Defence during their informal meeting in Tallinn on 7 September 2017.
Cyber, the fifth domain of warfare, must be given as much attention as land, air, sea and space. There is no 100% protection in cyber. It is imperative that EU Defence Ministers test their cyber defence mechanisms. The buy-in of Member States is key for the EU to have the necessary skills, technology and capabilities, Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, said.
The scope of the exercise is crisis response to a major offensive cyber campaign against EU military structures in a hybrid warfare context. The objectives of the exercise are:
Situational awareness. Use the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) to ensure a common understanding of the crisis and the impact of hybrid attacks on EU military structures and to give initial assessment/context for the cyber-campaign.
Crisis Response. Raise awareness of the instruments available to the EU in to give strategic guidance on the response to a major offensive cyber-campaign against CSDP structures in a hybrid warfare context.
STRATCOM. To coordinate initial messages among EU Member States at political level.
Cyber defence. Raise awareness on cybersecurity incident coordination at political level and demonstrate potential effects of offensive cyber-campaigns.
Trigger discussions at Council level with a view to examine possible measures in response to specific events, drawn from the crisis scenario.
About the Exercise
EU CYBRID 2017 is a table-top cyber exercise focused on strategic choices and considerations at the EU ministerial level. The goal of the exercise is to highlight a number of strategic concerns and topics that arise in connection with any hypothetical cyber crisis. This exercise should serve as a forum for discussion at ministerial level and provide strategic guidance to address future crises. The exercise scenario included an orchestrated cyber-attack campaign against an EU-led military operation affecting both an EU Headquarter in Rome (OHQ Rome) and its subordinated maritime assets.
Multiple cyber-attacks covering a range of cyber threats combined with other incidents took place over the course of the exercise. The exercise scenario refers to fictitious countries, organisations and operations.
Cyber Defence and the European Defence Agency
Cyber defence is one of the priorities of the EDAs capability development plan and of the NATO-EU Joint Declaration. A project team consisting of EDA and its participating Member States' representatives is responsible for jointly developing cyber defence capabilities within the EU CSDP, supported by R&T experts.
The Agencys main focus is on supporting member states in building a skilled military cyber defence workforce and in ensuring the availability of proactive and reactive cyber defence technology. The EDA for example develops, pilots and delivers a variety of cyber security & defence courses and exercises from basic awareness over expert level to decision maker training.
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The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation.
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LSB Industries, Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of chemical products. The company provides nitrogen-based fertilizers, such as ammonia, fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (HDAN), and urea ammonia nitrate for fertilizer and fertilizer blends for corn and other crops, and NPK fertilizer blends applications. It also offers high purity and commercial grade ammonia, high purity ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acids, mixed nitrating acids, carbon dioxide, and diesel exhaust fluids, as well as concentrated, and blended and regular nitric acids for various applications, including semi-conductor and polyurethane intermediates; pulp and paper, alum, water treatment, metals, and vanadium processing; power plant emissions abatement, water treatment, refrigerants, and metals processing; exhaust stream additive, and horticulture/greenhouse applications; and refrigeration. In addition, the company provides industrial grade ammonium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and HDAN solutions for ammonium nitrate fuel oil and specialty emulsions for mining, surface mining, quarries, and construction applications. It sells its products through distributors, as well as directly to end customers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company serves to the agricultural, industrial, and mining markets. LSB Industries, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. provides financial products and services in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, Credit, and Others. It offers retail banking services, including demand, savings, and fixed deposit-taking; checking accounts; mortgage and home equity, and retail lending; electronic banking and automatic teller machines (ATM); and bill paying, payroll and check-cashing, currency exchange, and wire fund transfer services. The company also provides corporate banking services, such as investment banking, real estate financing, overseas real estate and development project financing, infrastructure and structured financing, equity/venture investments, mergers and acquisitions consulting; securitization and derivatives services comprising securities and derivative products, and foreign exchange trading; and working capital loans and facilities loans. In addition, it is involved in treasury and investment activities in international capital markets consisting of foreign currency-denominated securities trading, foreign exchange trading and services, trade-related financial services, international factoring services, and foreign banking operations. Further, the company offers trust account management, securities brokerage, and asset management services, as well as leasing and equipment financing, savings banking, loan collection and credit reporting, collective investment administration, private equity investment, and financial system development services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated a network of 784 service centers; 5,234 ATMs; 7 cash dispensers; and 85 digital kiosks. Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Utilities segment operates approximately 61,000 kilometers (km) of operational electricity transmission and distribution lines; 5,300 km of electricity transmission lines; 4,200 km of natural gas pipelines; 7.3 million electricity and natural gas connections; and 360,000 long-term contracted sub-metering services. This segment also offers heating and cooling solutions; gas distribution; water heaters; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioner rental, as well as other home services. Its Transport segment offers transportation, storage, and handling services for merchandise goods, commodities, and passengers through a network of approximately 22,000 km of track; 5,500 km of track network; 4,800 km of rail; 3,800 km of motorways; and 13 port terminals. The company's Midstream segment offers natural gas transmission, gathering and processing, and storage services through approximately 15,000 km of natural gas transmission pipelines; 600 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage; 17 natural gas processing plants; and 3,900 km of gas gathering pipelines, as well as one petrochemical processing complex. Its Data segment operates approximately 148,000 operational telecom towers; 8,000 multi-purpose towers and active rooftop sites; 10,000 km of fiber backbone; 1,600 cell sites and approximately 12,000 km of fiber optic cable; and 2,100 active telecom towers and 70 distributed antenna systems, as well as 50 data centers and 200 megawatts of critical load capacity. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.
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Summit Midstream Partners, LP focuses on owning, developing, and operating midstream energy infrastructure assets primarily shale formations in the continental United States. The company provides natural gas gathering, compression, treating, and processing services, as well as crude oil and produced water gathering services. Its unconventional resource basins include the Utica and Point Pleasant shale formations in southeastern Ohio; the Williston Basin that consists of the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations in northwestern North Dakota; the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which include the Niobrara and Codell shale formations in Colorado; the Permian Basin that comprise the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp shale formations in New Mexico; the Piceance Basin, which include the Mesaverde formation, and the Mancos and Niobrara shale formations in western Colorado; the Barnett Shale formation in north-central Texas; and the Marcellus Shale formation in northern West Virginia. The company also owns an ownership interest in Ohio Gathering, which owns and operates natural gas gathering and condensate stabilization facility in the Utica Shale in southeastern Ohio. It serves natural gas and crude oil producers. Summit Midstream GP, LLC operates as a general partner of the company. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Ashland Inc. provides additives and specialty ingredients worldwide. It operates through Life Sciences; Personal Care & Household; Specialty Additives; and Intermediates and Solvents segments. The Life Sciences segment offers pharmaceutical solutions, including controlled release polymers, disintegrants, tablet coatings, thickeners, solubilizers, and tablet binders; nutrition solutions, such as thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and additives; and nutraceutical solutions comprising products for weight management, joint comfort, stomach and intestinal health, sports nutrition, and general wellness, as well as custom formulation, toll processing, and particle engineering solutions. The Personal Care & Household segment provides a range of nature-based, biodegradable, and performance ingredients; solutions for toothpastes, mouth washes and rinses, denture cleaning, and care for teeth; and household supplies nature-derived rheology ingredients, biodegradable surface wetting agents, performance encapsulates, and specialty polymers. The Specialty Additives segment offers rheology modifiers, foam control agents, surfactants and wetting agents, pH neutralizers, advanced ceramics used in catalytic converters, environmental filters, ingredients for the manufacturing of ceramic capacitors, plasma display panels and solar cells, ingredients for textile printing, thermoplastic metals, and alloys for welding. The Intermediates and Solvents segment produces 1,4 butanediol and related derivatives, including n-methylpyrrolidone. It offers its products to customers in a range of consumer and industrial markets, such as architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, personal care, and pharmaceutical. The company was formerly known as Ashland Global Holdings Inc. Ashland Inc. was founded in 1924 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 900 bank branches and 3,300 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. Bank of Montreal was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
United Parcel Service, Inc. provides letter and package delivery, transportation, logistics, and related services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. The International Package segment provides guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment offers guaranteed time-definite express options. The company also provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, distribution and post-sales, and mail and consulting services in approximately 200 countries and territories. In addition, it offers truckload brokerage services; supply chain solutions to the healthcare and life sciences industry; shipping, visibility, and billing technologies; and financial and insurance services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 121,000 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; and owns 59,000 containers that are used to transport cargo in its aircraft. United Parcel Service, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
New Media Investment Group Inc. invests in, owns, and operates local media assets in the United States. The company's principal products include 146 daily newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 1.5 million; 323 weekly newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 268,000 and total free circulation of approximately 1.4 million; 132 shoppers with total circulation of approximately 3.1 million; and 581 locally-focused Websites, including Internet and mobile devices with approximately 364 million page views per month. Its principal products also comprise 77 business publications; and UpCurve Cloud and ThriveHive, which provides digital marketing and business services. In addition, the company produces niche publications that address specific local market interests, such as recreation, sports, healthcare, and real estate. Further, it offers print and online products that offer local market news and information on various topics comprising local news and politics, community and regional events, youth sports, opinion and editorial pages, local schools, obituaries, weddings, and police reports, as well as commercial printing services for publishers; and prints commercial materials, including flyers, business cards, and invitations. Additionally, the company produces approximately 350 annual events with a collective attendance approximately 400,000, such as themed expo, signature event, endurance event, and white label event services; and provides digital and print advertising services. It reaches approximately 22 million people per week; and serves approximately 199,000 business customers. New Media Investment Group Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.
GCP Applied Technologies Inc. produces and sells specialty construction chemicals and specialty building materials worldwide. The company's Specialty Construction Chemicals segment offers concrete admixtures under the CONCERA, CLARENA, ADVA, CLARENA RC40, STRUX, MIRA, TYTRO, POLARSET, ECLIPSE, DARACEM, DARASET, DCI, RECOVER, WRDA, and ZYLA brands; admixtures for decorative concrete under the PIERI brand; concrete production management and control systems under the VERIFI brand; engineered concrete slab systems under the DUCTILCRETE brand; and cement additives under the OPTEVA HE, TAVERO VM, CBA, SYNCHRO, HEA2, TDA, and ESE brands. Its Specialty Building Materials segment provides building envelope products to protect structures from water, and manages air and vapor transmission through building walls under the BITUTHENE, PREPRUFE, ADPRUFE, HYDRODUCT, ADCOR, SILCOR, PERM-A-BARRIER, ELIMINATOR, INTEGRITANK, and RIW brands; residential building products comprising specialty roofing membranes and flexible flashings under the ICE & WATER SHIELD, TRI-FLEX, VYCOR, and ULTRA brands; fire protection materials under the MONOKOTE brand; chemical grouts for repair and remediation in waterproofing and soil stabilization applications under the DE NEEF, HYDRO ACTIVE, SWELLSEAL, DE NEEF, and PURe brands; cementitious grouts and mortars used for under filling and gap filling under the BETEC brand; and specialty flooring products, such as flooring moisture barriers and installation products under the KOVARA and ORCON brands. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Better Financial Services GmbH, Better Payment Germany GmbH, Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., Chapel Funding, China Recovery Fund LLC, Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Cartera de lnmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Impact Investment Fund I. LP., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Limited, DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Jersey) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios lnteractivos Agrupacicm de lnteres Econemico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB Print GmbH, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services (Jersey) Limited, DB Services Americas. Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB US Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a. r.l., DB Value S.a.r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita SA., DB lmmobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG i.L., DB lo LP, DBAH Capital. LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management 18 Ltd., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a. r.l., DBX Advisers LLC, DEBEKO lmmobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK AS., DI Deutsche lmmobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Shanghai Private Equity Fund Management Limited, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anenima lnstitucien Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico. S.A., Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank Polska Spelka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Societe per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche Bank. Sociedad Anenima Espanola, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur lmmobilien-Leasing mit beschrenkter Haftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.El r.l., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche India Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a. r.|., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities SA. de C.V.. Casla de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Services (Cl) Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. SA., Deutsche lmmobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsches lnstitut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.l., Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, European Value Added I (Alternate GP.) LLP, Fiduciaria Sant Andrea S.r.l., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., German American Capital Corporation, Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer LandstraBe GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Miesbaden LuisenstraBe/Kirchgasse GbR, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF l Manager S.a.r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul lnkasso GmbH, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo lll Initial GP Limited, MEF I Manager. S. a r.|., MIT Holdings Inc., Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgagelT Inc., MortgagelT Securities Corp., OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentIe", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, PADUS Grundstcks-VermietungsgeseIlschaft mbH, PB Factoring GmbH, PB Spezial-lnvestmentaktiengesellschatt mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Plantation Bay. Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank lmmobilien GmbH, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, RREEF, RREEF America LLC., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisers Private Limited, RREEF Management LLC., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables. LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermielungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sharps SP l LLC, Stelvio lmmobiliare S.r.l., Suddeutsche Vermeigensvewvaitung Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung, TELO Beleiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Umited, VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., lmmobilienfonds BuroCenter Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, lmmobilienfonds Wohn- und Gescheftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, and norisbank GmbH.
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Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Domestic Fixed Communications Business, Mobile Communications Business, Internet Business, International Fixed Communications Business, and Others segments. The company offers local and domestic long-distance telephone, broadband access, and related services; information and communication technology and VAS services; and interconnection with its fixed-line network to other mobile and fixed-line operators. It also provides mobile; HiNet Internet, data communication, and cloud; Internet data center; and international long-distance telephone and data services. In addition, the company distributes and sells mobile handsets, data cards, electronic materials, and computing and business machinery equipment and software; designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services semiconductor testing components, printed circuit boards, and electronic components and finished products, and automatic license plate recognition software and hardware products. Further, it offers real estate development and property management; system, network, and communications integration; intelligent buildings and energy network; digital information supply and advertisement; property and liability insurance agency; family education; computing equipment installation; management consultancy; data processing; telecommunication engineering; Internet identify; and information and communication solution services. Additionally, the company provides software design services, and Internet contents production and play services; motion picture production and distribution; and energy saving solutions and international circuits, and services for electronic parts and machinery processed products. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Taipei City, Taiwan.
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Transportation Coatings. The company offers water and solvent-borne products and systems to repair damaged vehicles for independent body shops, multi-shop operators, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) dealership body shops. It also provides functional and decorative liquid, and powder coatings used in various industrial applications, including architectural cladding and fittings, automotive coatings, general industrial, job coaters, energy solutions, HVAC, appliances, industrial wood, coil, and oil and gas pipelines; and coatings for building materials, cabinet, wood and luxury vinyl flooring, and furniture market under the Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED, Tufcote, and Ceranamel for liquid coatings; and Alesta, Nap-Gard, Abcite, Teodur, and Plascoat brands for powder coatings. In addition, the company develops and supplies electrocoat, primer, the basecoat, and clearcoat products for OEMs of light and commercial vehicles; and coatings systems for various commercial applications, including HDT, bus, and rail under the Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats, and AquaEC brands. It also sells its product under the Audurra, Challenger, Chemophan, ColorNet, Cromax, Cromax Mosaic, Durapon 70, Duxone, Harmonized Coating Technologies, Imron ExcelPro, Lutophen, Nason, Spies Hecker, Standox, Stollaquid, Syntopal, Syrox, Raptor, U-POL, and Vermeera brand names. The company was formerly known as Axalta Coating Systems Bermuda Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. in August 2014. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services. It offers pineapples, fresh-cut fruit, fresh-cut vegetables, melons, and vegetables; non-tropical fruits, such as grapes, apples, citrus, blueberries, strawberries, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and kiwis; other fruit and vegetables, and avocados; and prepared fruit and vegetables, juices, other beverages, and meals and snacks. The company also engages in the sale of poultry and meat products; and third-party freight services business. In addition, it manufactures and sells plastic and box products, such as bins, trays, bags, and boxes. The company offers its products under the Del Monte brand, as well as under other brands, such as UTC, Rosy, Fruit Express, Just Juice, Fruitini, Mann's Logo, Arcadian Harvest, Nourish Bowls, Broccolini, Caulilini, Better Burger Leaf, RomaLeaf, and other regional brands. It markets and distributes its products to retail stores, club stores, convenience stores, wholesalers, distributors, and foodservice operators. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. was founded in 1886 and is based in George Town, Cayman Islands.
The following companies are subsidiares of D.R. Horton: 10700 Pecan Park Austin Inc., 11241 Slater Avenue NE LLC, 2 C Development Company LLC, 8800 Roswell Road Bldg. B LLC, 91st Avenue & Happy Valley L.L.C., ANN & 215 LLC, Austin Data Inc., BP456 Inc., C. Richard Dobson Builders Inc., CH Funding LLC, CH Investments of Texas Inc., CHI Construction Company, CHM Partners L.P., CHTEX of Texas Inc., CV Mountain View 25 Inv LLC, Cane Island LLC, Continental Homes Inc., Continental Homes of Texas L.P., Continental Residential Inc., Continental Traditions LLC, Crown Operating Company Inc., Cypress Road L.P., D.R. Horton - CHAustin LLC, D.R. Horton - Colorado LLC, D.R. Horton - Crown LLC, D.R. Horton - Emerald Ltd., D.R. Horton - Georgia LLC, D.R. Horton - Hawaii LLC, D.R. Horton - Highland LLC, D.R. Horton - Indiana LLC, D.R. Horton - Iowa LLC, D.R. Horton - MV LLC, D.R. Horton - Nebraska LLC, D.R. Horton - Permian LLC, D.R. Horton - Regent LLC, D.R. Horton - Terramor LLC, D.R. Horton - Texas Ltd., D.R. Horton - WPH LLC, D.R. Horton - Wyoming LLC, D.R. Horton BAY Inc., D.R. Horton CA2 Inc., D.R. Horton CA3 Inc., D.R. Horton CA4 LLC, D.R. Horton Commercial Inc., D.R. Horton Cruces Construction Inc., D.R. Horton Inc. - Birmingham, D.R. Horton Inc. - Chicago, D.R. Horton Inc. - Denver, D.R. Horton Inc. - Dietz-Crane, D.R. Horton Inc. - Greensboro, D.R. Horton Inc. - Gulf Coast, D.R. Horton Inc. - Huntsville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Jacksonville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Louisville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Midwest, D.R. Horton Inc. - Minnesota, D.R. Horton Inc. - NNV, D.R. Horton Inc. - New Jersey, D.R. Horton Inc. - Portland, D.R. Horton Inc. - Torrey, D.R. Horton Inc. Foundation, D.R. Horton Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton LA North Inc., D.R. Horton Life Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton Los Angeles Holding Company Inc., D.R. Horton Management Company Ltd., D.R. Horton Materials Inc., D.R. Horton Realty LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Atlantic County LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Central Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Delaware LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Georgia Inc., D.R. Horton Realty of Melbourne LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Tampa LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Virginia LLC, D.R. Horton Seabridge Marina Inc., D.R. Horton Serenity Construction LLC, D.R. Horton Urban Renewal LLC, D.R. Horton VEN Inc., D.R. Horton Corpus Christi LLC, DBC54 LLC, DHI Commercial - Lakeview LLC, DHI Commercial - Signal Butte LLC, DHI Commercial - Tamarron LLC, DHI Commercial Inc., DHI Communities Construction LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Arizona LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Colorado LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Florida LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Iowa LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Nevada LLC, DHI Communities Construction of North Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of South Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Texas LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Utah LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Virginia LLC, DHI Communities II LLC, DHI Communities Inc., DHI Engineering LLC, DHI Insurance Inc., DHI Mortgage Company, DHI Mortgage Company GP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company LP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company Ltd., DHI Ranch Ltd., DHI Realty of Alabama LLC, DHI Realty of Mississippi LLC, DHI Title GP Inc., DHI Title LP Inc., DHI Title of Alabama Inc., DHI Title of Arizona Inc., DHI Title of Florida Inc., DHI Title of Minnesota Inc., DHI Title of Nevada Inc., DHI Title of Texas Ltd., DHI Title of Washington Inc., DHI Verandah South Shores Communities LLC, DHIC - Bridges LLC, DHIC - Brittmore LLC, DHIC - Carolina Forest LLC, DHIC - Desert Peak LLC, DHIC - Durbin Creek LLC, DHIC - Freestone LLC, DHIC - Hammock Landing LLC, DHIC - Heritage LLC, DHIC - Horizon Uptown LLC, DHIC - Jacobs Reserve LLC, DHIC - Lakeview LLC, DHIC - Lipoma LLC, DHIC - Minton Cove LLC, DHIC - Mountain Vista LLC, DHIC - Naco LLC, DHIC - Northshore LLC, DHIC - Prairie Village LLC, DHIC - South Creek LLC, DHIC - Tamarron LLC, DHIC - Valley Vista LLC, DHIC - Varina Gateway LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh II LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh III LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh LLC, DHIC - Westridge LLC, DHIC LLC, DHIC Glendale LLC, DHIC Grove West LLC, DHIC South Park LLC, DHIC Westinghouse LLC, DHIR - Aspen Vista LLC, DHIR - Avian Pointe LLC, DHIR - Emerald Lakes LLC, DHIR - Fosters Ridge LLC, DHIR - Gulf Stream LLC, DHIR - Parkview at Lynn Haven LLC, DHIR - Poplar Terrace LLC, DHIR - Properties I LLC, DHIR - Rock Ridge LLC, DHIR - Sunset Village LLC, DHIR - Village at Hickory Street LLC, DRH - ARK LLC, DRH - ASG LLC, DRH - HWY 114 LLC, DRH Cambridge Homes LLC, DRH Capital Trust I, DRH Capital Trust II, DRH Capital Trust III, DRH Colorado Realty Inc., DRH Construction Inc., DRH Energy Inc., DRH FS Mortgage Reinsurance Ltd., DRH Land Opportunities I Inc., DRH Land Opportunities II Inc., DRH Mountain View LLC, DRH Oil & Gas Inc., DRH Opportunities I Inc., DRH Properties Inc., DRH Realty Company Inc., DRH Realty of Iowa LLC, DRH Regrem L LLC, DRH Regrem LI LLC, DRH Regrem LII LLC, DRH Regrem LIII LLC, DRH Regrem LIV LLC, DRH Regrem LV LLC, DRH Regrem VII LP, DRH Regrem XII LP, DRH Regrem XIV Inc., DRH Regrem XIX Inc., DRH Regrem XLIX LLC, DRH Regrem XLV LLC, DRH Regrem XLVI LLC, DRH Regrem XLVII LLC, DRH Regrem XLVIII LLC, DRH Regrem XV Inc., DRH Regrem XVI Inc., DRH Regrem XVII Inc., DRH Regrem XVIII Inc., DRH Regrem XX Inc., DRH Regrem XXI Inc., DRH Regrem XXII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIV Inc., DRH Regrem XXV Inc., DRH Southwest Construction Inc., DRH Tucson Construction Inc., DRHI Inc., Deer Valley Office Park LLC, Desert Ridge Phase I Partners, Emerald Creek No. 4 L.P., Emerald Realty of Alabama LLC, Emerald Realty of Central Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of North Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Encore II Inc., Encore Venture Partners II (California) L.P., Encore Venture Partners II (Texas) L.P., Encore Venture Partners L.P., Express Realty of Central Florida LLC, Express Realty of North Florida LLC, Express Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Forestar Group, Forestar Group Inc., Founders Oil & Gas II LLC, Founders Oil & Gas III LLC, Founders Oil & Gas IV LLC, Founders Oil & Gas LLC, Founders Oil & Gas Operating LLC, GP-Encore Inc., Georgetown Data Inc., Germann & McQueen L.L.C., Grand Title Agency LLC, Grande Realty Incorporated, Grande Realty of Pennsylvania LLC, Greywes LLC, HPH Homebuilders 2000 L.P., Hadian LLC, KDB Homes Inc., Kaomalo LLC, Lexington Homes - DRH LLC, MRLF LLC, Martin Road Lake Forest LLC, McQueen & Willis LLC, Meadows I Ltd., Meadows II Ltd., Meadows IX Inc., Meadows VIII Ltd., Meadows X Inc., Melody Homes Inc., Pacific Ridge - DRH LLC, Rielly Carlsbad LLC, Rielly Homes Madison LLC, SFTEN LLC, SGS Communities at Grand Quay L.L.C, SHA Construction LLC, SHLR of California Inc., SHLR of Nevada Inc., SHLR of Washington Inc., SRHI LLC, SSHI LLC, Schuler Homes of Arizona LLC, Schuler Homes of California Inc., Schuler Homes of Oregon Inc., Schuler Homes of Washington Inc., Summerlin Pkwy & Cimarron LLC, Surprise Village North LLC, The Club at Cobblestone LLC, The Club at Hidden River LLC, Tierra Financial Advisors LLC, Travis County Title Company, Treasure Assets LLC, Venture Management of South Carolina LLC, Vertical Construction Corporation, WPH-Camino Ruiz LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon II LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon LLC, Walker Drive LLC, Western Pacific Brea Development LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Mountaingate L.P., Western Pacific Housing - SDG LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Westlake II L.P., Western Pacific Housing Inc., Western Pacific Housing Management Inc., Western Pacific Housing-Antigua LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Broadway LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Canyon Park LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Carrillo LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Communications Hill LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Copper Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Creekside LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lomas Verdes LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lyons Canyon Partners LLC, Western Pacific Housing-McGonigle Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Norco Estates LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Pacific Park II LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue East LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue West LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Playa Vista LLC, Western Pacific Housing-River Ridge LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Terra Bay Duets LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Meadows LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Village Center LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Windemere LLC, and Wilson Parker Homes.
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MarineMax, Inc. operates as a recreational boat and yacht retailer and superyacht services company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Retail Operations and Product Manufacturing. The company sells new and used recreational boats, including pleasure and fishing boats, mega-yachts, yachts, sport cruisers, motor yachts, pontoon boats, ski boats, jet boats, and other recreational boats. It also offers marine parts and accessories comprising marine electronics; dock and anchoring products that include boat fenders, lines, and anchors; boat covers; trailer parts; water sport accessories, which comprise tubes, lines, wakeboards, and skis; engine parts; oils; lubricants; steering and control systems; corrosion control products and service products; high-performance accessories, including propellers and instruments; and a line of boating accessories, such as life jackets, inflatables, and water sports equipment. In addition, the company provides novelty items, such as shirts, caps, and license plates; marine engines and equipment; maintenance, repair, and slip and storage accommodation services; and boat or yacht brokerage services, as well as charters yachts and power catamarans. Further, it offers new or used boat finance services; arranges insurance coverage, including boat property, disability, undercoating, gel sealant, fabric protection, and casualty insurance coverage; and manufactures and sells sport yachts and yachts. Additionally, the company operates vacations in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. It also markets and sells its products through offsite locations and print catalog. The company has 79 retail locations in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. MarineMax, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is based in Clearwater, Florida.
Newell Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes consumer and commercial products worldwide. It operates in five segments: Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances, Home Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; and home and security, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms products under the BRK, First Alert, Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and Spontex brands. The Home Appliances segment offers kitchen appliances under the Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, and Sunbeam brands. The Home Solutions segment provides food and home storage; fresh preserving; vacuum sealing; and gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, and home fragrance products under the Ball, Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick, and Yankee Candle brands. The Learning and Development segment offers writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens, and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products; labeling solutions; and baby gear and infant care products under the Aprica, Baby Jogger, Graco, NUK, Tigex, Dymo, Elmer's, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Waterman, and X-Acto brands. The Outdoor and Recreation segment provides outdoor and outdoor-related products under the Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio, and Marmot brands. It serves warehouse clubs, department and drug/grocery stores, mass merchants, home centers, office superstores and supply stores, contract stationers, and distributors, e-commerce, sporting goods, specialty, and travel retailers. The company was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and changed its name to Newell Brands Inc. in April 2016. Newell Brands Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
PROS Holdings, Inc. provides solutions that optimize the processes of selling and shopping in the digital economy worldwide. The company offers PROS Smart Configure Price Quote that improves sales productivity and accelerate deal velocity by automating common sales tasks; and PROS Smart Price Optimization and Management that enables businesses to optimize, personalize and harmonize pricing across the complexity of their go-to-market channels in the context of dynamic market and competitive conditions. It offers PROS Airline Revenue Optimization; PROS Airline Revenue Management solution that delivers algorithmic forecasting and network optimization for the travel industry; PROS Airline Real-Time Dynamic Pricing that offers accurate booking class availability and seat prices; and PROS Airline Group Sales Optimizer which enables airlines and their travel agent partners to create and manage group bookings, contracts, and policies. Further, it provides PROS Digital Retail, a configurable end-to-end solution for airlines to optimize the traveler experience from inspiration to post-trip; and PROS digital offer marketing solutions provide performance content management and search engine marketing tools that enable businesses in the travel industry. Additionally, the company offers software-related services, such as implementation, configuration, consulting, training, and maintenance and support services. It sells its software solutions to customers in various industries, including automotive and industrial manufacturing, transportation and logistics, chemicals and energy, food and beverage, healthcare, high tech, and travel. The company markets and sells its software solutions through its sales force, as well as through partners, resellers, and systems integrators. PROS Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Standard Motor Products, Inc. manufactures and distributes replacement parts that are used in the maintenance, repair, and service of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry with a complementary focus on specialized original equipment parts for manufacturers across agriculture, heavy duty, and construction equipment industries. The company's Engine Management segment provides electronic ignition control modules, camshaft and crankshaft position sensors, ignition wires and coils, switches and relays, exhaust gas recirculation valves, pressure and temperature sensors, variable valve timing components, mass airflow and fuel pressure sensors, electronic throttle bodies, and diesel injectors and pumps; and anti-lock brake, vehicle speed, tire pressure monitoring, and park assist sensors. This segment offers its products under the Standard, Blue Streak, BWD, Intermotor, OEM, SMP Blue Streak Canada, GP Sorensen, Locksmart, Standard Motorcycle, and Blue Streak Race Wires brands. Its Temperature Control segment provides components for the temperature control systems, engine cooling systems, power window accessories, and windshield washer systems of motor vehicles under the Four Seasons, ACI, Hayden, Factory Air, and Maxair brands. Its products include air conditioning compressors and repair kits, clutch assemblies, blower and radiator fan motors, filter dryers, evaporators, accumulators, actuators, hose assemblies, thermal expansion devices, heater valves, heater cores, A/C service tools and chemicals, fan assemblies, fan clutches, oil coolers, window lift motors, window regulators and assemblies, and windshield washer pumps. The company serves primarily automotive aftermarket retailers, warehouse distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and original equipment service part operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Mexico, and other Latin American countries. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Long Island City, New York.
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
The male giant panda Baxi is pictured in the wild at the Mount Tiantai or Tiantai Mountain in Chengdu city, southwest China's Sichuan province, 25 July 2017. [Photo/IC]
A pair of giant panda will be released into the wild on Thursday.
Ying Xue and Ba Xi will be released after a final physical examination, equipped with GPS trackers.
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwest China's Sichuan Province said the captive-bred pair, a male and a female, had been in survival training for two years at Wolong.
Ba Xi, the male, was born on July 26, 2015, and Ying Xue is just 14 days older. Ba Xi weighs 65 kg and is 107 cm long, while Ying Xue weighs 59 kg and is 89 cm long. The pair are both in good health.
They will be the second pair released into the wild.
In October last year, three-year-old Hua Yan and two-year-old Zhang Meng, also both bred in captivity, were released into Liziping Nature Reserve in Sichuan. The second pair will also be released at Liziping.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the giant panda species as "vulnerable" rather than "endangered" last year, thanks to decades of protection.
According to the China giant panda breeding technology committee, the population of captive giant pandas has reached 520 worldwide.
However, captive stock lacks genetic diversity. China plans to improve the wild population by creating a giant panda national park, releasing more pandas into the wild, and through more research.
This year, MIPI DevCon was held in Bangalore, India and Hsinchu City, Taiwan in October. Synopsys MIPI protocol experts hosted several demos at each conference showcasing implementation experiences, use cases and application examples within mobile, automotive, IoT and mixed reality applications.
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Provides China customers with local advanced ASIC services
[November 23, 2017, Hsinchu] Custom ASIC Leader, Global Unichip Corporation (GUC), has expanded its global influence with the opening of its newest office in Nanjing, China. The office will provide a broad range of ASIC services to the fast-growing China market.
The GUC office is located in the Research and Innovation Park of the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area at Room 1401, Block C, Fuying Building, No. 99, Tuanjie Road, Pukou District, Nanjing City.
The new facility hosts an innovative ASIC Design Center that focuses on advanced process technology capabilities that are much in demand by the China market. The company expects that the new Nanjing center will employ around 200 technologists and engineers within five years.
The most important task for our Nanjing Design Center is to provide China customers with efficient, timely and optimally localized ASIC services," said GUC President, Dr. Ken Chen. "Through cooperation with the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area, GUC will contribute to the bright future of China's integrated circuit industry. We look forward to growing together with our China customers to create a mutually-beneficial win-win situation."
According to GUC China Region General Manager, Dr. Simon Yen, China revenue accounts for 28% of GUC's total first half 2017 revenue. We are confident that there will be continued significant growth in the future, driven by applications targeting artificial intelligence, network communications and other major ASIC developments. Combined with the resources of GUC Shanghai, we will work with China customers to create the future of integrated circuit design."
To expand its current capability, the Nanjing Design Center seeks DFT (design-for-test) and PD (physical-design) IC engineers. Open positions are listed at http://jobs.51job.com/jiangsusheng/co2763670.html, Interested applicants can call the recruitment hotline at +86-25-5853-5868 and reach out via email at cn-hr@guc-asic.com.
About GUC
GLOBAL UNICHIP CORP. (GUC) is the Custom ASIC Leader, who provides the semiconductor industry with leading IC implementation and SoC manufacturing services. Based in Hsin-chu Taiwan, GUC has developed a global reputation with a presence in China, Europe, Japan, Korea, and North America. GUC is publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under the symbol 3443. For more information, visit www.guc-asic.com.
Following an examination of Line Mobiles business model, Thai regulator NBTC has ruled that the company does not require an MVNO licence.
Line Mobile offers voice and data services over third-placed operator dtacs mobile network, but is a separate independent entity that is owned by a dtac subsidiary. The unit pays a royalty fee to Line Thailand.
Following controversy over Line Mobiles status as a provider of mobile services, in September the NBTC began an inquiry into whether the units business model was legal. The countrys two largest operators, AIS and True Move, demanded a ruling on whether Line Mobile could legally offer services without an operating licence.
In meetings with the regulator, Line Mobile executives have explained how all of the units revenue is transferred to the dtac subsidiary, which holds an operating licence via dtac itself. This means that the government receives the necessary licensing fees.
In the face of previous criticism, dtac head Lars-Ake Norling described Line Mobiles service as a marketing scheme and noted that it was not exempt from any government fees. Since the service is offered as a unit of dtac, he argued, it did not require an MVNO licence. While this claim was upheld by the NBTC, the regulator did order Line Mobile to bring its online registration system in line with current frameworks that require users to register at a service point with an ID card.
Indian regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has called for the relaxation of spectrum caps to ease the burden on operators facing mounting debt and plunging revenue.
The regulator has proposed raising the overall spectrum ownership limit to 35%, up from the current 25% limit. In addition, it has indicated that it may ease rules which stipulate that a single operator may hold a maximum of 50% of spectrum in a particular band within a single service area (of which India has 22).
Reportedly, this cap could be revised to allow operators to hold no more than 50% of the combined spectrum across the 700MHz, 800MHz and 900MHz bands within a given service area. It is noteworthy that TRAIs suggested changes would enable Vodafone India and Idea Cellular to retain their entire spectrum holdings post-merger, as well as allowing Reliance Jio to obtain more 800MHz spectrum.
TRAIs proposals form part of a wider plan being drawn up by Indias Department of Telecom to bring about changes that will improve the health of the countrys telecoms industry, which has seen its fortunes ailing of late.
WeChat is targeting Malaysia as the second market outside of China to receive its full suite of services.
The chat services parent firm Tencent has been granted a full e-payment licence that will enable it to bring its complete offering to Malaysia, including its popular payments function. Tencent SVP Seng Yee Lau stated that the suite will launch in the market in early 2018.
Lau noted that Malaysia was a natural choice for overseas expansion as it was typically warm to internet products and services from Chinese firms, noting that WeChats chat service is already widely used in the market. Tencent currently offers certain services outside of China, including elements of its WeChat Pay service and its social network.
WeChat Pay and its rival Alipay have been pushed aggressively by their parent firms into overseas markets for the past two years via partnerships with banks and retailers, particularly in destinations that see a high rate of tourism from mainland China. However, the aim of this proliferation was to facilitate the use of the apps by Chinese customers travelling abroad, rather than localising them for the overseas markets.
Tencents move into Malaysia is aimed specifically at attracting local customers, and therefore marks a departure from its previous overseas strategy. The firm, along with Alipays parent firm Ant Financial, is also courting app providers in other markets although particularly within Asia via partnerships and investment.
Expanding beyond China seems to be having the desired effect for Tencent, with its market capitalisation exceeding $500 billion as of 21st November higher than the social networking giant Facebook.
The iPhone SE 2 is rumoured to be assembled by Apples manufacturer Wistron at their factory in Bengaluru and could be launched by March 2018. The current iPhone SE is also assembled in the same manufacturing facility in India.
A report by Taiwan's Economic Daily News suggests that the Apple iPhone SE 2 is expected to make a debut in early 2018. A previous report suggested the same and also reported that the new iPhone SE will sport a design similar to the older iPhones. As per the new report, the rumoured iPhone SE 2 could be assembled by Apples manufacturer Wistron at its Bengaluru factory in India, where some of the current iPhone SEs are already assembled.
Both the new and previous reports suggest that the launch of the new iPhone SE 2 will probably line up with the current iPhone SEs launch, which was in March 2016. The new smartphone is expected to retain the 4-inch screen size and could be powered by Apples A10 Fusion chips. It is tipped to feature TouchID instead of the FaceID, as seen on the iPhone X and come with a single rear camera setup. It is also not expected to sport an edge-to-edge or bezel-less display akin to Apples current flagship smartphone. The report speculates that the device will be priced around $450 (Rs 29,265 approx, directly converted).
A recent report suggests that Apple may launch its 2018 flagship smartphone with dual-SIM support. The report by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Cupertino based company will launch three new iPhones next year which will feature Intel's XMM 7560 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X20 modems enabling faster LTE data transfer and support for dual SIM with dual standby. He notes that its not clear yet if the next iPhones will feature a SIM pre-embedded in the smartphone or come with a dual SIM slot.
Kuo also stated that Apple's three new iPhone models for 2018 could include two with OLED displays and one with an LCD display. All the three smartphones are expected to feature an edge-to-edge design similar to the iPhone X. You can read more about the report here.
You can now exchange your old phone for a new Xiaomi phone by visiting your nearest Mi Home Store
Xiaomi is leaving no stone unturned to get more people onboard. After getting into offline sales and opening up a dozen Mi Home stores across six cities, the Chinese upstart launched a Mi Exchange programme in India. Xiaomi has partnered with New Delhi-based startup Cashify to allow users to exchange their existing smartphones for a new Xiaomi phone.
Under the programme, customers need to visit their nearest Mi Home store to exchange their old phone for a new one. Xiaomi is depending on Cashifys expertise to determine the value of old phones and propose an optimal price for a new Xiaomi phone.
The resale value is determined by the Cashify app where a user is asked a series of questions about the phones condition, like when it was bought, whether there is any damage, etc. Cashify evaluates the value based on the condition of the phone. You can also exchange only one phone for an available Xiaomi phone. Moreover, the old phone needs to be listed on the Cashify website.
Apart from going physically to the Mi Home store to exchange, Xiaomi is also offering a pickup service of the old phone that will be fulfilled by Cashify. The customer needs to pay the full amount of the new Xiaomi phone during the purchase and then schedule a pickup call for the old phone. Cashify will send an executive to collect the device and pay the customer.
Xiaomi became the top smartphone vendor in India along with Samsung for the third quarter this year according to an IDC report. The company, along with Samsung captured 23.5 percent market share in the third quarter of 2017. The report stated Xiaomi almost tripled its shipments year-on-year and doubled it from last quarter. The Redmi Note 4 was the best-selling phone in India once again this year with over 4 million units sold last quarter.
The exchange programme will bolster Xiaomis presence in the country even further after it came to the top through a calculated offline expansion strategy of partnering with offline stores and franchises along with having their own showrooms across major Indian cities.
Vodafone is offering doorstep SIM upgrades and Aadhaar verification in smaller towns and villages of Rajasthan
As government has announced that telcos can re-verify their existing customers using Aadhaar. Vodafone has announced that, in order to make the process easier, they are deploying two Vodafone Mobile Vans for facilitating doorstep SIM upgrades and Aadhaar verification in smaller towns and villages of Rajasthan.
Read the complete press release below
As a part of Vodafones endeavor to make their customers lives simpler and better for people residing in the rural heartland of the state, Vodafone has deployed two mobile vans to travel to the villages and smaller towns of Rajasthan, facilitating doorstep SIM upgrades and Aadhar verification.
Initiated in January 2017, These Vodafone Mobile Vans have covered over 450+ villages like Jhunjhunu, Mahapura, Hingoniya, Bhadra, Fatehpur, Bandikui, Makrana, Panchpadra, Phalodi etc. and will move on to traverse the deeper precincts of villages like Nechwa, Kasli, Dhod, Hindaun, Manoharpur, Kirdhauli, Singrawat, Kurli, Pulasar, Mangloona etc.
Inviting the residents of rural Rajasthan to utilize the benefits provided by the Vodafone Mobile vans, Amit Bedi, Business Head- Rajasthan, Vodafone India, said, Over the past years, Vodafone has added additional 4G sites to strengthen Vodafone SuperNet 4G and extended Vodafones best network to more and more towns and villages in Rajasthan.
The Vodafone Mobile Vans will ensure that our existing 2G/3G customers are able to enjoy the benefits of Vodafone SuperNet 4G with free SIM upgrade done at their doorstep. The service of linking SIM number with the customers Aadhaar is an important step in line with Vodafones commitment to a Digital India. I am happy to say that this service has now been made simple and accessible to our valued customers even in remote villages, through our Mobile vans. Over the past 10 months, we have helped thousands of customers with 4G SIM upgrades along with their Vodafone SIM linked with Aadhaar number.
The AIM-listed company, Fox Marble , said Thursday it has made further shipments under its agreement with Semsekler, the general Ship Chandlers & Ship Repair company.
Focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, Fox shipped over 200,000 of marble to the company, as part of the sales agreement for a minimum of 400,000, signed in April 2017.
The company also announced today the shipping and payment receipt on an order from Granite Planet, a USA, Michigan-based company specialising in the wholesale fabrication and installation of marble and granite.
Fox Marble CEO Chris Gilbert commented: "We believe that the recent purchase of marble made by Simsekler clearly demonstrates and reinforces Fox's ability to satisfy large volume block agreements. In addition, the order placed by Granite Planet LLC is not only testament to the quality of marble products we are able to produce, but it also represents an important new sales channel for the Company into the United States, from which we anticipate future orders."
Iran informed jailed Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Thursday that she would be appearing in front of a court in December to face accusations of spreading propaganda.
"She's been told she will appear in court on 10 December," her husband, Richard, told Reuters.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager working for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was previously sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of conspiring to overthrow the clerical establishment.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had made comments earlier in the month that seemed to question statements made by her employer regarding the purpose of her trip to Iran.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organization, said Zaghari-Ratcliffe was on holiday at the time of her detainment.
Johnson said he had been led to believe she had been teaching journalism before having been arrested in April 2016, although he later retracted and apologized for his remarks when the Thomson Reuters Foundation stated she had not been sent to Iran to train journalists.
Iranian state television claimed Johnson's comments proved Zaghari-Ratcliffe's guilt and that she was indeed a spy.
She has denied all charges against her.
The Bank of England has admitted paying its female staff 24% less than their male counterparts, primarily due to a lack of women in senior positions
The Bank reported that, the median pay gap, the average hourly earnings between men and women, currently stood at 21% and the mean pay gap was 24.2%. In terms of bonuses, the median gap was 25.6% and the mean gap was 23.6%.
In the report, Governor Mark Carney, assured that women and men were paid equal salaries for performing the same role, while stipulating that the pay gap was due to a greater proportion of men than women in senior roles.
He also said: "We are working hard to address this imbalance through inclusive and diverse recruitment, including diverse shortlists and interview panels, offering flexible working, providing continual unconscious bias training, and fostering an inclusive culture. Addressing the disparity in gender representation at senior levels will take time, but it will help close the current gender pay gap at the Bank."
In response to the report Rt Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, chair of Parliament's influential Treasury Committee, said: The Banks measures to address its pay gap seem to be on the right track, but we cannot be complacent. Any gap is still too great.
As part of our Women in Finance inquiry, we will keep a close eye on organisations as they report their gender pay gap before the April 2018 deadline.
We may call for organisations to give evidence to the Committee to hear about best practice. Financial firms should be prepared to explain any gender pay gap that they may have.
Centrica shares plunged to an 18-year low after the energy supplier warned annual profit would miss market expectations due to poor performance at its business energy supply division.
In a trading update, Britains biggest energy provider said it faced competitive market conditions for business energy supply in North America and the UK. The company is also taking a one-off charge of 46m after tax in North America after reviewing the value of unbilled power revenues.
As a result, 2017 earnings per share will be about 12.5p below market consensus of 15.2p. Investors were also unnerved by Centrica's loss of 823,000 consumer customers from July to October.
Centrica shares fell 16.7% to 136.10p at 08:20 GMT their lowest level since the first half of 1999.
The company, which owns British Gas, sought to allay concerns about its dividend, which is important to its 650,000 small investors, many of whom acquired shares when the former state utility was privatised in 1986.
Centrica said the annual dividend was supported by net debt within its target range of 2.5-3bn and operating cash flow of more than 2bn. It is willing for dividend cover from earnings to be below historic levels for a period of time, it added
Iain Conn, Centricas chief executive, said: Although some aspects of our delivery in the second half of 2017 have been disappointing, I remain encouraged by our progress in implementing our strategy. The balance sheet has been materially strengthened, and we continue to focus on improving our underlying performance.
When Centrica cut the 2014 dividend to save cash and support its credit rating it was the first reduction in the payout since it was formed from the 1997 breakup of British Gas.
Russ Mould, investment director at stockbroker AJ Bell, said: A profit warning amid falling customer numbers and price pressure means that shares in Centrica are showing a double-digit fall in early trade amid worries over the long-term sustainability of the dividend."
Centrica's shares have slumped from 234p at the start of 2017 amid investor concerns about tougher regulation and the government's proposed price cap on home energy bills.
Mothercare was under the cosh on Thursday after saying it swung to a loss in the first half of the year amid challenging international markets, as it warned of a "softening" in the UK.
In the 28 weeks to 7 October, the group made an adjusted pre-tax loss of 700,000 versus a 5.9m profit in the same period a year ago, and a statutory pre-tax loss of 16.8m compared to 800,000 the year before. This came as revenue fell to 339.5m from 347.7m in 2016.
UK like-for-like sales grew 2.5% during the period, but international LFL sales declined 8%.
Mothercare said its international performance remains "challenging", driven by the key Middle East market, which is dragging down the overall overseas performance. It added that it is unclear when things might bottom out in that region.
The bad news didn't end there, however, as the retailer highlighted a softening in the UK market towards the end of the reporting period, with lower footfall and spend.
Chief executive Mark Newton-Jones said: "We are working with our partners across the globe to help them improve trading by exporting our digital experience and our modern 'club' format into their territories. We have expanded our digital presence in a further three countries: India, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates."
Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb said: "City analysts will no doubt be getting their red pens out as they re-jig their P&L models."
Meanwhile Shore Capital said the tone of the outlook statement leads it to expect market wide reductions to financial forecasts for pre-tax profit. "Given the recovery nature of the business, and so an evolving profit base, those downgrades may be substantial in percentage terms."
"Once it prospered overseas while failing in the UK, but now it is just failing everywhere," said IG analyst Chris Beauchamp.
At 1135 GMT, the shares were down 16% to 70p.
Wed., Nov. 16, 12-1 p.m.
Chatham Area Public Library 600 E. Spruce, Chatham Chatham
Free
Books & Authors
This month we will read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee! This book discussion group meets at noon on the third Wednesday of each month in the Librarys meeting room. Bring a sack lunch, if you wish, and savor some lively discussion. If you would like to attend, please call or visit the Library, and we will try to get each months book for you. 217-483-2713
According to Budget documents released this week, Chancellor Philip Hammond is preparing to reprivatise the Royal Bank of Scotland by selling 15bn worth of shares the government picked up when bailing out the lender nearly a decade ago.
The government, which poured 45.5bn into RBS during the 2007-2009 financial crisis, planned to offload 3bn shares in the bank before the end of the 2018-2019 fiscal year, with the remaining shares sold over the coming four years.
Efforts to regain money spent on RBS had been delayed for some time as Westminster waited patiently for the effects of regulatory probes in the US and Brexit at home to boost the firm's share price closer to the 502p per share mark it had paid for it.
At the current share price of 270p, the government was still looking at a several billion-pound loss on its 71% stake in the bank, but a forecast-beating profit in RBS' third quarter did help to lift its shares.
Peter Hahn of the London Institute of Banking and Finance, said "The government bought the shares almost 10 years ago, RBS is a very different bank today, so there is no way it can recoup the money it spent bailing it out."
"This is a realisation from the government it is time to move on," he added.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated the government's loss to be in the vicinity of 21.8bn.
However, any funds recovered would come as a benefit to Hammond who warned of falling tax revenues during a grim budget statement on Wednesday.
The pause button had been hit on previously planned sale of the RBS shares in the wake of the Brexit vote last June, with the last hurdle in the sale to come in the form of claims made by the US Justice Department that the bank, like many of its competitors, had mis-sold toxic mortgage-backed securities that eventually lead to the GFC.
RBS chief executive Ross McEwan said he expected the case to be settled within the year, but noted that formal talks had not started.
Analysts claimed the case could lead to a fine of as much as $12bn, a sum that would need to be repaid before RBS could be released from its government ownership.
As of 1430 GMT, shares had slipped 0.37% to 270.50p.
London's FTSE 100 was flat at 7,418.82 in afternoon trade on Thursday as investors digested the latest readings on GDP and retail sales.
Broadcaster ITV was the standout gainer as Morgan Stanley said the stock, which it rates at 'overweight', is too cheap. The bank pointed to a number of reasons behind its upbeat stance, including a positive trend in advertising, good audience performances and signs that the new CEO is likely to refresh rather than fundamentally change the company.
Housebuilders Berkeley Group, Barratt Developments, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon were in the black, bouncing back from losses on Wednesday following the Budget, in which Chancellor Philip Hammond announced a range of new housing policies.
Deutsche Bank said: "We see the share price weakness post the Budget as a buying opportunity and would particularly favour those stocks with shorter land banks such as Barratt who may be greater beneficiaries of an even more opportune land market."
On the downside, Centrica shares plunged to an 18-year low after the energy supplier warned that annual profit would miss market expectations due to poor performance at its business energy supply division.
Engineering support services company Babcock International was in the doldrums as it looked set to be demoted from the FTSE 100 in the next quarterly reshuffle.
Helal Miah, research analyst at The Share Centre said: "The performance of the group over the last year has been disappointing on the back of concerns for support service providers, which was notably highlighted by the problems at Carillion. The group tried to reassure investors in a trading update this week by reporting increases in revenues and pre-tax profit in the first half.
"However, it appears as though it was a failed bid as the shares retreated as a result indicating that concerns remain over its growth targets for next year and continued pressure on the sector as a result of Brexit and contract delays."
National Grid and Vodafone fell as their stock went ex-dividend.
Risers
ITV (ITV) 153.00p 2.82%
Sage Group (SGE) 803.50p 2.75%
Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,749.00p 2.52%
Barratt Developments (BDEV) 624.00p 2.30%
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 197.20p 2.02%
Ferguson (FERG) 5,365.00p 1.51%
Persimmon (PSN) 2,663.00p 1.49%
easyJet (EZJ) 1,370.00p 1.48%
Next (NXT) 4,404.00p 1.47%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,923.00p 1.21%
Fallers
Centrica (CNA) 139.20p -14.76%
Babcock International Group (BAB) 680.50p -3.54%
National Grid (NG.) 864.89p -2.96%
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 3,073.00p -2.16%
Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 211.90p -1.81%
SSE (SSE) 1,348.00p -1.39%
Vodafone Group (VOD) 225.80p -1.29%
Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 228.00p -1.04%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 736.50p -1.02%
3i Group (III) 911.00p -0.92%
Defensive areas of the market performed best on Thursday, aside from utilities that is, as shares of Centrica crumbled.
The energy supplier warned on its full-year profits on the back of competitive market conditions in the UK and US, sending the shares crashing to an 18-year low.
Banks also acted as a drag, as bond yields rose, but not those on Gilts, but Chinese sovereign bonds rather.
Overnight, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Chinese government bond made another attempt at moving past the 4% mark to the upside.
In turn, that saw the Shanghai Stock Exchange's composite index register its biggest one-day decline since mid-2016, with a predictable outcome for shares in the likes of Asia-facing lenders such as HSBC and StanChart.
Mobile Telecommunications were also near the bottom of the pile, as stock in Vodafone went ex-dividend.
Top performing sectors so far today
Beverages 20,885.05 +1.09%
Health Care Equipment & Services 7,510.36 +1.05%
Forestry & Paper 19,000.68 +1.03%
Personal Goods 36,925.29 +0.96%
Automobiles & Parts 7,175.52 +0.79%
Bottom performing sectors so far today
Gas, Water & Multiutilities 5,122.01 -3.96%
Mobile Telecommunications 4,970.05 -1.36%
Chemicals 13,924.05 -0.72%
Banks 4,400.31 -0.69%
Fixed Line Telecommunications 2,890.83 -0.54%
Apart from hosting and possible maintenance costs, there are not exactly downsides to having your own website. Even if its just a personal blog it can always become more useful down the line, if you utilize it in the right manner. In other words, more
Carlos Ghosn, CEO, and Chairman of Renault said that they have engineers from the alliance (Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi) developing a low-cost Renault Kwid EV for China. He even confirmed that he had driven the Kwid EV and "it will be a very well engineered car at a very low cost. And once it works in China, there's no reason you're not going to export the car to India, to Brazil, to the Middle East".
The journey towards electrifying automobiles in India has begun ahead of the government's ambitious target of electrifying the entire fleet of cars by 2030.
Recommended Video Renault Captur 2017 Launched In India - DriveSpark
In what is considered as the largest order for electric cars, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a State-owned company has placed an order of 10,000 EVs. Tata Motors and Mahindra have bagged the tender to provide Tigor EV and E2o Plus respectively.
Suzuki and Toyota have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and retail EVs in India. While Suzuki will manufacture and supply EVs, Toyota will provide the technical support. The first of the EVs from the joint venture is expected to hit the Indian roads by 2020.
DriveSpark Thinks!
With most of the top car manufacturers in India have begun the journey of EVs for India, Renault needs to ramp up its EV development to bring the Kwid EV in time to be relevant in the EV segment in the country.
The India-spec BMW G 310 R was spotted in Chikmagalur, Karnataka alongside the TVS Apache 200 4V. But the BMW badging was missing in the spotted models and it looks like it is done to conceal the identity of the motorcycle.
BMW Motorrad already retails the G 310 R is several foreign markets and the India-spec model looks the same. There is also a possibility of BMW Motorrad showcasing the G 310 R at the 2018 Auto Expo in February.
Recommended Video EICMA 2017: Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX And SX SE Revealed - DriveSpark
The BMW G 310 R draws power from a 313cc single cylinder engine producing 33.5bhp and 28Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The upcoming TVS Apache RR 310 also employs the same engine.
The BMW G 310 R is equipped with chunky upside down forks at the front and monoshock suspension at the rear. Other features include fully digital instrument cluster, muscular fuel tank, sporty tank shrouds which also doubles up as the radiator cover, sleek tail design and chunky tyres.
The upswept exhaust pipe gives the G 310 R a big bike feel. The build quality looks top-notch and the same will be introduced in the Indian market. The motorcycle also gets disc braked at both the ends and ABS will be offered as standard.
DriveSpark Thinks!
The BMW G 310 R will be the most affordable offering from the German motorcycle manufacturer. When launched in India the G 310 R will rival the likes of KTM Duke 390, Benelli TNT 300, Kawasaki Z250 and Bajaj Dominar 400. Pricing will be the key factor for the success of the G 310 R in the country.
Image Source: Facebook
Dutch designers are giving Amsterdams
plastic trash a second life by creating 3D-printed benches out of discarded plastic bags.
The XXX plastic bench, a collaboration between
The New Raw and Aectual, made its debut in late October in the Dutch capital.
The benches are made to look like rocking chairs that can fit up to four people. The beauty of such a product is that the shape and size of the bench can be easily customized.
Notably, at the end of the benchs life, it can be taken apart and recycled again up to seven times to create more furniture for public spaces.
[UVBHUU1511369177]
In the video below, New Raw co-founder Foteini Setaki says the benches weigh approximately 50 kilos eachroughly equal to 150 percent of total plastic waste produced by one Amsterdammer per year.
So one Amsterdammer could potentially produce benches by just collecting their own plastic waste, she said.
According to Inhabitat, the Print Your City! project launched in 2016 as part of the AMS Institutes Circular City Program and is supported by TU Delft and AEB Amsterdam.
Print Your City! explores the concept of applying 3D printing to plastic waste, as a way to re-design urban space, the project website states. As the name suggests, Print your City! is a call for action, rallying citizens to recycle household plastic waste in order to transform it into raw material for public furniture, via a 3D printing process.
Watch here to learn more about the project.
[70Z1ZN1511369213]
By Mike Gaworecki
At COP23, the UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany that wrapped up last week, top cocoa-producing countries in West Africa announced new commitments to end the massive deforestation for cocoa that is occurring within their borders.
Ivory Coast and Ghana are the number one and number two cocoa-producing nations on Earth, respectively. Together, they produce about two-thirds of the worlds cocoa, but that production has been tied to high rates of deforestation as well as child labor and other human rights abuses.
The so-called Frameworks for Action that were announced by the two countries last Thursday not only aim to halt the clearing of forests for cocoa production, especially in national parks and other protected areas, but to restore forest areas that have already been cleared or degraded. They also include commitments to developing alternative livelihoods and crop diversification strategies for cocoa farmers who will be impacted by the conservation plans. (Ivory Coasts action plan can be seen here; Ghanas here).
While halting deforestation is key to meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement, recent research has shown that rehabilitating degraded forests is just as important if we are to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.
A number of major players in the chocolate and cocoa industry have already signed on to the Frameworks, including Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Godiva, Hershey, Mars, Mondelez International, Nestle, Olam, Sainsburys and more.
According to an investigation by the Washington, DC-based NGO Mighty Earth, much of the cocoa purchased from producers in Ivory Coast and Ghana by these chocolate companies is grown illegally in national parks and other protected areas. In several national parks, the groups investigators found, 90 percent or more of the land has been converted to cocoa production operations.
Less than four percent of Ivory Coast remains densely forested, and the chocolate companies laissez-faire approach to sourcing has driven extensive deforestation in Ghana as well, Mighty Earth reported. Aside from destroying habitat relied on by wildlife, this deforestation has also pushed protected species like chimpanzees, elephants, leopards and pygmy hippos into increasingly smaller forest fragments, where they are far easier to hunt and thus more likely to be killed by poachers.
The ancient forests of our nation, once a paradise for wildlife like chimpanzees, leopards, hippopotamus, and elephants, have been degraded and deforested to the point that theyre almost entirely gone. This deforestation is due principally to the cultivation of cocoa, Kouame Soulago Fernand, the general secretary of ROSCIDET, a network of environmental and sustainable development NGOs in Ivory Coast, said in a statement.
Our country has become dependent on a cocoa industry that destroys forests and the whole range of ecosystem services they offer the country. We must achieve a sustainable cocoa industry that respects forests and that actually benefits communities and the countrys economy. The big chocolate companies must make financial and technical contributions to support the governments conservation efforts.
The new zero deforestation commitments made by Ivory Coast, Ghana and major chocolate companies could have implications outside of West Africa. The destruction of the two countries rainforests has pushed them to the brink of exhaustion in terms of agricultural viability, leading the chocolate industry to begin considering expansion opportunities in other rainforest regions, such as Africas Congo Basin, the Amazon in South America and the Paradise Forests of Southeast Asia.
As an immediate next step, the chocolate industry must announce that it will extend its commitment to No Deforestation Cocoa to chocolate production around the world, Mighty Earth said in a statement. Its great that the industry is taking steps to protect chimpanzee habitat in Ivory Coast, but that doesnt mean anyone wants to eat a chocolate bar that killed an orangutan in Indonesia or a sloth in Peru.
The announcement of the Frameworks for Action comes after the UKs Prince Charles met with leading chocolate industry companies earlier this year to urge them to root deforestation out of their supply chains. The companies pledged at the time to come up with a plan they could announce publicly when the climate talks in Bonn kicked off in November.
Prince Charles longstanding and profound commitment to rainforest conservation has translated into an initiative that may be remembered years from now as the moment West Africas forests began to grow back, Mighty Earth noted.
But the group warned that the Frameworks represent the beginning of efforts to solve the deforestation crisis in Ivory Coast and Ghana, not the end goal. There is a lot of work indeed to be done before consumers can feel good again about consuming some of their favorite chocolate brands, Mighty Earth said in a statement. But consumers and West Africans can at least know that the chocolate industry and their governments are finally setting about the task in a serious way.
Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.
NOVEMBER 23, 2017, New York -- A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a key mechanism by which tumors develop resistance to radiation therapy and shown how such resistance might be overcome with drugs that are currently under development. The discovery addresses a longstanding challenge: as many as 40% of large tumors develop resistance to radiotherapy, significantly complicating treatment. Overcoming such resistance could go a long way toward treating tumors, especially those that cause significant discomfort to patients and resist other modes of therapy or cannot be surgically removed.
"It has been known for some time that radiation induces inflammation, and we've shown in our earlier work that it does so through a molecular sensor found in cells known as the stimulator of interferon genes, or STING," says Ralph Weichselbaum, co-director of the Ludwig Center at Chicago, who led the study with Yang-Xin Fu of the UT Southwestern Medical Center. "However, there's a dark side to radiation: after it causes good inflammation--which mounts an immune attack on cancer cells in the irradiated tumor--it causes a bad kind of inflammation that suppresses immune responses."
STING detects DNA fragments inside cells, fragments generated by the damage high energy radiation does to chromosomes. In previous studies, Weichselbaum, Fu and their colleagues showed that STING links the detection of such fragments to the production of immune factors known as type 1 interferons. These factors ultimately boost the activation of killer T cells--immune cells that attack sick and cancerous cells--and cause much of the destruction of tumors associated with radiation therapy.
The researchers hypothesized that this same STING/Type 1 interferon signaling cascade might also account for the resistance tumors develop to extended radiotherapy. They report in the current issue of Nature Communications that this indeed appears to be the case. The immunosuppression, they found, is caused by an influx of particular suppressive immune cells known as monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) that are drawn into the tumor due to long-term STING/Type 1 interferon signaling.
Using mouse models of lung and colon tumors, the researchers found that the tumor-infiltrating M-MDSCs express a cell surface receptor known as CCR2, whose ligand--or binding target--is expressed by cells upon STING activation. They then showed that resistance to radiotherapy was significantly reduced in mice engineered to lack CCR2.
To determine whether the effect might be translated into clinical practice, the researchers checked whether it could be reproduced in mice that express CCR2 with the use of antibodies to the receptor. They found it could. Most notably, in both types of mice the destruction of tumors was significantly boosted when the radiation therapy was delivered along with a STING-activating drug and anti-CCR2 antibodies.
"What we did by combining those treatments was to stimulate the immune system while alleviating immune suppression, and that worked best to improve responses to radiotherapy--more than either did alone," says Weichselbaum.
Pharmaceutical companies are developing STING activating drugs for cancer therapy, and one is currently being evaluated in clinical trials in combination with checkpoint blockade--a type of immunotherapy that boosts T cell attack on certain types of tumors. Similarly, antibodies to CCR2 are also being developed as potential immunotherapeutic agents. The current study lays the groundwork for combining these experimental drugs to improve the effects of radiotherapy for a variety of solid tumors.
"What we've shown in this preclinical study is that if you block the influx of these MDSCs, you can, to a large extent, preempt resistance to radiation therapy," says Weichselbaum. "Our current study is of immediate relevance to radiation therapy, but we think it may also have significant implications for chemotherapy and immunotherapy as well."
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This study was supported by Ludwig Cancer Research, Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Foglia, The Chicago Tumor Institute, The Cancer Research Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality and the National Thousand Youth Talents Program.
About Ludwig Cancer Research
Ludwig Cancer Research is an international collaborative network of acclaimed scientists that has pioneered cancer research and landmark discovery for more than 40 years. Ludwig combines basic science with the ability to translate its discoveries and conduct clinical trials to accelerate the development of new cancer diagnostics and therapies. Since 1971, Ludwig has invested $2.7 billion in life-changing science through the not-for-profit Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers. To learn more, visit http://www.ludwigcancerresearch.org.
For further information please contact Rachel Steinhardt, rsteinhardt@licr.org or +1-212-450-1582.
The arrival 36 years ago of a strange bird to a remote island in the Galapagos archipelago has provided direct genetic evidence of a novel way in which new species arise.
In this week's issue of the journal Science, researchers from Princeton University and Uppsala University in Sweden report that the newcomer belonging to one species mated with a member of another species resident on the island, giving rise to a new species that today consists of roughly 30 individuals.
The study comes from work conducted on Darwin's finches, which live on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The remote location has enabled researchers to study the evolution of biodiversity due to natural selection.
The direct observation of the origin of this new species occurred during field work carried out over the last four decades by B. Rosemary and Peter Grant, two scientists from Princeton, on the small island of Daphne Major.
"The novelty of this study is that we can follow the emergence of new species in the wild," said B. Rosemary Grant, a senior research biologist, emeritus, and a senior biologist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Through our work on Daphne Major, we were able to observe the pairing up of two birds from different species and then follow what happened to see how speciation occurred."
In 1981, a graduate student working with the Grants on Daphne Major noticed the newcomer, a male that sang an unusual song and was much larger in body and beak size than the three resident species of birds on the island.
"We didn't see him fly in from over the sea, but we noticed him shortly after he arrived. He was so different from the other birds that we knew he did not hatch from an egg on Daphne Major," said Peter Grant, the Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology, Emeritus, and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, emeritus.
The researchers took a blood sample and released the bird, which later bred with a resident medium ground finch of the species Geospiz fortis, initiating a new lineage. The Grants and their research team followed the new "Big Bird lineage" for six generations, taking blood samples for use in genetic analysis.
In the current study, researchers from Uppsala University analyzed DNA collected from the parent birds and their offspring over the years. The investigators discovered that the original male parent was a large cactus finch of the species Geospiza conirostris from Espanola island, which is more than 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) to the southeast in the archipelago.
The remarkable distance meant that the male finch was not able to return home to mate with a member of his own species and so chose a mate from among the three species already on Daphne Major. This reproductive isolation is considered a critical step in the development of a new species when two separate species interbreed.
The offspring were also reproductively isolated because their song, which is used to attract mates, was unusual and failed to attract females from the resident species. The offspring also differed from the resident species in beak size and shape, which is a major cue for mate choice. As a result, the offspring mated with members of their own lineage, strengthening the development of the new species.
Researchers previously assumed that the formation of a new species takes a very long time, but in the Big Bird lineage it happened in just two generations, according to observations made by the Grants in the field in combination with the genetic studies.
All 18 species of Darwin's finches derived from a single ancestral species that colonized the Galapagos about one to two million years ago. The finches have since diversified into different species, and changes in beak shape and size have allowed different species to utilize different food sources on the Galapagos. A critical requirement for speciation to occur through hybridization of two distinct species is that the new lineage must be ecologically competitive -- that is, good at competing for food and other resources with the other species -- and this has been the case for the Big Bird lineage.
"It is very striking that when we compare the size and shape of the Big Bird beaks with the beak morphologies of the other three species inhabiting Daphne Major, the Big Birds occupy their own niche in the beak morphology space," said Sangeet Lamichhaney, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the first author on the study. "Thus, the combination of gene variants contributed from the two interbreeding species in combination with natural selection led to the evolution of a beak morphology that was competitive and unique."
The definition of a species has traditionally included the inability to produce fully fertile progeny from interbreeding species, as is the case for the horse and the donkey, for example. However, in recent years it has become clear that some closely related species, which normally avoid breeding with each other, do indeed produce offspring that can pass genes to subsequent generations. The authors of the study have previously reported that there has been a considerable amount of gene flow among species of Darwin's finches over the last several thousands of years.
One of the most striking aspects of this study is that hybridization between two distinct species led to the development of a new lineage that after only two generations behaved as any other species of Darwin's finches, explained Leif Andersson, a professor at Uppsala University who is also affiliated with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Texas A&M University. "A naturalist who came to Daphne Major without knowing that this lineage arose very recently would have recognized this lineage as one of the four species on the island. This clearly demonstrates the value of long-running field studies," he said.
It is likely that new lineages like the Big Birds have originated many times during the evolution of Darwin's finches, according to the authors. The majority of these lineages have gone extinct but some may have led to the evolution of contemporary species. "We have no indication about the long-term survival of the Big Bird lineage, but it has the potential to become a success, and it provides a beautiful example of one way in which speciation occurs," said Andersson. "Charles Darwin would have been excited to read this paper."
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The study was supported by the Galapagos National Parks Service, the Charles Darwin Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council.
The study, "Rapid hybrid speciation in Darwin's finches," by Sangeet Lamichhaney, Fan Han, Matthew T. Webster, Leif Andersson, B. Rosemary Grant and Peter R. Grant, was published in the journal Science on Nov. 23, 2017.
Uppsala University contributed to the content of this press release.
From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Thursday, November 23, 2017
(OSiYo), I am Mark Parman, program evaluator for the Community and Cultural Outreach Department of the Cherokee Nation. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, I have a view of the American Evaluation Association attempts to bridge the gaps between those of different races and classes not common within AEA and brought into focus as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. During the first AEA Dialogue on Race & Class, Dr. Melvin Hall asked, What do we need to know and understand so that we dont perpetuate in-equality? When it comes to Indigenous peoples, there is quite a lot that the dominate society does not know or understand.
Hot Tips:
Coming into an Indigenous community, understand that the Americas are our land. We have lived here for
Between 1452 and 1493,
Despite these efforts, we still exist as sovereign nations. Many were recognized by European leaders before there was a US. My Cherokee Nation entered into the family of nations with a
Diversity of Indigenous Nations most also be understood. There is no Indigenous culture and especially no American Indian culture in which to become competent. From the Absentee-Shawnee to the Zuni, there are a wide range of cultures, histories, languages and spiritual beliefs. The United States recognizes 567 sovereign Indigenous nations. In Canada that number is 617 First Nations. Each nation is unique and sovereign.
Cool Tricks?
The American Thanksgiving is a myth. Wampanoag warriors, in 1621, investigating gunfire at a Pilgrim village found them celebrating the harvest. As an act of peace, the Wampanoag, were fed. This was not repeated.
In 1636, a murdered man was discovered in Plymouth. Major John Masons soldiers killed over 400 neighboring Pequots, including the women and children, blaming them for the murder. The Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed: From that day forth, shall be a day of celebration and thanks giving for subduing the Pequots. For the next 100 years on Thanksgiving Day, they
Lessons Learned: As you enter an Indigenous community there will be much you will not understand. Within my own Nation, there are words, customs and histories that I do not know. In these cases, ask questions. This is the human thing to do.
As the expert in evaluation, bring that knowledge. But our communities have much to offer you as well. Ask questions so that your work can be responsive to that communitys culture. Together we can sustain our communities.
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The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Indigenous Peoples in Evaluation (IPE) TIG week. All posts this week are contributed by members of the IPE
About AEA The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association and the largest in its field. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEAs mission is to improve evaluation practices and methods worldwide, to increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. For more information about AEA, visit www.eval.org. , I am, program evaluator for the Community and Cultural Outreach Department of the Cherokee Nation. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, I have a view of the American Evaluation Association attempts to bridge the gaps between those of different races and classes not common within AEA and brought into focus as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. During the first AEA Dialogue on Race & Class, Dr. Melvin Hall asked, What do we need to know and understand so that we dont perpetuate in-equality? When it comes to Indigenous peoples, there is quite a lot that the dominate society does not know or understand.Coming into an Indigenous community, understand that the Americas are our land. We have lived here for as long as 30,000 years . The European invaded just over 500 years ago. Our cities were equal to those of the world. Cahokia had a population of 20,000 in AD1000 making it larger than London. Along with great cities we built knowledge of astronomy, agriculture and arts.Between 1452 and 1493, Catholic Popes , issued decrees declaring inhabitants of Africa and the Americas, Pagans, not deserving the right to own land and could be enslaved, converted, or killed. These papal bulls are still the basis for Indian Law in the U.S.Despite these efforts, we still exist as sovereign nations. Many were recognized by European leaders before there was a US. My Cherokee Nation entered into the family of nations with a treaty in 1721 Diversity of Indigenous Nations most also be understood. There is no Indigenous culture and especially no American Indian culture in which to become competent. From the Absentee-Shawnee to the Zuni, there are a wide range of cultures, histories, languages and spiritual beliefs. The United States recognizes 567 sovereign Indigenous nations. In Canada that number is 617 First Nations. Each nation is unique and sovereign.The American Thanksgiving is a myth. Wampanoag warriors, in 1621, investigating gunfire at a Pilgrim village found them celebrating the harvest. As an act of peace, the Wampanoag, were fed. This was not repeated.In 1636, a murdered man was discovered in Plymouth. Major John Masons soldiers killed over 400 neighboring Pequots, including the women and children, blaming them for the murder. The Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed: From that day forth, shall be a day of celebration and thanks giving for subduing the Pequots. For the next 100 years on Thanksgiving Day, they honored the bloody massacre As you enter an Indigenous community there will be much you will not understand. Within my own Nation, there are words, customs and histories that I do not know. In these cases, ask questions. This is the human thing to do.As the expert in evaluation, bring that knowledge. But our communities have much to offer you as well. Ask questions so that your work can be responsive to that communitys culture. Together we can sustain our communities.(WaDo)The American Evaluation Association is celebratingTIG week. All posts this week are contributed by members of the IPE Topical Interest Group . Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. After a successful launch of the Dairy Production and Management MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), the program is now offered in four languages beyond English: Spanish, Bulgarian, Chinese and Portuguese.
MOOC
The comprehensive eight-week course is offered by Coursera, an open education platform that provides online courses, available to anyone with an internet connection.
Developed by a team of Penn State faculty led by Alex Hristov, Ph.D., Professor of Dairy Nutrition in Penn States Department of Animal Science, the course devotes each week to a specific area of the dairy industry.
Called MOOOO-C by its developers, it was first released in March, 2016 and now has a global audience of nearly 8,000 active users.
The course has been accessed in over 180 countries, and there are 1,100 learners who have completed the course.
An additional value of the course is the ability to log onto discussion forums and ask specific questions. Graduate students respond to all the questions after consulting with the instructors.
In designing the course, Hristov noted that he and his colleagues wanted to make it relevant to a broad range of interests, engaging both experienced dairy producers and newcomers while delivering both fundamental knowledge and best practices related to sustainable dairy production systems.
Course
The syllabus includes: dairy genetics (one week); forage, production and pasture management (one week); dairy nutrition (two weeks); dairy reproduction (one week); metabolic disorders and herd health (one week); milk quality and milk hygiene (one-half week); dairy farm management and economics (one week); and, dairy production and the environment (one-half week).
This MOOC is aimed at professionals directly or indirectly involved in dairy production, including farm managers, employees and consultants, livestock producers, educators and students who are interested in animal and dairy science.
Details
The course can be taken at no charge unless participants choose the certificate option, for which there is a small fee.
To enroll, visit coursera.org/course/dairy. There is also a link at animalscience.psu.edu.
CRESTLINE, Ohio As he walks through the forest on his familys Crawford County tree farm, Jim Pry keeps a watchful eye on his crop.
When he sees a vine trying to make its way up the trunk of a tree, he takes out his hatchet and chops the vine in two. And he makes mental notes of any trees that have fallen, or fallen limbs that may need cleaned before spring.
While most of the county is planted to corn and soybeans, his focus is on trees: red and white oak, black cherry, walnut, maple and whatever kind nature decides to plant.
Jim and wife, Janet, have been growing trees on this property since they bought it in 1976, planting about 40,000 trees to date.
Historic setting
The Pry family has lived and worked in the same community since 1820. Several of the farm buildings used by the Pry family are still standing and well preserved, and adjacent to the tree farm is the cemetery where members of the family have been buried.
But the Pry tree farm is more than a family memorial its a living testament to the values of conservation and land stewardship that Jim and his wife follow.
The Prys maintain about 125 acres of woodlands, and 100 tillable acres, with the goal of preserving the wood, water, wildlife and recreational uses of their land.
Walking through the woodlot, Jim can remember each time his family conducted a major planting, and the times when they planted only a few hundred trees, to fill in some open space.
They began planting trees in the late 1970s, following a commercial clear-cut that left the forest floor exposed, and threatened the quality of the water draining into the Sandusky River, which flows through his property.
Converting cropland
Over the years, theyve planted additional trees and even taken some of their cropland out of production to increase the size of the forest and its conservation potential.
In 2007, Jim was named the Ohio Tree Farmer of the Year by the Ohio Forestry Association. Today, he serves as treasurer on the Ohio Tree Farm Committee.
Jim knows his trees about as well as a livestock farmer knows the different breeds of livestock pointing out the different textures of bark that define cherry trees and oaks, and the different shapes of leaves, and different kinds of tree nuts that have fallen to the ground.
He also knows that some trees do better in different types of soil, like walnut trees near river bottoms, and oaks and maples on the higher grounds.
Trees like to grow in different types of soil, he said. Some trees grow best in hard clay, some better in loamy soil.
Jim, 72, still works full time as an attorney in Bucyrus, where he represents landowners and community development projects. But when he needs a getaway he heads for his woods.
Ill tell you whats great is to come back here at midnight, just after it snowed and theres a full moon, and just walk through here, he said.
But even a fall walk is a pleasant experience, and each part of his woods offers something different.
Protecting the river
Beneath the main trail of his property, Jim has installed concrete culverts and made bridges for easy walking. The lowest part of the forest, which drops more than 40 feet, is where his forest adjoins the Sandusky River.
Altogether, Jim has about a mile of forest and growth along the headwaters of the Sandusky River, shallow enough you can walk across with a good pair of boots. But the depth and width increase dramatically as this river progresses north, eventually draining into Lake Erie.
Jim keeps the forest and cover in place next to the river, to help filter pollutants and ag nutrient runoff. He believes the forest helps filter as much as 80 percent of non-point pollutants that would otherwise enter the river, and eventually the lake.
And thats important, because Lake Erie has been overloaded with ag nutrients in recent years, which have led to the growth of toxic algae, compromising the safety of drinking water and the sport fishing industry.
The Sandusky River was originally named Sahunduskee by the Wyandot Indians, according to Jim, which meant clear water. And he wants to make sure clear water is whats leaving his farm.
Outside the woods, his cropland mostly consists of forages. He rents the land to another farmer, but requires hay crops to be grown most years. This helps hold the soil in place better than row crops, and provides a perennial crop that grows back on its own each year.
Bill Fisher, who directs the Crawford Park District, said the Pry farm is also a valuable public service because Jim opens it for educational events for other property owners and for children.
Jim cares deeply about the environment but he goes much deeper than that, Fisher said.
On Nov. 18, the farm teamed up with the Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District to hold a forestry management workshop. In the past, the farm has been a host site for the Junior Naturalists, and children who want to learn about stream testing and water quality.
He (Jim) is interested in maintaining a quality Sandusky River corridor that assists in keeping that river in clean condition, Fisher said.
Harvesting timber
The Prys are not opposed to harvesting trees for lumber but they want it done right.
Dont take it all off at one time, Jim advises.
But at the same time, he said you want to take enough trees to open up the forest floor for sunlight and regrowth. He said only harvesting the big trees can lead to less diversity in the forest, because less desirable trees will fill their place.
Jim is confident that his adult sons, Matthew and Adam, will keep the family tree farm going long into the future. But even at 72, Jim enjoys having an active part in the operation whether its scouting trees that need harvested, or cutting firewood.
He and his wife also travel, and have been to nearly 80 countries. He enjoys staying active, and preserving something that makes a difference for other people.
Id like to continue doing exactly what Im doing, he said.
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Modifying European market access for the Mercosur bloc to include sugar could imperil as many as 140,000 farmers, European farm bodies have warned.
The European Commission has been urged to reject any attempt to include sugar in the revised trade offer to Mercosur, which compromises four Latin American countries - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The EU plans to modify its market access during the next round of trade talks, scheduled between 4 and 10 December.
The trade bodies, which includes agricultural co-operative Copa Cogeca, which the NFU is part of, said the Commission "risks once again" a failure to maintain a firm line on sugar in its trade negotiations.
"EU sugar beet growers, sugar producers, and workers stand determined: we will not pay for the offensive interests of other industrial sectors or for those of the Brazilian state-supported sugar-ethanol regime," Copa Cogeca said in a statement.
European Beet Growers (CIBE) President Bernhard Conzen explained: The European Commission is actually asking beet growers and processors to make sacrifices for Brazilian interests, which is totally unacceptable. Ever higher standards for ever lower prices for us, and ultimately importing lower standards, is incomprehensible and a nonsense for farmers. This must stop or we are heading for a major and very painful crisis.
Livelihoods at risk
The farm bodies warn that the further opening of the EU sugar market would severely damage the beet sugar sector, and would imperil many of the 140,000 farmers, 30,000 employees, and hundreds of rural communities whose livelihoods depend on the sector.
The risk of further factory closures is high, warned European Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS) President Johann Marihart. He said this would have serious consequences for the vulnerable rural areas supported by the jobs and employment that beet sugar production provides.
There is no level playing field between the EU and Brazil; the Commission continues to dream that our sector is able to handle further opening up of the market without consequences, and continues to hide from reality: this is irresponsible, Mr Marihart explained.
The Commission might as well tell us which factories in the EU would have to close.
'Wake up'
The threat of a Mercosur trade deal has spurred on UK farming bodies to heavily criticise the EU for its failure to ignore farmers' wishes.
The European Commission is set to increase its beef quota offer to 70,000 tonnes for the potential trade agreement with the Latin American bloc.
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has said that reaching a deal by Christmas is "realistic" and that there is "very strong support" for it in the EU.
But Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) president Barclay Bell said UK politicians and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are being urged to "wake up" to the "threat" of the Mercosur trade negotiations on European food safety, animal welfare and the environment.
He said: South American countries do not come close to matching the food safety, animal welfare or environmental standards which farmers comply with in the UK and across Europe.
It is scandalous that the European Commission is prepared to offer Mercosur increased concessions to export substandard agricultural products such as beef into the EU.
Changes to avian influenza housing rules for free range birds have now come into force in the European Union.
Last year when highly pathogenic H5N8 struck across Europe, including the United Kingdom, national governments issued a series of housing orders to try to prevent the spread of the virus.
But existing EU rules allowed free range birds to be housed for just 12 weeks before they lost their free range status - creating a huge financial risk for producers whose eggs would have to be downgraded to barn.
Egg industry leaders from across the EU, including the UK, lobbied the European Commission for a change to these rules. The Commission eventually agreed to extend to 16 weeks the period that birds could be housed without losing their status. This rule change came into force on November 25.
News that the rule change had now been adopted was welcomed by Robert Gooch, chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA).
"They have now formally ratified the proposal that they made late last summer or early autumn. It is not ideal. We would have preferred an extension to 20 weeks but it is an improvement on last year," said Mr Gooch.
"The extension to 16 weeks and the change in the point from which the 16 weeks is counted will hopefully see producers through." Under the commission amendment, the 16-week period will now start from when each individual flock is housed.
Free range status
Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), has already said that the new rules could be enough to see the egg industry through the high risk winter period if housing orders were avoided before mid-December.
Charles Bourns, chairman of the poultry and eggs working party of Copa Cogeca
Charles Bourns, chairman of the poultry and eggs working party of Copa Cogeca - and former chairman of the NFU poultry board - has said he believes that most free range producers would have retained their free range status if the 16-week rule had been in place last winter.
Mr Bourns said that he would have ideally liked to have seen an extension to 20 weeks, but he thought the Commission proposal was a good compromise, particularly as the proposal would change the point from which housed status was counted.
In an official statement on the rule change, the European Commission, said: "An initial EU-wide standard from 2008 allowed egg producers to continue to market their products as free range even if their hens had no open-air access for up to 12 weeks. The latest change, which comes into force on 25 November 2017, will extend this period to 16 weeks.
"The changes to the rules come as a direct response from the European Commission to concerns raised by EU hen farmers about the potential economic losses for free range farms. In times of high risk of avian influenza EU-wide veterinary rules require hens to be kept indoors in order reduce the risk of infections from migratory birds, but this is directly at odds with EU rules on free range eggs which state that laying hens must have continuous daytime access to open-air runs.
"The marketing standards already allowed eggs to be labelled as free range even if birds were kept indoors as a result of EU-wide measures, but the 12 week derogation was considered too short in the face of the prolonged nature of the influenza outbreak across the EU in 2016.
"This meant that eggs normally marketed as free range had to be sold as barn eggs if the hens were kept indoors for more than 12 weeks, leading to economic losses for farmers.
"With the likelihood of further prolonged outbreaks of avian influenza in the future, and following discussions with member state authorities and industry stakeholders, the decision was taken to extended the period from 12 to 16 weeks.
"The new rules also clarify that this derogation applies at the level of flocks (rather than regions or farms). This allows farms having introduced new flocks during the restriction period to benefit from the full derogation; eggs from each individual flock on the same farm can be labelled as free-range for the full 16-week period if open air access is restricted, regardless of when the farm came under the restrictions."
Last winter
Last winter highly pathogenic H5N8 swept across 18 European countries, including the United Kingdom.
In the UK there were a total of 13 confirmed cases between December and June, although none of them involved commercial layer flocks. Six of the cases in the UK involved backyard flocks, and there were also outbreaks in turkeys and game birds.
Cases of H5N8 were also recorded in Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria and Tunisia.
This winter there have been cases of AI in Italy, Bulgaria, Germany and the Netherlands. In the UK the official risk of AI in wild birds has been raised by Defra from low to medium, although the official risk status for poultry remains low.
The European Commission says there are currently some 390 million hens in the EU, of which around 54 million (14 per cent) are kept in free range systems. Free range birds account for 53 per cent if birds in the UK 40 per cent in Ireland, 21 per cent in Austria, 18 per cent in France and Germany and 15 per cent in the Netherlands.
In terms of flock size, the UK keeps the biggest share of the EU's population of free range hens (41 per cent), followed by Germany (17 per cent), France (16 per cent) and the Netherlands (10 per cent).
A fly-tipper who dumped rubbish on a Devon farm has avoided punishment after the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency refused to reveal his details on data protection grounds.
The farm which suffered the incident, on the Ashcombe estate in south Devon, has already suffered a spate of fly-tipping problems.
Ralph Rayner, who owns the Ashcombe estate, stumbled across a receipt from a fast food outlet that was less than an hour old when he was cleaning up the waste.
A vehicle registration number was found and Mr Rayner, with the help of the local police, then went to the DVLA to query who the fly-tipper was. It couldn't release who the perpetrator was due to data protection.
A DVLA spokesman said: We have to ensure the release of information is lawful. When there is sufficient evidence to tie fly-tipping to a vehicle, we can supply that information and in the vast majority of cases when a local authority requests information, we are able to release it.
Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris revealed the incident during a fly-tipping debate in parliament on Tuesday (21 November).
'Polluters pay'
She urged government to change how the law works so polluters pay, currently, they do not. She said: A constituent of mine with a large estate regularly finds people have been fly-tipping on it.
We need to consider better interagency working. It would certainly help if the DVLA were prepared to work with local authorities to identify the cars, drivers and owners. Having an evidence trail is very important.
There is a burden on individual landowners and a requirement for them to clear up the land, and they get absolutely no contribution towards doing that.
Based on everything I have seen, the polluter does not pay.
She suggested the government looks at different policies, such as getting rid of tip charges and allowing tips to be opened for longer. She said it would encourage people to rid their waste legally.
'Better collaboration'
The government has confirmed a rise in the number of fly-tipping incidents to 936,000 in 2015/16.
NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said the solution was better collaboration between all those affected parties.
"Fly-tipping is the scourge of the countryside - clearly we are disappointed that the number of fly-tipping incidents has increased," said Mrs Batters.
"Our members are fully aware of the impacts this can have on farm and the wider countryside, as well as the high costs and stress that can come along with it. This can run into thousands of pounds and can see farmers being forced to deal with the aftermath themselves."
The need to secure a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU was top of the agenda when NFU Cymru recently met with farming minister George Eustice.
The farming union stressed to the Defra Minister the importance of the UK government securing continued free and unfettered access to EU markets upon the UKs departure from the EU in March 2019.
Trade with the EU is seen as critical to the Welsh food and farming sector, with around three quarters of its food and drink exports and nearly 40% of lamb being exported to the EU.
NFU Cymru President Stephen James said: A no deal scenario and moving to World Trade Organisation most-favoured nation status - with Tariffs of 40% and more on many cuts of red meat - would be a major issue for Welsh agriculture and the wider rural economy.
Mr Eustice told us that a comprehensive free trade agreement was in the interests of both the UK and also the EU given the level of trade between the UK and EU, and we discussed the need to plan for all eventualities.
Discussions also took place surrounding a future domestic agricultural policy. Mr James said agriculture is fully devolved to the National Assembly for Wales, and that NFU Cymru wants to see the UK and devolved governments working together to mutually agree common policy and budgetary frameworks that provide "sufficient flexibility" for each administration to recognise the specific needs of farming within their country, whilst ensuring that internal markets are not created within the UK.
'Vision for Farming'
NFU Cymru representatives presented the Mr Eustice with copies of the unions Vision for the Future of Farming papers and talked through ideas for supporting measures to help improve the productivity of Welsh and UK agriculture.
NFU Cymru Deputy President, John Davies added: Productivity measures, such as investment support alongside advanced knowledge transfer and investment in farmer led research and development, have the potential to not only improve productivity on farm, but also help improve our environmental performance whilst meeting our climate change obligations, too.
It was good to talk through our ideas with Mr Eustice and Mr Bebb. Wales has a rich history in agricultural research, particularly with regards to plant breeding, and we need to ensure that adequate funding continues to be provided to drive forward applied research and development to help us get the best from our predominately pasture-based systems in Wales.
NFU Cymru also used the meeting to discuss a number of other issues, including the opportunities to improve the amount of domestic produce used in public procurement contracts and the need for clear and transparent food labelling in both the retail and food service sectors.
Defra Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed the government will continue to recognise animal sentience after the UK leaves the EU.
The acknowledgement follows news of MPs voting to reject the inclusion of animal sentience into the EU (Withdrawal) Bill last week, with one group saying the move undermine Gove's high animal welfare pledge.
However, in a written ministerial statement published on Thursday (23 November), Gove said the government is committed to the "very highest standards" of animal welfare. He said the UK will become a world leader in the care and protection of animals.
He wrote: "It has been suggested that the vote last week on New Clause 30 of the EU Withdrawal Bill somehow signalled a weakening in the protection of animals - that is wrong. Voting against the amendment was not a vote against the idea that animals are sentient and feel pain - that is a misconception.
"Ministers explained on the floor of the house that this Governments policies on animal welfare are driven by our recognition that animals are indeed sentient beings and we are acting energetically to reduce the risk of harm to animals whether on farms or in the wild."
The Defra Secretary said the vote against New Clause 30 was the "rejection of a faulty amendment", which would not have achieved its stated aims of providing appropriate protection for animals.
He said that the government will ensure any necessary changes required to UK law are made in a "rigorous and comprehensive" way to ensure animal sentience is recognised after the UK leaves the EU.
"The Withdrawal Bill is not the right place to address this, however we are considering the right legislative vehicle," Gove wrote.
The government has said they are proposing primary legislation to increase maximum sentences for animal cruelty from six months to five years, and the creation of a new statutory, independent body to uphold environmental standards.
"The current EU instrument Article 13 has not delivered the progress we want to see. It does not have direct effect in law in practice its effect is very unclear and it has failed to prevent practices across the EU which are cruel and painful to animals."
The RSPCA, the leading body which initially criticised the government's action, has welcomed Goves reassurance.
But the animal charity believes a formal acknowledgement that animals are sentient written into the EU Withdrawal Bill would send a strong message to politicians to help shape future legislation, ensuring the best protection for animals.
The call for legal recognition of animal sentience is echoed across animal protection groups and members of the public. As the EU (Withdrawal) Bill continues its progress through Parliament we will once again be urging for this important acknowledgement of animals sentence to be included, the RSPCA said in a statement.
Solar must go on rooftops instead of farmland, charity says
A Young Fan Approached Salman & Katrina
As per a report in DNA, ''Recently, at the airport, when Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan were returning together, a young fan asked the duo for autographs.''
So Much Attitude?
''While Salman obliged him with one, Katrina shocked everyone when she walked away, without paying much heed to the little guy. Basic manners, anyone?''
This Is Not The First Time She Left Everyone In Shock
When Katrina Kaif wrapped up the Morocco schedule of Jagga Jasoos returned to Mumbai, she refused to pose for the paparazzi.
I Didn't Invite You
''When Katrina was about to get into her car, one of reporters quizzed her by asking, "Bulaya kyon?" (Why did you call us?) to which Katrina replied, "Maine Nahi bulaya" (I didn't invite you)."
When She Thrashed A Photographer
When Katrina Kaif was house hunting after her alleged break up a photographer tried to click her. She was so upset that she went to the extent of threatening the photojournalist by filing a police complaint.
Not Once
A similar incident happened, when the actress was stepping out of choreographer Ganesh Acharya's studio, after wrapping up her rehearsals for Dream tour.
She Was So Angry That
''Katrina was so upset after seeing the paparazzi outside that she threatened before leaving that she will file a police complaint against them.
Well..
Katrina Kaif should learn how to treat the fans from her ex-boyfriend Salman Khan.
The Gujarat government banned the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Padmavati with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claiming it was "hurting sentiments" of the Rajput community and would not be screened in the poll-bound state in view of law and order concerns.
A notification banning the film's release was issued by the information and broadcasting department of the state.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of the section 6 of the Gujarat Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 2004, the government of Gujarat hereby imposes ban on Hindi feature film Padmavati produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Bhansali Productions Pvt Ltd within the jurisdiction of the state of Gujarat," the notification read.
Earlier in the day, Rupani had said he will not allow the film to release in the poll-bound state as it hurt the sentiments of the Rajput community.
"We can't allow our history to be distorted. We believe in freedom of speech and expression but any foul play with our great culture is not tolerated," the chief minister said.
There are issues with the film, our sympathy is with those protesting against the film and that is the reason we will not allow its release in the state till those issues are resolved, Rupani said in Ahmedabad.
"Elections are also approaching and we do not want any row here. The matter comes under law and order situation and that is the reason we have taken this decision," Rupani said.
Asked if he had seen the film, he said, "The makers of the film should screen it for those who are protesting against it and resolve the issue. Our concern is protests and law and order situation at the time of elections."
Several BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have expressed opposition to the film.
Rupani's Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar, however, said that he would wait and watch for the censor board decision on the movie.
"The government will take a call upon the screening of Padmavati after the decision by CBFC," Khattar said adding that nobody would be allowed to hurt sentiments.
He distanced himself from the Haryana BJP chief media coordinator Surajpal Singh Amu's remarks about offering a bounty of Rs ten crore to anyone beheading Bhansali or lead actress Deepika Padukone.
"The BJP has also issued a show cause notice to Amu," he said while also pointing to an FIR against the state leader.
The row over the Bollywood flick, meanwhile, continued to simmer with the Shri Rajput Karni Sena demanding that its reels be "consigned to the flames of Jauhar".
BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha waded in questioning what he called the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani.
Former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, in an editorial in party organ 'Peoples' Democracy', compared the protesters with cow vigilantes, and said "mob rule" had become one of the "hallmarks of the Modi raj".
The controversy also reached the portals of Parliament as a House panel sought a report on the film from the I&B ministry and the censor board.
The matter was taken up for consideration by the Lok Sabha Committee on Petitions after two BJP MPs from Rajasthan, CP Joshi and Om Birla, filed a plea regarding objectionable content in the movie.
Joshi told PTI that the movie should be shown to historians and the descendants of the erstwhile royal families, who trace their lineage to Padmavati, before release.
"The panel has referred the matter to the I&B Ministry and the censor board. It has asked them to submit a report before November 30," BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who heads the panel, said.
Meanwhile, BJP MP and actor Sinha, who has often taken a stand contrary to that of his party, questioned the "silence" of the prime minister and the I&B minister.
"How come our I&B Minister or our most popular Hon'ble PM (according to PEW) are maintaining stoic silence. High time!" he said on Twitter.
The Patna Sahib MP did not spare Bollywood top guns either. "As Padmavati becomes a burning controversy, people are asking why the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, most versatile Aamir Khan and most popular Shahrukh Khan have no comments," Sinha tweeted.
The Karni Sena, which is leading the protests against the film, continued its offensive. "Its reel should be consigned to the flames of 'Jauhar'," Lokendra Singh Kalvi, chief of the outfit, told reporters in New Delhi.
He lashed at Padukone for her remarks that no force could stop the film's release. "Who is Deepika Padukone? Is she the president or the prime minister? This film will not be released at any cost," he said.
Asked on what basis was he claiming that the film distorted history, Kalvi said it was his "assumption" based on an alleged statement of Ranveer Singh, who plays Alauddin Khilji in the movie.
Director Bhansali recently clarified that rumours about a romantic dream sequence between Rani Padmavati and Khilji's characters were not true as he was careful in depicting "Rajput honour and dignity".
Kalvi also alleged to have received "life threats" from unknown numbers, one of which "was traced back to Karachi".
In Lucknow, a complaint was filed in a court seeking prosecution against Bhansali for showing the film to three journalists without the censor nod.
Many groups have been protesting against the movie alleging distorting of history. Historians are, however, divided on whether Rani Padmavati even existed. PTI
Simi Is Maharani's Friend
According to Bollywood Hungama, ''Simi, a long-standing friend of the Maharani took it on herself to broker peace for Bhansali. And the results are very encouraging.''
What Might Happen
The Karni Sena which is enormously deferential to Maharani Padmini is expected to be summoned by the Maharani any time in the near future for a peace plan.
She Has Just One Objection
Apparently, the Maharani, herself an admirer of Bhansali's cinema, has expressed misgivings only about Rani Padmavati being shown dancing in the Ghoomar' song.
Maharani Would Never Dance Like This
In a long conversation that lasted nearly an hour, the Maharani told Simi that the Ghoomar' did not exist during the time of Rani Padmavati and even if artistic licence permits such time travel for the sake of aesthetic gratification, Maharanis would not dance in public as shown in the film.
Simi Confirmed The News
''Yes, like everyone who cares for Sanjay Bhansali's cinema, and I care deeply, I spoke to the Maharani. She exercises tremendous clout over cultural developments in Jaipur.''
A Meeting Would Be Organised Soon
''She said there was basically one problematic point in the trailer and that was the Ghoomar'. There is actually no other problem." Simi now intends to organize a meeting between Maharani Padmini and Sanjay Bhansali.''
Bhansali Will Discuss Padmavati With Maharani
''During the meeting Bhansali who has met the Maharani in the past is expected to discuss the film's content with the Maharani.''
The Protest Will End After Maharani's Statement
''Thereafter she will be shown the film at a private screening. "Once the Maharani approves the protests will automatically die down," says Simi hopefully.''
Odiyan, which will be Mohanlal's next big release is in its shooting stages and most recently, the makers of the film had commenced the third schedule of shoot.
Expectations are quite high on this Mohanlal starrer and the movie, which marks the debut of popular ad film-maker VA Shrikumar Menon is shaping up as the biggest and costliest Malayalam films of all time.
Earlier, the makers of Odiyan had come up with an introduction teaser of the film, which they had released after the firsts schedule of shoot in Varanasi. The video had Mohanlal talking about the character Manikyan and his journey.
Now, team Odiyan has released yet another teaser of the movie, in which Mohanlal is seen talking about Manikyan's homeland Thenkurissi, where the story of the film is set and some other interesting details, as well. Mohanlal himself revealed the video through his official Facebook page..
Well, the latest video has already clocked in above 1 Lakh views within 1 hour and that truly shows the popularity and craze that the film is enjoying in social media circles.
Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope...
Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (SBS -4.01%) isn't exactly a name that rolls off the tongue -- nor is it a household name here in the United States. And yet, according to one investment banker, this Brazilian water utility could provide a very tidy profit to investors unafraid to invest a bit farther from U.S. shores.
Here's what you need to know about this upgrade.
HSBC upgrades Sabesp
Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and much of Wall Street is quiescent, with few upgrades or downgrades being released. Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, however, and this morning, TheFly.com reported that British megabanker HSBC has just upgraded shares of Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (better known as Sabesp) to buy.
HSBC cites "recent share underperformance" for its upgrade, but underperformance here appears to be a relative term. In fact, Sabesp shares are up 15% since the start of this year and, with their 3.7% dividend yield, have already rewarded investors mightily. That being said, over the past 12 months, Sabesp shares have underperformed the S&P slightly -- 12% gains versus 18% for the index.
More expensive, but still cheap
At today's share price of $10 and change, Sabesp stock is trading much closer to its 52-week high than to its 52-week low. And yet, there's an argument to be made that despite being more expensive than it once was, Sabesp stock is still objectively cheap.
At its trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 9.2, the stock certainly doesn't look expensive on its face. Moreover, Sabesp spends very little cash on capital investment, with the result being its trailing free cash flow amounts to $1.04 billion over the past 12 months. According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, that's 15% more than the company's reported net profit under GAAP, and results in a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of only 7.1.
Growth in a developing economy
And here's another thing: Here in the United States, we tend to think of utilities as staid, dependable, slow-growth businesses, right? Well, apparently, this isn't the case in Brazil. Indeed, according to projections surveyed by S&P Global, analysts expect Sabesp to grow its pro forma profits 30% next year to $1.50 per share -- then growth them another 18% in 2019 to $1.77 per share.
The most important thing: Valuing Sabesp
It's not often you find a company valued in the single digits by P/E but growing its earnings at double-digit percentage rates -- much less one paying a strong 3.7% dividend yield (and able to maintain that dividend with a payout ratio of only 27%). Yet if analysts are to be believed, Sabesp is one company that does cost this little, will grow this fast, and can pay that dividend.
According to HSBC, this makes Sabesp stock -- which costs about $10 a share (Sabesp common stock trades as an American depositary receipt in the U.S., on a 1:1 ratio) -- a buy as it rises toward a target price of 39 Brazilian reals per share, or roughly $12 at current exchange rates.
If Sabesp succeeds in growing earnings at anything like the double-digit rates that analysts project for it, I am inclined to agree: Sabesp stock is a real bargain in the utilities sector.
Pirelli launched their expanded 2018 F1 tyre range in Abu Dhabi on Friday, including two extra compounds and colours for next year the pink hypersoft and orange superhard.
It means there will be seven, rather than the current five, slick tyre compounds, all of which are a step softer than this year, making them the fastest tyres in Formula 1 history.
Brand new for 2018 is a tyre that sits below the ultrasoft: an even softer compound called hypersoft, which is coloured pink and is the softest F1 tyre Pirelli has ever made. This new compound will be suitable for circuits where maximum mechanical grip is required, such as Monaco.
Also new for 2018 is the ice blue colour of the hard compound. This frees up orange to be used on the new superhard compound, denoting it as the very hardest choice available in Pirellis range.
Digital dermatitis is a highly infectious and costly foot lesion affecting many UK herds, with cases often being overlooked, especially in dry cows and youngstock.
Routine foot-trimming, foot-bathing and blitz treatment of diagnosed cases are key to getting the problem under control and preventing knock-on effects to fertility and milk yield.
Independent vet Sara Pedersen of Farm Dynamics explains how farmers can best tackle the infection and gives tips on what shes seen work well in herds that are getting on top of it
What is digital dermatitis (DD)?
It is an infection of the skin of the cows foot, presenting as red, raw and painful lesions most commonly on the skin between the heels. It is caused by a specific group of bacteria called treponemes.
These are highly motile and very invasive. However, crucially they cannot cause digital dermatitis unless skin damage has occurred first. Due to the invasive nature of the bacteria they burrow into the skin, where they can encyst and lie dormant, creating a carrier animal.
See also: Blitz treatments of topical antibiotics cut digital dermatitis
How can it be detected?
Unfortunately, not all cases of DD result in lameness, so mobility scoring isnt sufficient to pick up all infections, particularly in the early stages. Cows that are visibly lame due to DD are just the tip of the iceberg, so the on-farm prevalence is often underestimated.
To identify infected cows, feet need be inspected individually by washing and taking a closer look between the heels for any signs of infection.
How should it be treated?
Just like any infection, the key to treating DD successfully is to catch it early before the bacteria have a chance to burrow into the skin and encyst.
It is important the lesion is treated correctly and follow-up treatments are given one-off treatments are rarely sufficient for an established lesion.
Best practice:
Lift the foot in a crush
Wash the lesion with clean water
Dry thoroughly
Spray with a licensed topical antibiotics spray
Leave to dry for 30 seconds and then spray again
Repeat treatment daily until the lesion has scabbed over and is no longer painful
How can it be prevented?
Firstly through biosecurity measures. If you dont have DD in your herd, it is critical to keep it out nothing should come on to the farm unless it is meticulously clean this includes people, animals and vehicles.
Even if DD is already present on a farm, it is still important to consider biosecurity between groups of stock.
Secondly, hygiene is critical. Slurry doesnt only act as a short-term transmission medium, but it also causes the damage required to the skin to allow DD to take hold. So improving cow cleanliness is key.
Can foot-bathing play a role in reducing incidence?
If done correctly, foot-bathing helps to keep feet clean and improve hygiene. Therefore it plays an important role in prevention through disinfection of the feet.
It also has another role in preventing the recurrence of dormant lesions. It is often the recurrence of these lesions that drive new outbreaks, rather than new infections alone.
Best practice advice for foot-bathing Which animals? All at-risk animals should be foot-bathed milkers, dry cows and youngstock
All at-risk animals should be foot-bathed milkers, dry cows and youngstock Frequency This is farm dependent. Generally the more often the better. Where infection pressure is high, daily foot-bathing is often advised
This is farm dependent. Generally the more often the better. Where infection pressure is high, daily foot-bathing is often advised Siting the foot-bath The most common place is on the return lanes from the parlour, as this allows for good cow flow through the bath and also reduces this risk of fumes from the disinfectant entering the parlour
The most common place is on the return lanes from the parlour, as this allows for good cow flow through the bath and also reduces this risk of fumes from the disinfectant entering the parlour Which chemicals? There are lots of different chemicals used in foot-baths, but relatively few have robust data behind them to prove they work, which is why formalin and copper sulphate remain the most popular. However, both must be used with caution, so it is important to consult your vet about what chemical is best
There are lots of different chemicals used in foot-baths, but relatively few have robust data behind them to prove they work, which is why formalin and copper sulphate remain the most popular. However, both must be used with caution, so it is important to consult your vet about what chemical is best Foot-bath dimensions At least two, preferably three, dunks of each hind foot is the target, which for an adult Holstein cow requires a foot-bath that is 4m long. It is also crucial the foot is fully immersed, requiring a depth of 10cm. To reduce the volume of solution in the foot-bath it can be narrowed at the base to 60cm and sloping sides added to make sure cows dont straddle the sides
Is there a group on the farm that act as a reservoir for infection if not treated ?
We often focus on the milkers and overlook the dry cows and youngstock. However, these groups need attention too.
Cows may pick up the infection during the dry period and then go down with a case of DD early in lactation when their immunity drops, so incorporating dry cows into the foot-bathing regime is important.
We also know heifers that experience DD prior to first calving are much more likely to have a further case in their first lactation, give less milk and take longer to get in calf.
If you are seeing cases in youngstock it is important to start preventive measures at least three months before the age at which you see lesions.
Can you suggest any good-practice tips that you have seen work well?
If you really want to nip DD in the bud once and for all then a blitz treatment approach is needed. This involves treating all infected animals at once to reduce the infection pressure in the herd and environment, thus reducing risk to uninfected cows.
It is then important to stop dormant lesions recurring and new cases establishing through improved hygiene, efficient foot-bathing and active surveillance.
One member of criminal group arrested and three killed - Latest updates - GeorgianJournal
"Movement in the city is safe" - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili - GeorgianJournal
Xiaomis new Noida Facility is entirely dedicated to power Banks
Xiaomi's new Mi power banks are assembled in company's new Noida facility, which has been opened in partnership with Hipad Technology and will deal specifically in making and assembling Mi power banks. Spread across 2.3 lakh square feet area, the new facility has a warehouse, quality department and Xiaomi's dedicated power bank assembly line with production capacity of 7 Power Banks per minute during its operational hours. Hipad is also Xiaomi's partner in China for Power Banks.
Power bank components are sourced from other markets and are assembled in Noida facility
For now Xiaomi is importing batteries and PCBs from China and some components including covers are sourced locally. However, as informed by Manu Jain, Managing Director, Xiaomi India, the company aims to setup a full-fledged manufacturing plant in the Hi-Pad facility where PCBs and other components will be manufactured or sourced locally. Battery cells powering the Mi Power banks however will be imported from China.
Aims to setup a full-fledged battery testing lab in Noida Facility
As noted, battery cells are undoubtedly the most important part of power banks and need thorough testing to prevent any unwanted accidents. To get some clarity on the reliability and quality of battery cells sourced from the Chinese market, we at Gizbot reached out to Mr. Jain. The Vice President, Xiaomi said, "We have a Quality/Testing team to evaluate the battery cells and it follows international quality assessment methods to evaluate the performance. Moreover, we are also setting up a full-fledged testing to test the battery cells in the Noida facility".
10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i and 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i
Talking about the new launches, Xiaomi has announced two new power banks in India that will be assembled in the new Noida facility. The 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i features an elegant double anodized aluminum design that is lightweight, and just 14.2mm slim. Boasting up to 85 percent conversion rate, Xiaomi says that the power bank can charge a standard smartphone multiple times. For instance, 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i can charge Mi A1 up to 2.2 times or Redmi Note 4 up to 1.5 times.
The higher-capacity 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i features a polycarbonate case with a perforated exterior for extra grip. The company uses two separate 10,000mAh batteries to create a bigger 20,000mAh battery power bank. It also boasts Quick Charge 3.0 and has a conversion rate of up to 85 percent.
Lithium Polymer batteries and dual USB outputs
Both 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i and 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i feature lithium polymer batteries. The new power banks have dual USB outputs that will help you charge two devices simultaneously. In addition, Mi Power Bank 2i has nine layers of world-class circuit chip protection, with adopted USB smart-control chips and charging/discharging chips built by Texas Instruments. As per Xiaomi, the design of the new power banks ensures safety, improve charging conversion rate and stabilize discharging voltage.
How to identify a genuine Mi Power banks in the sea of fake ones
We have come across several reports from consumers claiming that they have been cheated with fake Xiaomi Mi power banks. If you can also relate with a similar incident, the following information will help you out in future. Xiaomi Mi power banks' packaging has a specific sticker with a Mi label on the box (check the above picture).
This label can be scratched and reveals a code that is linked with company's database. You can crosscheck the particular code with Xiaomi's official website to identify a genuine Xiaomi Mi Power bank from a fake one. We recommend buying only genuine power banks, be it Xiaomi, Intex, Lenovo, etc. as a fake one can damage your phone's battery and in extreme cases can cause explosions.
If you have any queries related to Xiaomi's smartphones and new Mi power banks, feel free to write us on our website or at our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account. Stay tuned on Gizbot.com.
UC Browser returns to Google Play Store after a week News oi -Chandrika UC Browser was removed from Play Store last week.
Last week, Google had removed the UC Browser from Play Store. Well, after a week, the Alibaba-owned mobile browser is now back in Play Store.
UCWeb said yesterday that a new version of UC Browser is now available for download on Google Play. As we reported earlier, Google had pulled down the app from the Play Store without any prior notice. Later though, UCWeb issued a statement explaining the reason behind the temporary removal of UC Browser from Play Store. According to the statement, a certain setting of UC Browser was not in line with Google's policy.
"During the brief absence of UC Browser on Play Store, we continued to meticulously check our technical settings while also witnessing an uninterrupted passion of our users for the product, who looked upon the alternative version, UC Browser Mini, and made it to the top of [the] Free Apps category on the Play Store," commented Young Li, Head-International Business Department at Alibaba Mobile Business Group.
UC Browser is one of the most popular mobile browsers around with 500 million downloads in last month and more than 100 million users alone in India after its name.
Despite being so popular, reports come up time and again accusing UC Browser of stealing private data of users. This is why when the mobile browser suddenly vanished from Google Play Store last week, many speculated it was because of data security breach or malicious promotion.
The statement issued by UCWeb, however, dismissed all these rumors. Whatever the case is, we are just happy that UC Browser is back in Play Store.
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Pop-up events across the globe
The exclusive pop-up events made it possible for OnePlus fans to have a first-hand experience of the latest OnePlus handset and also gave them a lifetime chance to interact with the people behind the flagship smartphone.
The pop-up meets were also organized across the globe in cities including Amsterdam, UK, Paris, Germany, Italy, Holland, etc. OnePlus organized the pop-up events in central locations in Delhi and Bangalore for OnePlus fans.
First-hand experience of the new OnePlus 5T and a chance to buy your own handset
OnePlus volunteers were available during the pop-up events to assist the interested customers and OnePlus fans. These volunteers and spokespersons answers the OnePlus fans' queries related to new smartphone and the brand. Long queues of fans and interested buyers also had a chance to buy the mighty flagship smartphone from the pop-up meets itself.
OnePlus 5T makes record-breaking sales in India
OnePlus 5T is undoubtedly one of the most sought after handset and has everything you look for in a smartphone in today's time. Launched at an aggressive price-point, OnePlus 5T makes some of the best flagships look downright costly and unwanted. Just after its launch, OnePlus 5T became a hot seller in the Indian smartphone market with record-breaking launch day sales.
OnePlus team posted an update via company's Twitter handle and informed the world that in just 6 hours, OnePlus 5T become the company's fastest selling device in India. The brand had conducted an early access sale on Amazon India (for Prime members only), and on OnePlus' official website.
High-end specifications at an aggressive price-point
OnePlus 5T is engineered to take the OnePlus 5's legacy one step further by improving on some of the most significant features, such as screen and camera. The smartphone flaunts a 6-inch Full HD screen with the new 18:9 aspect ratio. It is backed by a larger 3450mAh battery unit with company's highly acclaimed Dash charging support. OnePlus 5T is powered by the fastest CPU in town- Snapdragon 835 chipset to take care of processing.
For multitasking, OnePlus 5T comes in 8GB and 6GB RAM. As far as storage is concerned, the smartphone comes with 128GB and 64GB internal memory variants respectively. The new display and improved camera combined with the mighty hardware and latest software makes OnePlus 5T an ideal handset for masses.
Price and Availability
OnePlus 5T comes in two variants. The 64GB storage variant with 6GB of RAM is priced at Rs 32,999, and 128GB internal storage paired with 8GB RAM is priced at Rs 37,999. OnePlus 5T is available on company's official website and on Amazon India.
Samsung Galaxy S9 render leaked: First look at the smartphone's design News oi -Samden Sherpa BGR has shared a render of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and has said that the render has been built by a smartphone accessory maker based on the inputs from the handset's factory.
Well, we have seen most of the flagship smartphones from the different brands for 2017. Indeed it has been an exciting year as we saw the smartphone innovation reach a new level. That being said we are expecting more great things in 2018.
And it's no doubt that Samsung is at the forefront in coming up with uniquely designed smartphones. Samsung's has come out with a product the Galaxy S8 with infinity display that seemingly set the trend for full-screen displays. However, that is past now and we are looking forward to a more advanced next-generation Galaxy S series device or devices.
And as we say this, leaks and rumors about the upcoming Galaxy S series smartphones have started to pop up online. Now we are hearing a lot of things about the devices. A fresh report states that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will come with a new design compared to Galaxy S8.
According to BGR's exclusive report, Samsung is reportedly developing a facial recognition feature that would most likely compete against Apple's TrueDepth feature that is used in iPhone X. However, some reports earlier said that Samsung would, in fact, improve its iris scanner to compete with iPhone X facial recognition feature. But we might see something interesting from the company in the future.
Other rumored details include dual camera setup at the back with vertical alignment instead of horizontal. This looks promising as a recent note by KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo also hinted at the presence of a rear-facing dual camera setup on the Galaxy S9. BGR also claims that the fingerprint scanner will be placed beneath the dual cameras, and the entire setup will be centrally located on the rear.
However, to top it all, BGR has also provided a render of the Samsung Galaxy S9. The publication has said that the render has been built by a smartphone accessory maker based on the inputs from the handset's factory. BGR mentions that the render is 'mostly' accurate but also says that the final smartphone will have some changes like a narrower bezel at the top.
All in all, it seems that the smartphone will be an interesting product. As far as we know or what we have heard the phone will most likely be powered by Samsung's next-generation Exynos 9810 processor or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. The phone will have either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera and it'll be costlier than its predecessors.
Samsung's Galaxy S9 will be the first advanced flagship in terms of design as well as specs in 2018. The smartphone is expected to be unveiled in February before MWC 2018 ahead of a March release.
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Hariri: Aoun urged me to postpone my resignation, I accepted
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Beirut, Nov 22, IRNA -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said President Michel Aoun asked him to delay his resignation and he accepted.
Hariri appreciated Michel Aoun for his wisdom, prudence and affection.
He wished for this decision to pave the way for establishing serious talks.
Lebanese PM underlined adhering to Taif Agreement, nonpartisan policy and trying to maintain brotherly ties with Arab countries.
The Taif Agreement (National Reconciliation Accord or Document of National Accord) was an agreement reached to provide 'the basis for ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon'. Negotiated in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, it was designed to end the decades-long Lebanese Civil War, reassert Lebanese authority in Southern Lebanon (then occupied by Israel), though the agreement set a time frame for Syrian withdrawal and stipulated that the Syrians withdraw in two years. It was signed on 22 October 1989 and ratified by the Lebanese parliament on 5 November 1989.
He stressed on prioritizing Lebanon's high-level interests and peaceful coexistence.
Hariri announced his resignation from premiership on Nov 4 from Riyadh in an unexpected move, but the Lebanese President Michel Aoun didn't accept his resignation and urged him to return to Lebanon to detail on it.
Hariri left Riyadh for Paris on Saturday.
Most Lebanese, including the president, believe that Hariri and his family were in custody in Saudi Arabia and he has been coerced to resign. Some high-ranking authorities, like German ones, and international media believe the same thing.
With French President Emmanuel Macron and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian's mediation and international pressure, the Saudis let Hariri and his wife leave for Paris.
9376**2050
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Eight Personnel Recovered from C2-A Aircraft Crash in Philippine Sea
US Marine Corps News
By Courtesy Story | Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan | November 22, 2017
Search and rescue operations recovered eight personnel following a C2-A Greyhound aircraft crash southeast of Okinawa at approximately 3:23 p.m. today.
All personnel were transferred to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) for medical evaluation and are in good condition at this time.
Search and rescue efforts for three personnel continue with U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships and aircraft on scene.
The names of the crew and passengers are being withheld pending next of kin notification.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. Japan Standard Time, Nov. 22, 2017, the C2-A aircraft with 11 crew and passengers onboard crashed into the ocean approximately 500 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa. The aircraft was conducting a routine transport flight carrying passengers and cargo from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Reagan is operating in the Philippine Sea as part of an exercise with JMSDF.
The C2-A is assigned to the "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Three Zero, Detachment Five, forward deployed in NAF Atsugi, Japan. Detachment Five's mission includes the transport of high-priority cargo, mail, duty passengers and Distinguished Visitors between USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and shore bases throughout the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia theaters.
The incident will be investigated.
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Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the verdict against Ratko Mladic
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
22 Nov. 2017
I welcome the ruling of the UN Criminal Tribunal against Ratko Mladic. This shows that the rule of law is working and those responsible for war crimes are held to account.
As Bosnian Serb commander, General Mladic was responsible for appalling crimes against civilians, including the murder of thousands of Bosnian men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995.
NATO helped bring to an end this dark chapter in the history of Europe. The Western Balkans are of strategic importance for our Alliance, which has helped to build stability in the region for over twenty years. We see the future of the Western Balkans in Euro-Atlantic cooperation and integration for those who want it.
I hope that today's ruling will move the region further down the path of peace and reconciliation.
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USS Porter Arrives in Cyprus
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS171122-13
Release Date: 11/22/2017 10:18:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Krystina Coffey
LARNACA, Cyprus (NNS) -- - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus, Nov. 22, 2017, for a scheduled port visit. The visit serves to enhance U.S.-Cyprus relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous European region.
Quote:
"The crew looks forward to experiencing the culture and hospitality of Larnaca, Cyprus. I am excited about the many opportunities that we will have to enjoy the wide variety of activities that Cyprus has to offer while we are here."
- Cmdr. John Tobin, commanding officer of Porter
Quick Facts:
* Porter is on its fourth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of regional allies and partners, and U.S. national security interests in Europe.
* Strengthening partnerships during the port visit to Larnaca builds enduring relationships and emphasizes our shared commitment to promoting safety and stability within the region, while seeking opportunities to enhance our interoperability as NATO allies.
* U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
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USS Chief Departs Sasebo for 3JA MCM Exercise with Japanese
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS171122-11
Release Date: 11/22/2017 10:11:00 AM
By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Crouch, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet Public Affairs
SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- The avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM 14) departed Sasebo Nov. 21 to join Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) MCM ships and aircraft in MCM exercise 3JA.
MCMEX 3JA is part of an annual series of bilateral exercises held between the U.S. and Japan to increase proficiency and interoperability in mine countermeasure operations.
This will be the second year that Chief will participate in the U.S.-Japan bilateral exercise and follows its recent participation in the Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise with the Republic of Korea and United Nation Command Sending States.
"Chief is excited to participate in this bilateral exercise with our Japanese allies," said Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Crayton, Chief executive officer. "We look forward to strengthening our cooperation our cooperation in mine countermeasures operations. By working together, it helps ensure our two nations are jointly postured to maintain peace and stability for Japan and throughout the region."
Chief expects to conduct unit-level mine countermeasures tactics to include sweeping, hunting, and mine detection while also coordinating with JMSDF units to clear a route for ships through a simulated minefield in one of the designated exercise areas.
Chief is part of Amphibious Force 7th Fleet, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force, headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa.
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Lebanon PM tells supporters he is standing with them
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 05:33PM
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says he will stand with his supporters after suspending his shock resignation, which he announced in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
"I'm staying with you. We continue together... We are the people of moderation, the people of stability. We have all come here on the Independence Day to say we have nothing more precious than our country, we have nothing but our country," Hariri addressed his supporters, who had swarmed the streets adjacent to his house in Beirut to celebrate his return to Lebanon.
"Our principles won't ever change, and our slogan will be: Lebanon first, Lebanon first, Lebanon first," he concluded to the cheers of his followers.
The Lebanese prime minister arrived in Beirut late on Tuesday, more than two weeks after unexpectedly announcing he had quit his post. All political factions in Lebanon had called on him to return back home.
Top Lebanese officials and senior politicians close to Hariri had earlier said that he had been forced to resign, and that Saudi authorities were holding him captive.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun had also refused to accept Hariri's resignation.
Hariri announced his resignation in a televised statement on November 4, citing many reasons, including the security situation in Lebanon, for his sudden decision. He also said that he sensed a plot being hatched against his life.
Hariri accused Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement of meddling in Arab countries' affairs; an allegation the two have repeatedly denied.
Hariri became prime minister in 2016 after serving another term between November 2009 and June 2011.
Iran has vehemently rejected Hariri's remarks, saying his resignation and rehashing of the "unfounded and baseless" allegations regularly leveled by Zionists, Saudis and the US were another scenario to create new tensions in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East.
"The sudden resignation of Mr. Hariri and its announcement in another country are not only regrettable and astonishing, but also indicative of him playing in a court that the ill-wishers in the region have laid out," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi commented.
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'Butcher of Bosnia' gets life in war crimes case
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:36AM
The UN tribunal on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia has convicted ex-Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic to life in prison for ordering the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995.
Initially looking relaxed, Mladic listened intently as presiding Judge Alphons Orie began reading the judgment on 11 charges during a court session at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Wednesday. However, Mladic was later removed from the court for causing disruptions during the reading of the verdict.
The Srebrenica massacre was Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. Mladic had pleaded not guilty to all of the 11 charges and is expected to appeal.
Prosecutors had demanded a life sentence for the 74-year-old former general, who was the Bosnian Serb army commander during Bosnia's 1992-95 conflict and was also charged with crimes against humanity over the siege of Sarajevo, during which 11,000 civilians were killed by shelling and sniper fire.
At the time, Srebrenica, which is located near Bosnia's eastern border with Serbia, had been designated a "safe area" by the United Nations and was defended by lightly-armed UN peacekeepers, who nevertheless surrendered when Mladic's forces stormed the area on July 11, 1995.
Dutch peacekeepers stood by helplessly as Serb forces separated Muslim men and boys from women, then transported the males out of sight on buses or marched them away to be shot dead.
Mladic's lawyers argued that his responsibility for murder and the ethnic cleansing of civilians by Serb forces and allied paramilitaries was never proven beyond reasonable doubt and that he should not get any more than 15 years if convicted.
Nicknamed the "Butcher of Bosnia," Mladic is still viewed by some of his compatriots as a national hero for leading the rapid capture of 70 percent of Bosnia after its Serbs revolted against a Muslim-Croat declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.
According to prosecutors, the ultimate scheme pursued by Mladic, Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic was to purge Bosnia of non-Serbs a strategy that became known as "ethnic cleansing" and carve out a "Greater Serbia" from the ashes of the old federal Yugoslavia.
Arguing for life imprisonment for Mladic, Prosecutor Alan Tieger said anything else "would be an insult to victims and an affront to justice."
Mladic was indicted along with Karadzic in 1995, shortly after the Srebrenica killings, but evaded capture until 2011.
The ICTY indicted a total of 161 people from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. It has convicted 83, more than 60 of them ethnic Serbs.
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Lebanese PM Hariri's resignation on hold after talks with Aoun
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:05AM
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has temporarily put his resignation on hold following a request by President Michel Aoun for him to reconsider the decision.
"I presented my resignation to President Aoun today and he urged me to wait" for more dialogue and "I showed responsiveness to this hope," Hariri said following his meeting with Aoun in Beirut on Wednesday.
The premier also underlined his commitment to cooperation with President Aoun.
Hariri stunned the entire nation on November 4, when he announced his resignation in a statement broadcast from Saudi Arabia and plunged his homeland into a new political crisis.
Top Lebanese officials accused, Saudi Arabia of forcing his resignation and detaining him in the kingdom for days before letting him leave.
The premier finally returned home late on Tuesday after visits to France, Cyprus and Egypt.
Earlier today, Hariri along with President Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri attended a military parade to mark the country's Independence Day, which brought an end to the French mandate over the country 74 years ago.
After the parade, Hariri attended a meeting with Aoun and Berri.
Hariri is expected to meet with supporters at his residence in downtown Beirut at 1100 GMT upon the invitation of his Future Movement Party.
Before his return, Hariri had promised to explain his views on the crisis in the country.
Hariri citied many reasons, including the security situation in Lebanon, for his sudden decision. He also said that he sensed a plot being hatched against his life.
He accused Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement of meddling in Arab countries' affairs; an allegation the two have repeatedly denied.
Analysts say Hariri, a close Riyadh ally, was forced by his Saudi patron to resign as he refused to adopt a confrontational approach against Hezbollah, a powerful political party which is part of the Hariri-led coalition government.
After days of confusion about Hariri's situation in Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese premier and his wife arrived in the French capital, Paris, on Saturday, but two of his children stayed behind in Riyadh.
In Paris, Hariri held talks with Macron, who had invited the Lebanese politician to the European country in an attempt to lower the tensions that erupted after his abrupt resignation.
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US Navy aircraft with 11 aboard crashes in Philippine Sea
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 08:03AM
Rescuers have rescued eight people and returned them to safety south of Japan after a US Navy aircraft with 11 people on board crashed into the Philippine Sea, the US military said.
"A United States Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed into the ocean southeast of Okinawa," according to the statement issued on Wednesday.
"The aircraft was en-route to the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), which is currently operating in the Philippine Sea," it added.
The military said that "personnel recovery is under way," noting "their condition will be evaluated by" the medical staff aboard USS Ronald Reagan.
The cause of the incident is not known, but according to Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera, who said he had been informed by the US Navy, the crash may have been a result of engine trouble.
The military has not released the names of the crew and passengers aboard the plane.
The plane was a C-2 Greyhound that has been in operation for more than five decades and is due to be replaced by the long-range tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft.
The aircraft carries personnel, mail and cargo from mainland bases to carriers out at sea.
This is the latest accident to hit the US armed forces in East Asia.
In August, ten US Navy personnel were killed when the USS John McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.
Two months earlier, seven other Navy sailors were killed after the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship crashed into each other off Japan.
The US military has been present in the western Pacific and currently has tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of pieces of hardware stationed in Japan and outh Korea.
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Bosnian Serb Commander Mladic Convicted Of Genocide, Sentenced To Life In Prison
RFE/RL November 22, 2017
A UN tribunal has sentenced former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.
The court in The Hague on November 22 convicted Mladic on 10 of the 11 counts he faced.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein hailed the verdict as a "momentous victory for justice," calling Mladic the "epitome of evil."
Mladic was found guilty of commanding forces responsible for crimes including the worst atrocities of the war the deadly three-year siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.
Presiding Judge Alphons Orie read out the judgment after ordering Mladic out of the courtroom over an outburst.
"They are lying; you are lying. I don't feel well," Mladic shouted, before being hustled out of the courtroom by two UN security guards.
Mladic was acquitted on one count of genocide linked to ethnic purges in Bosnian towns and villages.
His lawyers said they would appeal the ruling. "It is certain we will file an appeal and the appeal will be successful," attorney Dragan Ivetic told journalists
The chief prosecutor of the UN tribunal said the ruling was not a verdict against all Serbian people. "Mladic's guilt is his and his alone," prosecutor Serge Brammertz said.
Serbian nationalists portray the tribunal as anti-Serb because most of the people it has convicted were Serbs.
End Of The Road
Barring appeals, Mladic's verdict will be the last to come down from the tribunal, which was established at The Hague in 1993 to prosecute crimes committed in the Balkan wars of the early 1990s.
Mladic, 75, called the "Butcher of Bosnia" by his enemies, was accused of genocide for organizing the summary execution of some 8,000 Muslim Bosniak men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995, which has been called the worst atrocity to be committed in Europe since the Holocaust.
Welcoming the verdict, Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic said in a statement that it "confirmed that war criminals cannot escape justice regardless of how long they hide."
In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the ruling "shows that the rule of law is working."
Serbian President Alksandar Vucic said he was not surprised by the verdict, adding that "all of us knew what will be the outcome."
But Vucic -- a former ultranationalist who supported Mladic's war campaigns and who now says he's a pro-EU reformer -- urged "citizens of Serbia to look to the future."
The EU said it could not comment specifically on the judgment but that it fully respects the court's decisions.
It said the verdict "touches upon some of the darkest, most tragic events" in the recent history of the Western Balkans and Europe.
Given the gravity of the alleged offenses, Mladic's case became one of the highest-profile war crimes trials since the Nuremberg trials of Germany's Nazi leadership after World War II.
In Srebrenica, prosecutors say Mladic's soldiers pushed past Dutch UN peacekeepers before separating the males for execution and putting the elderly, women, and children on buses and trucks to Bosniak-controlled territory.
The men and boys were marched away, shot in the back, and dumped in mass graves. The remains of about 6,900 of the victims have been identified through DNA analysis, but many are considered still missing decades later.
In 2007, the tribunal ruled the massacre was genocide carried out by Bosnian Serb forces.
Prosecutors said the ultimate plan pursued by Mladic, Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic was to purge Bosnia of non-Serbs -- in what became known as "ethnic cleansing" -- and carve out a "Greater Serbia" in what had been Yugoslavia.
Other counts against Mladic include persecutions, murder, torture, rape, extermination, the shelling and sniping of Sarajevo, deportations, terrorism, and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.
The tribunal filed charges against Mladic in 1995, but he remained in hiding in Serbia until Belgrade arrested him and handed him over in May 2011.
A survivor of multiple strokes, Mladic was visibly frail when the trial began in 2012. His defense attorneys raised his health as an issue throughout the trial.
The tribunal in 2016 found Mladic's political chief, Karadzic, guilty of similar charges, including genocide, and sentenced him to 40 years in prison. He has appealed.
Milosevic died in his cell in The Hague in 2006, and his trial ended without a verdict.
With reporting by Tony Wesolowsky, dpa, Reuters, AP, AFP, and Euronews
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un-tribunal-form-yugoslavia- hand-down-historic-verdict-bosnian-serb-commander- mladic-final-verdict/28869026.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Mladic's Guilty Verdict Brings Court Closer To End, But Fails To Ease Victims' Pain
Alan Crosby November 22, 2017
The guilty verdict of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," brought the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) a step closer to its closure, but for many of his victims, it did little to ease the pain.
The 75-year-old former Bosnian Serb general was sentenced on November 22 to life imprisonment after being found guilty on 10 of 11 charges, including one guilty verdict of genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the bloody 1992-95 conflict that tore the former Yugoslavia apart.
Victims both outside the court, which winds down at the end of this year, and back in Bosnia-Herzegovina applauded the result, even though some felt that justice could never be served for the man responsible for thousands of deaths during the conflict.
"None of us here expected anything else. But there is something I am not satisfied with. I am not satisfied with the verdict that [Ratko Mladic] is not guilty in Count One of the indictment [related specifically to genocide in Bosnian towns and villages]," said Munir Habibovic, a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre, as she stood in the Potocari cemetery and memorial center just outside Srebrenica.
Mladic, who insisted he was innocent of all of the charges, had managed to escape prosecution for 16 years until his arrest in Serbia in May 2011 and extradition to The Hague.
A survivor of multiple strokes, Mladic was visibly frail when the trial began in 2012. During the rendering of the verdict, his lawyers asked for a halt in the proceedings due to the accused's high blood pressure.
After the request was denied, a visibly agitated Mladic, who defiantly opened the trial by saying, "I want my enemies, and there are many, to drop dead because I am still alive," rose in the dock and began shouting at the court that he didn't feel well before being removed from the room.
Moments later, Mladic was found guilty of commanding forces responsible for crimes including the worst atrocities of the war: the deadly three-year siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica. He was found not guilty of genocide in some other Bosnian towns and villages.
"I'm partially satisfied. It's more than for Karadzic. But they didn't find him guilty for the accusation of genocide in some villages," said Munira Subasic, president of the Mothers of Srebrenica association.
The crimes committed rank among the "most heinous known to humankind," and include genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity, Presiding Judge Alphons Orie said in reading out a summary of the judgment.
"He deserves much more severe punishment," said one survivor, who lost her children and husband, in a live interview with the BBC outside The Hague-based court after the verdict was handed down.
"He needs to be tortured," she said. "He'll be fine in prison, but he needs to suffer like our children did."
Given the gravity of the offenses, Mladic's case became one of the highest-profile war crimes trials since the Nuremberg trials of Germany's Nazi leadership after World War II.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called the conviction a "momentous victory for justice."
"Mladic is the epitome of evil, and the prosecution of Mladic is the epitome of what international justice is all about," Zeid said in a statement.
"Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take."
Mladic's lawyer and his son both said the verdict would be appealed and that Mladic has been denied his "basic human rights" by not being allowed to see doctors of his own choice.
The reaction in Serbia was mixed, in a country that is trying to move toward the European Union but still has strong nationalist tendencies.
President Aleksandar Vucic urged his compatriots to look to the future rather than "suffocating in tears of the past."
In the small Serbian village of Lazarevo, where Mladic was finally apprehended, residents dismissed a court they said has sought to solely blame Serbs for the crimes committed during the Yugoslav conflict.
The AP quoted villager Igor Topolic as saying he was "horrified and saddened" by the verdict and called Mladic "a Serbian national hero."
With the Mladic verdict rendered, the ICTY next week will make its ruling on the appeals of former Bosnian Croat leader Jadranko Prlic and five other Bosnian Croats.
Prlic, now 57, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of murdering and deporting Muslims during the war.
After that, the ICTY will close its doors.
The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, MICT, will take over the remaining cases along with domestic courts, particularly the Bosnian state court.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/mladic -icty-fails-to-ease-victims- pain-end-guilty/28870131.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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One Soldier Dies As Counterterrorism Operation Ends In Tbilisi
RFE/RL's Georgian Service November 22, 2017
TBILISI -- Georgia's State Security Service (SUS) says one soldier in its special forces unit has died in a hospital after being wounded during an operation against gunmen in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
At least one suspected militant was detained in the Isani District of the Georgian capital on November 22 before authorities announced that the operation had ended.
Authorities did not immediately comment on the fate of other suspected militants they were trying to capture when they launched the operation late on November 21.
SUS spokeswoman Nino Giorgobiani said the suspects targeted by the operation were "foreign nationals" suspected of having ties with a "terrorist organization." She did not say where they were from or name any specific terrorist group.
But Georgian media reports said the gunmen were suspected of having ties with Islamic State (IS) extremists.
Georgia has conducted numerous counterterrorism operations in its Pankisi Gorge region, a mountain valley area in northeastern Georgia that borders Russia's southern region of Chechnya.
IS militants claimed in 2016 that they had established a training base in the Pankisi Gorge and were recruiting fighters there.
But Tbilisi has rejected those claims, and extremist militant violence in the Georgian capital, to the southwest of the Pankisi Gorge, has been rare.
Georgian Public TV reported on November 22 that the operation focused on an apartment belonging to a woman from Chechnya who had fled the Russian region during the war there in the late 1990s and moved to the Pankisi Gorge.
That report said the woman moved to Austria several years ago and had given the keys to the apartment to her 26-year-old son.
It said her son told authorities during questioning that he had given the keys to the brother of his wife and that, as far as he knew, the apartment had been vacant since May.
The operation began when police and special forces deployed outside the 10-story apartment building late at night.
Giorgobiani said the suspects refused an order to surrender and began shooting and throwing hand grenades at security forces.
Police and special forces called in reinforcements and continued to battle with the suspected militants, she said.
The sounds of gunfire and grenade explosions could be heard in the neighborhood through the night and into the early afternoon on November 22.
An RFE/RL correspondent at the scene in Tbilisi reported early on November 22 that security forces had surrounded the apartment building with at least four armored personnel carriers posted at strategic points.
At about 10:30 a.m. local time, in the midst of a heavy exchange of gunfire, an explosion rocked an apartment on the third floor of the building.
Thick smoke poured from the building for several hours, suggesting that the blast ignited a fire inside.
Firefighters were unable to reach the blaze while the security operation was continuing.
Authorities say residents of the surrounded apartment buildings were evacuated before the third-story explosion and fire.
Tbilisi's mayor says the city will reimburse residents in the neighborhood whose property was damaged as a result of the counterterrorism operation.
With reporting by Rustavi-TV, apsny.ge, APA, RIA Novostia, First Channel, and Interpressnews
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-tbilisi- terror-operation/28869310.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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UN Court: Mladic 'Significantly Contributed' to Srebrenica Massacre
Sputnik News
12:00 22.11.2017(updated 16:16 22.11.2017)
Ratko Mladic, the former leader of Bosnian Serbs and a military commander was sentenced to life in prison after the UN war crimes tribunal found him guilty of the involvement in the Srebrenica massacre and committing crimes against humanity.
On Wednesday, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia announced its verdict in the trial of former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic. He has been charged with having committed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. Mladic denied all accusations.
A three-judge panel at the court formally known as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia found Mladic guilty of commanding forces responsible for crimes including the worst atrocities of the war the deadly three-year siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica, which was Europe's worst mass killing since World War II.
"For having committed these crimes, the chamber sentences Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment," judge Alphons Orie told the Yugoslav war crimes court after finding Mladic guilty on 10 of 11 counts, including genocide for "heinous crimes against humankind."
UN Hails Conviction as 'Victory for Justice'
United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein hailed Mladic's conviction as "a momentous victory for justice," adding that Mladic was "the epitome of evil," and his prosecution is "the epitome of what international justice is all about."
According to the commissioner, the general "presided over some of the darkest crimes to occur in Europe since World War II, bringing terror, death and destruction to thousands of victims, and sorrow, tragedy and trauma to countless more. Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be or how long it may take. They will be held accountable."
Background
The trial against Mladic began on May 12, 2012 after his arrest by Serbian authorities a year earlier; the former commander had been in hiding for years before his capture.
In December 2016, prosecutors demanded a life sentence for Mladic for his role in the alleged killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys during the July 1995 Srebrenica Massacre, for the protracted siege and bombardment of the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and the "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims and Croats in other areas.
Mladic's defense lawyers, for their part, insisted that Mladic did not order the Srebrenica killings, and said that the trial against him was biased. In October 2015, a leading forensic pathologist set to testify for the defense was found dead in his hotel room, just days before his testimony for the Tribunal, furthering rumors that the case against the commander was little more than a kangaroo court.
In March 2017, the lawyers called for provisional release of Mladic, who they said was not getting relevant medical treatment at the UN detention center in The Hague. The requests were rejected by the judges in May.
Crimes Shrouded in Scandal
Among Bosnia's Serb community, in Serbia, Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, officials, academics, and other observers have rejected the blunt and unequivocal placing of blame for the carnage during the Bosnian war on the Bosnian Serbs alone. In 2015, Russia vetoed a UN resolution describing the Srebrenica as a "crime of genocide" for this very reason. Moscow argued that the war in Yugoslavia saw the crime of ethnic cleansing committed by all warring sides.
Elena Guskova, a respected Russian Balkans expert who was on the ground during the Bosnian war, has also questioned the use of the term "genocide" to describe what happened in Srebrenica, and said that there is evidence to conclude that the deaths there were caused by fighting between Serbian forces and the Muslim Bosnian army. She pointed out that the figures of the Srebrenica massacre have themselves been subject to manipulation, fluctuating radically between 5,000 and 25,000 people. At the same time, she said, Western powers continue to turn a blind eye to the estimated 4,500 Serbian civilians killed by Muslim Bosnian armies, effectively under the protection of the UN's Blue Helmets.
Other observers have criticized the decidedly anti-Serb slant in the Yugoslav Wars war crimes trials in general, including against those against Serbian commander Radovan Karadzic, who was convicted of genocide in 2016, and former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who died in his prison cell at The Hague in 2006, before the conclusion of a separate trial covering the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. Milosevic was never convicted.
Russian journalists have also pointed out that the anti-Serbian angle behind these trials not only ignores the crimes committed by the other side during the wars, but justifies US, European and NATO actions in the Balkans, from their tacit support for anti-Belgrade forces in the early 1990s, to their open military interventions in Bosnia and Serbia itself during its 1999 78-day bombing campaign of the country.
These interventions, particularly the 1999 bombing campaign, have resulted in the deaths of over 5,000 Serbian civilian deaths, thousands of injuries, and a trail of cancers and other illnesses caused by the depleted uranium ammunition used by NATO forces. Observers of Mladic's trial have questioned when justice will be served in the case of the Western alliance's actions.
Sputnik
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UN hails conviction of Mladic, the 'epitome of evil,' a momentous victory for justice
22 November 2017 Welcoming today's conviction of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic on multiple counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by an international tribunal, the United Nations top human rights official said that the verdict is "a warning" to perpetrators of such crimes that they will be brought to justice.
"Mladic is the epitome of evil, and the prosecution of Mladic is the epitome of what international justice is all about," underscored Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement Wednesday.
"Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take. They will be held accountable," he added.
Mladic presided over some of the most horrific crimes to occur in Europe since World War II, bringing terror, death and destruction to thousands of victims, and sorrow, tragedy and trauma to countless more.
In the statement, Mr. Zeid also noted that Mladic's conviction, by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is "a testament to the courage and determination of those victims and witnesses who never gave up hope that they would see him brought to justice."
He also expressed hope that while the conviction will not return loved ones to their families or erase the past, the verdict can help "counter the voices" of those who either deny these horrific crimes or glorify those who committed them.
Also in the statement, Mr. Zeid said that the ICTY verdict reinforced the importance of the International Criminal Court.
"All those who question the importance of the ICC should reflect on this case. All those who are committing serious international crimes in so many situations today across the world should fear this result," he said
Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic two of the main architects of some of the worst atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the genocide of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica have now been convicted by the Tribunal and are facing lengthy jail sentences.
For his part, the President of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak, said: "This is proof that one can delay justice but not escape it [] the verdict sends a very important message to the mothers of Srebrenica and others who suffered at the hands of Mr. Mladic."
Mr. Lajcak served as the High Representative of the International Community and European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2007 to 2009. In that capacity, he visited Srebrenica several times and met with the families of the victims.
"I have personally witnessed and felt the despair in Srebrenica. I hope this ruling will help lift the anguish and impart some sense of justice," President Lajcak said.
In another statement, Adama Dieng, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said: "Today is an historic day. The verdict by the ICTY against Ratko Mladic sends a clear message that there is no space for impunity and that justice will prevail."
Also paying homage to the victims, Mr. Dieng said today's verdict renders justice to those who suffered as a result of the atrocity crimes committed by Mr. Mladic. "Nothing can erase the horrors of the past, but they can now have the comfort of knowing that [he] will face punishment appropriate to the crimes he committed."
At the same time, the Special Adviser stressed that criminal accountability is "not only about the past but also about the future." Indeed, he said that accountability constitutes a critical component of prevention and also an important step on the path to reconciliation.
In a region witnessing denial of some of the most heinous crimes committed during the armed conflict and the glorification of war criminals, justice alone will not lead to reconciliation, but there can be no real reconciliation without justice. "I hope that this verdict, as well as past decisions by the ICTY, will encourage the region to think about what happened, learn the lessons of the past and chart a future that fully acknowledges those lessons," the Special Adviser said.
Mladic will be remembered by history for the many communities and lives he destroyed ICTY Prosecutor
Also today, in a separate statement, Serge Brammertz, the Prosecutor at the ICTY, said that in delivering its judgement, the Tribunal accepted the evidence presented that Mladic was a key participant in four joint criminal enterprises.
ladic and other senior leaders intended to achieve their political and military aims by committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," said the Prosecutor.
The convictions against the former Bosnian Serb army commander included for commanding violent ethnic cleansing campaigns across Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995; for commanding a campaign of crimes during the Siege of Sarajevo; for the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995; and for using forces under his command to take UN peacekeepers as hostages.
In his statement, Mr. Brammertz underscored that while some people would claim that this judgment is a verdict against the Serbian people.
"[We] reject that claim in the strongest terms. Mladic's guilt is his, and his alone [] he will be remembered by history for the many communities and lives he destroyed" he said.
"The true heroes are the victims and survivors who never gave up on their quest for justice [and] displayed real courage by coming to the Tribunal to tell the truth and confront the men who wronged them," highlighted the prosecutor.
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US, Afghan Airstrikes Destroy 9 Taliban Drug Labs in Afghanistan
By Ayaz Gul November 22, 2017
U.S. and Afghan airstrikes have destroyed nine Taliban drug factories and labs, killing 44 suspected traffickers in a border area of southern Helmand province.
The combined offensive is aimed at targeting the revenue streams of terrorists, according to officials.
Regional military corps commander, General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, told VOA that bombings of drug-producing centers started late Tuesday and continued into Wednesday morning.
He said the airstrikes focused on a narcotics market run by the Taliban in Bahramcha, a remote, divided village on the border with Pakistan, which serves as a main center for shipping drugs from Afghanistan. The general described Bahramcha as the biggest narcotics market in Asia.
He confirmed an unspecified number of Taliban militants and drug traffickers were killed but did not share any exact figures. Sources, however, told VOA the death toll stood at 44.
Bahramcha is one of the villages on the largely porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The region is notorious for facilitating the movement of local and foreign militants in both directions.
Taliban insurgents and their leaders also use the area to get medical aid in alleged sanctuaries on Pakistani soil, say Afghan officials.
U.S. Army General John Nicholson told reporters earlier this week the counternarcotics campaign began Sunday when strikes destroyed seven Taliban drug labs in another part of Helmand, an opium-poppy producing region and Afghanistan's largest province.
Villagers in Pakistan could also see destroyed mud houses and a vehicle on the Afghan side of the border where the overnight airstrikes took place.
Spokespeople for the Afghan Taliban, however, in statements sent to media Wednesday, rejected as propaganda accusations the insurgent group is running drug producing labs and factories in Helmand or elsewhere in Afghanistan.
They said the air raids hit civilian homes and those killed were civilians with no link to the Taliban.
General Nicholson said Monday the U.S. military has for the first time engaged F-22 fighter jets in the newly launched war on Afghan drugs. It is also the first time, he said, the U.S. military is using new authority, granted by U.S. President Donald Trump in August, to curb terrorists and their revenue streams in Afghanistan.
The United States has spent $8.6 billion on narcotics eradication in Afghanistan since 2002, but critics say there was record-breaking poppy production in 2017.
The United Nations announced last week that narcotics production almost doubled this year in Afghanistan to around 9,000 tons, with a 63 percent increase in cultivation areas compared with 2016.
The Taliban has expanded its control or influence to more than 40 percent of Afghan territory since international combat forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2014.
The U.S. military estimates income generated from illicit drugs is providing 60 percent of the Taliban's funding.
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Tribunal Finds Ex-Bosnian Serb Commander Mladic Guilty of Genocide, War Crimes
By VOA News November 22, 2017
The United Nations' Yugoslav war crimes tribunal ruled Wednesday former Bosnian Serb army leader Ratko Mladic is guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.
The court convicted Mladic on 10 of the 11 charges he faced, including persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, terror and unlawful attacks on civilians. He was sentenced to life in prison.
"The crimes committed rank among the most heinous to humankind, and include genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity," judge Alphons Orie said in reading the verdict.
Genocide
The court said Mladic intended to destroy the Bosnian Muslim population in Srebrenica, and in Sarajevo personally directed a campaign of shelling and sniping meant to spread terror and perpetrate murder among civilians.
It also cited as a window into his motivations his expressions of a commitment to seek an ethnically homogenous Bosnian Serb republic.
Mladic appeared in the courtroom, but was not present as Orie read the verdict. He requested a bathroom break partway through Wednesday's session, which was granted for five minutes but stretched on for 45 minutes.
When the proceedings resumed, his lawyer said Mladic's blood pressure was dangerously high and requested the judge either stop reading the verdict or skip ahead to the court's judgment.
Orie said the proceedings would go on as planned, at which point Mladic started yelling until he was ordered removed from the courtroom.
'Butcher of Bosnia'
After the verdict, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein praised the court's decision as a "momentous victory for justice" and the "epitome of what international justice is all about."
"Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take," Zeid said in a statement.
A State Department official said Wednesday the United States supports the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and respects its ruling.
"We will continue to commemorate the victims of the horrific crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia," the official said. "We urge the countries and peoples of the region to refrain from divisive rhetoric and work together to build a better future for the entire region."
Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," is the last former military leader to face war crimes charges in the court, which was set up to deal with the aftermath of the Bosnian war that raged from 1992 through 1995.
He was charged with 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged role in leading sniper campaigns in Sarajevo and the 1995 killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.
Prosecutors asked the International Criminal Tribunal to sentence Mladic to life in prison. Last year, attorney Alan Tieger said anything less than a life sentence would be "an insult to the victims, living and dead, and an affront to justice."
Mladic's defense lawyer, Dragan Ivetic, accused prosecutors of seeking to make the former general a "symbolic sacrificial lamb for the perceived guilt" of all Serbs during the war. He called for Mladic, 75, to be acquitted on all charges.
At the end of the war in 1995, Mladic went into hiding and lived in obscurity in Serbia, protected by family and elements of the security forces.
Mladic was indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity but evaded justice for 16 years. He was eventually tracked down and arrested at a cousin's house in rural northern Serbia in 2011.
The Bosnian Serbs' political leader, Radovan Karadzic, was found guilty of war crimes in March 2016 and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
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Bosnians Welcome Mladic Conviction, but Justice Unlikely to Reconcile Divided Region
By Henry Ridgwell November 22, 2017
Ratko Mladic, the former general in charge of Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkans war in the early 1990s has been convicted of ten charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes at an international tribunal in The Hague. He was jailed for life.
In cold detail, the presiding judge Alphons Orie spelled out the crimes Mladic masterminded during the Bosnian war.
"On 13 and 14 July 1995, approximately 1,000 unarmed Bosnian and Muslim males including children and elderly were executed in Kravica Warehouse. On 16 July 1995 between 1000 and 1200 in the Branjevo military farm were summarily executed."
And so the list went on.
The so-called 'butcher of Bosnia' was led away from the dock before the verdicts were announced, after shouting at the judge, "It's a lie. Everything you said in this courtroom is a lie."
Ratko Mladic led Bosnian Serbian forces during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. He oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, where snipers and heavy artillery pounded the city and cut off supplies, killing thousands.
Judges also found that Mladic had, in their words, 'significantly contributed' to the massacre at Srebrenica, when over seven thousand Muslim men and boys were murdered.
For the victims' relatives, the verdict offered some closure. Nedziba Salihovic lost her husband in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. She spoke to VOA after the verdict was delivered.
"My husband was 42 when they separated him. He was carrying our 8-month old grandson in his arms. They took the baby away from my husband's arms. My grandson is now 22 and he comes to his father's grave and prays. Today, I am so happy regardless of the sorrow and pain I felt in 1995. I am more than happy today indeed," Salihovic said.
The Mladic verdict follows the conviction of the former Republika Srpska president Radovan Karadzic in 2016. The trials are widely seen as a victory for international justice.
"The people of Bosnia feel that justice has been done. To a certain extent now we've closed the loop on the grossest mass murder in Europe since the Second World War. However, sadly justice is not the glue that is likely to put that divided country together," said Jonathan Eyal of London's Royal United Services Institute.
A divided nation
Bosnia remains a divided country. In the largely autonomous region of Republika Srpska, ethnic Serbs have expressed support for Ratko Mladic, and claim he is innocent.
Serbia's President Aleksandr Vucic a former nationalist who supported Mladic's war campaigns said Wednesday he was unsurprised by the verdict.
"All those who want to return to the past, I wish them farewell. We want to go to the future. We are capable of accepting our responsibility, I am afraid that many others are not," he said.
Belgrade wants to consign the conflict to history, said Eyal.
"Ratko Mladic does not represent the new Serbia," he said. "There's no-one under the age of 25 in Serbia who would look up to this criminal as a symbol of the country. So, for an older generation he will continue to have a certain appeal. For the future of Serbia, which wants to be part of the European Union, he's a nobody."
Ratko Mladic's lawyer says he plans to appeal against the verdict. Analysts say the conviction is not likely to be overturned.
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Hariri's Return to Lebanon Sparks Celebration - and Speculation
By John Owens November 22, 2017
At a military parade in the center of a city locked down by security and surrounded by the pomp and circumstance that typically come with commemorating Lebanon's Independence Day, Saad Hariri took his seat among the country's other leading politicians.
After flying in late Tuesday, his appearance Wednesday in Beirut marks a turning point in the ongoing saga that began with his mysterious and some say forced resignation from the role of prime minister while in Saudi Arabia on November 4.
Since then, the Lebanese have been left scratching their heads about his future and fearing for the future of the country itself. The shocking announcement and rumors that he was being held in Saudi Arabia plunged Lebanon into political turmoil.
The nation now has him back, but exactly what his role will be remains unclear. Shortly after attending the Independence Day parade and following a meeting with President Michel Aoun, Hariri announced he would postpone his resignation.
Welcome return
Hariri's arrival came after he was whisked Friday from Saudi Arabia by Emmanuel Macron, president of France, the country from which Lebanon declared its independence in 1943.
Hariri was in Egypt on Tuesday, before arriving in Lebanon late in the day to pray at the tomb of his father, Rafik Hariri, who was prime minister before his assassination in a massive car bomb explosion in 2005.
Mohammed Abbas, one of the few spectators allowed to attend the heavily guarded parade, welcomed the return of Hariri, who like his father is seen as representative of the country's Sunni community.
"I have no political opinions, but I do have a personal one: Saad Hariri is prime minister of this country and I am happy he has returned. He could not resign outside of this country," the 20-year-old said.
"If he stays in the role [of prime minister] it will be better for Lebanon, both in terms of its economic and its social situation," Abbas said.
Hariri's resignation in Riyadh was widely perceived as a move by the Saudis, and especially their ascendant, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to counter the influence of Shia-dominated Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.
Saudi Arabia has denied the claim, as has Hariri. A tearful interview he gave from Riyadh last week did little to assuage fears.
His resignation sparked concerns the country would be thrown into chaos.
Some feared Saudi Arabia would attempt a Qatar-style economic blockade on a country that has struggled but somehow managed to remain relatively stable despite its volatile regional neighborhood, deeply divided politics, and the presence of about 1.5 million refugees.
Others feared worse, though talk of the kind of internal violence that scarred the country during its 15-year-civil war was quickly silenced by a strong show of unity in calling for Hariri's return.
Local media reports, not independently confirmed, say that upon formally meeting President Aoun at the parade, Aoun whispered, "Thank God for your safe return."
Resignation delayed
It was in Baabda Palace that Hariri announced earlier Wednesday that, upon the request of Aoun, he would be putting off his resignation "ahead of further consultations."
Reports quoted Hariri as calling for a "responsible dialogue" and a need to commit to the country's disassociation policy a policy flaunted by Hezbollah's military support for the Syrian regime.
Hariri's partial rowing back on his resignation sparked speculation he may be able to remain in power, enabling the country's current national unity government, which includes Hezbollah and appeared to be crumbling, to remain intact until next May's elections.
Others see it as a blow to Saudi Arabia, which was perceived as punishing Hariri for compromising too much with Hezbollah, and the regional superpower's ambitions to counter Iranian influence.
In Lebanon, though, there is a palpable sense of relief. And amid crowds of Hariri supporters gathered near the city's center, what mattered most was that he was back home.
Supporters are galvanized by the memory of his father, whose slaying remains a big source of tension with Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah.
A U.N.-backed tribunal currently is trying a number of Hezbollah members in absentia for his murder, allegations Hezbollah rejects.
Abir Masri had just visited the tomb of Hariri's father, Rafik Hariri, a businessman who made his money in Saudi Arabia, and a politician who had enjoyed its backing.
"Rafik Hariri was our leader and he died in vain, and we will follow the Hariri family till the end," Masri said. "We were very scared for him and his situation, but now everyone is smiling here."
Looking forward
Around Masri, hundreds of people waved Lebanese flags and the blue flag of the Future Movement political party.
Music played and car horns honked, while young supporters broke into dance. Those gathered around Hariri's residence in Beirut's well-heeled downtown district got to see Hariri as he waved from the window.
Meanwhile, congratulations for Lebanon on its Independence Day flooded in from world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, a backer of Saudi Arabia.
Just what the future holds, however, and whether the worst is over for now in Lebanon, remains distinctly opaque.
Unlike many other Hariri supporters who spoke to VOA, Eid Habach, from Baalbeck, voiced her fears that Saudi Arabia may have pressured Saad Hariri to resign.
Describing Hariri as the "love" of her life, Habach said she feared for his independence, and that of her country.
"Hariri will always be pressured, and in Lebanon there is little to reassure us about the future," she said.
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Uzbek Suspect In New York Truck Attack Faces New Charges, Possible Death Penalty
RFE/RL November 22, 2017
A U.S. grand jury has leveled 22 new charges against an Uzbek immigrant accused of running down eight people in a truck attack in New York City last month, including murder and support for the extremist group Islamic State (IS).
In an expanded indictment handed down late on November 21, Sayfullo Saipov, 29, was charged with eight counts of murder and 12 counts of attempted murder. If convicted on the murder charges, Saipov could face the death penalty.
Saipov was arrested after he emerged from a rented truck on October 21 after using it in a rampage to run down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path in lower Manhattan near where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood.
It was the most deadly attack in New York since the September 1, 2001 attacks.
Saipov was immediately charged with terrorism, but prosecutors took several weeks to collect evidence in bringing the murder and other new charges against him. Saipov's lawyer did not immediately comment on the expanded indictment.
Saipov's initial court appearance is scheduled for November 28. He is expected to enter a plea at that time.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the attack a "calculated act of terrorism in the heart of one of our great cities."
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said that "scores of videos and images on his cellphone" will be part of the evidence in the case against Saipov.
"Like many terrorists before him, Saipov will now face justice in an American court," Kim said. "And like New York City's response to his alleged attack, we expect that justice in this case will be swift, firm, and resolute."
William Sweeney, the head of New York's FBI office, said that despite Saipov's "intentions to inflict significant damage, death, and injury to innocent victims," the indictment shows "that the rule of law will always prevail."
Authorities said Saipov, who is being held without bail, made statements after his arrest about his allegiance to IS, which later took credit for the attack.
Authorities said in court papers that Saipov told investigators he was inspired to carry out the attack after watching a video of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi questioning "what Muslims in the United States and elsewhere were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq."
Evidence against Saipov includes what was found on two of his phones, according to court documents. Investigators said one phone contained 90 videos and other IS propaganda, including one of a beheading and another of a tank running over a prisoner. The other phone showed a search for truck-rental outlets.
Saipov was shot by a police officer after crashing the truck into a school bus at the end of his rampage. Authorities said his injury was minor enough that he was transferred to a prison facility in Manhattan two days later.
Saipov came to the United States legally in 2010 from Uzbekistan, where officials and his family said he had no history of radicalization or trouble with the law.
He first lived in Ohio, where he was a commercial truck driver, then in Florida. He most recently lived in New Jersey with his wife and children, and worked as an Uber driver.
His sister told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service earlier this month that Saipov was "brainwashed" after he came to the United States. She said his family became alarmed when he grew a full beard in the style of some religious extremists after his 2013 marriage.
"When we first saw his picture with a beard, we got scared," Umida Saipova, 27, told RFE/RL in a telephone interview. "We don't know who has brainwashed him."
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-suspect-new-york -city-truck-attack-saipov-faces-new-charges- possible-death-penalty/28868925.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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'Get Used to It': China Flies Warplanes, Spy Jets Past Taiwan, Japan
Sputnik News
22:40 22.11.2017(updated 23:01 22.11.2017)
A sortie of People's Liberation Army Air Force H-6K bombers and an additional Tu-154MD intelligence aircraft cruised close to the Miyako Strait over the weekend, spurring Japan to scramble fighter planes.
During a previous incident when PLAAF aircraft flirted with entering Japanese airspace in July, the Chinese Defense Ministry said Tokyo "should not make a fuss about nothing" and that "it will be fine once they get used to it."
The Miyako Strait is located between Miyako and Okinawa, both Japanese islands, and to the northeast of Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing insists belongs to China.
The long-range mission marked the first time PLAAF aircraft flew near Taiwan since the Chinese Party's National Congress in Beijing, which concluded October 24, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said November 20.
Taiwan's military "monitored the maneuvers by Chinese military planes in accordance with regulations" and will abide by its air defense identification zone, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The Tu-154MD aircraft used by the PLAAF is a modified Russian Tu-154M. As part of the upgrades, Beijing added radar systems to the aircraft that are concealed from view and equipped the plane with antennae possessing electronic warfare capability. Reports indicate PLAAF has at least four Tu-154MDs.
Taiwanese media outlet the Liberty Times reported that the PLAAF aircraft soared over the suspected crash site of Taiwan's Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter, which went MIA on November 7.
"Chinese intelligence jets didn't just happen to fly past the site, while the air-sea search for the pilot and plane is still underway, with frequent communication among ships, planes and the Taiwan military command," an observer told the United Daily News. "The Chinese spy planes aimed to intercept signals and collect intel about Taiwan's army communication, as well as rescue and emergency deployment," the witness said.
A great deal of speculation about the crash has centered on the possibility that the Mirage pilot intended to defect to mainland China, but Taiwan's defense minister has dismissed the notion as impossible.
Sputnik
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Trump's blacklisting of N Korea justifies need for nukes: Pyongyang
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 04:34PM
North Korea has denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to re-designate it as a so-called state sponsor of terror, saying the move amounts to a "serious provocation" that justifies Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons.
The country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Wednesday that the North was in no way connected to terrorism and did not care "whether the US puts a cap of 'terrorism' on us or not."
"By re-listing (North Korea) as a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' the U.S. openly revealed to the whole world its intention to destroy our ideology and system by using all kinds of means and methods," the KCNA said.
Upon making his decision public during a White House cabinet meeting on Monday, Trump accused the North of backing "acts of international terrorism" and said the move should have been made "years ago."
"In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil," the American head of state claimed.
Former US President George W. Bush had removed North Korea from the list in 2008, in a bid to salvage a fragile nuclear deal that was supposed to allow US inspectors access to its main declared nuclear compound, at Yongbyon.
Back then, Pyongyang welcomed the Bush administration's announcement and said it would resume disabling its nuclear weapons facilities.
Trump's recent decision, however, seemed to have only increased the months-long tensions between the two sides.
"Our army and people are full of rage and anger toward the heinous gangsters who dared to put the name of our sacred country in this wretched list of 'terrorism' and are hardening their will to settle all accounts with those gangsters at any time in any way," it said.
Experts have warned that blacklisting North Korea would have limited practical effect but makes finding a diplomatic solution to the standoff more difficult.
Meanwhile, the international push for a diplomatic solution took another blow on Tuesday, when the Trump administration imposed a series of new sanctions on a number of North Korean shipping firms as well as Chinese companies.
The move infuriated China, which is North Korea's main trading partner.
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US Sanctions, Terror Designation Increase Pressure on North Korea
By Daniel Schearf November 22, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump's re-listing of North Korea this week as a state-sponsor of terrorism - a largely symbolic move and the announcement of tightened sanctions on Tuesday were generally welcomed by analysts as stepped-up pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
But analysts question whether the moves, which also target Chinese trade, can get North Korea to the negotiating table.
"The re-designation of state sponsor of terrorism has symbolic significance rather than strong pressure," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University. "The U.N. [Security Council] Sanction 2375 has been operating, so I think it will enhance pressure on Kim Jong Un's regime and international society's distrust on North Korea."
China pressure is key
New U.S. sanctions announced Tuesday against North Korea may add some substance to the symbolism, but only if China which accounts for almost all of North Korea's trade decides to help.
The U.S. Treasury Department targeted 13 businesses and 20 ships linked to North Korea's funding for nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which it says amounts to more than $750 million in trade between Beijing and Pyongyang.
"The new sanction added ships, new individuals and institutions so it is seeking to partially block North Korea's maritime trade," said Kim Yong-hyun. "In this regard, the new sanctions have new characteristics. But, it does not bring serious impacts to North Korea's economy."
The sanctions are on trade and labor contractors, including a North Korean company that has operated in China, Cambodia, Poland, and Russia. But the unilateral measures, analysts said, only prevent U.S. companies and banks from doing business with those sanctioned, which was already happening in practice.
Nonetheless, the added onus to doing business with Pyongyang now a designated state terrorism sponsor could encourage actions outside the U.S., said Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea scholar at Troy University in Seoul.
But he cautions that much depends on cooperation among the region's actors.
"We'll have to see what other states do, if they take similar measures or if they reassess their relationship or if they suspend any kinds of economic relations, which we've seen some states doing anyway," he said, pointing to Singapore and the Philippines as examples. "Maybe this will encourage other states to take a similar response," he said.
Sanctions are squeezing North Korea's economy more than in the past because China's enforcement has been much stronger, said Benjamin Katzeff Silbertstein, contributor to 38 North, a program of the U.S.-Korea Institute, and co-editor of North Korean Economy Watch .
"North Korean labor abroad, for example, has been sent home. And, it's been much much more difficult for North Korean companies to export minerals and other goods that fall under U.N. sanctions. So, the way it seems right now, the economy is taking a hit from the sanctions. And, the question is, how long this type of pressure will be kept up by China," said Silberstein.
Bad timing?
The timing of the added pressure on North Korea could work against bringing it to negotiate an end to its nuclear and missile programs.
After a recent string of missile tests, and its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, North Korea's military testing has been quiet, raising speculation that Pyongyang may be waiting to see what the U.S. offers to entice it to join talks.
China has been pushing what it calls a "freeze for freeze" agreement that would halt U.S. and South Korean large-scale military drills in return for North Korea suspending its testing and nuclear program. The U.S. has maintained North Korea must cease its program before negotiations can begin.
Some North Korea analysts argue the state sponsor of terrorism designation and new sanctions could encourage a return to testing and belligerence from Pyongyang and discourage it from entering talks.
"That's based on the assumption that the likelihood or the probability of returning to dialogue was high or the two sides were going to meet or there was going to be some diplomatic process that was going to be initiated," Pinkston said, "and that possibly North Korea would bargain in good faith to fulfill its previous non-proliferation commitments and work towards denuclearization, but I think that's unlikely," he said.
Pyongyang violates armistice agreement
A potential complication is an incident on November 13 involving the defection of a North Korean soldier who came under a hail of gunfire from his comrades as he drove across the border
Despite being shot five times and suffering from infections and parasites, the soldier survived after getting medical treatment in South Korea.
The United Nations Command, the unified command structure for the South Korean side of the border with North Korea, said on Wednesday the North's Korean People's Army violated the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement.
UNC Commander General Vincent K. Brooks at a briefing for media showed a video of the soldier's defection and the violations, which included firing across the Military Demarcation Line and one KPA soldier briefly chasing the defector across the line. "The armistice agreement was challenged, but it remains in place," he said in a statement.
South Korea, Japan, and Australia were among the countries quick to voice support for Pyongyang's return to the state terror sponsor designation, while China was reserved in its response.
"The current situation on the Korean Peninsula remains highly complex and sensitive," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Tang at a regular briefing Tuesday. "We hope the relevant parties will do more to help deescalate tensions and come back to the track of peacefully resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation."
North Korea did not immediately respond to being accused again of sponsoring terrorism but lashed out at Trump for insulting the leadership in Pyongyang during a speech this month in South Korea. The U.S. president called North Korea a "murderous regime," a sentiment he repeated this week.
The U.S. first put North Korea on the terror sponsor list for the 1987 bombing of a South Korean commercial plane, which killed all 115 people aboard. Washington removed Pyongyang from the list in 2008 to reward it for progress on dismantling its nuclear programs under a six-party deal, which it later violated.
North Korea joins Iran, Sudan, and Syria the only countries designated by the U.S. as state sponsors of terrorism.
Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
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India successfully test-fires BrahMos cruise missile from aircraft
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 08:46PM
India says it has successfully fired a BrahMos cruise missile from a fighter jet for the first time, marking a major milestone in the joint development of the strategic weapon with Russia.
"The IAF (Indian Air Force) is the first air force in the world to have successfully fired an air-launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category," the force said in a statement on Wednesday.
The nuclear-capable missile was gravity-dropped from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet and was able to hit its target in the Bay of Bengal.
"The launch from the aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the ship target," India's Defense Ministry said.
Originally planned for 2015, the multi-platform missile's air launch had been hindered by technological challenges.
While the Indian navy and army operate a version that weigh three tons and have a range of up to 500 km, the air force had to lower the weight to make it compatible with the Su-30 aircraft.
This reduced the nuclear-capable missile's range to around 400 km, but Indian officials were happy with the outcome.
"The capability of the missile, coupled with the superlative performance of the Su-30 aircraft, gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the ocean and the battlefields," an IAF official said.
Combined with the Su-30's range of around 3,000 km, the missile provides the IAF the capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target in sea or land with high accuracy rates, military officials told Indian media. Each jet can currently carry only one missile.
According to government sources, India is also considering developing smaller versions of BrahMos for the navy's Mig-29 aircraft.
The missile might also be modified to fit Rafale fighter jets. India is working on a government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 of the advanced aircraft.
India's Cabinet Committee on Security approved the decision to equip the Su-30MKIs with BrahMos missiles in October 2012. The IAF is slated to get over 200 air-launched versions coupled with as many as 50 modified Su-30MKI fighter jets.
The BrahMos missile project is a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM).
The missile's name is taken from two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.
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India Successfully Test-Fires Supersonic Brahmos Missile From Su30MKI
Sputnik News
14:25 22.11.2017(updated 15:30 22.11.2017)
The first ever air-launched Brahmos missile has hit a target at a distance of 280 kilometers in the Bay of Bengal. The missile was dropped from the Su-30 jet's fuselage, and the two-stage missile's engine fired up and propelled it straightway towards the intended target.
New Delhi (Sputnik) With the successful flight test of world's fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Sukhoi-30MKI frontline fighter aircraft, India has given a major boost to its air attack capabilities. The Indian Ministry of Defense has said that the successful maiden test firing of the BrahMos Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from a Su-30MKI will significantly bolster the IAF's air combat operations capability from stand-off ranges.
"A BrahMos ALCM weighing 2.5 tons is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on India's Su-30 fighter aircraft, modified by HAL to carry weapons. Brahmos, a world-class weapon with a multi-platform, multi-mission role is now capable of being launched from Land, Sea, and Air, completing the tactical cruise missile triad for India," India's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The IAF has signed a contract for the delivery of air-launched BrahMos cruise missiles from January 2018. So far three Su-30 MKI jets have been modified to accommodate the new cruise missile and in total it will modify at least 50 Su-30MKI aircraft to carry the nuclear-capable cruise missiles. The IAF plans to induct at least 200 BrahMos-compatible fighter jets in the coming years.
India tested the land version of the BrahMos missile in April this year, when it hit a target at a distance of approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Navy too is equipping all its ships with the BrahMos missile system. Russia supplies 65% of the BrahMos' components, including its ramjet engine and radar seeker.
Sputnik
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Iran's response to threats timely, strong: Defense minister
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Nov 22, IRNA -- Iran today is capable of giving well-timed and strong response to the threats inside and outside the country, Iranian defense minister announced here on Wednesday.
'Iran has achieved a great capability today that can heavily quell any kind of threats,' Brigadier General Amir Hatami said in a meeting held in Tehran with a number of parliamentarians.
Iran, as Hatami said, follows the deterrent policy and will not be affected by any threats, sanctions and pressures.
Iran takes steps corresponding to the types of threats and the country's geopolitical situation, the minister said.
'Someday, the US was insolently talking about the military option against Iran, but, at the present time, they utter no words about 'this ineffective stance' because of the power of the Islamic Republic,' he added.
The enemies, he said, imposed sanctions on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran's deterrent capability and its missile power in order to in vain weaken the country's strategic defense.
The US Department of Treasury has added the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to the former's sanctions list claiming it is for the fight against terrorism. The anti-Iran move was made shortly after October 13 new strategy taken by the US President Donald Trump who decertified Iran's compliance with the July 2015 nuclear deal, the compliance which has been approved by many world leaders and international bodies.
The Iranian defense minister, in the meeting with members of Majlis (Parliament) appreciated the lawmakers for passing a bill that takes moves against the US adventurism.
Iranian defense minister held a meeting today with members of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission to review the latest Defense Ministry's achievements and the country's defense capabilities regarding the enemies' threats.
1483**1771
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Iranian foreign ministry's statement on defeat of ISIS in Iraq, Syria
ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency
Wed / 22 November 2017 / 12:20
Tehran (ISNA) - Iranian foreign ministry has issued a statement on the complete defeat of ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
The full text of the statement is as follows:
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Today after six years of heroic and valiant resistance against all American-Zionist plots in the region, and by virtue of the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution and courage of honorable Iranian top commander, Major General Soleimani, the last glimmer of hope of the so-called "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant" has died.
Now, the glorious flag of the victory of truth over falsehood and the big triumph of the Resistance Axis' courageous men has been hoisted above the last bastions of wickedness, slaughter and crime.
It seems another important chapter has opened in the history of the vulnerable region of West Asia with the cooperation, coordination and courage shown by all resistance forces and the regional states in fight against terrorism, extremism and carnage of innocent people. These forces and states have taken strong, practical, and long steps in fight against terror and this is expected to put the region and the whole world to the test against a historical experience.
Those who stood by the oppressed nations of Syria and Iraq during the unrest and dark years of human history paid a high price with a strong determination for defending the dignity of human being during battle or negotiations as well as in fight against hate-mongering and aggressive persons. So, today, they are proudly boasting wholeheartedly about their unsparing support for the Arab and Islamic Umma.
But those who spared no effort to loot the properties of their brothers and sisters and only fanned the flame of an unjust and shameful war are still treading their wrong and scandalous path by spending hefty budgets in holding hollow and futile conferences and gatherings to cover their countless mistakes and crimes and finding partners for their horrible crimes to avoid facing tomorrow's vigilant consciousness and societies which will put on trial those behind today's carnage and destructions.
Under such circumstances, they are expected to show further viciousness, hatch new plots, and take deviant measures to divide the regional nations. It goes without saying that coping with them requires vigilance and attentions of the region and the Islamic world's nations and governments.
Today with the total defeat of the illusory Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, it has been proved once again that terrorism and the ideological, financial, political and military sponsors of this divisive phenomenon are doomed to failure. These sponsors should be put on trial in international courts and be held accountable before the consciences of vigilant nations over their crimes, massacre, destruction and displacement of millions of innocent and defenseless people.
The foreign ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for an end to the illusory and false wishes leading to the death of people from every religion and faith. It also feels upon itself to congratulate all freedom-seeking nations of the region, particularly the Resistance fighters, IRGC military advisors, Hezbollah forces and other military units, on this glorious achievement and defeat of terrorism.
We also hail their honest efforts to cleanse the region of the malice of ISIS militants. Meanwhile, we also praise the support and participation of Russian government in this sensitive phase of fight against terrorism.
The foreign ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran admits that the region and the world are standing at a "large historical turn". So, we don't spare any effort to support the courageous fight of the resistance forces in their battle and contribute honestly to any collective measures aimed at establishing regional and international peace, stability and security.
End Item
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U.S.: Charges Iran Sanctions Case 'Politically Motivated' Are 'Ridiculous'
RFE/RL November 22, 2017
The top U.S. prosecutor in a high-profile Iran sanctions case has denied charges from top Turkish officials that the case is "fabricated" and "politically motivated," calling those allegations "ridiculous."
"Frankly, it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of how our justice system works," acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at a news conference in New York on November 21, speaking of his case charging Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab and high-level former Turkish officials with helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.
"The defendants are charged with serious crimes.... That's why the case is being brought, and that's the only reason," Kim said.
The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, said on November 21 that Turkey's government should provide evidence if it believes the defendants are being unfairly prosecuted, rather than hurling criticism at prosecutors.
"The best way for them to be helpful is to help defense counsel by providing in court any evidence or witnesses they are aware of that could assist the defense," Berman said.
The judge and prosecutor were responding to accusations from Turkey's foreign minister on November 17 that the case was "politically motivated," and based on "fabricated" evidence from a case against Zarrab that Turkey dropped in 2013.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also charged that the case was "political" in remarks in Istanbul on November 20, adding that Ankara viewed the defendants as "hostages," and saw the case as "a clear plot against Turkey."
"It is very clear that this aims at harming Turkey's economic relations with Iran, its relations with Russia, and its economic relations with other countries," Bozdag said.
Turkey has complained that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers are mentioned in the court documents in the case, although only one former Turkish economy minister has been charged.
Turkey's protests have increased amid U.S. news reports saying that Zarrab may be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors to develop a money-laundering case that possibly involves Turkish officials.
Zarrab has failed to show up at several recent pretrial hearings in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, prompting speculation that he may be cutting a deal with prosecutors.
Jury selection for his trial was due to start on November 20, but was postponed for a week until November 27.
Because of the case's possible implications for the Turkish government and U.S.-Turkish relations, it is now being closely watched by financial markets.
On November 21, the Turkish lira hit a record low against the U.S. dollar after the postponement of jury selection was announced.
The case has also depressed the stocks of banks that could be hit by the allegation that the defendants worked with Ankara and Tehran to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions that prohibit it from using U.S. dollars or U.S. financial institutions to conduct trade.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, and AFP
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-prosecutor- judge-kim-berman-say-charges-iran -sanctions-case-reza-zarrab-politically- motivated-ridiculous/28868963.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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US says attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is 'ethnic cleansing'
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 04:22PM
The United States has described the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar as "ethnic cleansing", accusing the country's forces of perpetrating "horrendous atrocities" against Rohingyas.
The statement on Wednesday from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who visited Myanmar last week, is the strongest US condemnation yet of the military's crackdown against the Rohingya, which has triggered a major refugee crisis and escalating global outrage.
The top US diplomat blamed Myanmar's military and "local vigilantes" for what he called "intolerable suffering" by the Rohingya.
"After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said in a statement.
Although Myanmar's military has blamed alleged Rohingya-affiliated militants for setting off the crisis, Tillerson said that "no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued."
The government in Myanmar refuses to recognize the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine as a local ethnic group even though they have lived there for generations.
Tillerson said that those who perpetrated the atrocities "must be held accountable."
He said that the US would seek justice "through US.law, including possible targeted sanctions."
Myanmar's troops have intensified attacks against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, home to over a million members of the desperate minority, since October 2016. The attacks have seen a sharp rise since August.
Earlier this month, the US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution condemning the "murderous ethnic cleansing and atrocities against civilians."
It called on US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on those responsible for human rights abuses, including members of Myanmar's military and security services.
Tillerson held talks with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week in Myanmar's capital of Naypyidaw during his one-day visit there.
Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, is also heavily criticized by a number of her fellow Nobel laureates, including Malala Yousafzai and Desmond Tutu, for allowing such atrocities against the Rohingya.
Myanmar's government denies full citizenship to the Rohingya, branding them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Dhaka, in turn, regards the desperate refugees as Myanmarese and harshly pushes them back. The Rohingya, however, track their ancestors many generations back in Myanmar.
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Efforts To Address Burma's Rakhine State Crisis
Press Statement
Rex W. Tillerson
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
November 22, 2017
I visited Naypyitaw, Burma on November 15, where I met separately with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. I reaffirmed the United States' strong commitment to Burma's successful democratic transition as the elected government strives to implement reforms, bring peace and reconciliation to the nation, and resolve a devastating crisis in Rakhine State. Our first priority is to relieve the intolerable suffering faced by so many. In response to the dire situation, I announced last week an additional $47 million in humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Rakhine State crisis, bringing the total amount spent in response to this crisis to more than $87 million since August of this year.
Burma's response to this crisis is vital to determining the success of its transition to a more democratic society. As I said in Naypyitaw, the key test of any democracy is how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalized populations, such as the ethnic Rohingya and other minority populations. Burma's government and security forces must respect the human rights of all persons within its borders, and hold accountable those who fail to do so.
I reiterate the United States' condemnation of August 25 attacks on security forces by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Yet no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued. These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh. After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.
Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable. The United States continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all facts on the ground to aid in these processes of accountability. We have supported constructive action on the Rakhine crisis at the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly's Third Committee. The United States will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions.
We support the Burmese government's commitment to create the conditions necessary for all refugees and internally displaced people to return to their homes safely and voluntarily, and welcome recent exchanges between the governments of Burma and Bangladesh on repatriation. Support by Burma's military for these government efforts is crucial. This is a difficult and complex situation. Many stakeholders must work together to ensure progress.
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Senior State Department Officials On the Situation in Burma
Special Briefing
Senior State Department Officials
Via Teleconference
November 22, 2017
MODERATOR: Good morning. Thank you, sir. Good morning, thanks, everyone, for joining us for today's background call on Secretary Tillerson's announcement related to the situation in Burma. So to discuss the decision that was made yesterday in more detail, we have [Senior State Department Official One], who will be referred to as Senior State Department Official Number One. We also have with us today [Senior State Department Official Two], who will be referred to as Senior State Department Official Two. As a reminder, today's call is on background and will be embargoed until the conclusion of the call.
With that, I'll turn it over to [Senior State Department Official One] for some brief remarks, and then [Senior State Department Official Two] will take some questions as well. Thank you. [Senior State Department Official One], go right ahead.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Okay, great. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us this morning. Happy early Thanksgiving. I wanted to start off here this morning by drawing your attention to the Secretary's statement which was just released this morning regarding his recent trip to Burma and our continued efforts with the international community to address the crisis there in Rakhine State. As you no doubt have already seen, the Secretary notes in his statement his recent visit to Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, on November 15th, where we met separately with both State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the commander in chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The Secretary reaffirmed the United States' strong commitment to Burma's successful democratic transition as the elected government strives to implement reforms there and bring peace and reconciliation to the country, and also to resolve the devastating crisis in Rakhine State. Of course, our first priority is to relieve the intolerable suffering faced by so many, and in response to that situation, the Secretary, while he was in Burma, announced additional humanitarian assistance of 400 $47 million for those affected by the crisis, bringing our total to $87 million spent since August of this year.
Burma's response to the crisis, the Secretary has noted, is vital to determining the success of its transition to a more democratic society, and that the key test of any democracy is how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalized populations, such as the ethnic Rohingya and other minority populations. Burma's government and security forces must respect the human rights of all persons within its borders and hold accountable those who fail to do so.
The Secretary reiterated his condemnation of the security the attacks on security forces on August 25th by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, but he noted that no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that ensued. The abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands, as we know, of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
After a careful and thorough analysis of the available facts, the Secretary has noted that it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine State constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya. He has also noted that those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable, and that the United States continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all of the facts on the ground to aid the process of accountability. We have supported constructive action on the Rakhine State crisis at the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly's Third Committee, and will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions.
Of course, the Secretary has been clear and consistent in noting our support for the Burmese Government's commitment to create conditions necessary for all the refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes safely and voluntarily, and we welcome the recent exchanges between the governments of Burma and Bangladesh on the ability to repatriate these individuals voluntarily.
We note that support by military Burma's military for the government efforts in this regard is crucial, and that this is a difficult and complex situation that many stakeholders have to work together to address.
And I'll just note further from the Secretary's statement that the efforts by the United States on this crisis have focused first on ending the violence; second on ensuring a path for repatriation for those displaced; third, expanding access for humanitarian assistance and the media in Rakhine State; seeking accountability for reported atrocities; and supporting longer-term solutions for the root causes of tensions and conflict in Rakhine State.
And I'll just note here that this is a very complex and long-running tragedy that's not the first time that we've faced these kinds of crises with the Rohingya in Rakhine State and with other ethnic groups in Rakhine State, although it is certainly the most dramatic and numerous number of refugees that we've seen.
I think, on the repatriation of refugees, we understand that both Burma and Bangladesh are close to reaching an agreement on a process for voluntary repatriations of displaced persons, and we have been noting positive comments from officials of the civilian government in Burma in this regard recently. We also note that support for these processes by Burma's military will be crucial, and that we're committed to working with Burma and others in the region to help the government and its people work through this crisis.
And now I'd like to turn it over to [Senior State Department Official Two] for his additional comments.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Thank you. I'd like to stress just a few points. First of all, the determination and the description included in the press release was done after very careful and thorough analysis at the request of the Secretary. We believe it's a very accurate description of the situation. It underscores the gravity and the urgency of the situation. We continue to urge all the parties to end the cycle of violence and to restore the rule of law, and we want to emphasize the need for remediation, returns, and accountability. Thank you.
MODERATOR: Okay. And with that, I think we're ready to take your questions.
OPERATOR: And ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to ask a question, press * followed by 1 on your touchtone phone. You'll hear an acknowledgment indicating you have been placed in queue. And you can remove yourself from queue any time by pressing the pound key. Once again, press *1 on your touchtone phone to queue up for a question. One moment, please, for your first question.
And our first question will come from Barbara Usher with BBC.
QUESTION: Thank you. Could you clarify whether there are any obligations, first of all under international law, and secondly under U.S. law, that come from designating this as ethnic cleansing?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Yes. The term "ethnic cleansing" is not defined in the context of either international law or domestic law. However, it is a descriptive term, and it carries with it, again, the sense of urgency. So it does not require any new obligations, but it does emphasize our concern about the situation and the importance of remediation, and to reverse the ethnic cleansing and make sure people can go home voluntarily and live their lives in dignity.
QUESTION: And can I just follow up with that? Are there any actions the government is going to take because of this determination, or is just leaving it under considering possible targeted sanctions? Is that the is that just in abeyance for now, or will there be some action taken because of the determination?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Yes. I assume you mean "the government" meaning the U.S. Government.
QUESTION: The U.S. Government.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: I think one yeah. One thing that we anticipate is that the sort of determination that this ethnic cleansing has occurred will increase pressure on the parties to try to reach an accommodation about repatriation of people who are displaced, and also pressure on the military in Burma and the civilian government to work quickly to respond to events on the ground.
As far as actions by the U.S. Government, I think the determination, it doesn't in any way take away from our continued efforts to pursue outside objective and sort of rigorous investigation of the facts on the ground to find out what happened and to get more information about what's actually happened on the ground, and also to look at accountability for abuses and atrocities that have been perpetrated on the ground, including looking at the possibility of targeted sanctions for those responsible, if we should be able to reach those conclusions.
So I think all of our efforts that were ongoing before this determination are continuing, but the fact of the determination, as [Senior State Department Official Two] mentioned, has highlighted and reinvigorated the attention and the urgency on the issue.
QUESTION: Okay.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Next question, please.
OPERATOR: Next up we have Josh Lederman. Your line's open; go ahead.
QUESTION: Hey, thanks for doing this. Just a quick housekeeping thing first. One, I request if we can move this call on the record, given that the Secretary's already spoken about this on the record, and especially for our broadcast colleagues.
And then I was wondering if you could say why are you only considering targeted and not broad-based sanctions? I mean, we had broad sanctions on Myanmar until relatively recently. It would seem that something as atrocious as ethnic cleansing might be the kind of thing that would merit something beyond going after a few individuals. And to that end, are you still actively considering designations for genocide or crimes against humanity? Thanks.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Okay. Yes. Sure. So I think on the issue of sanctions the story of Burma is a long-running and complicated story. And basically, the civilian government has been in power there in this power-sharing arrangement that's uniquely set out in the Burmese constitution for about 18 months. The U.S. Government is very much interested in supporting the civilian government's transition. We believe that the advent of a successful transition to a civilian government will be beneficial to all of the ethnic groups that are involved in long-running conflicts throughout the country, including in Rakhine State, but also in Kachin State and Shan State. There are a lot of displaced persons around Burma. There is the longest-running civil war in modern history going continuing there, in effect, and the government is engaging in a peace process to try to bring together the various of the 135 different ethnic groups in that country to try to resolve some of these long-running conflicts that are causing a lot of suffering throughout the country.
I think the issue of the broad-based sanctions which the Secretary spoke to I think quite eloquently in his press conference in Naypyidaw, when we were in Burma, the target the broad-based economic sanctions, at the time they were levied, were aimed at bringing pressure on the military junta in Burma to bring about this transition of power which has now occurred. And the key to continuing the success of that transition is to allow the economy to develop, to get a peace process going that can put some of these conflicts behind, in the rearview mirror, and to try to allow the country to move forward in a peace on peaceful development.
So I think the idea of again levying broad-based economic sanctions is not something that we think is going to be very productive either for getting at accountability or for the broader set of purposes that the U.S. is trying to achieve in Myanmar. So on the issues of other legal processes, I'll defer to [Senior State Department Official Two] on those.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Yes, just to answer your second the second part of your question, unlike the term "ethnic cleansing," the terms "crimes against humanity" and "genocide" are specific crimes under international law and there is very serious legal consequences, and in the end it's really a court that has to decide that, as we've just seen with the verdict against Mladic in Bosnia. So we would need to do a much more much deeper analysis, much more extensive legal analysis.
This determination in no way prejudices any further analysis we're doing, and we will continue to evaluate the situation and analyze the situation. But at this time, there's no determination of crimes against humanity or genocide.
MODERATOR: Okay, thank you. Next question, please.
OPERATOR: And next up we have Michelle Kosinski from CNN. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Hi, thank you. I mean, in several times mentioning the word "urgency," in light of the fact that this has been going on for three months now and hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country, doesn't the situation just highlight that again the world has watched ethnic cleansing take place and there still doesn't seem to be an acceptable way to intervene? And when the Secretary's statement talks about potential sanctions, is that something that's already being looked at? Thanks.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: I'll answer the first part of the question. So I think I mean, one thing that it's important to remember is that this current crisis was touched off by attacks that were perpetrated on August 25th by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army against more than 20 military posts inside of Myanmar, and that the reaction to that, to those attacks by that extremist terrorist group was what touched off the exodus of people from Myanmar. So I don't think people have stood by. I think there's been a lot of efforts by many governments and many organizations to try to stem the outflow, to help people who are suffering, to work with the Government of Myanmar to try to figure out how to respond to this crisis.
The discussions that we had in Burma reinforced the point as well that the attacks by this Arakan Rohingyan Salvation Army on August 25th actually occurred on the exact same day that the report and recommendations from the Kofi Annan commission which was an international advisory body that was brought in by the Burma Government to try to make recommendations about how to resolve over the longer term all of the ethnic tensions, in particular also in Rakhine State, and there are a number of ethnic groups there that have been traditionally repressed and treated badly and have grievances. So I think one of the things that we want to focus on is try to relieve the current crisis, but also make sure that we, in doing so, leave the government in a position for it to be able to get back to the recommendations that were in the Kofi Annan report, which the U.S. Government fully supports.
I think in the meantime, the focus and you mentioned urgency has to be on getting humanitarian aid and assistance to the people who are suffering in both within Burma, because there are a number of displaced people there, but also especially those in Bangladesh in these camps; support the Burma and Bangladeshi governments on their negotiations and processes they're developing to get people to be able to go back, make sure that we can make sure they can return in a secure environment; and then pursue the investigation and the accountability tracks that the Secretary has spoken about so often.
I think the question about sanctions I mean, I mentioned that there's and the Secretary has also spoken about this, what kinds of sanctions we're looking at. We already have a number of sanctions in place against the Burmese military with regard to visa sanctions coming from the 2008 JADE Act, so we have a number of sanctions in place already. And we have limits on our engagement stemming from those sanctions' limits on our engagement with the Burmese military, but I think we're looking at additional sanctions targeting individuals responsible for specific acts of violence, which would go beyond the current JADE Act sanctions, and we're looking at those currently.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Next question, please.
OPERATOR: Next up we have David Brunnstrom with Reuters. Go ahead, sir.
QUESTION: Yeah. Thank you very much for doing this. I just wondered if I could ask, in the department's view, how much responsibility does the civilian part of the government have for this situation, and do you feel that the leaders of that of the civilian government, including Aung San Suu Kyi, have done enough and said enough to help resolve the situation? Thank you.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Yeah. Well, I think this question has come up before, and we certainly feel that the civilian government in Burma has responsibility for working to try to resolve this crisis. Certainly, there's been a lot of discussions with the civilian government about this issue. We were recently in Asia with President Trump at the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, where Aung San Suu Kyi was present, and engaged in conversations with her there as well as did all of the other leaders that were gathered. Most recently there's been a meeting of the foreign ministers of Asia and Europe that was held in Naypyidaw, in Burma, just this week, and again, all of the leaders foreign ministers of the Asian and European countries were meeting there and had the chance to engage the civilian government the officials and Aung San Suu Kyi herself on the crisis.
So I think she's been very much engaged, and her government's been very much engaged in trying to find solutions, working on ways of allowing for humanitarian access without fomenting additional violence and unrest, also working with the Government of Bangladesh to pursue this agreement on repatriation, and I think I mentioned the unique situation with the power-sharing arrangement there in Burma. I mean, there are a lot of things that the civilian government just frankly doesn't control under the current constitution, and she is going to have to work with the military on those areas such as borders, security, access to certain parts of the country that are in conflict. Those areas are all controlled by the military.
So it's not a situation that is completely under her authority, but certainly, we are counting on her to show leadership and also to work through the civilian government with the military to address the crisis. And I think she has been speaking out. Certainly, the whole effort behind the Kofi Annan commission came from the civilian government and was pushed by them, although it wasn't universally popular inside the country. So I think she has been doing as much as she could to try to, before the crisis, address sort of longer-term problems in Burma through the peace process and the Annan recommendations, but also since the crisis to do what she can to promote a resolution.
I think we need to continue to support her in that and keep pushing the civilian government in Burma and the military, frankly, to do more.
MODERATOR: Okay, [Senior State Department Official One], thank you. Next question, please.
QUESTION: Next up we have Nike Ching with Voice of America. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Thank you very much and happy Thanksgiving to all of you. My question is regarding the repatriation. So in your statement and as the official just said that Secretary Tillerson welcomed the recent of exchange between the Government of Burma and Bangladesh on repatriation, my question is: What is the target number that Myanmar will take back will take the Rohingya refugees back per day? How does the United States weigh in on the repatriation? The reason I ask is there are more than 600,000 refugees and it may take years if it's only hundred per day who are sent back to Myanmar. And was that being discussed with Aung San Suu Kyi while the Secretary was there? Thank you very much.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Yeah, thank you. Well, I think you touch on an important point, which is that this is not something that's probably going to be able to even logistically happen overnight. I'd also point out that this is something that's been taking place the movement of refugee flows from Rakhine to Bangladesh and back has been taking place over decades. So the Bangladesh and Burmese governments actually had in place an agreement from 1992 on a similar issue of repatriations of Rohingya displaced persons back to Myanmar. So it's not a new issue for them. I think what they are looking at, and they are working on a process, for is to start the repatriations with those who have fled from Burma most recently; and they're making progress on coming up with a new agreement that they can under which they could start this process.
But I think it's even if they come up with an agreement on how to start this process and come up with a fairly reasonable standard that people would have to meet in order to show that they were resident in Burma and thus could return there, the more sort of urgent and important thing is: Will they feel safe enough to return to the places that they vacated? When we were in Burma, the civilian government talked about efforts underway to rebuild some of the villages that were destroyed in the areas where the displaced persons were living, but I think beyond the issue of rebuilding villages is going to be the issue of security: Are they going to feel secure enough to return? And that's something that we focused on the issue of voluntary returns. We don't want people to be forced to return to a situation in which they feel uncomfortable because that won't be sustainable.
So I think there are a lot of issues that are going to come up in this issue of repatriations, but I think we want to encourage both of the governments to have goodwill and establish more trust so that we could get the process started and have it be a sustainable process. As you said, even if we get there, it could take quite a while.
MODERATOR: Okay, thank you. And final question, please.
OPERATOR: Our final question comes from Katrina Manson with The Financial Times. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Thanks very much and good morning. I wanted just to clarify something, building on some of the earlier questions. I see Mr. Tillerson's comments attributing some of the abuses to some among the Burmese military and security forces. Is that the same as Mr. Tillerson accusing the Myanmar military or state of engaging in ethnic cleansing? And what warrant or evidence exists that this is state-directed?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: I mean, I think the Secretary in his comments has mentioned the military, security forces, and other vigilante groups; and as we've mentioned, there are a number of potential sources of conflict in Rakhine State. But certainly the military has been listed as among those being directly involved in a lot of the abuses. So on the specifics of your question, I think I'll turn it over to [Senior State Department Official Two] on that determination.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Yes. Part of the determination on ethnic cleansing implies a certain intent and planning, so not just isolated incidents. So I think the determination does indicate that we feel it was, again, organized, planned, systematic. It does not point the finger at any specific group, but there's a limited number of groups that can be involved in that planning and organization. It definitely does point to that planning and organization.
MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, everyone. Thanks so much for joining us, and [Senior State Department Official One] and [Senior State Department Official Two] in particular. The embargo to this call has now been lifted, and hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you so much, all you reporters, for your time today, and if anyone has follow-up questions, please feel free to email us or give us a call. [Senior State Department Official One], [Senior State Department Official Two], thank you for your time, and we'll talk with you all soon.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Thank you.
MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you.
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Tillerson Calls Violence Against Rohingya in Myanmar 'Ethnic Cleansing'
By Nike Ching November 22, 2017
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state targeting Muslim Rohingya qualifies as ethnic cleansing.
"After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said in a written statement Wednesday.
U.S. officials have been investigating what is behind the attacks that have killed hundreds of Rohingya and forced more than 600,000 across the border into camps in Bangladesh.
Wednesday's announcement marks the first time the State Department has designated the violence as ethnic cleansing. Officials briefing reporters on background called the designation a descriptive term.
"It [the determination] carries with it, again, the sense of urgency," one senior official said. "So it does not require any new obligations, but it does emphasize our concern about the situation and the importance of remediation, and to reverse the ethnic cleansing and make sure people can go home voluntarily and live their lives in dignity."
The determination also increases pressure on the military of Myanmar.
"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued," Tillerson said. "These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh."
The secretary of state in his written statement noted the United States will continue to work with the United Nations to seek resolution to the crisis in Myanmar and "will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions."
Myanmar's military has repeatedly rejected claims that atrocities, including rape and extrajudicial killings, are occurring in northern Rakhine, the epicenter of the violence that the U.N. has qualified as "textbook ethnic cleansing."
The government does not recognize the Rohingya, referring to them as "Bengali" to imply origins in Bangladesh. But Bangladesh officials said the Rohingya are "Myanmar nationals" and it is a mistake to call them Bangladeshis.
'Ethnic cleansing' and sanctions
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have left Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 25, after insurgents attacked security forces and prompted a brutal military crackdown.
The U.S. State Department for weeks had been considering whether to officially make the same determination. During a visit last week to Myanmar, Tillerson said events in the west coast state of Rakhine had the "characteristics of crimes against humanity" but stopped short of describing them as ethnic cleansing.
Tillerson's statement Wednesday carries strong political implications, as the U.S. weighs imposing targeted sanctions on Myanmar, while continuing its support of the country's civilian government and its democratic transition, which is under the leadership of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
There is support among some U.S. lawmakers to impose financial and other penalties on Myanmar, although others have said they prefer to keep supporting a country still in the midst of a democratic transition.
The Burma Sanctions Bill in the House of Representatives and a companion bill in the Senate would apply economic pressure on military generals with the aim of ending the ongoing violence inflicted on Rohingya Muslims.
"This sends a very strong message to the Burmese military that we're not going to tolerate business as usual while they reap economic profits at the same time as they are perpetuating ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people," said Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Those against sanctions say Aung San Suu Kyi and her government allies have little control over Myanmar's still powerful military.
A senior State Department official said Wednesday the key to continuing the success of Myanmar's transition is "to allow the economy to develop, to get the peace process going" so it can put some of the conflicts behind and allow the country to move forward.
"The idea of levying broad-based economic sanctions is not something that we think will be very productive either for getting accountability or for the broader set of purposes that the US is trying to achieve in Myanmar," said the official in a telephone briefing.
Plight of Rohingya
Tillerson's statement Wednesday comes a day after a U.S. Senate delegation to Myanmar said the crisis in the Rakhine state "has all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing."
"Many refugees have suffered direct attacks including loved ones, children and husbands being killed in front of them, wives and daughters being raped, burns and other horrific injuries," Senator Jeff Merkley told a press conference at the U.S. embassy in Yangon.
Merkley said the U.S. Congressional delegation has urged Myanmar's government to implement the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led Rakhine Advisory Commission, and to allow the United Nations and NGOs access to the troubled region to provide humanitarian assistance.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce on Wednesday welcomed the administration's declaration that Burma's military actions against the Rohingya are ethnic cleansing.
"In recent months, we've heard horrific stories of young Rohingya mothers torn from their burning homes, drowned children and mass execution," Royce said in a statement. "Now the U.S. should impose sanctions against the Burmese military leaders responsible for this bloodbath."
Separately, Aung San Suu Kyi expressed hope Tuesday for reaching an agreement with Bangladesh on the return of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh in the past three months.
"Nothing can be done overnight, but we believe that we will be able to make steady progress," she said.
In his statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Tillerson said the situation is "difficult and complex" and called for accountability.
"Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable. The United States continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all facts on the ground to aid in these processes of accountability," Tillerson said.
Amnesty International said the secretary's acknowledgment of ethnic cleansing and call for a investigation "sets an example for how the world can respond to this crisis."
"The time for outrage and condemnation has passed," said Joanne Lin, Amnesty's national director of advocacy and government relations on Wednesday. "The international community must impose a comprehensive arms embargo and targeted financial sanctions against senior Myanmar military officials responsible for crimes against humanity."
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Pakistan Court Orders Release of Cleric Wanted by US for Terrorism
By Ayaz Gul November 22, 2017
A court in Pakistan has ordered authorities to release from house arrest an Islamist cleric whom the United States accuses of plotting the 2008 attacks on India's financial capital of Mumbai.
In January, Hafiz Saeed, head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) organization, was placed under house arrest for 90 days in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab. Provincial authorities have since extended Saeed's detention several times.
Saeed's attorneys have been telling the court his detention is unlawful and there is no proof of his involvement in terrorist activities.
The provincial government had asked for another 60-day extension to the cleric's detention, but, during Wednesday's court proceedings, judges turned down the request and ordered that Saeed be freed from his house arrest. The court ruled the government could not produce sufficient evidence to justify his detention.
The religious leader is likely to be released later this week, said his counsel.
US reward
Washington has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest and conviction. The U.S. has also declared JuD a global terrorist organization, condemning it as a front for the outlawed Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group blamed for carrying out the Mumbai carnage that left 166 people dead.
Despite U.S. sanctions on Saeed, the cleric has been living freely in Pakistan and delivering anti-U.S. speeches. His actions have been a major irritant in Pakistan's traditionally uneasy relations with the U.S. and a major source of sustained tensions with India.
New Delhi has linked resumption of normal ties with Islamabad to putting Saeed on trial for planning the Mumbai bloodshed. Pakistani officials maintain India has not shared evidence to substantiate the charges.
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Russia's Federation Council Passes 'Foreign Agents' Media Bill
RFE/RL's Russian Service November 22, 2017
Russia's Federation Council has approved legislation that would empower the government to designate media outlets receiving funding from abroad as "foreign agents" and impose sanctions against them.
The measure passed the upper chamber of the Russian parliament on November 22 in a unanimous 154-0 vote, with one abstention. It will now be sent to President Vladimir Putin for signature.
Federation Council head Valentina Matviyenko said the measure was adopted after lawmakers considered criticism from the presidential human rights council, which said the measure was flawed and urged that it be sent back to the lower house for revision.
The legislation was unanimously passed in all three readings by the State Duma on November 15. Within hours, the Justice Ministry sent warnings to several Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) news services.
The letters did not specify what potential restrictions they could face, but lawmakers have said designated media could be subjected to detailed financial reporting requirements and required to label published material as coming from a foreign agent.
RFE/RL was among several media outlets that Russian officials warned could be labeled a foreign agent, a list that also included the Voice of America (VOA), CNN, and Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.
The international rights organization Amnesty International has said the legislation would deal a "serious blow" to media freedom in Russia, although Russian officials have said it would not apply to domestic media.
Russian officials have called the new legislation a "symmetrical response" to what they describe as U.S. pressure on Russian media. On November 13, the Russian state-funded television channel RT registered in the United States under a decades-old law called the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The U.S. Justice Department required RT to register in the wake of a January finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that RT and Russia's Sputnik news agency spread disinformation as part of a Russian-government effort to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In a November 15 statement, RFE/RL said the "situation regarding Russian media in the U.S. and U.S. media in Russia remains vastly unequal."
"RT and Sputnik distribute freely in the U.S., whereas RFE/RL has lost its broadcast affiliates in Russia due to administrative pressures, and has no access to cable," it said. "RFE/RL reporters are subject to harassment and even physical attack in Russia."
Visiting the Moscow bureau of RFE/RL and VOA on November 17, U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman said that the Russian legislation was a "big concern" for the United States and that "the principles of free media in any free society and democracy are absolutely critical for strength and well-being."
Putin's representative to the Duma said on November 15 that his administration supported the legislation.
With reporting by TASS and Meduza
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-media- law-foreign-agents-rferl-voa-cnn- deutsche-welle/28869382.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Rosneft's Sechin Ignores Third Summons To Appear At Former Minister's Trial
RFE/RL November 22, 2017
Igor Sechin, a powerful ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and CEO of the Rosneft state-owned oil giant, has failed to show up for the third time at a Moscow court to testify in the corruption trial of a former economy minister.
The judge at Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky district court announced on November 22 that Sechin's lawyer, Nikolai Klen, informed the court in writing that his client would not appear because he is currently on a business trip in Siberia.
Judge Larisa Semyonova said the statement added that Sechin believed his "earlier testimony could be read out in court," apparently referring to statements he gave to investigators.
The defense, however, insisted on the right to question Sechin and the court upheld that request, issuing a fourth summons ordering Sechin to appear on November 27.
Rosneft had announced on November 21 that Sechin would miss the hearing because he was escorting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on a tour of Rosneft facilities in Khanty-Mansiisk.
Lawyer Klen also informed the court that his client had a full slate of business trips scheduled until the end of the year.
Sechin has been summoned to testify as a witness in the trial of former Economy Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev, who is charged with extorting a $2 million bribe from Rosneft in 2016.
Ulyukayev has said he would like to testify only after Sechin has been questioned. Defense lawyers on November 22 said, however, that they will proceed with Ulyukayev's testimony if Sechin fails to appear in court for a fourth time.
Prosecutors the same day asked the court not to let the defense stall the proceedings over the issue of Sechin's testimony.
Sechin said on November 16 he was willing to testify "when we can agree on a schedule" and that his job as CEO of the state oil giant was more important than the trial.
Prosecutors say Sechin handed Ulyukayev the $2 million that the then-minister allegedly extorted from him in exchange for a favorable decision on a major acquisition by Rosneft.
Ulyukayev says he is not guilty and accuses Sechin and Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) of tricking him by telling him the case containing the money was full of wine.
Ulyukayev's trial began in August. He is under house arrest.
With reporting by TASS, RIA Novosti, Interfax, and Vedomosti
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rosneft-sechin- ignores-summons-ulyukayev-trial/28869365.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Syria welcomes results of Sochi summit between Iran, Russia, Turkey
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:08PM
Syria has welcomed the closing statement of a trilateral summit of Iran, Russia, and Turkey which called for a political settlement of the conflict in the war-torn country.
"In light of the Syrian Arab Republic's commitment to support any political step that respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria and contributes to sparing the blood of the Syrian people, the Syrian government welcomes the final statement of the tripartite summit held today in Sochi," said a statement released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
The statement was released following a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Following their meeting, the three presidents attended a press conference and issued a joint statement, reaffirming their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.
They also stressed the determination of the three countries to continue working together to help restore peace in Syria and praised their cooperation aimed at safeguarding a ceasefire in Syria that came during the intra-Syrian talks brokered by the three countries in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
The three leaders also agreed to a "congress" of Syria's government and opposition forces to be held in Sochi.
According to the UN, over 330,000 people have lost their lives in Syria since the foreign-back militancy began in the country in 2011. The world body also says the violence has already displaced over half of Syria's 18 million-strong population, both internally and abroad.
In recent months, Syrian government troops, backed by Iranian military advisors and Russian airstrikes, dealt crushing blows to Takfiri terrorists. Over the weekend, the Syrian troops also managed to retake the last urban center from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, days after Iraqi forces also declared that they had recaptured Daesh's last stronghold in the Arab country.
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Syrian Opposition Seeks More Unity Ahead of Peace Talks
By VOA News November 22, 2017
With a new round of U.N.-led peace talks set to begin next week, Syrian opposition figures are meeting Wednesday in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to form a more unified front, while several outside nations with heavy influence on the conflict are holding their own consultations in Russia.
Since the fighting broke out in 2011 the rebels have been a fragmented force opposing President Bashar al-Assad, with multiple attempts at uniting under an umbrella group held back by disagreements among the many factions.
U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said in an opening statement at Wednesday's talks in Riyadh there needs to be a strong, unified opposition delegation at the November 28 negotiations in Geneva.
Multiple rounds of U.N.-brokered talks have failed to stop the war that has left at least 400,000 people dead and 13 million Syrians in need of humanitarian aid.
De Mistura has warned that time is running out to finally find a way to resolve the conflict.
"I have asked for focus and realism because we need to get the parties into real negotiation over items where there is some prospect that they could begin to narrow the gaps," he said in a late October briefing.
The U.N. Security Council has endorsed a multi-step political process that it says must be led by the Syrian people, and should include a new constitution and elections, as well as a nationwide cease-fire.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated their governments' support for that process in a phone call Tuesday.
The White House said Trump and Putin talked for more than an hour and stressed the importance of ending the humanitarian crisis in which millions of Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Trump and Putin said the displaced Syrians should be allowed to return and "the stability of a unified Syria free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens" should be ensured.
Putin hosted Assad for a meeting earlier this week and is holding talks Wednesday in Sochi with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the peace process.
Russia has bolstered Assad's rule with air strikes since late 2015 against groups trying to overthrow his regime, with Iranian fighters also supporting Damascus, and Turkey backing the Syrian opposition.
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Russia, Turkey, Iran Statement Lays Ground for Political Settlement in Syria
Sputnik News
02:50 23.11.2017(updated 02:18 23.11.2017)
The trilateral Russian-Iranian-Turkish statement urged the Syrian government and opposition groups, which are committed to sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, to constructively participate in the National Dialogue Congress.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The statement of the presidents of three ceasefire guarantors on Syria after their meeting in Sochi on Wednesday lays practical ground for the political settlement in Syria and gives a push forward to the Geneva negotiations process, leader of Moscow platform of the Syrian opposition Qadri Jamil told Sputnik.
"I believe this statement is very important, I can compare its importance only with the creation of the Astana platform, which helped the Geneva process from a military perspective. Now there are difficulties in the Geneva process, that is why a political process in Sochi starts helping and giving a fresh impetus to the Geneva process. I believe that this meeting and decision are very important because that means for us that a ground for the practical launch of the political process in Syria has been laid. We have already come to an end of the fight against the IS and terrorism and these results must be supported but they can be supported only with the political process," Jamil said.
He also expressed no concern over some groups' decision not to visit the National Dialogue Congress.
"Given what is happening in Raqqa now I think that the extremist [opposition] groups that have not understood the balance of power will not attend [the meeting in Sochi]. Let them miss the meeting, let them be in isolation. But there are other groups, including those in the armed opposition, that signed the ceasefire agreement and want to take part in the political process. That is why I think that the Sochi process will not be less important than the Astana process, which was positively assessed by three presidents," Jamil added.
The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran have also agreed that they would continue cooperation until the final defeat of the Daesh terrorist organization.
Meantime, some Syrian opposition parties have already chosen their delegates who will take part in the National Dialogue Congress that will be held in the Russian city of Sochi, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The Syrian National Dialogue Congress is being prepared. According to the reports from opposition in Syria, the meeting of Russian and Syrian presidents in Sochi on November 20 was lively discussed. In course of sessions, some oppositional parties have elected delegates to the Syrian National Dialogue Congress," the ministry's center for Syrian reconciliation said in its daily bulletin.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said that with the help of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation 36 people had left the al-Taymadah-Albaltarya temporary facility for displaced persons for the settlement of Qum-Khana in the province of Hama where the civil infrastructure has been partially reconstructed.
"Another 330 people are being prepared to make their way back home from the al-Taymadah-Albaltarya temporary housing area. Over the last 24 hours, 95 people have made their way back home in the provinces of Aleppo (45), Hama (36) and Homs (14)," the statement said.
Within last 24 hours 238 people received medical aid provided by the Russia Defense Ministry with 53 of them having got surgical care.
"The Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides has held a humanitarian action to deliver food supplies (rice, flour, canned meat, sugar) for the citizens of Rasm al-Alam [Aleppo province]," the statement added.
Russia is actively involved in solving the Syrian conflict by engaging in a military operation against terrorist organizations, serving as a mediator in the Astana reconciliation talks and guarantor of the Syrian ceasefire, as well as by providing civilians with humanitarian aid.
Syria has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and terrorist groups. The international community has taken a number of steps aimed at settling the crisis, including through talks in Geneva and Astana.
Sputnik
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President continues to push for defense autonomy amid controversy
ROC Central News Agency
2017/11/22 22:39:04
Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () commented on a controversial warship contract scandal Wednesday, saying that she hoped the military would learn from its mistakes and continue to invest in locally made naval ships in order to promote defense autonomy.
In a video message posted on the Presidential Office's website and her Facebook page, Tsai said that as commander-in-chief, she was asking the Taiwan military to face up to its errors and correct them.
She was referring to the alleged involvement of navy officers in fraud allegations against the financially troubled Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co. (CFS).
Earlier in the day, penalties were handed down by the Ministry of National Defense on 23 military officers, who allegedly failed to report irregularities on a CFS shipbuilding contract.
The Taiwanese military must learn from its mistakes and continue to invest in local shipbuilding so as to achieve the goal of defense autonomy, Tsai said in her video address.
While that might be a difficult goal, it is one that must be attained, therefore, the government will continue its push for Taiwan to build its own naval vessels, Tsai said.
"I believe that with the right direction and determination, the goal of locally built naval ships will be achieved," Tsai said.
CFS is under investigation for allegedly using bogus documents to try to secure a NT$20.5 billion loan from a group of domestic banks.
The Navy has been involved in a controversial payment of NT$2.4 billion to CFS in December, 2016.
(By Yeh Su-ping and Kuan-lin Liu)
Enditem/pc
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Chinese military aircraft spotted again near Taiwan: MND
ROC Central News Agency
2017/11/22 17:33:01
Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Several Chinese military aircraft were seen flying near Taiwan on Wednesday, passing through the Bashi Channel south of the island, as part of a far-sea training mission in the Western Pacific, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has confirmed.
The flights by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force were the latest in a series of Chinese military activities being carried out close to Taiwan since Nov. 18, when a Chinese military aircraft flew east of the island.
The group of aircraft involved in the training mission Wednesday included bombers, and renaissance and refueling planes, which moved along a route that is feasible for Beijing to unleash strikes on Taiwan, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan () said at a legislative hearing.
In response, Taiwan scrambled airborne early warning aircraft and interceptors in its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), Feng said.
According to a statement released by the ministry, there are 10 Chinese aircraft involved in the training mission, including models such as the Xian H-6 bomber, Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, Tu-154MD electronic intelligence aircraft, Ilyushin IL-78 air-to-air refueling tanker aircraft and Su-30 fighter jet.
Feng said it was difficult to predict whether the planes would circle around Taiwan or return to China along their original route.
China's People Liberation Army Air Force has been increasing its far-sea training activities, from four times a year in 2015 to several times a week at present, according to an earlier report on China Central Television (CCTV).
Over the past three weeks, the PLA Air Force has been carrying out training activities several times a week, under which its planes would fly in formation through Japan's Miyako Strait off eastern Taiwan, according to the CCTV report.
The Miyako Strait, which lies between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, is part of Japan's exclusive economic zone but includes a narrow band of international waters and airspace and is close to Taiwan's ADIZ.
(By Liu Lee-jung, Lu Hsin-hui and Evelyn Kao)
Enditem/pc
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Turkey, Russia ink deal for two S-400 air missile defense systems
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 03:19PM
Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli says Turkey and Russia have signed an agreement for the purchase of two S-400 missile defense systems, stressing that the first delivery of the anti-aircraft weapon system to the Turkish military is expected in 2019.
Speaking to the parliament's budget commission in Ankara on Wednesday, Canikli said the tender would be finalized in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Turkish defense minister noted that his country had received bids last Friday for the production of 500 domestically-designed and -manufactured Altay main battle tanks.
The Altay tank project is estimated to be worth some seven billion euros ($8.24 billion).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in September that Ankara had already made its first payment for two S-400 air defense missile systems.
Under the deal, Russia would send two S-400 systems to Turkey within the next year and then help the country domestically produce two more batteries. The deal is said to be worth around $2.5 billion.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Turkish-language Aksam newspaper in early November, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Ankara may cancel its deal with Russia on acquiring the S-400 missile systems and seek a deal with other partners if Moscow is reluctant to share the technology of the advanced weapon system with his Anatolian country.
The S-400, whose full name is the Triumf Mobile Multiple Anti-Aircraft Missile System (AAMS), is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.
Turkey is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkey's border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey's air defense.
Turkey, being a NATO member state with the second-largest army in the military alliance, drew an outpouring of criticism from the US and other members of the bloc for drifting toward Moscow.
"They went crazy because we made the S-400 agreement. What were we supposed to do, wait for you?" said Erdogan on September 13, a day after he inked the deal with the Russians.
Before gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly walked out of a $3.4 billion contract for a similar Chinese system. The withdrawal took place under purported pressure from Washington.
Ankara's ties with its Western allies in NATO have been strained over a range of issues.
The Turkish leader has been critical of Washington for supporting Kurdish groups in Syria that he says are responsible for terror attacks inside Turkey. The Turkish president has also slammed American officials for rejecting his requests to hand over Fethullah Gulen, a powerful opposition figure living in the US.
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Turkey issues arrest warrant for 216 over suspicion of links with failed coup
Iran Press TV
Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:27AM
Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 216 individuals, including former Finance Ministry staff, on suspicion of having links to the 2016 failed coup in the country.
State-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that the authorities have already arrested 17 former finance ministry personnel and that they are after another 65 staff over their alleged links to the coup.
Meanwhile, the Turkish officials launched operations in 40 provinces across the country, targeting "private imams" who are suspected of recruiting members to the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey blames for having engineered the coup d'etat.
On Monday, Turkey issued arrest warrants for a total of 107 teachers and detained 51 of them as part of its massive crackdown on the coup suspects.
Gulen runs an extensive network of international education and religious programs with branches in Turkey and several other countries. The cleric, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has denied any involvement in the coup that left more than 250 people dead.
He has said on several occasions that the post-coup crackdown, in which more than 50,000 people have been jailed and around 150,000 others dismissed from their jobs, was an attempt to consolidate Erdogan's grip on power.
Rights groups and European governments have repeatedly criticized Ankara for the continued crackdown, saying it has mainly targeted dissent. They also censure a simultaneous push by Turkey against the country's Kurdish population.
Erdogan's government maintains that Gulen's network has deeply infiltrated Turkey's judiciary, army, schools and other institutions, saying the purges are the only way to neutralize what he calls the threat posed by coup plotters.
Ankara also dismisses allegations of unjust treatment of the Kurds, saying many of those arrested have had links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and have helped militants carry out attacks against civilians and security forces across the country over the past years.
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Kremlin 'Following' Situation In Ukraine's Russia-Backed Separatist-Controlled Luhansk
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service November 22, 2017
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow is closely following the situation in the parts of Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists following reports that local separatist leader Igor Plotnitsky has fled to Russia.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on November 22, Peskov said that "there is an understanding" in the Kremlin about who may be behind the tensions in what the separatists call the "Luhansk People's Republic" (LNR), but did not elaborate further.
On November 21, armed men in unmarked uniforms took up positions in the center of the provincial capital, Luhansk, in what appeared to be part of a power struggle among the separatists.
Media reports in Russia said on November 22, citing unofficial sources, that Plotnitsky and his family had fled to Russia amid the tension. Moscow controls part of the Ukrainian state border in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian lawmaker Anton Herashchenko told reporters in Kyiv on November 22 that Plotnitsky was in Russia.
However, the separatists' television channel in Luhansk reported on November 22 that Plotnitsky was in Luhansk and showed a video in which Plotnitsky was shown leading a meeting of de facto government members and was heard accusing the de facto former police chief, Igor Kornet, of "attempting to overthrow the government."
However, it is not clear the video was shot in Luhansk.
Earlier reports said that several trucks with armed military personnel arrived in Luhansk during the night of November 21-22.
Aric Toler, a researcher working for the Bellingcat open-source investigations organization, reported that the personnel in the trucks were Russia-backed separatists from the adjacent Ukrainian region of Donetsk, parts of which are also controlled by separatists in a self-proclaimed entity called the "Donetsk People's Republic" (DNR).
Parts of the two regions have been held by Russia-backed separatists since Moscow fomented unrest there following the ouster of Russia-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014. Russia has provided military, economic, and political support to the separatists since a war broke out in the area in April 2014 that has left more than 10,000 people dead.
Moscow denies involvement in the conflict, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. Moscow also says it respects Ukraine's territorial integrity although it annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March 2014 and controls part of Ukraine's border over Kyiv's objections.
Peskov on November 22 refused to comment when asked about the possibility the two separatist entities could merge in the future. "That is an issue for the two republics," he said, using the separatists' term for the areas they control.
Earlier on November 22, the head of Russia's presidential directorate for cooperation with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Mikhail Arutyunov, rejected reports that Moscow supported Kornet in his standoff with Plotnitsky, saying that the situation was the "LNR's internal affair and nobody turned to the Kremlin asking for help."
Media reported on November 22 that LNR police and DNR security forces jointly stormed the separatists' de facto prosecutor's office in Luhansk and arrested the self-proclaimed LNR chief prosecutor, Vitaly Podobry, and de facto "military prosecutor," Sergei Razno.
It was not clear if forces loyal to Plotnitsky or to Kornet were involved in the arrests.
With reporting by Rusvesna.su, UNIAN, Novaya Gazeta, Interfax, TASS, and Meduza
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia- following-situation-separatists -luhansk/28869751.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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What In The World Is Going On In The Russia-Backed Separatist Luhansk 'Republic'?
Christopher Miller November 22, 2017
KYIV -- Residents of separatist-controlled Luhansk awoke on November 21 to an all-too-familiar and distressing scene: masked, heavily armed men on armored vehicles patrolling the streets of the war-wracked eastern Ukrainian city.
It captured the attention of those not only on the ground but in Kyiv and Moscow and beyond. And for good reason: There was something different about it all this time. This was a separatist-against-separatist affair.
So what is going on?
Is It A Coup?
In a nutshell: A power struggle between leaders of the so-called Luhansk "people's republic" is playing out on the city's streets. Some would call it a coup, and it certainly appears to be an attempt at a takeover by Ihor Kornet, the "republic's" top cop, who was dismissed on November 20 by his nemesis, Ihor Plotnitsky, the "republic's" official leader. Both men are native Ukrainians.
The beef between Plotnitsky and Kornet goes way back. Part of it stems from Plotnitsky's seizure of a large home from Kornet that he had taken for himself in 2014.
The former is said to be the Kremlin's choice for leader, while the latter is believed to be the favorite of Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB.
Kornet's revolt began on November 21 when men in green believed to be loyal to him seized control of Luhansk's key administrative buildings, patrolled the city center, and reportedly forced Plotnitsky to flee across the border to Russia.
Accounts of Plotnitsky's whereabouts, however, vary. While Ukrainian Interior Ministry spokesman Artem Shevchenko claimed that Plotnitsky had, indeed, escaped to Russia, the separatists' television channel in Luhansk reported on November 22 that Plotnitsky remained in the city. The channel published a video showing Plotnitsky holding a meeting with other de facto authority figures in which he accuses Kornet of "attempting to overthrow the government." It is not clear whether the video was shot in Luhansk.
Some of the drama was captured on camera by the "state-run" news network in Luhansk, GTRK LNR, and it does support claims of a coup:
RFE/RL also managed to obtain footage from Luhansk:
In both videos, gunmen are seen standing guard in the Luhansk city center, which appears to be blocked off by armored vehicles. The scene looks remarkably similar to Russia's takeover of the Crimean Peninsula, right down to the "little green men."
As the operation developed, local television and radio stations were shut down, leading to somewhat of an information black hole for the region's residents. But social media filled some of the void. Local users, including military personnel, tweeted developments, shared short reports on their Telegram channels, or posted information to pages on the Russian network VK.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) for the Ukraine conflict said it had observed a convoy of military vehicles and masked, armed men in central Luhansk. It shared photos on Twitter showing dozens of them massing in Luhansk:
Adding a new level of intrigue, a video surfaced that appeared to show a large, snaking convoy of military vehicles heading eastward from Donetsk, another separatist-held city, toward Luhansk. Open-source investigator Aric Toler geolocated the video to a highway in Luhansk.
It seemed like an invasion of Luhansk by its fellow Russia-backed separatist neighbor was under way. Or were they sent in as reinforcements?
The answer appeared to come on November 22, with militants loyal to Kornet, alongside special forces from neighboring Donetsk, storming the Luhansk prosecutor's office and arresting the Luhansk "prosecutor-general" and "military prosecutor," both of whom are loyal to Plotnitsky, reported the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
A video shared on Facebook by the pro-separatist NewsFront agency showed several gunmen with sights trained on the building as civilians exited and were guided down the street.
What Is The Kremlin's Stance?
A report on November 23 by Russia's RBC news agency cited a source close to Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's hand-picked handler for the Ukrainian separatists, as saying Moscow had sided with Kornet in the spat. However, the source said that Plotnitsky would likely be given a "last chance" and allowed to remain as a figurehead.
Plotnitsky is a signatory to the Minsk peace agreements of February 2015 that are meant to be a road map to ending the conflict. That is likely why, despite being the cause of numerous internal conflicts, the Kremlin has not yet removed him from power, Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Russian Foundation for Progressive Politics, told Russia's RBC news agency.
Officially, the Kremlin hasn't taken a stance, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 23 that Moscow is closely following the situation in Luhansk. In a cryptic response to a reporter's question, Peskov said "there is an understanding" in the Kremlin about who may be behind the tensions, but he did not elaborate further.
Russia has repeatedly denied wielding control over and supporting the two separatist "republics" of eastern Ukraine with manpower, money, and weapons, contrary to overwhelming evidence it does so.
What Does Kyiv Make Of This?
The uncertain and military nature of the events unfolding in Luhansk was enough for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to call an extraordinary meeting with his top brass in Kyiv on November 21.
They informed him of an illegal crossing of the Ukrainian border in the far-eastern Krasnodon district of the Luhansk region by Russian tanks, as well as the increasing frequency of provocations by militants, according to a statement published on the presidential website. That information has not been independently verified, though similar information has appeared in unverified local reports.
"Given the increasing number of Russian servicemen and intensification of the mercenaries' activities, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready for any developments to guarantee the security of civilians," Poroshenko said at the meeting.
On November 22, as tensions escalated in Luhansk, the Ukrainian armed forces were put on high alert, said Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
"Due to the military activity of the invadersour units are in a state of constant combat readiness," Lysenko said.
According to one report that cited a Ukrainian military volunteer, government forces took advantage of the separatists' spat to retake "a few square kilometers" of territory and "several villages" near the separatist-held city of Debaltseve.
How Do We Know For Sure What Is Really Happening?
The truth is, it's hard to know exactly what is unfolding in Luhansk. The eastern Ukrainian city has been under the control of Russia-backed separatists since spring 2014. Very few outsiders and journalists have been allowed access since autumn 2015. No independent, objective media exists within the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk areas. And while Russian reporters are granted access more frequently, they often come from Russia's state-run or pro-Kremlin media and provide a limited -- if not completely propagandized -- view of things.
However, reports from trustworthy media have suggested for some time that the Kremlin was tiring of Plotnitsky. On his watch, the Luhansk "people's republic" has been a lawless (even for an unrecognized breakaway territory) and often times brutal place, where assassinating misbehaving warlords seemed to be the rule, not the exception.
The outcome of the power struggle remained unclear late on November 22, and it may be impossible to predict what the night will bring.
The uncertainty has even pro-Russia separatist commanders concerned.
"What's happening in Luhansk could lead to unexpected consequences," Aleksandr Khodakovsky, an outspoken commander in Donetsk who's picked his fair share of fights for power within that "republic," wrote on Facebook.
In the end, reasoned Alexander Clarkson, a lecturer for European Studies at King's College London and a close observer of the Ukraine conflict, "whoever comes out on top will be integrated into any current or future negotiation process that will be steered by Moscow anyway."
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine- luhansk-armed-masked-men-what-is-going-on -kornet-plotnitsky/28870308.html
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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According to market research firm Counterpoint, Apple is the top smartphone player in the UK. The stats shared by the firm reveal the Cupertino based company had a market share of 34.4% in the country in Q3.
Samsung followed closely with a 34% slice, while Chinese manufacturer Huawei came in third with 13% of the market. Alcatel and Motorola rounded up the top five with 4% and 3% shares, respectively.
"Like we see in the US market, Apple & Samsung together control more than two thirds of the UK smartphone market in sales volumes and more than 80% in sales value," the report says.
As for best selling smartphones, the Apple iPhone 7 topped the charts with 15% of the sales. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ followed with 9% and 6% share, respectively.
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These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Samsung intends to showcase the upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ for the first time at CES in January, according to a new rumor allegedly originating from "someone briefed on the company's plans". It's unclear how much information about the devices will be shared on that occasion, however, since Samsung apparently still plans to hold an official unveiling event in March.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have the exact same screen sizes as their predecessors, and very similar looks. 2018 will be an iterative year for the Korean company's flagships, so you shouldn't expect a new revolutionary design. There is going to be a strategy change, though, since unlike what it did with the S8 and S8+ Samsung plans to differentiate more of the S9 and S9+'s specs.
The bigger model is said to sport a dual rear camera setup (unlike the S9) and more RAM than its smaller sibling. Whereas the S9 will come with 4GB of memory like the S8, the S9+ will have 6GB like the Note8. Samsung is thus emulating Apple's decision to endow the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus with dual main cameras and more RAM, and not bring either feature to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8.
Samsung Galaxy S8
The area that will house the rear camera on the S9 (and dual cameras on the S9+) and the fingerprint sensor will be arranged vertically this time around, with the scanner on the bottom, so it definitely looks like Samsung's been listening to user feedback regarding the odd placement of the biometric sensor in this year's models. And in another first, the S9 family will come with AKG-branded stereo speakers.
As logic dictates, Samsung will be using the model number SM-G960 for the S9 and SM-G965 for the S9+ (the S8 was G950 and the S8+ G955). The new handsets will boast 10nm chipsets, which we assume are going to be either Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 or a new Exynos part, depending on market. Internal storage will stay at 64GB for both upcoming flagships, with expansion via microSD. Oh, and the 3.5mm headset jack isn't going anywhere.
Finally, Samsung will be launching a new DeX docking station too, alongside the S9 and S9+. This will be backwards compatible with the company's 2017 flagships, and will allow the phones to lay flat and turn their screens into a touchpad or a virtual keyboard when attached to an external display.
Source
Season of Giving: Retiring later, boomers are getting around to donating
For causes they are passionate about, baby boomers in Henderson County are generous not only with their time but also with their money, to the extent their pocketbook allows.
Boomers thats what carried us, said Jeff Miller, remembering back to 2006 when he founded Blue Ridge Honor Flight. The flights to Washington, D.C. honored the Greatest Generation veterans of World War II but it was their boomer-aged children and friends who donated the money to make it happen.
Either they have a passion for helping veterans, Miller said, or they are military veterans themselves. They very often merge. Its a commitment to honor those that did serve in the military.
Most of the money raised for the first flight came from individuals and families in the baby boomer generation. Lots of checks and cash in small amounts, Miller said. We raised $133,000 in the first six weeks of forming Honor Flight none of it was corporate money. You can sponsor a vet for $300.
Boomers have always been a very generous generation, Miller said. They always figure out a way to give a little bit.
Between the years 1946 and 1964, 76 million babies were born, creating the population surge that has had a major impact on society, the economy and culture. In Henderson County, more than 40 percent of the population is boomer age. And while the leading edge of boomers has turned 71 and have passed what is considered the common retirement age in the United States 67 many are still working, part-time if not fulltime.
In a presentation to the Association of Fundraising Professionals of WNC this fall, First Citizens Wealth Management noted that in 2005, there were more than 80 million boomers in the workforce. If they had plans to retire by 65, those plans changed in 2007 with the Great Recession.
In 2011, an Associated Press survey showed that more than 60 percent of boomers lost value in investments because of the economic crisis, 42 percent had decided to delay retirement and 25 percent thought they would never retire.
They have a very different income stream than our parents, said Kimerly Hinkelman, executive director of the Pardee Hospital Foundation. Boomers are more cautious. There is uncertainty with Social Security and Medicare. There are no givens. How to outlive their expenses is their biggest worry. Boomers moved around a lot in jobs and there are no pensions. The financial resources that they have to give charitably are quite different. They are not in a position at age 65 or 55 to be making large charitable donations.
But that doesnt mean boomers are stingy.
Our donors are baby boomer and older, said Lutrelle OCain, executive director of the Blue Ridge Humane Society. Its across the board in donations. They are very consistent donors. (Some) have been giving $20 a month for years. And then there are large one-time gifts that come out of the blue.
I am consistently amazed at the generosity of people their extreme generosity, not the size of the gift, OCain said. We get the sweetest, most caring notes from people. Lots of times the gifts are anonymous Every single penny adds up. This is a very generous community, from the corporate side, too.
She said greatest number of donations comes in to the Humane Society in the last two months of the year, which has helped the agency meet its budget every year. This years budget is $1.160 million, she said. She also noted the effect of a better economy more adoptions. This year the Humane Society has had 1,200 successful adoptions 100 more than in 2016, she said.
Cultivating relationships with donors is crucial, nonprofit leaders know, and they develop those relationships through special events, volunteer opportunities and delivering on their mission.
Alice and Bob Betts began donating to the Park Ridge Health Foundation several years ago because of their personal experience with the hospital.
Park Ridge Hospital is a special place, Alice said. They were so, so kind to family members who were patients. Park Ridge has always been there when we needed them. Its deeply religious beliefs and practices are not what you find in many hospitals.
Park Ridge is one of 45 hospitals in the Adventist Health System, one of the largest, not-for-profit Protestant health care systems in the country.
The donations that she and Bob have made to the hospitals foundation reflect their appreciation of the hospitals caring medical staff and its focus on all her familys needs.
Park Ridge Hospital is an exceptional hospital for this community, she said.
United Way of Henderson County finds that many of the younger boomers are still working and still choose to give to United Way through payroll deduction if their workplace offers that opportunity, said Denise Cumbee Long, executive director.
Retired boomers tend to make one-time gifts on an annual basis, and some contribute stock or solicit matching funds from their former companies. We focus on retaining our boomer donors after they retire and keeping them engaged as contributors and volunteers.
Many boomers are not only generous but also want to know their contributions are being used wisely and well, so they appreciate our model of careful vetting of the programs and partner agencies that receive United Way support, she said. Some also tell us they like the option to designate to community causes that are particularly close to their hearts. We find boomers to be thoughtful and strategic about their philanthropy.
Many of our leadership donors ($1,000 or more annually) fit in the Baby boomer and the older retiree generations. Our leadership donors contribute over $522,000 each year to United Way and their donations make up about one-third of our total campaign revenue, Long said.
In 2016, United Way raised $1.46 million that it distributed into the community, including funding grants to 39 community service programs.
How to honor donors is a challenge for nonprofits.
Recognition? They dont necessarily want that, said Sherri Holbert, director of the Park Ridge Health Foundation. Its just about generosity and giving. They dont want us to spend a ton on recognition. But we want to be good stewards and we feel that they must be thanked for their generosity.
They want to know how they can make an impact, she said. They want to feel valued and good. They want to feel like they make a difference.
Season of Giving: Yes, boomers are volunteers
Jan Witte volunteered at U.S. Postal Service canned food drive.
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Heres what Henderson Countys nonprofit leaders say about volunteers from the Baby Boom generation: They are loyal, passionate and hardworking and they want to do volunteering their way.
They are incredibly busy, said Kimerly Hinkelman, executive director of the Pardee Hospital Foundation. To volunteer, it has to be something very defined and something that makes a difference. They are into teamwork, group activities.
The Pardee Hospital Foundation thinks strategically about how to engage its 100 volunteers, which includes the board of directors and everyone involved in its fundraising events. We offer specific time-limited activities, Hinkelman said. Volunteers might be appointed to serve on a committee to organize an event, but their commitment is over after that, she said.
Hinkelman, like many nonprofit leaders in the county, is herself a Baby boomer. Im in the middle of the boomers, she said. She grew up in Ohio and moved to Hendersonville from Philadelphia. Like many boomer women, she has built a career, married, raised a family and is still working fulltime at age 63.
In fact, about 40 percent the countys population is made up of boomers, born during the post-World War II baby boom from 1946 to 1964. The early boomers hit retirement age about six years ago. Some did retire, some continue to work because they need to or because they want to. The Great Recession of 2007 reduced many boomers retirement investments, changing their dreams of a life of leisure and travel. While the economy has improved over the last 10 years, some boomers remain financially pinched or they just want to keep working.
Hinkelman recalled a recent meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals WNC, at which one of the speakers talked about generational differences in philanthropy, focusing on the boomers ages 53 to 71.
They are still working, they have might have adult children, they are beginning to have grandchildren. They might still have kids in college. They might still be paying off college for their children. They have very busy lives. They are trying to do a lot of things.
For that reason, recruiting volunteers and staying connected with current ones means personal connections, Hinkelman said. It is critical to understand these (connections) and leverage word of mouth. Its all about personal relationships.
While their children and grandchildren are growing up with computers and instant-messaging and Internet connections, You have to reach out to boomers through a variety of means because they are the generation that bridges the paper and Internet age, she said. They embraced it and transitioned to technology in their work life. And its Facebook, not Twitter, for the boomer audience that the foundation wants to reach, she said.
An invaluable source of volunteers
The United Way of Henderson County finds boomers to be critical to our work, both as volunteers and donors, said executive director Denise Cumbee Long. We see them highly involved in supporting United Way initiatives. We feel lucky that Henderson County has many residents in this age demographic.
Boomers are an invaluable source of volunteers for United Way, she said. Last year, United Way mobilized over 1,500 volunteers to provide approximately 8,000 hours or over $188,000 worth of volunteer hour value to improve our community. Many of these volunteers were boomers. Some use our online Volunteer Matching Program to find volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits that fit their interests and schedules. We have heard several stories about recent retirees who moved to our area, discovered the online matching program and found truly satisfying volunteer opportunities where they could lend their considerable skills and expertise. Our local nonprofits tell us they love their boomer volunteers!
We also see boomers highly involved in hands-on projects at our Days of Caring or Action. They also serve on our volunteer funding panels and our board. Female boomers have become quite engaged with Women United, our new initiative for women leadership donors who want to connect their philanthropy with volunteerism. Members of Women United make up all age demographics, but boomers ae highly represented. They contribute to United Way at a leadership level and enjoy volunteering with an after-school program for at risk fifth grade girls.
Finally, we have also been intrigued by the trend of older participants signing up for our Rising Leaders program. We initially thought that Rising Leaders would mostly appeal to younger professionals who wanted to learn leadership skills and receiving training for future roles on nonprofit boards. We have found, however, that this program also appeals to recent retirees who want to get more connected to our countys nonprofit community.
Our biggest challenge with our boomers is that they are so busy, even in retirement, Long said. These are active, engaged people who are giving their time and resources to many causes that they care about deeply. We feel lucky when we are one of their choices, Long said.
Boomers do the heavy lifting
Jeff Miller, who founded Blue Ridge Honor Flight in 2006 to honor military veterans by providing them a chance to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C., said boomers are a huge part of the success of the organization. Baby boomers are on our board. Boomers do the heavy lifting.
At least 60 volunteers fly with 100 veterans on each of the two Honor Flights that leave from Asheville Regional Airport each year. The trips are up and back in a day, he said, not immensely time consuming but immensely gratifying. Everyone is welcome to participate in making the day memorable for a veteran of a military conflict, now mainly Vietnam and Korean war vets. Be a guardian (on a flight), welcome them home (at the airport) or provide help before the flight. Help with a fundraiser or in general volunteer work.
When vets tell you its the greatest day of their entire lives, you know youve done something right. I truly believe its a flawless mission that we do, Miller said.
Boomers are pretty major for the Blue Ridge Humane Society, said Lutrelle OCain, executive director. They are very valued as volunteers at the shelter and the thrift store and in fundraisers and special events. They bring a variety of talents and life experience to the table. At last count in August, the Humane Society had 365 volunteers one for every day of the year, OCain said many of them boomers who are retired and want to stay active. Many are seasonal volunteers, and we really miss them when they are gone. They help in the shelter and the thrift store. We rely on volunteers every day of the week and on holidays.
They feel satisfaction in being involved. They feel needed and appreciated to see the results of their work, when a shelter dog gets adopted, for example.
Many of them come in to spend time with the animals. Many dont have pets any more so they get their pet fix at the shelter. They get a lot of pleasure from that.
Matching interests and tasks
At Pardee Hospital, boomers are among the volunteers who help in departments throughout the hospital, said Karla Reese, director of volunteer services. The hospital counts on its 200 volunteers to help keep things running smoothly.
Some volunteers have three or four different jobs, she said. In the application process, volunteers are asked about their backgrounds and interests so they can get matched appropriately to positions available. Some people have volunteered for years, accumulating hundreds of hours of volunteer time one volunteer was honored for her 17,000 hours of service, Reese said.
Retired teachers tend to find their way to the Blue Ridge Literacy Council, said Autumn Weil, executive director. We have about 150 volunteers a year, with 80 percent remaining year over year, she said. The majority of our volunteers are Baby boomers. We reach them through direct marketing, flyers in places of worship, word of mouth. Primarily they seek us out because of their love for literacy. They generally are retired educators. They are at a place in their lives where they can volunteer it takes a commitment of five hours per week. They seek us out.
'Have a passion for the mission'
The Literacy Council provides tutoringfor adults in one-on-one or small group settings. We have 218 adults and 194 are matched with tutors, individuals or small groups that meet once or twice per week. We find that younger boomers are still working fulltime or part-time because they need to or because they want to. Group sessions are now the rule rather than the exception because of volunteer scheduling and preferences.
No matter where you volunteer, Weil said, have a passion for the mission. It will make a difference. I appreciate the loyalty of our Baby boomer volunteers.
Some nonprofit leaders plant the seed of volunteerism early by reaching out to school-aged children and young adults. Carolyn Justus, board chair of the Heritage Museum, is one of them. She hosts Tarheel Junior Historians once a month at the Historic Courthouse. These are third to eighth graders, homeschooled mostly. They come with their parents You have to plant seed with younger generations to get them interested in history and getting involved. Most of the current 30 volunteers are 70 or older, she said. She is seeking boomer-aged volunteers to continue the museums mission.
The Henderson County Sheriffs Office Volunteers in Partnership (VIP) program has 76 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 90. VIP volunteers are members of the Sheriffs Office but are not sworn officers. They assist in 13 areas including traffic control, security at the Historic Courthouse and the Judicial Courthouse, funeral escorts and civil fingerprinting.
Last year we had 25,000 hours in volunteer time which is worth about half-a-million dollars for Henderson County, said Dale Coerver, director of the program. Coerver retired in 2010 after a career as a corporate executive and a small business owner. I needed something to do and I was impressed with the Sheriffs Office, so I volunteered. In 2011 he became director.
We constantly need new people to volunteer, he said. Turnover every year means he is always recruiting. The bulk (of volunteers) are not boomers, he said. Some are still working fulltime.
Park Ridge Health Foundation recruits volunteers by encouraging current volunteers to bring friends. We just developed a new brochure about volunteer opportunities, said Sherri Holbert, foundation director. We had a special meeting in November at the Flat Rock Playhouse for a performance of Pinkalicious, which runs through Nov. 19. Park Ridge Health is executive producer of the musical. We used it to invite volunteers to come and enjoy the show and as a recruiting idea for new volunteers. We said, Come and hear the Park Ridge story and connect with the team.
Members of the Gardai beside the scene of a shooting at the Sunset House Pub in Ballybough, Dublin
Two men wearing Freddy Krueger masks entered the Sunset House pub in Dublin before its manager was shot dead, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Eamonn Cumberton (30), of Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7, has pleaded not guilty to murdering 35-year old Michael Barr in the north inner city pub on April 25 last year.
It is the prosecution's case that Mr Cumberton is "inextricably linked" to items recovered from a partially burnt-out car near the scene and that the items themselves are "inextricably linked" to the shooting.
The State says Mr Barr was hit seven times, suffering five shots to the head and one each to the shoulder and neck.
Humour
The court heard evidence yesterday from a number of people who were in the Sunset House on the night of the shooting.
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Theresa Smyth told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, that there was a raffle on and Mr Barr was there.
"It was his night off, so he was in good humour," Ms Smyth said.
She told the court that she was "messing at the bar" with Mr Barr and that he was "after saying he might be going on his holidays" when she saw two men come in wearing masks.
"I thought they were kissograms," Ms Smyth said. "I thought it was a joke. I said, 'There's two kissograms for you'."
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She said they were wearing "Freddy Krueger" or "Halloween" masks.
The court was told that Ms Smyth heard someone say "get down" and that everybody got down.
"We didn't know what was going on," she said.
Ms Smyth told the court that when she looked at Mr Barr she saw "blood everywhere" and that he was "ready to fall".
"I realised there was a shooting," she said. "The glass was all over me. We were all shouting, in shock."
The men wearing the masks were gone "in seconds", the court heard.
Ms Smyth told the court that she saw Mr Barr "on the ground, all the blood coming from his head".
"I crawled over and blessed him," she said.
James Dunne told the court that he was organising the raffle that night in the pub. He was there with his daughter, the court heard.
Weapon
Mr Dunne said two men dressed in black came into the bar, with one of them running past him while the other held the door.
"The one that passed me had a weapon," he said, adding that he thought it was a Glock handgun.
"The first thing I did was grab my daughter and run."
The court then heard evidence relating to the alleged getaway car.
James Fogarty said that on the night of the shooting he was on Walsh Road in Drumcondra when a car came to a "screeching" and "sudden" stop on the footpath.
The court heard that there were two people in the front of the vehicle and one in the back.
"I started panicking because there were flames in the pass-enger side of the car," Mr Fogarty said.
The court heard that he then saw the people running from the car.
Mr Fogarty told Mr McGinn that the driver was "stocky" with "not really much hair" and of "average build".
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge James Faughnan.
CCTV footage has been obtained of a male worker entering the prison accommodation of 'Scissor Sister' murderer Charlotte Mulhall.
The video is being examined as part of a major disciplinary investigation into claims of sexual misconduct by the worker at the Dochas Centre women's prison, which is part of Mountjoy Jail.
It has emerged that a fem-ale member of prison staff was in the cell with Tallaght woman Mulhall for 10 minutes before the worker was found "concealed" in the en-suite bathroom.
It is understood that prison authorities have launched a major investigation into the incident, but it is unclear whether the worker has been suspended.
Sources said he is likely to face "major disciplinary sanctions", possibly dismissal, if it is proved he had a sexual relationship with the murderer.
Mulhall (33) is fully co-operating with the investigation and has not been disciplined or moved out of the medium- security prison.
Gruesome
The matter is not yet the subject of any garda investigation.
Mulhall and her older sister, Linda, were dubbed the Scissor Sisters after their involvement in one of the most gruesome killings in the history of the State.
In October 2006, Mulhall was handed a mandatory life sentence for hacking to death her mother's boyfriend, Farah Swaleh Noor, in March 2005.
Noor, a 38-year-old Kenyan, was decapitated and his dismembered body stuffed into a suitcase which was then dumped into Dublin's Royal Canal.
Linda Mulhall received a sentence of 15 years for her part in his brutal death. Kathleen Mulhall, was given a five-year sentence for cleaning up the murder scene.
She served her sentence in Mountjoy with her daughters before leaving Ireland for Britain.
Linda Mulhall is due to be released in January.
However, her older sister, who was only 21 and pregnant when she murdered Noor, faces many more years behind bars
Ironically, Linda Mulhall has also been suspected of having sexual relationships with jail staff.
However, it is her trouble- some sister who has had most scrapes with prison authorities during her time inside.
In February 2014, she was disciplined after being caught with alcohol in her cell.
A few days later, she had a fight in a corridor with a fellow prisoner.
As a result, Mulhall was served with two disciplinary actions, which resulted in the loss of prison privileges.
In 2008, she was at the centre of controversy when it emerged she was given daily access to kitchen knives.
The Herald's exclusive photo showed the deranged killer holding a 10-inch knife to a male prisoner's throat.
In May 2015, she was locked away from other prisoners after a series of violent incidents.
Four Dublin students have appeared before an Oireachtas committee, seeking a 30-minute extension to the new-style Junior Cycle English exam.
A change from tradition saw the time to complete the paper cut to two hours as part of the wider Junior Cycle reforms that now see students doing two school-based assessments as well.
But the pupils from Loreto College, St Stephen's Green, argued that the final exam was "like a competition to see how fast you can write instead of an actual test of your knowledge and ability".
They appeared before the Oireachtas Petitions Committee, set up in 2016 to investigate and identify improvements in the delivery of public services to citizens. Committee chair, Deputy Sean Sherlock, described it as a very significant day as the students, Tara O'Sullivan, Adrianne Ward, Ellen McKimm and Faye Dolan, were the first petitioners invited to appear before the committee.
Analysis
Ms O'Sullivan said: "Those who managed to finish the paper didn't have any time to read over it."
She said one of the key elements of the new Junior Cycle was "to carefully plan, draft and redraft everything we write and the new English exam directly contradicts this philosophy".
She said they organised the petition, which to date has gather more than 12,000 signatures, after seeing the sample papers issued by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) and later the "mocks", which are prepared by commercial providers.
Mr Sherlock said they had already had discussions with the Department of Education and the SEC about the matter. He said they also wanted to speak to the Irish Second Level Students Union (ISSU).
After receiving the petition in March, the SEC said it reassured candidates that the exam would be suitable for completion within the two hours set down and that "this was indeed the case".
The commission said that reports from teachers and candidates on the exam "show they executed without any issues arising and difficulties were not experienced by the vast majority in respect of completion time".
Mark Feehily has said that a Westlife reunion is definitely on the cards - as the four lads will be meeting next month for Christmas drinks.
Rumours have abounded recently the chart-topping foursome could be heading for a reunion, more than five years after their last show in Croke Park.
But while Mark said that it's still too early for them to think about reuniting, he hopes to get them all together for a proper catch-up. The band sold more than 45 million albums worldwide before their split
"It's funny. We haven't all been in the same room together for quite a while now. It's not that we don't want to be in the same room together, it's not that at all," he said.
"So I think I'll plan some Christmas drinks and get us all back in the same room together. I think the first thing that I want to do is meet up for a few drinks and have a bit of food and a chat."
Asked about the reunion rumours, Mark - who was interviewed by Nicky Byrne yesterday for his album launch - said that it was too soon. "It's been five years, but it doesn't feel that long. I haven't even released my second album yet.
"I've got lots of stuff planned and things I want to do and equally, the other lads have lots of stuff they want to do.
Truth
"It's weird because it's not like it's a case of, 'no, not a chance, that's not happening'," he said.
"But the truth is, it's not something that's going to happen soon."
He's now gearing up for his second solo album, entitled Christmas, which will be released on December 1.
He has also been chosen by American superstar Mariah Carey to join her on her Christmas tour of the UK, with a date in Manchester before a performance in the O2 Arena in London on December 11.
He'll also be performing here at the Sugar Club on December 19 as he gets fans in the festive spirit of things.
"It's been fantastic being back in the studio to cover wonderful songs and make them my own. I'm looking forward to giving something back to fans. This is what the album is all about," he said.
How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ...
Kausar Parveen struggles through tears as she remembers the blood-soaked pants of her 9-year-old son, raped by a religious cleric. Each time she begins to speak, she stops, swallows hard, wipes her tears and begins again.
The boy had studied for a year at a nearby Islamic school in the town of Kehrore Pakka. In the blistering heat of late April, in the grimy two-room Islamic madrassa, he awoke one night to find his teacher lying beside him.
I didnt move. I was afraid, he says.
The cleric lifted the boys long tunic-style shirt over his head, and then pulled down his baggy pants.
I was crying. He was hurting me. He shoved my shirt in my mouth, the boy says, using his scarf to show how the cleric tried to stifle his cries. He looks over at his mother.
Did he touch you?' He nods. Did he hurt you when he touched you? Yes, he whispers.
Did he rape you? He buries his face in his scarf and nods yes.
Parveen reaches over and grabs her son, pulling him toward her, cradling his head in her lap.
Infested With Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is a pervasive and longstanding problem at madrassas in Pakistan, an AP investigation has found, from the sunbaked mud villages deep in its rural areas to the heart of its teeming cities. But in a culture where clerics are powerful and sexual abuse is a taboo subject, it is seldom discussed or even acknowledged in public.
It is even more seldom prosecuted. Police are often paid off not to pursue justice against clerics, victims families say. And cases rarely make it past the courts, because Pakistans legal system allows the victims family to forgive the offender and accept what is often referred to as blood money.
The AP found hundreds of cases of sexual abuse by clerics reported in the past decade, and officials suspect there are many more within a far-reaching system that teaches at least 2 million children in Pakistan. The investigation was based on police documents and dozens of interviews with victims, relatives, former and current ministers, aid groups and religious officials.
The fear of clerics and the militant religious organizations that sometimes support them came through clearly. One senior official in a ministry tasked with registering these cases says many madrassas are infested with sexual abuse. The official asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution; he has been a target of suicide attacks because of his hard position against militant groups.
He compares the situation to the abuse of children by priests in the Catholic Church.
There are thousands of incidences of sexual abuse in the madrassas, he says. This thing is very common, that this is happening.
Pakistans clerics close ranks when the madrassa system is too closely scrutinized, he says. Among the weapons they use to frighten their critics is a controversial blasphemy law that carries a death penalty in the case of a conviction.
This is not a small thing here in Pakistan I am scared of them and what they can do, the official says. I am not sure what it will take to expose the extent of it. Its very dangerous to even try.
His assessment was echoed by another senior official, a former minister who says sexual abuse in madrassas happens all the time. He also doesnt want his name used because he too has survived suicide bombings due to his stance on militants.
Thats a very dangerous topic, he says.
A tally of cases reported in newspapers over the past 10 years of sexual abuse by maulvis or clerics and other religious officials came to 359. That represents barely the tip of the iceberg, says Munizae Bano, executive director of Sahil, the organization that scours the newspapers and works against sexual abuse of minors.
In 2004, a Pakistani official disclosed more than 500 complaints of sexual assaults against young boys in madrassas. He has since refused to talk, and there have been no significant arrests or prosecutions.
Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf dismisses the suggestion that sexual abuse is widespread, saying such talk is an attempt to malign the religion, seminaries and clerics. He says he was not aware of even the cases reported in the newspapers, but that it could occur occasionally because there are criminals everywhere. Yousaf says the reform and control of madrassas is the job of the interior ministry.
The Interior Ministry, which oversees madrassas, refused repeated written and telephone requests for an interview.
The case of Parveens son was one of at least three within a month in the towns of Kehrore Pakka and Rajanpur in Punjab provinces deep south, according to police reports. Another incident involved the drugging and gang rape of a 12-year-old boy asleep on his madrassa rooftop by former students. And the third was of a 10-year-old boy sodomized by the madrassa principal when he brought him his meal. The cleric threatened to kill the boy if he told.
The AP is not naming the children because they are victims of sexual abuse.
The fear of clerics was evident at the courthouse in Kehrore Pakka, where the former teacher of Parveens son waited his turn to go before a judge. A half dozen members of the radical Sunni militant organization Sipah-e-Sahabah were there to support the teacher.
They scowled and moved closer when an AP reporter sat next to the teacher, who was shackled to a half dozen other prisoners. The whispers grew louder and more insistent.
Its too dangerous here, said one person, looking over at the militants nearby. Leave. Leave the courthouse, they can do anything here.
The teacher had already confessed, according to police, and the police report said he was found with the boy. Yet he swore his innocence in court.
I am married, he said. My wife is pretty, why would I do this to a kid?
How Madrassas Work
There are more than 22,000 registered madrassas or Islamic schools in Pakistan. The students they teach are often among the countrys poorest, who receive food and an education for free.
Many more madrassas small two- or three-room seminaries in villages throughout Pakistan are unregistered, opened by a graduate of another madrassa, often without any education other than a proficiency in the Quran. They operate without scrutiny, ignored by the authorities, say residents living nearby. Parveens son, for example, went to an unregistered madrassa.
Madrassas are funded by wealthy business people, religious political parties and even donors from other countries, such as Saudi Arabia. The teachings of the madrassas are guided by schools of Islamic thought, such as Shiite and Sunni.
However, unlike the Catholic Church, which has a clear hierarchy topped by the Vatican, there is no central religious authority that governs madrassas. There is also no central body that investigates or responds to allegations in religious schools.
Basic responsibility, when something happens, is with the head of the madrassa, says Mufti Mohammed Naeem, the head of the sprawling Jamia Binoria madrassa in the city of Karachi.
There are between 2,000 and 3,000 unregistered madrassas, Naeem says, which makes central oversight even harder. The government has launched a nationwide effort to register madrassas.
The keepers of madrassas are also notoriously reluctant to accept government oversight or embrace reforms, according to I.A. Rehman of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which makes sexual abuse harder to prevent.
This is one of those things, you know, which everybody knows is going on and happening, but evidence is very scarce, he says. He adds that the power of the people who run the madrassas has increased over the years.
As the religious right has grown stronger in Pakistan, clerics who were once dependent on village leaders for handouts, even food, have risen in stature. With this rise, reporting of sexual abuse in madrassas has trickled off, said human rights lawyer Saif-ul Mulk. Mulk has police protection because of death threats from militants outraged by his defense of a Christian woman sentenced to death for insulting Islam.
Everyone is so afraid of the mullahs today, he says.
Police Help The Mullah
The fear that surrounds sexual abuse by clerics means that justice is rare. The payoff from offending mullahs to police means that they often refuse to even register a case, says Azam Hussain, a union councilor in Kehrore Pakka. And the families involved are often poor and powerless.
Poor people are afraid, so they dont say anything, Hussain says. Police help the mullah. Police dont help the poor. Poor people know this, so they dont even go to the police.
This is particularly true in Punjab, Pakistans largest province, where more than 60 percent of its 200 million people live. Even Pakistans own Punjab provincial anti-corruption department in a 2014 report listed the Punjab police as the provinces most corrupt department. Police say they investigate when a complaint is made, but they have no authority to take a case forward when the family accepts money, which often happens.
The family of a boy who says he was repeatedly assaulted sexually by a cleric in a Punjab madrassa talks about their tussle with police.
The boy isnt sure of his age. Maybe 10 or 11, he says. His voice is barely a whisper, his head bent low as he talked. He is surrounded by two dozen villagers and relatives, all men, all angry.
He says the cleric threatened him with death if he told anyone.
I was ashamed and I was scared, he says. He told me if I told anyone, my brother, my family, he would kill all my family and he would kill me.
He says he begged the cleric to leave him alone. Once, the cleric even swore on the Quran that he would stop, but still returned.
In August, when the boy was home, the thought of returning to his madrassa became too much. He pleaded with his older brother not to send him back. But his brother beat him and told him to go back.
The brother, who would only give his first name as Maqsood, looks anguished. I didnt know, he says. Their elderly uncle, who looks near tears, covers his face and tries not to look in the boys direction.
The boy says another student at his seminary was assaulted by the same cleric. But police released the cleric after senior Punjab government officials intervened on his behalf, according to Maqsood.
Demonstrations by villagers forced the clerics re-arrest. Still, Maqsood says, when he went to the police, his honesty was questioned.
The maulvi was sitting in the chair like he was the boss, and I was told to stay standing, he says. We are being pressured to compromise. We are poor people.
Local police deny charges that they favored the cleric or intimidated the family. They say they have consulted a local Islamic scholar about the rape allegations, and that the madrassa has not come to their attention previously for any wrongdoing.
We need witnesses, evidence, says Sajjad Mohammed Khan, Veharis deputy superintendent of police for organized crime.
The top police officer in the district center of Multan, Deputy Inspector General Police Sultan Azam Temuri, also denies that pressure from clerics or powerful politicians prompts police to go easy in such cases. He says cases are investigated when allegations are made. Temuri says his department is trying to tackle child abuse in general with the introduction of gender and child protection services.
The madrassa where Maqsoods brother went, with more than 250 students, has a reputation in the neighborhood for abuse. Two women with their heads covered hurry past, stopping briefly to warn a young Pakistani woman, Dont bring your children to that madrassa. It is very bad what they do to the children there.
A sign for the madrassa is emblazoned with the flag of a Taliban-affiliated group. After persistent knocking, a blind maulvi, Mohammed Nadeem, led by a young student, agrees to speak. He denies that any abuse takes place inside the madrassa.
Blood money
Victims and their families can choose to forgive an assailant because Pakistans legal system is a mix of British Common Law and Islamic Shariah law.
A similar legal provision was changed last year to prevent forgiveness of honor killings, where victims are murdered because they are thought to have brought shame on their families. Honor killings now carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but clerics in sexual abuse cases can still be forgiven.
Sahil, the organization that scours newspapers for cases of sexual assault, offers families legal aid to pursue such cases. Last year, Sahil found 56 cases of sexual assault involving religious clerics. None of the families accepted Sahils offer of legal assistance.
In cases that are pursued, convictions do occasionally happen.
In south Punjab, a cleric was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2016 and sentenced to 12 years in prison and the equivalent of a $1,500 fine. The same cleric had in the past managed to get several families to settle over sexual abuse cases because of his close links to religious extremist groups, said local officials. This time, a local activist group known as Roshan Pakistan, or Bright Pakistan, persuaded the family of the young girl to resist.
Far more often, the family gives in, as in the case of a 9-year-old girl who was raped by the maulvi of the unregistered madrassa she attended, according to a police report.
Her uncle, Mohammed Azam, points across a field to the madrassa, surrounded by a high wall. The girl started working two years ago, at 7, and her only schooling was in the Quran. She spent the rest of the day sitting cross-legged on a mud floor inside a swelteringly hot room sewing the traditional shalwar kameez.
Last July, a cleric forcibly took her shalwar off and started molesting her, according to the police report obtained by the AP. She screamed. Two men heard her screams and stormed into the room, and found the cleric attacking her. Seeing them, the cleric fled, and the men took the bleeding girl home, the report said.
We would hear that these kinds of things happen, children raped in the madrassas, but you never know until it happens to your family, says Azam, her uncle.
Yet the family settled the case out of court. He refused to say how much money they got, but neighbors say it was around $800.
The family took money to not speak about it, says Rana Mohammed Jamal, an elderly neighbor. He says he believes abuses occurred predominantly in the small madrassas that spring up in poor neighborhoods, where it is just the mullah and no one can say who he is, and he can do anything.
Parveen, the mother of the 9-year-old boy who says he was raped by his teacher in Kehrore Pakka, vowed that she would never give in to intimidation. But relatives and neighbors say the family was hounded by religious militants to drop the charges and take money.
In the end, the mother forgave the cleric and accepted $300, according to police.
The cleric was set free.
Source : Daily Pioneer
Adria Hotel Forum is the leading Southeast European hotel investment conference held every year in Zagreb, Croatia and visited by international and regional hotel industry experts. The sixth edition of Adria Hotel Forum (AHF) will be held on February 14th and 15th 2018. in Sheraton hotel in Zagreb on the following theme: OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY
It is related to the geopolitical situation in Europe and the main questions: Are we managing growth or is it "happening" to us? And are we competitive?
On the subject of these two important issues, as well as other topics like: Facing the challenge of human capital shortage, the latest Investors' strategies, Comparison on hotel market in the region, Hospitality trends and what are the global players doing to face them, What are new products which are expanding successfully, we will be discussing in February in Zagreb.
In one place, AHF gathers all the relevant actors including international experts, presidents and members of the boards of the largest regional and global hotel companies, ministers, investors, institutional representatives, financial institutions, consultants, architects, lawyers and other experts. Until now AHF has gathered more than 1500 attendees, 200 panelists, 90 round-table discussion sand presentations, and more than 140 partners.
Panelists are, among others, representatives of the largest international hotel and affiliated companies such as: Accor Hotels, InterContinental Group, Hyatt International, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Colliers International, HVS, Delta Group, GIHE, STR Global and many others.
Organizing committee of Adria Hotel Forum 2018 are Takuya Aoyama, Vice President Acquisitions & Development with Hyatt International; Dirk Bakker, Head of EMEA Hotels at Colliers International; Sanja Cizmar, Senior Partner at Hotel & Destination Consulting; Kristian Sustar, Member of the Board of HUP Zagreb, and Marina Franolic, organizer of Adria Hotel Forum.
Andrea Skerlj
PR and marketing
Adria Hotel Forum
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 12-18 November 2017, according to data from STR.
In comparison with the week of 13-19 November 2016, the industry recorded the following:
Occupancy: +0.8% to 66.1%
Average daily rate (ADR): +1.9% to US$124.65
Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +2.6% to US$82.42
Among the Top 25 Markets, Houston, Texas, reported the largest increase in all three key performance metrics: occupancy (+27.0% to 80.3%), ADR (+11.0% to US$117.82) and RevPAR (+40.9% to US$94.60).
Miami/Hialeah, Florida, posted the second-highest increase in RevPAR (+22.5% to US$155.08), due primarily to the second-largest increase in occupancy (+11.9% to 83.4%)
Two additional markets saw double-digit RevPAR growth: Denver, Colorado (+18.9% to US$109.72), and Anaheim/Santa Ana, California (+11.7% to US$121.96).
Boston, Massachusetts, reported the steepest declines in ADR (-5.8% to US$196.78) and RevPAR (-9.0% to US$155.54).
Los Angeles/Long Beach, California, experienced the largest drop in occupancy (-6.1% to 77.9%) and the second-largest decrease in RevPAR (-8.4% to US$132.44).
About STR
STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.
Nick Minerd
Public Relations Coordinator
+1 (615) 824 8664 ext. 3305
STR
Today First Data (NYSE: FDC), a global leader in commerce-enabling technology, announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement with AccorHotels to enable global and cross channel payments. The AccorHotels Group is a global leader in travel and lifestyle, and a pioneer in digital technology, offering unique experiences in more than 4,200 hotels, resorts and residences, and in more than 10,000 outstanding private residences worldwide.
As part of the deal, First Data will power payments for AccorHotels for in-store, online, and mobile transactions. This includes facilitating transactions for AccorHotels' online booking tool that enables customers to quickly and easily make and pay for reservations online.
"AccorHotels owns some of the most well-recognized hotel brands in the world, and we are delighted to form this long-term relationship with them," said Gert Vido, Head of Corporate Institutional Sales for First Data in the EMEA region. "As we continue to strengthen our presence throughout EMEA, working with premier partners like AccorHotels will accelerate our efforts to enable global commerce for businesses of all sizes across the region."
"As part of our global digital plan, it is crucial to simplify the guest experience process with seamless, safe, cutting-edge mobile commerce solutions that make it easy to find, book and pay for a room anytime, across 95 countries and more than 4,200 properties," explains Matthieu Le Louer, Vice President, Client Payment Systems at AccorHotels.
First Data will also provide a Nexo central acceptance platform for AccorHotels, based on the new Nexo standard protocols. Nexo standards enable fast and borderless payments acceptance by standardizing the exchange of payment acceptance data between merchants, acquirers, and payment service providers in the EMEA region.
With the Nexo host, First Data will enable AccorHotels to manage all their point-of-sale devices and eCommerce transactions from one central location, regardless of which country they are operating in. Globally, the First Data implementation with the Nexo host ensures all customers regardless of where they are booking will have the same streamlined client experience.
Additionally, First Data will provide tokenization services for AccorHotels. First Data's tokenization solutions provide a high level of security to protect cardholder data during a transaction.
The phased introduction of the First Data and AccorHotels partnership starts with properties in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, before continuing into other countries throughout 2018.
First Data serves businesses and financial institutions in dozens of countries across the EMEA region. As a leading global commerce technology company, First Data has operations throughout EMEA and provides next-generation, commerce-enabling solutions to financial institutions, merchants, and governments.
About First Data
First Data (NYSE: FDC) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology, serving approximately six million business locations and 4,000 financial institutions in more than 100 countries around the world. The company"s 24,000 owner-associates are dedicated to helping companies, from start-ups to the world"s largest corporations, conduct commerce every day by securing and processing more than 2,800 transactions per second and $2.2 trillion per year.
Liidia Liuksila
+1 212-515-0174
How do you know you have loyal customers? Is the number of subscriptions to your loyalty program really the indicator? What motivates their loyalty?
Every benefit of loyalty
Hoteliers have strived for and nurtured, not only contemporary but a future connection with guests. No wonder, having a loyal customer base creates a virtuous circle. Foremost, it is proven in numerous studies that the cost of retaining an existing customer is lower than the acquisition of a new. In fact, the cost of acquiring a new customer is about 5-25 times higher. Also, loyal customers buy more and often. In fact, they are willing to spend extra 25 dollarson their favorite brand. Besides, they drive ancillary revenue up by purchasing related products. These satisfied loyal customers will generate positive word-of-mouth, feeding back to less marketing investments.
Millennials are now a large buyer cohort, and we are curious to know what the modern travelers think about loyalty, and how it is different than before. So what does it mean to achieve customer loyalty in 2018?
Anatomy of a traveler's choice
OTAs together with metasearch websites created an unprecedented abundance of choice for travelers. In this era where the accommodation has earned a 'commodity' status, the competition is hyper and finding an alternative to 'one room I saw today' has never been easier. Modern travelers are averaging 3+ loyalty programs each, and they don't blindly decide on a brand because they hold the loyalty card. Have you ever imagined what thoughts the travelers are juggling in their mind?
With the growing influence of on-demand economy, consumers are trained to postpone purchase decisions and they expect an instant gratification after a purchase takes place. Traditional loyalty programs rewarding a complimentary stay after 50 nights just won't cut it. Moreover, growing buyer demographic is fluent in social media settings and less risk-averse. They tend to be more excited for than afraid of new experiences they found online, at a good value. Therefore, I imagine the travelers are weighing these scenarios when they are in their research phase:
Source: Novility
The brand-agnostic travelers are working with a number of alternatives, and it is difficult for hotels to rely on their own loyalty program for repeat business. However, rewards programs still play a more significant role as a loyalty tool for business travelers, for they are often enjoying the benefits of expenses covered by their company. But as the saying goes: easy come, easy go, they will have little reservation if they had to switch brands.
Players shaping the landscape of modern loyalty
Fortunately, some brands realize this and are acting upon it with more creative ways of redeeming points. Hilton Honors (previously HHonors) now allows members to convert points for Amazon.com, claim benefit using a combination of points and cash, and pool points with up to 10 friends and families. Choice Privileges members can redeem points for gift cards on Amazon, Uber and other vendors without an expiration date. Jamie Russo, Vice President of Loyalty for Choice Hotels says "Our members are much more active than they've ever been." As such, we should expect more simplified systems and immediate benefits from loyalty programs.
Looking outside the hotel industry, there are examples where companies leverage the increased purchase volume over the cost of providing benefits and invest in what is seemingly a loss. The biggest online retailer's loyalty program, Amazon Prime asks users for an upfront fee to be entitled to free, two-day shipping. Amazon's estimated loss is $1-2 billion per year in supporting these benefits. Nevertheless, the company makes up for it in increased transaction frequency. Diving into the second example, our favorite disruptor of accommodation sector Airbnb's referral program rewards travel credits (free money!) to the users when they successfully refer other people, only after new users made a purchase, saving money on unprofitable referrals. Touching upon a non-user base, referral programs can also accelerate awareness.
What is loyalty made of?
Loyalty is far more than repeat business. Loyalty is a commitment. It is when a consumer says "yes" to a brand, believes that the brand is always their best bet, and sticks through thick and thin. There definitely isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for such loyalty. However, there are ways to be remembered for the travelers' next trip bookings, or give travelers an easy choice and be their first choice. Hence, we argue that loyalty is a result of collective and continuous efforts to:
1) Increase brand exposure: Choice is often made by habit, achieve the 'warm glow of familiarity'.
2) Optimize the loyalty program: Simple and easy rewards program with immediate and enticing benefit will let the loyalty program live up to its name.
3) Provide memorable service: Winning their heart with the unforgettable personalized service and endless positive emotions is the most sustainable, the best kind of loyalty.
To expand on the last point and make it more actionable, Larry Mogelonsky at Hotel Mogel Consulting explained how technology can be the turbocharger to enhance not replace human connection and deliver service excellence. Check out his five-step approach here.
About Novility
Novility is a hospitality training & tech start-up based in the Netherlands with a mixture of young, ambitious and experienced team of hospitality specialists, entrepreneurs, developers, designers, IT experts and ergonomists from around the globe. With a shared passion to reinvent training in hospitality, Novility designs and develops advanced solutions that improve operational productivity & human capital. For more information, visit www.novility.com or call +31 (0) 23 230 2050.
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Residence Inn Miami Sunny Isles Beach Opens
Residence Inn Miami Sunny Isles Beach opened on November 20, 2017 just in time for snowbird season. Now complete this $65 million new hotel in the heart of Sunny Isles Beach is amongst some of the destination's most luxurious addresses right off of Collins Avenue. The 19-story hotel is home to 194 all-studio suites which boast city, intercostal, and ocean-views just steps away from the beach.
KobiKarp Architecture & Interior Design, the award-winning design firm headquartered in Miami, took the helm in designing the ultra-modern property. KobiKarp infused the hotel's design and architecture with a clean, crisp and sophisticated aesthetic. As Sunny Isle's newest hotel brand, Residence Inn highlights style, art, design and connectivity which are reflected in many areas throughout the hotel and during the entire guest experience. International art advisor Dina Mitrani, of Dina Mitrani Gallery, assembled collection of world-renowned artists with deep roots in Miami to create a collection of contemporary works throughout the hotel. The resulting visual stimulation extends from the exterior of the property to the hotel lobby, the landings on each floor, and hotel guestrooms, creating a visual interest around every corner symbolizing the resort's avant-garde personality.
"We are very excited to bring the Residence Inn brand to Sunny Isles Beach," says Robert Finvarb, owner of Robert Finvarb Companies and Residence Inn Miami Sunny Isles Beach. "Our hotel will provide guests with a home-away-from-home feel, allowing them to get their work done efficiently and recharge for the days ahead."
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Guests can look forward to a revitalizing sleep experience on the hotel's plush mattresses and crisp linens. Business travelers can find focus and productivity inside the suites' large, well-lit work desk, ergonomic chair and complimentary high-speed internet access. Because the hotel is designed for stays of five nights or more, every room is a suite with a fully equipped kitchenette, including a coffeemaker, microwave oven and residential-sized appliances. Guests may also enjoy the floor to ceiling windows, providing each room with breathtaking views of the intercostal and Atlantic Ocean.
As for dining, Ocean View on Nine is the hotel's quaint poolside restaurant featuring both indoor and outdoor dining options. There is also a complimentary hot breakfast featuring Healthy Favorites such as smoothies and yogurt, Morning Delights like cereals and waffles, and a DIY breakfast station with everything from bagels to breakfast tortillas with 20 toppings to choose from.
The restaurant's lunch and dinner menu includes fun poolside bites for the whole family, with classic appetizers like chicken wings and shrimp cocktail, and a variety of salads, pizzas, sandwiches and desserts. Ocean View on the Nine's daily happy hour special takes place from 5pm to 7pm, and includes tropical favorites like Bahama Mamas, Mojitos, and Rum Runners. If guests prefer to spend the night in, the hotel provides a grocery delivery service and also has a 24-hour onsite food and beverage market.
Perfect for the business traveler, Residence Inn Miami Sunny Isles Beach offers a full range of event, meeting, and business services with three flexible conference spaces and two rooftop decks totaling more than 9,000 square feet. The hotels dedicated staff will provide expert assistance with any type of affair. Additionally, a business library lends itself to the remote business traveler facilitating faxes, copying and printing services.
"Over recent years, Sunny Isles Beach has emerged as the ultimate South Florida destination," says Chade Brunton of Marriott International, Inc. "The city is ranked #1 of Top Ten US Destinations by TripAdvisor TravelCast, and we are excited to be part of the city's growth."
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has partnered with SAMHI to rebrand approximately 2000 rooms (operating and under construction) within its India hotel portfolio, to Holiday Inn Express hotels.
The recently signed portfolio comprises 14 hotels, including ten open hotels across key cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The additional four hotels are under construction. The signing sees IHG grow its pipeline by 41 hotels, positioning IHG as one of the largest players in India's growing midscale hotel market.
All hotels in the portfolio will be closed while they are being refurbished and upgraded with the latest design directives, to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn Express brand globally. The hotels will feature the next-generation design, several additional public areas and feature brand hallmarks to enhance guest service delivery.
Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: "It is with great pride and excitement that we are announcing our partnership with SAMHI for conversion of their existing mid-market hotel portfolio in India to Holiday Inn Express. This is a significant move towards establishing IHG as a leading player in the midscale hotel segment in India, while we continue to build on our upscale and luxury offering in the country with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts."
Jain added: "With this signing, we now have close to 60 hotels open and in the pipeline, across the Holiday Inn Brand Family. SAMHI is keen to accelerate Holiday Inn Express' highly efficient operating model and engage the brand's growing familiarity in the country. Holiday Inn Express is the rest and go hotel brand that delivers a smarter travel experience by providing more where it matters most. The brand in combination with IHG's strong distribution systems, preferred brands, top revenue management tools, best in class loyalty program, and constant focus on training and empowering employees, will ensure our joint success."
Ashish Jakhanwala, MD & CEO, SAMHI said: "We are delighted to be partnering with IHG and bringing their world class Holiday Inn Express brand into our business portfolio. We look forward to working with IHG to develop the brand further and create an excellent offering for our domestic as well as international guests across Tier 1 cities in India, where there has been a noteworthy increase in demand for quality accommodation in mid-segment."
Jakhanwala added: "We believe that the re-positioning and rebranding of more than 1,900 rooms to Holiday Inn Express will be the largest such exercise in India's hospitality sector to date. This landmark collaboration will help us to further strengthen our hospitality portfolio in the country."
The partnership has strengthened IHG's presence across India, with the newly signed hotels located across 11 key cities, resulting in 90% of our Holiday Inn Express portfolio being concentrated in Tier 1 cities.
Cardi B had a killer year and hit great heights with the success of her biggest track to date, Bodak Yellow. Shes without a doubt established her self in the hip-hop world, but who would have thought that a real-life astronaut would reach out the New York emcee for collaborative ideas.
In the since-deleted tweets below, you can see that Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted at Cardi asking her to DM him. His other tweets just consisted of a Fox News link and then just a tweet reading Card B.
For those who were curious if Cardi would jokingly reach out, unfortunately, the tweets were due to Scotts Twitter account being compromised. The Astronaut tweeted a thank you to his concerned followers but assured everyone that he has Cardi B on his playlist.
Cardi recently hit up Twitter herself letting fans know that shes taking her time on her upcoming album as she wants to focus on the quality.
I have a lot of pressure on me, she admitted. I have songs stashed up. I just dont think they qualified for my album. Sometimes i think is ready sometimes i think its not. So Im going to take my time till its right.
A user tweeted back to her suggesting she hold a listening party for her fans to give her honest feedback. Cardi replied saying she was thinking of doing it in December, but its hard with the number of fans she has how would she choose!
Denzel Curry has long been known as a rapper with a pretty distinctive sound and, specifically, a flow that is not normally associated with too many other rappers, if anyone. However, it seems like fans believe that Jaden Smith, whose new album Syre was released not long ago, may have drawn a little too much inspiration from the Zeltron on one of the LPs tracks.
The song in question is Icon, which showcases Smiths much-improved chops behind the mic, spitting some pretty fire bars at a fast-paced clip. He gets into a really nice rhythm while the bass-heavy beat plays behind him, with the auto-tuned moans adding another otherworldly dimension to the proceedings. Check out the song below and judge for yourself if its close to Currys flow or not.
If youre asking the Miami-born rapper, hes tell you that, if one were to believe that Jaden did intentionally cop his flow, he wouldnt be the first one. In a tweet that has since been deleted from his official account, Curry was actually pretty deferential to Smith in this case, choosing not to sling the mud at one of his contemporaries via social media, but instead pay him a decent-sized compliment in the process. He told his fans to take the inspiration/rip-off with a grain of salt and that, in his opinion, the song was pretty straight after a first listen. Check out a screengrab of his full tweet below.
[Image via Reddit]
Interestingly, Curry may have changed his stance slightly on the issue after he posted and then deleted this tweet. Theres another post that he shared with his followers that take a more defiant tone where the alleged copycat act is concerned. I got mad flows, he said. Yeah you stole some, thought you had the cookie but you got the cookie crumbs, he continued, using a photo of him grinning in laughter as accompaniment for the tweet. Thats not the kind of follow-up youd expect from a man who, not long before, told his supporters to take the Icon flow with a grain of salt.
What do you think? Did Jaden Smith intentionally rip off Denzel Curry? Or is this being made into a bigger deal than it deserves? Sound off in the comments.
Denzel
The only thing better than getting the likeness of a celebrity tattooed on your body? Having that celebrity comment on the decision during his or her appearance on a nationally televised talk show.
Case in point, we have Drakes body art of legendary actor Denzel Washington. The screen titan passed by The Tonight Show and chatted with host Jimmy Fallon about several topics, including his new movie Roman J. Israel, Esq., which opened recently. Eventually, the late-night comedian turned the conversation to the Canadian rappers tribute to Washington in the form of a tattoo, which left the actor searching for words.
After introducing the picture of the tattoo, which was grabbed from the Instagram account of artist Inal Bersekov, Fallon brought up a good point about the fact that its not inherently obvious where exactly Drake placed Denzels face on his body. Yeah, thats me, said Washington, his voice trailing off while starting first at the camera, then at the picture of the tattoo in complete bewilderment. Then, he took the photo from Fallons hands and tried to imagine where Drizzy couldve put the tat.
Yeah, now youve got me wondering, where is that? he asked, much to the delight of both Fallon and the audience. Washington is a man known for playing strong, powerful characters who are not easily flustered, so it was kind of hilarious to watch his wheels spin during his segment. Lets just say the tattoo was put in an awkward spot on Drakes body, who would be more honored? Denzel by the fact that the worlds most recognizable emcee loves his work enough to permanently etch his portrait into the skin, or Drake because Washington was at a loss for words for more than a split second?
Later on during that episode of The Tonight Show, Washington participated in a round of Random Object Toss that featured a surprise appearance from Stephen Curry. Check out that clip from the show below.
Denzel Washington
If youre looking to score a deal for some concert tickets online, one of the obstacles is always trying to discern the legit sources from the fakers. Its a struggle that has been experienced by many around the world but, thankfully, Google is taking steps to make sure that less people are victimized by scammers as early as next year.
Beginning in January 2018, businesses who deal in the secondary ticket market will be required to get certified before entering into the AdWords setup. According to a statement that theyve made public, Google confirmed that these kinds of providers will also be required to post both their price and the face value of the tickets, depending on the venue, starting in March.
To be certified, resellers cant imply that they are the primary or original provider of event tickets, the company announced. [They] must disclose to customers that they are a reseller [and] must also tell customers that prices may be higher than the face value (the price offered by the primary provider). Prices must be broken down to show the values of included fees and taxes during checkout and before the customer provides payment information.
These new rules wont impact any major providers like Ticketmaster, but frequently used sites like StubHub, Get Me In, and Viagogo will all need to get on board with these new rules. As it stands now, Google will also deny certification to resellers using keywords like the artists name or anything else that might make them look official in its URL. In general, the modifications to Googles policy is to stop frauds from getting the opportunity to sell bogus goods because they rank high in search engine results.
This isnt the first move that has been aimed at curbing the scalper market for concert and sporting event tickets in the United States and Canada. Live Nation and Ticketmaster both use the Verified Fan feature. A resellers contact info is entered into their system and vetted for authenticity before anyone can post tickets for sale. As a result, the Verified Fan feature has faded scalping business by 90 percent for participating artists, according to Vultures report from earlier this year.
Google
In case you missed it, we recently sat down with Stalley, who recently dropped his new EP Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil(which boasts one of the years best album covers). And while the Ohio rapper opened up about a variety of topics throughout our extensive conversation, he certainly had some interesting thoughts on his former labelmate Meek Mills current predicament.
Free Meek Mill man, its a fucked up situation, says Stalley, when asked about the Free Meek movement. We all know the criminal system is unjust a lot at times, especially for black males. Its just unfair, and I hope we comes home soonI just hope that for him and for everyone like him, thats going through a situation like that, we can somehow correct it, you know? And somehow be heardTheres no reason for him to be on probation for twelve years, for something that hes done when he was basically a teenager, a kidSometimes the system isnt set up for us to win, but I know hes holding his head. Hes strong, hes gonna come back stronger than ever, but I just hope its sooner than later.
Stalley continues his praise of Meeks character, calling him a good dude, and elaborating that Meek does so much for the city of Philly. They love him. You know, and he does a lot for the kids and the communityits just unfair. As it stands, the Free Meek movement continues to gain even more traction, and has served as a uniting factor for all manner of voices. For more from Stalley, be sure to check the interview in full, where he goes in depth about his music, Rick Ross, MMG, his experience in the industry, and much more.
Stalley
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
Lord Kilclooney is photographed in the Houses of Parliament in London.
Former Ulster Unionist deputy leader Lord Kilclooney has denied being racist after calling Ireland's Taoiseach 'the Indian'.
The peer, who is no longer a member of the UUP, acknowledged his remark about Leo Varadkar had caused "upset and misunderstanding" so he was withdrawing it.
Mr Varadkar was born in Ireland. His father is from India and mother from Ireland.
Lord Kilclooney, 79, stirred controversy in a tweet on Thursday evening as he commented on a political story involving Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney.
He wrote: "Simon Coveney is stirring things up. Very dangerous non statesman like role! Clearly hoping to undermine the Indian."
The tweet was met with condemnation on social media.
Lord Kilclooney later tweeted: "In Twitter one is restricted to a limited number of words and so for shorthand I used the term Indian for the new PM in Dublin.
"This has caused upset and misunderstanding and so I withdraw it. I am no way racist and accept that Varadkar is 100 percent Irish Citizen."
A combination of tougher mortgage guidelines and a shortage of land is pushing against Torontos housing bubble
The hottest housing market in the world is facing a reckoning.
Toronto-area land prices have gotten so high that developers are struggling to build new homes that people can afford. Buyers are no longer lining up, despite discounts and incentives.
The cost of land has nearly tripled in some areas the past five years, according to Altus Group Ltd. It now accounts for roughly half the price of a new home. In 2011, it was a little more than a third.
"It's a real turn," said Peter Comyns of PMA Brethour Realty Group. In June, it took Comyns just two days to find 200 buyers for yet-to-be-built homes in a Toronto suburb. Two weeks ago, 50 were available. His team sold about 12.
A convergence of factors - government rules aimed at reshaping Ontario's housing market, tougher mortgage guidelines, a shortage of land - is pushing against the housing bubble in the Toronto area, where new-home prices have risen since 2009.
One result is pinched supply. About 2,600 new homes were available for purchase in the Toronto area at the end of September, close to a record low and down from about 15,000 a decade ago.
Undeveloped land
Under Ontario's new growth plan, 17,200 hectares (42,500 acres) are available for residential construction - much less than the 100,000 hectares the province says there are, according to Malone Given Parsons Ltd., a development consultant based in Markham, Ontario.
"There's just no land for development," said Matthew Cory, a principal at the firm. "And the pieces that are available are struggling to get to development because of lengthy and complicated policies."
Making houses sprout from undeveloped land is also taking longer as government efforts to shape communities bear fruit. Builders are scrambling to comply with a revamped regional plan called 'Places to Grow' that prioritises denser properties around transportation hubs. That's in addition to the usual responsibilities, such as rezoning and connecting tracts to infrastructure like roads, power and water, and winning approval from city councils.
Fewer transactions
As supply dwindled, prices rose and mortgage regulation tightened. That has led to Canadians buying fewer new homes.
Transactions for new houses and townhomes this September was less than a third of what it was a year ago at 352 deals, according to the Building Industry and Land Development Association in Toronto. Supply is only going to shrink more, according to Canada's housing agency.
The 2019 forecast calls for as few as 66,100 houses to break ground, 13pc lower than in 2017. Prices remain escalated at C$1.2m ($785,000) for new detached homes and townhouses, sliding 6.6pc from August but still 21pc above last year, the building industry association said.
With all the troubles in Canada's housing, developers are shifting business to US states including Florida and Texas.
About one-third of business for Toronto-based Mattamy Homes Ltd, Canada's largest residential builder, now comes from the US and it is growing quicker than the Canadian market. The company aims to drive US growth twice as fast as in Canada, including expanding to three new US markets in the next few years.
Empire Communities, another large developer, announced its latest US project after entering the country last year, and plans to expand further in Texas. Both builders are building more condominium towers in the Toronto area rather than houses or townhomes.
Freeing up land
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said in an interview that he's spoken with developers making the move south. He said the government responded by freeing up land sites and by shortening the process time for some approvals.
The new reality has been acknowledged by the government housing agency. In a speech last month, Michel Tremblay, a Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp senior vice president, said that "the dream of homeownership may be fading for many Canadians".
He suggested long-term renting instead.
"Who's going to win and who's going to lose?'' said Mike Czestochowski, a broker at CBRE Ltd in Toronto.
"The landowner's going to win; the government's going to win through fees. And the loser is our kids when they have to buy a house. Prices will continue to climb. Unless they change things," he concluded.
Enginering a Soft Landing
Canadian home sales climbed for a third straight month in October, the longest string of increases in more than a year.
The number of transactions rose 0.9pc nationally from September, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Wednesday in Ottawa. In Toronto, the country's largest market, transactions were up 2.5pc on the month. They also rose in Vancouver.
Canadian policy makers have sought to engineer a soft landing for Canada's housing market, amid worries about runaway prices in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, and the data suggest it may be working.
Toronto real estate, still among the world's most overvalued, is recovering after a slowdown that saw sales plummet in June to the lowest level since 2010.
New mortgage measures which take effect in January, "will likely influence some home buyers to purchase before the stress test comes into effect, especially in Canada's pricier housing markets," CREA President Andrew Peck said in a statement.
In Vancouver, Canada's second-largest housing market, sales rose 0.2pc and in the nearby Fraser Valley they climbed by 3.6pc.
Additonal reporting by Greg Quinn and Erik Hertzberg
(Bloomberg)
Concerns are growing over a potential Mercosur deal, amid suggestions the European Commission may revise it's beef offer up to 130,000 tonnes.
Last month, the European Commission offered Mercosur countries - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - reduced tariffs on 70,000 tonnes worth of beef.
The new offer is likely to be well in excess of that, after the four countries complained it was too low, but a group of 14 EU countries - including Ireland and France - is fighting back, saying a flood of cheap imports will cripple beef farmers, especially with Brexit on the horizon.
Meat Industry Ireland (MII) director Cormac Healy described it as a cavalier approach in the face of the damage it will do to the EU and Irish beef sectors.
"Suggestions of further concessions on beef market access and an increase of the current EU beef offer beyond 70,000 tonnes are completely unacceptable," he said.
"Given the huge uncertainty associated with Brexit and its potential impact on the EU beef market, now is not the time for a deal with Mercosur countries."
He said the Mercosur countries already account for the vast majority of EU beef imports. Mr Healy pointed out most of these countries have recently objected to the EU and UK proposed splitting of existing import quotas in the context of Brexit.
EU farming federation Copa and Cogeca hit out at the rumoured offer last week, saying Mercosur countries are not meeting EU traceability, antibiotics or climate standards.
The EU's October offer also included an ethanol import quota of 600,000 tonnes. There has been no offer tabled on sugar since the previously stalled Mercosur talks were restarted in 2016.
"It is absurd that the EU should make substantial concessions on beef, sugar and ethanol when the EU market is not lacking agricultural commodities and we do not know the outcome of the Brexit talks," Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said.
"We are back to doing trade agreements in an old-fashioned way by making trade-off between other EU economic sectors and the agricultural commodities sector."
At a previous round of negotiations in Brasilia earlier this month, EU negotiators said they made "substantive progress" in all areas, including plant and animal health standards.
The Minister for Transport Shane Ross has signed a new statutory instrument this morning that annuls a previous instrument requiring NCTs for tractors.
It had been proposed by the Department of Transport that high powered road travelling tractors would NCTs.
The President of ICMSA, John Comer, has welcomed today's decision stating that the idea that farm tractors would be subject to any kind of NCT was unworkable and would simply have represented another unnecessary cost to family farms.
Mr Comer said that credit was due to Minister Ross for recognising the regulation for the mistake it was and withdrawing it.
Sinn Fein Agriculture Spokesperson Martin Kenny also welcomed the move and said the Minister has indicated that he will bring in new regulations for high-powered road-travelling tractors by next May in order to comply with EU directives.
I would ask that the Minister to have a proper consultation with all farm organisations in order that whatever regulations are introduced will be workable for farmers.
Farming organisations had criticised the move and said they were not fully engaged with during the consultative process.
Michael Moroney, CEO of Farm Contractors Ireland said he was "flabbergasted" at the move by the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
He said that at a meeting this week with the RSA, farming organisations were told that tractors capable of travelling 40km or more when hauling loads more than 25km from their base would be classed as commercial haulage and would need to undergo an NCT.
He also said that the term 'agricultural activity' remained unclear for haulage purposes, as transporting baled silage was considered commercial haulage, but transporting unwrapped bales was not.
Moroney also questioned the practicality of a 25km distance and said that not only would agricultural contractors' work be spread beyond a 25km radius, many farmers are renting land that is further than 25km from their home farm.
Davy has launched a $50m (42.2m) private equity fund targeted at its client base of well-heeled private investors as the stockbroker moves to tap mounting appetite for the sector amid an increasingly intense global hunt for yield.
News of this latest fund aimed at the booming global buyout industry comes as Bank of Ireland prepares to conclude a 100m fund raise for a new flagship investment fund, which was set up in partnership with KKR, the global buyout firm.
Brian McKiernan-led Davy's smaller offering is a private equity fund of funds, meaning it will deploy money to several buyout firms.
However it is understood the company has singled out Carlyle Group and Blackstone as likely partners.
Davy clients must stump up a minimum $125,000 and sources close to the firm said it is targeting an annual internal rate of return of about 15pc.
As well as a minimum stake, investors must agree to lock-up their money for at least 10 years.
The fund - known as Davy Private Equity Strategies II - is the successor vehicle to Davy Private Equity Strategies I, which raised 60m from high- net-worth individuals.
Davy set a first close on the fund at the end of September and is aiming to conclude the raise in March. While the stockbroker is targeting $50m, there is no firm ceiling on the vehicle, opening up the possibility for a far bigger fund, depending on demand.
One source pointed out the private equity fund of funds vehicle, which has been criticised in some quarters for its multi-layer fee structure, marks an evolution from Davy's pre-crisis era funds, operated by the US based hedge fund run by billionaire, Chase Coleman.
Fexco Group, Irelands largest privately owned financial services company, is set to back aircraft lease and asset manager Airborne Capital.
Airborne Capital has plans to grow the business to have aircraft asset under management of over US$5bn within the next five years.
Headquartered in Ireland, Airborne Capital will act as a bridge between investors seeking bespoke investment solutions in the aviation space, and issuers requiring aviation financing via differentiated capital solutions.
"We are very excited to launch this venture with the strong support of Fexco.
The team at Airborne Capital has rich experience in setting up and managing innovative investment and fund platforms for investors globally who are looking to deploy capital in aviation," Ramki Sundaram, CEO of Airborne Capital, said.
Previously Mr Sundaram, who has over 20 years experience working in aviation finance, was previously Head of Aviation at Natixis, one of the leading banks in aviation financing.
Fexco has identified financial services for aviation assets as an attractive long-term investment opportunity for the group and this has underpinned its decision to invest in Airborne Capital.
"With the financial support we can provide and the industry expertise of the team we believe this business can grow rapidly to play a major role in the market segments it is targeting," Denis McCarthy, CEO of Fexco said.
Airborne Capitals experienced team also includes as founding partners Cian Dooley, who has over 25 years of diverse aviation experience ranging from aircraft manufacturers, aircraft lessors right from initiation, aviation financing banks and specialist aviation funds, Anand Ramachandran who joins from the aircraft leasing firm Goshawk where he held the role of CFO.
While Jocelyn Noel joins from Natixis where he led the aviation syndication to banks and institutions.
John OFlynn and Eugene Lui are also joining the company.
Mr OFlynn will join in January from Goshawk where he held a position in the corporate finance function, prior to which he held various senior roles within Ryanair.
Meanwhile Mr Lui also joins from Goshawk where he held positions across both the corporate finance and commercial functions since joining the company as a founding member.
Goshawk is an aircraft lessor that has offices in Dublin, Hong Kong, and London. In November this year it was announced that Goshawk will lease 12,800 sq ft at Green REIT's flagship office development at One Molesworth Street in Dublin 2.
Coco Television, the maker of top RTE TV hits, 'Room To Improve' and 'First Dates', last year recorded profits of 101,978.
The profits at Coco Television Productions Ltd in 2016 follow profits of 119,874 in 2015.
Coco Television CEO Stuart Switzer said that profits for 2016 were "slightly down" on 2015, but "we are very pleased with the results".
Accumulated profits at Coco Television Productions Ltd last year increased from 1.6m to 1.7m while the company's cash pile increased from 1m to 1.72m.
The company employs 14 people and staff costs last year totalled 576,560.
"We are a significant supplier of programmes to RTE," said Mr Switzer. "As their revenue base is under pressure, the challenge in the independent sector is to keep producing programming more efficiently without affecting creativity."
On the outlook for this year, Mr Switzer said that "2017 is looking positive once again in a difficult broadcasting environment" but said launching new series like 'Desperate Houses', another with Dermot Bannon looking at amazing properties in the US and piloting a new wedding format, "is very satisfying".
Mr Switzer said that the company is very proud of all its productions and pointed out that 'Room to Improve' is sometimes the highest-rated TV series on RTE 1 and 'First Dates' is the highest rating series on RTE 2
'Room to Improve' is due back on our screens in February.
"Room to Improve is in its 11th series and last year was consistently averaging over 40pc audience share, at times outstripping the 'Late Late Show' in terms of ratings," said Mr Switzer.
The last series of 'Room to Improve' was the most successful to date with an average of 656,000 viewers, with the highest-rated episode watch by 703,000 and 47pc share.
"The show's success has come about for a number of reasons, not least of all our charming fun and passionate architect presenter Dermot Bannon," said Mr Switzer.
"Combine Dermot and interesting home owners with design challenges and good storylines and it's a winning formula.
"Another reason for the success of 'Room to Improve' is that we, as producers, never tire of it and are always trying to find ways to make it more interesting for the viewers."
'First Dates Ireland', which been a huge ratings success here, is in its third series and due to air in early January.
Mr Switzer said that Coco "bring our own Irishness to it".
"It's a casting challenge, but one we relish. We received 8,000 applications this year and spent months talking to people, understanding them, considering their matches, before bringing them to the First Dates Restaurant.
"Finding love for our participants has become a bit of a vocation."
Mr Switzer said the firm will be announcing details of an "exciting new documentary" in the new year.
Embattled Swiss-Irish food group Aryzta has been slapped with a major lawsuit in the United States that exposes the impact its manufacturing difficulties in America have had on customers.
Tennessee firm McKee Foods - which owns the high-profile Little Debbie brand in the US and has annual sales of about $1.5bn (1.27bn) - claims that it will lose millions of dollars in profits because Aryzta couldn't fulfil its orders properly.
Family-owned McKee is one of biggest cake snack makers in the United States.
In a complaint filed in Tennessee, it says that it initially engaged a company called Cloverhill Pastry-Vend in 2010 to undertake outsourced manufacturing for McKee Foods.
Cloverhill was acquired by Aryzta in 2014, and Aryzta continued to be engaged to produce Little Debbie products.
In its complaint, McKee claims that in late May this year, Aryzta notified McKee that it was experiencing a "labour issue" and warned that it might encounter problems manufacturing and supplying the McKee products under the terms of their agreement.
McKee claims that three weeks later, Aryzta began having problems filling the Tennessee company's orders.
McKee alleges that Aryzta recognised it did not have enough employees to manufacture all the products under their agreement.
"Aryzta requested that McKee 'prioritise' certain products for manufacture", claims the Tennessee firm.
It adds in its complaint that it complied with the request "despite the fact that this arrangement caused certain products to be pulled from the market".
McKee claims that Aryzta assured it last June and July that its supply issues would soon be resolved and that it would be able to supply all McKee's products.
But McKee has alleged that Aryzta's performance did not improve.
"Aryzta continued missing shipments, shipping incomplete orders, shipping the wrong orders, and shipping orders late," it claimed.
McKee argues that under the terms of its agreement with Aryzta, it has a right to inspect Aryzta's manufacturing facilities. In June, it tried to schedule inspections but claims that Aryzta "repeatedly postponed" them.
McKee terminated its agreement with Aryzta in August, despite the fact that it would result in a number of its products being unavailable to consumers as a result.
"McKee determined that significant damage would occur to the market for the products if McKee's customers continued to submit orders which were not filled, and McKee decided that to minimise damages the products should be removed from the market until another source of supply could be located or McKee could begin self-manufacturing the products," it says in its complaint.
"McKee has already lost a significant amount of sales, the consequences of which will ultimately result in millions of dollars in lost net profits," it told the court.
Aryzta declined to comment.
Aryzta has hired a new chief executive, Kevin Toland, to turn around the company.
Black Friday sales started in Ireland last week, but ahead of the main day tomorrow we have our picks of the best deals
Tayto Park
*The theme park and zoo in Meath has a number of deals including two person entry to the park with unlimited rides and lunch for 50.
For groups of six the park is offering unlimited rides and lunch for 150.
The tickets can be used on any date in 2018.
*All Saints
The clothing retailer is offering 30pc off all items both online and in store. The offer is open for a limited time.
*Chupi
Jeweller Chupi is offering customers a Chupi piece worth at least 149 when they spend 150 or over using the code GREYFRIDAY at checkout.
Customers that spend 1000 or over will receive a solid gold Chupi necklace worth 299. Use the code PINK FRIDAY at checkout to avail of this offer.
*Aer Lingus
The airline is offering 100 off round-trips to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The airline is also offering 30 off round-trips to some North American travel destinations including New York, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Miami, Washington, Toronto, Hartford and Newark.
Aer Lingus transatlantic fare offers are valid for travel from 8 January to 21 March 2018.
Closer to home Aer Lingus is offering up to 30pc off over 40 Aer Lingus routes to Europe, valid for travel from 1 December 2017 to 31 January 2018.
*Ryanair
The airline has a week-long Black Friday promotion, with 10pc off one million seats for travel from April to June 2018
*Louis Copeland
Tailor Louis Copeland has discounts of 20pc from 24 November to 27 November to celebrate Black Friday and Cyber Monday the discount is available both online and in stores.
*Inglot
The cosmetics company has 20pc off both online and in stores this week, the offer is available on selected sets and products.
*The Morrison Hotel
This luxury hotel is offering 10pc off all vouchers purchased between Wednesday 22 November and Monday 27 November.
*Littlewoods Ireland
Up to 50pc of Fashion, Electronics, Home Appliances & Furniture with Littlewoods Ireland.
*DID Electrical
DID are running a Red November sale, as well as Black Friday so have up to 70% off in November.
There's no discount code necessary and here's a link to their top deals.
*Discount Supplements
Hundreds of deals on sports nutrition.
Check out their Black Friday deals page for all of their biggest special offers
Or use their 10pc Discount Code: BF10
Promoted: See the latest Aer Lingus offers and deals on Independent Discounts
*The Sweatershop
Black Friday sale from Monday 20th until Monday 27th of November.
Hundreds of deals are on offer across their entire range and the online store is promising its lowest prices ever!
They have up to 40pc off selected lines and 20pc off everything else with discount code 20OFF plus free shipping.
*OBriens Wine
Hundreds of deals are on offer across Wine, beer and spirits in OBriens Wine.
*McElhinneys
Up to 60pc of Womens, Mens, Shoes & Kids deals with, Electronics with McElhinneys Online Store.
Up to 50pc Off Jewellery And Bags, Shoes And Boots, Ralph Lauren & Tommy Hilfiger apparel.
*T.M. Lewin
20pc off Everything until Nov 27th (high end menswear & women's workwear)
Discount includes multibuy offers as well.
UK site delivers to Ireland
Central Bank executives are proposing that the new rules apply to motor and home insurance products, mortgages, investments, pensions and life insurance and income and mortgage protection products. (Stock picture)
Regulators have proposed a radical shake-up in the way financial brokers are paid.
Brokers will have to be upfront on the commissions they get from investment firms, banks and pensions providers when they are proposing certain products, under the proposals put forward by the Central Bank.
The new rules, if implemented, would also apply to banks trying to sell their customers financial products, such as insurance, investments and pensions.
Also suggested is that financial advisers be banned from getting a larger commission based on selling a larger loan, or get paid more for hitting certain sales targets.
The idea is that advisers avoid conflicts of interest.
If the proposals are implemented in their current form it would mean an end to so-called over-ride commission. This is where brokers get a bonus for hitting certain sales targets.
And there would no longer be what is called a claw-back, where financial advisers get funds upfront from product providers, but they only get to keep it if they reach certain targets.
Brokers would also be banned from recommending one product over another when there are a range of different products, if they are getting higher commission for selling that product. This is known as product bias.
Central Bank executives are proposing that the new rules apply to motor and home insurance products, mortgages, investments, pensions and life insurance and income and mortgage protection products.
Although a radical change in the rules around commission, the new proposals stop short of the outright ban on commissions that exists for certain listed products in the UK.
That has led to what has been labelled an advice gap, where only those who can afford to pay for advice get independent recommendations. Others end up getting questionable advice online or from friends.
Brokers Ireland, which has 1,300 members, welcomed the move to provide more transparency for consumers, but warned against further restrictions on the payment of commissions.
'The challenge is to define and eliminate exploitation, while accepting that attempting simply to turn back the clock is doomed to failure and is likely to do more harm than good.' Stock image
Statistics are slippery things. Even when they are correct, they can cause trouble, and few are as slippery as those concerning 'precarious' work. Perhaps those Italians campaigning for a change were right to invent a patron saint, San Precario, to help their cause.
Just how metaphysical the data can be was made clear in last week's Geary lecture at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on the subject of job insecurity. Professor Arne L Kalleberg of the University of North Carolina was showing the results of surveys in six different large economies. Making sense of them would try the patience of a saint.
Startlingly, the UK and the US appeared to have half as many workers in temporary employment as Germany. That hardly accords with observation of their respective economies. Different definitions, and different employment patterns to begin with, help explain the anomaly,
That is a little problem of statistical analysis but in this area the raw figures themselves are difficult to come by. Hence the unusually open spat between the trade union Mandate and the ESRI's Prof Seamus McGuinness after the union claimed that "tens of thousands" of workers, across dozens of sectors, were on zero-hours and "if and when" contracts of employment which the union wants abolished.
The number was based on a 2015 study by the University of Limerick which found that 5pc of workers have variable weekly hours. That would amount to around 100,000, which does seem like an awful lot of irregular work and variable hours as such are not the issue.
Prof McGuinness's point was that we do not know much about what is going on because there is no evidence of the exact contractual nature of the jobs, or the degree of variability in hours.
This is more than a statistical conundrum. A major economic and social change is under way. There is no doubt that policy must respond but it is a mistake to think that we know much about it as yet, still less how best to deal with it.
Many medical students are attracted to a career as GPs precisely because it offers more flexibility than hospital jobs - although this does not necessarily improve the service to patients. Substitute teaching is precarious, full-time is not, but the full-timers need substitutes.
Most of those making these kinds of choices are (careful now) women. If child rearing were shared equally between men and women it might not be so; but it isn't.
Prof Kalleberg is a liberal (ie left-leaning) sociologist, which, as a Mandate official attending the lecture said, would not exactly make him flavour of the month in the USA these days.
Nor will he be all that popular in his own circles for stating that the entry of women into the workforce is one of the major reasons for the dramatic changes in the world of work.
Very few, least of all the professor, would want to reverse that process. That leaves two other factors, globalisation and technology, as major forces for change. The former may be rolled back somewhat - which may or may not be beneficial as a whole - but the latter cannot and its biggest impact is probably yet to be seen.
The implication is that, for the most part, there will be no return to the world of the 40-hour weekly, secure job; probably with pension attached.
That is no reason to allow a return to the world of Jim Larkin, with its casual labour, piece rates and insiders with their precious trade union buttons, but it will not be easy to prevent.
The challenge is to define and eliminate exploitation, while accepting that attempting simply to turn back the clock is doomed to failure and is likely to do more harm than good.
The real horror story in the slippery statistics is Spain. Its data on the risk of unemployment barely fitted on Dr Kalleberg's chart. The reason is badly designed and long-standing job protection laws which have left about half the workforce in employment so impregnable that no one wants to hire the rest, especially the young.
Changing that might improve matters in the medium term but it would impoverish a large chunk of the Spanish population in the meantime.
Other European countries, with strong traditions of social protection, are looking for new answers to these new questions. Twenty years ago, Finnish restaurants would close at weekends because regulations made weekend work so expensive. Now they are examining the radical idea of basic income, irrespective of work status, to make things less precarious.
In Denmark, the social partnership system is trying to "collectivise" risk between employers, employees and the state. Portable social security, minimum hours and sick pay across all jobs. Yet, in this country anyway, it has proved immensely difficult to do this just for pensions: imagine trying to apply it to the whole social insurance system.
As another colleague betimes, Colm McCarthy, has said; for a Danish model you need Danes. But it is still depressing that in Ireland this issue is being forced in the traditional, although quite proper, way of a trade union defending its members. Trouble is, in that process government first finds itself aligned with producers and employers, until political embarrassment forces it to change tack and cobble together some piece of nonsense as a compromise.
There will be costs for employers. Technological and social changes present firms with unprecedented opportunities for flexibility, but also a chance not seen in almost a century to depress wages. They cannot be allowed to have both and must face up to the price of flexibility.
It could be even worse if this is seen as an EU problem requiring a harmonised set of regulations. I myself saw freelance journalists lose their income because of inept EU rules that they must have the same conditions as permanent staff.
There may be some merit in watching how Finns, Danes and others get on as a basis for devising EU-wide policies, rather than some more dirigisme from Brussels. Ireland should be included in the Commission's watching brief. Whatever our many failings, something in the Irish system is pretty effective at creating jobs.
Many did prove to be precarious in the ups and downs of the economic cycle but trying to eliminate that is as unwise as trying to eliminate the cycle itself (as distinct from smoothing its effects).
"If Uber drivers become employees, that is the end of Uber," said Dr Kalleberg. One can argue as to whether that would be a good thing or not, but one had better be pretty sure about one's objective before starting down the road.
I want to talk about cash. When you decide to make the leap to start your own business, and when that business is a startup, you are doing it because you want to make the world better. There is something that people need, that must exist - and you are going to bring it to life!
The dream is about 5pc of what you'll spend your time on. The other 95pc is the graft to make it happen. This week in the startup diary I want to talk about working with cash, because it is how you will die.
Businesses do not fail because they are unprofitable. They do not fail because key staff have left, or because they are badly run. The only reason that a business fails is because it has run out of cash. A business is insolvent when it cannot pay its debts as they fall due. If you keep trading, you go to jail.
This is the hard reality of running a business. You have to worry about how much cash you have in the bank, every day, every week, every month.
It's much more important than your vision. Without enough cash to pay your way, there is no vision.
You have to make sure the flow of cash in to and out of your business is healthy. Just to be very clear, that means you should know if these inflows and outflows will result in a bank account balance below zero.
If you're not an accountant, how do this? Don't ignore the numbers, and don't hide from this aspect of your business.
Some successful entrepreneurs have gotten away with not getting a handle on the numbers, but scratch the surface and you'll find that they had a co-founder who could, were very lucky and generated a lot of cash quickly, or learnt on the job. You don't get to shirk this one.
There's one more reason to face up your responsibilities to manage the cash properly: you have an ethical responsibility to do so. You should know if you're going to hit the wall in six months, so that you can either wind things down, or better, take action, and save the business.
You're going to have to put some time into learning the basics of accounting. If you have yet to start your business, great, you have time to prepare. There's more than enough learning material out there. Search the web, read a book, watch videos, take a class.
This is important knowledge and will pay dividends. If you are already up and running, even better.
It might be more stressful, and mean even less sleep, but there's no better way than learning by doing. Lean on your accountant to explain everything and don't leave until you understand what you're looking at.
One practical tip: you'll be tempted to just use spreadsheets, especially if you're already familiar with using them. The problem is that you end up with a complicated custom set of workbooks that don't teach you anything about accounting. Use one of the accounting packages from day one. These days you have online options as well, and can pay monthly, so it won't cost too much. This is money well spent.
If you're a coder doing a technology startup, you must really resist the temptation to 'just' use spreadsheets. Yes, you can write macros for everything. Yes, accounting is just another set of business rules to implement. Yes, it is an excuse to code instead of doing your accounts.
But in the end you'll pay a steep price when you eventually move to a proper system. In my previous company we ran the whole thing on spreadsheets for the first three years-up to 2m in revenue and 30 staff. Fixing that mess was not pretty (I did build some pretty kickass spreadsheets though...).
There is one spreadsheet however that you must build. You'll pull the numbers out of your accounting package, but it's important that you update this sheet by hand, because it will burn the numbers into your brain.
You need a cash flow projection spreadsheet. This will show you when you will run out of money. It is critical for a startup, because you will run out of money by definition. You are trying to grow a business, so you must spend more than you make. Each time you move the business to the next level, you raise more money to take it to the level beyond that.
It is therefore critical to know how much 'runway' you have. How many months can you last before you need funding again. Managing your runway is a critical survival skill. If you are burning cash too quickly, then you need to know that so you can reduce expenses. But you need to balance that with the need to build market share, and make the business work.
Money sitting in the bank is not doing any work for your investors. They gave it to you to spend on the business. A startup must walk a permanent fine line between sufficient spending to grow, and careful spending to avoid crashing and burning.
I am not a trained accountant, and you probably aren't either. A simple cash-flow projection spreadsheet is the most effective tool I have found to walk this line. It is comprehensible and it gives you that most important piece of information - the date of your death.
The concept of runway is so important that even a brain-dead calculation of average monthly revenue vs average monthly expenses is useful. Several years ago I built a simple website, called the startupdeathclock.com (I'm so sorry for the eye-strain) to calculate this for you. If you do one thing after reading this article, you should at least use the Startup Death Clock to get a rough estimate of when you will run out of money.
In the real world, a rough estimate is not good enough, and you can do better. I've uploaded a simple cash-flow projection spreadsheet to metsitaba.com/cashflow. Please feel free to download the spreadsheet and adapt for your own business. Here's how it works.
At the top of the sheet you have three rows: Sales, Costs, and Balance. Balance is the most important one.
This is your bank balance at the end of each month. If it goes below zero, you're out of business. In a startup, you'll always go below zero at some point in the next year or two. You need to decide how far away you want that date to be, balancing your growth plans with your need to survive until the next funding round.
The Sales row is your total sales, and the Costs row is your total costs. You add these up for each month. For Sales, add up the total cash value of your sales, including VAT, and for Costs, add up the total costs each month. The difference between Sales and Costs is how much money you made, or lost, each month.
Add that to your Balance from the previous month, and that tells you how much money you're left with this month.
Now you sit down, and estimate your Sales and Costs for each month in the future, going out about a year. Watch the Balance change over time as money comes in or goes out. When it goes below zero, that's game over.
The great thing about this tool is you can try out different scenarios. How much do I need to improve sales each month to survive? Can I afford that new laptop? Will working from home and saving rent give me enough breathing room? You can answer these types of questions with reasonable accuracy.
Each month you update the sheet with real numbers from the previous month, and new estimates for the future, based on your developing understanding of the market. You'll get more accurate over time.
This little tool is a great comfort in times of business stress, and essential for a startup that is not generating substantial revenue.
I have had more experienced business people who are more comfortable with traditional accounts mock me for using this approach, even going so far as to describe it as "preposterous".
Be that as it may, I understand this approach, and that's what matters. It helps me make sense of my own business, and it will definitely help you with yours.
(Newsletter update: subscribers: 165, open rate: 33pc)
Richard Rodger is the founder of Metsitaba. He is a former co-founder of Nearform, a technology consultancy firm based in Waterford.
Irish-based tech firms look set to raise more than 1bn in venture cash this year, according to new industry figures from the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA).
The first nine months of the year saw Irish tech firms and startups attract 817m in venture capital, the highest amount ever recorded.
The record haul, 11pc higher than the same period last year, indicates that venture cash is now a mainstream source of funding for hundreds of Irish businesses.
The majority of the money (88pc) raised went to companies seeking expansion capital, according to the IVCA.
"The third quarter was boosted by activity in Northern Ireland," said Peter Sandys, chairman of the IVCA. "Belfast fintech company Options accounted for 30pc of total funds raised in this quarter. This is the largest fundraising deal in Northern Ireland in over 10 years.
"Seed and early stage support is growing significantly again with 59m raised in the third quarter, reaching a high of 115.2m for the nine months to the end of September."
The IVCA figures indicate that International syndicates invested 220m, accounting for 58pc of total funds raised.
"The Irish venture capital community continues to be the main source of funding for Irish innovative SMEs both through direct investment and as the local lead investor for international syndicates," said Regina Breheny, director general of the IVCA.
The majority of funding rounds in Ireland are under 3m, while European venture capital funds have performed above average compared to other investment sources over the last 10 years.
Despite the bull run in the tech industry, Mr Sandys recently said that he doesn't believe there is a bubble threatening the system. "We see no evidence of one whatsoever. So there's definitely no bubble effect that we can see."
Cloud firm Options had the largest single fundraising event of the year with a 100m round earlier this year.
Dublin-based IT service company Version 1 was next, raising 90m from UK equity firm Volpi Capital, ahead of expected expansion across Europe.
Barry Napier's Cubic Telecom raised 40m in August, bringing the company's total funding close to 80m.
The company, which employs 160 people in Sandyford, has deals in place with approximately 80 mobile operators around the world.
It recently began trials with China Mobile, the world's biggest operator.
Smaller rounds included 25m for the Dublin-based money-messaging startup Plynk and 10m each for telecoms firm Blueface and biotech company Atlantic Therapeutics.
"Since the onset of the credit crunch in 2008, more than 1,450 Irish SMEs raised venture capital of 3.6bn," said Ms Breheny.
"These funds were raised almost exclusively by Irish VC fund managers who, during this period, supported the creation of up to 20,000 jobs, attracted over 1.6bn of capital into Ireland and geared up the State's investment through the Seed And Venture Capital Programme by almost 16 times."
A small number of companies included in the IVCA list are Dublin-based but maintain bigger operations outside Ireland. Iterum Therapeutics raised 57m despite predominantly US operations.
Britain's top share index touched a session high as UK chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his budget statement on Wednesday, boosted by a dip in sterling as Brexit-bound Britain slashed economic growth forecasts.
Housebuilding stocks swung sharply, losing ground after Hammond announced a review of unused planning permissions - a sign he'll get tough on land hoarding - but helped by a stamp duty exemption to spur house buying.
European shares traded only slightly higher ahead of today's holiday in the US, losing some of the momentum that pushed stocks in Asia and on Wall Street to new highs overnight on continued faith in synchronised global economic growth.
"I see very few people repositioning themselves on the markets before a period of low liquidity like Thanksgiving," said Pierre Martin, a senior trader at Saxo Bank.
He argued that many investors had taken advantage of last week's dip to take new positions on stocks but that in the absence of major economic or corporate news, there was currently little incentive for them to aggressively seek new opportunities.
In Dublin, the Iseq was weaker - trading at 6,904.97 by late afternoon. Among gainers Aryzta, Ryanair and Total Produce led the board in Ireland.
Norwegian media group Schibsted posted the sharpest decline of the index after an offering of B-shares to finance mergers and acquisitions in online classifieds. Its shares retreated 7.1pc.
Utilities posted the best sectoral performance in Europe, with Germany's RWE and Spain's Endesa leading the pack with rises of 3pc and 2pc respectively.
UBS upgraded RWE to "buy", saying coal and carbon risks may have been overestimated, while Moody's raised its forecasts for French power pricing, reflecting a rebound in commodity prices.
Akzo Nobel rose after it called off a merger of equals with US coatings company Axalta.
On the domestic UK corporate front, travel firm Thomas Cook was set for its worst trading day since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, falling 10.5pc after reporting a fall in full-year profit margins.
British drugs company BTG was leading losers on the FTSE as JP Morgan cut its target price on the stock.
The new Lego set, depicting the island of Ahch-To from 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
The monastic beehive huts of Skellig Michael have been made into Lego toys ahead of the release of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'.
Skellig Michael, or 'Ahch-To Island' as it was renamed in the film, has a pivotal role in the movie - it is Luke Skywalker's hermitage, the location of the first sacred Jedi Temple, and home to the adorable Porgs.
The Porgs are bird-like creatures that were inspired by the puffins nesting on the jagged rock face of the Skelligs. They will be introduced in 'The Last Jedi'.
Lego's 'Ahch-To Island Training' set features a miniature corbelled hut and three figures: Luke Skywalker, Rey and a Porg.
Expand Close The Skelligs off the coast of Kerry Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan / Facebook
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The set is expected to retail at 25 and includes smaller trinkets, such as a fish, a frying pan, and a lightsabre.
The first Lego 'Star Wars' set was released in 1999 and coincided with the release of 'Episode 1: The Phantom Menace'.
Skellig Michael features prominently in the trailer for the next instalment in the 'Star Wars' film franchise which is due for release on December 15.
The Unesco World Heritage Site first appeared in 'Star Wars' two years ago in the final scenes of 'The Force Awakens'.
Since then, visitor numbers to Skellig Michael have surged. Visitor numbers are up approximately 2,000 to 16,700 this year compared to 2016.
This has encouraged chief executive of Tourism Ireland Niall Gibbons to focus on the development of "screen tourism" in Ireland.
Tourism Ireland is looking to countries such as New Zealand which have built entire tourist packages around franchises like 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit'.
"'Game of Thrones' and 'Star Wars' have brought Irish screen tourism into new galaxies. It has brought Ireland to a huge audiences around the world," he said.
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"We look to countries like New Zealand which are leaders in the field."
Similar to the 'Door of Thrones' campaign in connection with 'Game of Thrones', Tourism Ireland plans on rolling out a new campaign linking the Wild Atlantic Way to the latest film's release next month.
"The film was filmed along the Wild Atlantic Way so we will be dialling that up in December," said Mr Gibbons.
Plans to extend the tourism season may be restricted, however, due to Skellig Michael's status as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is open to visitors from mid-May to the end of September.
A prison worker has been captured on CCTV entering the accommodation of convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall.
The footage is being examined as part of a major disciplinary probe into the male employee. It is understood the man was in her room in the Dochas Centre for a number of minutes before prison staff entered the accommodation.
It has now emerged that a female prison officer was present in the room for 10 minutes with Mulhall (33) before the male prison employee was discovered "concealed" in the en-suite bathroom.
It is understood that jail authorities have launched an investigation but it is unclear whether the employee has yet been suspended. Jail insiders say that he is likely to face "major disciplinary sanctions" up to dismissal, if allegations that he has been in a sexual relationship with Mulhall are proved.
Expand Close 'Scissor Sisters' Charlotte and Linda Mulhall were convicted of the killing and dismemberment of Farah Noor in Ballybough, Dublin on March 20, 2005 / Facebook
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Whatsapp 'Scissor Sisters' Charlotte and Linda Mulhall were convicted of the killing and dismemberment of Farah Noor in Ballybough, Dublin on March 20, 2005
Mulhall is co-operating with the investigation and has not been disciplined.
Mulhall and her older sister Linda were dubbed the 'Scissor Sisters' after their involvement in one of the most gruesome killings in the history of the Irish State.
In October 2006, Charlotte was handed a mandatory life sentence for murder, while Linda received a sentence of 15 years for her part in the death of Farah Swaleh Noor.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has had his speeding case adjourned for a second time after failing to appear in court this morning.
The 'Notorious' star was due to appear in Blanchardstown District Court today to face an alleged speeding offence.
A 58-year-old environmental scientist who banged his head off an advertising sign in an IKEA car park, has been awarded just over 35,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.
Patrick (Leo) Sweeney, of Hazelbrook Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W, told Judge Jacqueline Linnane he was returning goods that he had previously purchased at the IKEA store in St Margarets Road, Ballymun, Dublin 11.
He had parked his car and was carrying a bag containing the merchandise he intended to exchange when he suddenly hit his head heavily against one of four large advertising panels mounted on aluminium frames in the middle of the car park.
Mr Sweeney said his forehead had been struck heavily against the advertising panel and his head and neck had been hyperextended backwards, immediately causing him severe shock and neck pain.
He said he had carried on into the store and had just begun his shopping tasks when he felt unable to continue.
He had driven home and had gone to bed by which time he had pain extending from his neck down his lower back. He had taken some mild medication.
Barrister Brian Conroy, who appeared with solicitor Damian Tansey for Mr Sweeney, told Judge Linnane that his client was a poor candidate for the accident as he was still recovering from a coronary artery bypass and aortic valve replacement operation.
Mr Conroy said the operation had taken place in December 2015 just five months before the unfortunate incident in the IKEA car park. Mr Sweeney was undergoing rehabilitation and had still not returned to work.
The court heard that Mr Sweeney had attended his GP a few days after the incident complaining of neck and back pain. He had been prescribed pain relieving medication and told to apply ice packs to the area.
On review by his consultant orthopaedic surgeon towards the end of June 2016 he was found to be still suffering from pain in his neck and back. He had been unable to do long periods of work in front of a computer and his injuries had further delayed his return to work.
Awarding him 35,360 damages, Judge Linnane said Mr Sweeney was a man in his late fifties recovering from heart surgery when he had struck his head heavily against the advertising sign.
She said that from photographs shown to the court she could see the advertisements were at a dangerous height and almost the same height of an average man.
There were no pedestrian walkways provided in the car park area and she felt it was foreseeable that someone would walk into the signs.
Mr Conroy had submitted the advertising signs had not been placed at a sufficient height as to avoid the creation of a hazard to pedestrians and IKEA had failed to provide pedestrian walkways around the car park and particularly the signs.
A Dubliner who made a fake insurance claim alleging that jewellery worth over 40,000 had been stolen from him during a fictitious break-in has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Michael Darcy (37), of Parkhill West, Kilnamanagh, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a false insurance claim to AXA Insurance at a place within the State on September 1, 2013.
Darcy, who used to run a successful party hire business, also admitted forging one of his own AIB bank statements on September 17, 2013 to back up his fake insurance claim.
The court heard that the actual amount in Darcy's bank account at the time was 34.42, but that he falsified the statement to read 48,783.42.
Earlier that year, Darcy had placed three items on his AXA insurance policy comprising an 18 carat gold lady's engagement ring valued at 25,000, a lady's bracelet worth 11,000 and a man's bracelet worth 5,400.
He never owned such jewellery. It never existed, said Judge Martin Nolan, passing sentence today at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
I don't know what caused you to do it, but you shouldn't have done it, said Judge Nolan, adding that Darcy deserved a custodial sentence for this thought-out fraud.
The judge said it was white collar crime with an unusual aspect due to Darcy's previous convictions, which included two for burglary, one for theft and five for traffic offences.
He said Darcy had good points and was well capable of work and of reform.
Brendan Hennessy BL, who was defending Darcy along with Jeremy Ring solicitors, said his client had run a successful party hire business which ultimately failed during the economic downturn.
Mr Hennessy said Darcy found himself in serious financial difficulties, his marriage broke down and he became dependent on cocaine.
He made a very foolish decision to undertake this fraud and try and deceive AXA, said Mr Hennessy, adding that it was somewhat of a naive attempt and was bound to be detected.
Detective Garda Colin Rochford told Dean Kelly BL, prosecuting, that the accused man added the fictitious jewellery items to his insurance policy in June of 2013.
The following month, he told AXA that malicious damage had been done to the front of his house and settled for several thousand euro.
AXA wrote to Darcy informing him that it had decided to cancel his policy with effect from August 3 that year.
On August 1, he informed AXA that his house had been broken into in July, stating initially that only electronic items had been stolen, but later adding the three pieces of jewellery.
On August 2, a fraud investigator for AXA told gardai of Darcy's attempted fraudulent claim.
AXA had requested proof of funds from Darcy to show how he had paid for the jewellery, prompting him to give a bank statement that AIB confirmed had been forged.
AXA had also sought proof of purchase of the jewellery, which Darcy initially claimed he had bought at auction, but later produced fake receipts from a UK jewellers which had gone into liquidation.
The court heard it cost AXA 6,200 to investigate the matter.
Darcy's defence counsel said he had served seven months in custody in the UK of a 14 month sentence for burglary, during which period he had become drug-free.
The court heard Darcy has reconciled with his wife and has a firm offer of employment with an electrical company when he is released.
The sentence was back-dated to October 27, when Darcy went into custody.
Two men wearing 'Freddy Krueger' masks entered a Dublin pub before the manager was shot dead, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Eamonn Cumberton (30), of Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 35-year old Michael Barr in the Sunset House pub in Dublin's north inner city on April 25, 2016.
It is the prosecution's case that Mr Cumberton is "inextricably linked" to items recovered from a partially burnt-out car near the scene and that the items themselves are "inextricably linked" to the shooting.
The State says that Mr Barr was shot seven times, with five shots to the head and one each to the shoulder and neck.
The court heard evidence yesterday from a number of people who were in the Sunset House on the night of the shooting.
Theresa Smyth told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, there was a raffle on in the pub that night and that Mr Barr was there. "It was his night off, so he was in good humour," Ms Smyth said.
She told the court she was "messing at the bar" with Mr Barr and that he was "after saying he might be going on his holidays", when she saw two men come in wearing masks.
"I thought they were kissograms," Ms Smyth said. "I thought it was a joke. I said, 'There's two kissograms for you'."
She said that they were wearing "Freddy Krueger" or "Halloween" masks.
She heard someone say "Get down" and everybody got down.
"We didn't know what was going on," the witness said.
She told the court that when she looked at Mr Barr, she saw "blood everywhere" and that he was "ready to fall".
"I realised there was a shooting," Ms Smyth said. "The glass was all over me. We were all shouting, in shock."
Blood
The men wearing the masks were gone "in seconds", the court heard.
Ms Smyth said she saw Mr Barr "on the ground, all the blood coming from his head".
"I crawled over and blessed him," she said.
James Dunne told the court he was organising the raffle that night. He was there with his daughter, the court heard.
Mr Dunne said two men dressed in black came into the bar, one of the men running past him while the other held the door.
"The one that passed me had a weapon," he said. "The first thing I did was grab my daughter and run," Mr Dunne said.
The trial continues.
A man has been awarded 65,000 in damages after being defamed on Facebook, in only the second case of its type to have been adjudicated on by the courts in Ireland.
Hospital worker James Woods, a former secretary of Roscommon County Darts, was given the award after effectively being accused of stealing funds in the 1980s and 1990s.
The case, heard at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Civil Court, was described by Digital Rights Ireland as a wake-up call for people who think they can publish comments online with impunity.
It came just over a year after a Co Offaly man was awarded 75,000 the maximum allowable at Circuit Court level after untruthful claims were posted about him on Facebook.
In the latest case Mr Woods, of Gurteen, Co Sligo, was awarded 65,000 in damages plus his legal costs over a comment posted by Colm Mulvey, of Hillcrest Grove, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim.
Judge John Aylmer ruled Mr Woods had been the victim of a particularly nasty defamation with pretty devastating effects for him.
Details of the case, which was finalised last week, were first published by the Leitrim Observer newspaper.
The court heard the case was brought over a posting by Mr Mulvey on the Darts in Ireland Facebook page on August 22, 2016.
Mr Woods, originally from Boyle, Co Roscommon, was a former member of the National Darts executive, and a former secretary of Roscommon County Darts.
At the time of the posting, he was the secretary of the Sligo Darts League.
Barrister Keith OGrady, for Mr Woods, said his client became aware of a posting in relation to money which had gone missing in the 1980s and 1990s.
The message, posted by Mr Mulvey, said: You should look closer to home in the 80s and 90s when someone from Boyle was the chairman.
Mr Woods explained to the court that he was not involved in Roscommon County Darts in the 1980s, and only became involved in the late 1990s.
He said he was aware that money had disappeared from an account, but he didnt know who was responsible.
Mr Woods said that after the post he went into work and was asked by a colleague how much he had stolen.
Management were asking me if there was a criminal investigation, as I wouldnt be able to work in the hospital. It nearly destroyed me, he said.
Mr Woods also said he relinquished his position within the Sligo Darts League, because people were asking him where the money had gone.
He told the court that he could categorically say he didnt know anything about the matter and that he wanted to clear his name.
The court heard Mr Mulvey sent an apology to Mr Woodss solicitor and was given a number of days to publish it on the Facebook page. However, he did not do so.
Mr Woods subsequently published Mr Mulveys apology himself.
In the apology, Mr Mulvey said he was totally ashamed and could only imagine the devastation caused.
A 36-YEAR-OLD man accused of murdering Anthony Rogers who died after a stabbing in Dublin last year told gardai he did not kill him after he was charged, a court has heard.
He also claimed the deceased raped him when he was a child.
Alan Harte, with an address at Island Quay Apartments, East Wall, Dublin 3 was remanded in custody last week after he was charged with the murder of Anthony Rogers, (60), at his home at Robinsons Court, Cork Street, Dublin 8 on November 6 last year.
Mr Rogers had been confined to a wheelchair after having had one of his legs amputated.
Mr Harte faced his second hearing on Thursday when he appeared before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court.
State solicitor Orla Farrell told the court she was seeking a four-week adjournment for the book of evidence to be completed. She also confirmed that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that Mr Harte, who did not address the court, is to face trial on indictment.
Defence solicitor Kelly Breen said her client consented to the case being adjourned for no more than two weeks. Judge Blake further remanded him in custody to appear again for mention at Cloverhill District Court on December 7 next for the service of a book of evidence.
An incomplete quote of the defendants reply to charge and been reported in the media after Mr Hartes first court hearing last week.
For clarity, Ms Breen asked Garda Sergeant Brona OReilly to repeat in full the reply her client made after he was charged on November 16 last.
Garda Sergeant ORelly told the court Mr Hartes response was: Anthony Rogers raped me when I was ten, and others, and I didnt kill him.
Judge Blake said that was the same reply noted by his colleague last week.
A recommendation had also been made at his first hearing that he was to get psychiatric treatment in custody. Yesterday, Judge Blake said the psychiatric report was not yet ready because the Central Mental Hospital did not have the time.
A father-of-two who used a forged bank statement to secure a loan from a Credit Union, claiming he needed to buy a wheelchair for his disabled daughter, will be sentenced later.
Gareth White (29) of Harcourt Street, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of using a false instrument to secure loans from various credit unions on dates in 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to using a false instrument to purchase seven phones on behalf of a non existent business from Three Ireland on August 13, 2015.
Garda Noel Whelan told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that gardai were alerted to the fraud when the manager of one of the Credit Unions contacted them, after noticing that the address on the AIB Bank statement provided by White did not exist.
White also used forged bank statements to apply for loans at Phibsborough Credit Union, Larkfield Credit Union in Santry, Whitehall Credit Union and Core Credit Union in Dalkey, the court heard.
Gda Whelan said White in interviews claimed the loans were to buy a new wheelchair for his disabled daughter and to purchase a headstone for his mother's grave.
The reality is they were needed to pay his gambling debts, Gda Whelan said.
The court heard 908 was still owed in outstanding loans to Rathfarnham and Dalkey Credit Unions.
Gda Whelan said White used false bank statements, a false driving licence and a false company registration certificate to purchase seven Samsung phones and one iPhone from Three Ireland on August 13 2015.
A fraud officer in Three Ireland became suspicious and alerted gardai who travelled to an address in Finglas where they intercepted White as he arrived to collect the phones. The phones were valued at over 4,169.
The accused has one previous conviction for sending an indecent phone message.
Tom Neville BL, defending, said that White was not a well man and was due to undergo major heart surgery in the near future.
Mr Neville said the defendant was currently taking steps to address his gambling addiction.
Judge Karen O'Connor adjourned sentencing until February 9 2018, and requested a medical report and a probation report in respect of White.
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The 400 pupil Balbriggan Educate Together prides itself on being a school for all. It has a rich diversity of pupils, many of them from families whose history is not Irish.
Its inclusive approach extends well beyond creating a welcome for pupils from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds, to being a model of best practice around positive representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and their families.
There is no big deal about the LGBT issue at the school. It is, according to learning support teacher, Cecelia Gavigan, simply part of their commitment to the idea of respect and human rights for all.
"Everything we do around LGBT is set within a broader framework of equality and justice. It is very much part of school life and not just something that is achieved in a single initiative." While all Educate Together schools are based on the same principles, the approach to LGBT issues at Balbriggan was recently selected to showcase at the Teaching Council's annual Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence (FEILTE). Gavigan, who is a member of the Irish National Teachers' Association (INTO) LGBT Teachers' Group, says they introduce children to issues in an age-appopriate way.
Discrimination against Harvey Milk, America's first openly gay politician, is discussed in the same way as they talk about anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela or US civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks.
When they are talking about families, LGBT families are part of the discussion and they have LGBT picture books in the library. "It is part of the environment, part of the experience, part of the everyday," she says.
People who have lost loved ones have been invited to write a handwritten message that will be included in the 2018 Book of Remembrance, the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) has said.
The messages are part of the charity's Never Forgotten Appeal and the book will be displayed in the IHF library throughout 2018, which is open to the public.
Lynda and Pat Foley honoured their son Liam as they opened up about how Christmas can be a particularly painful time for them and other people who have lost a loved one.
Lynda, who is from Cratloe in Co Clare, has spoken candidly about how much Liam (6) loved the festive season, before he tragically died from an illness in 2013.
She explained: "We had two and a half good years with Liam but unfortunately everything changed for the worse towards the end of 2012.
"Liams body was beginning to fail him. We got home and set about celebrating Christmas. Sadly it was to be our last one together.
"Liam always had the job of turning on the Christmas lights.
"He enjoyed watching the tree being decorated and couldnt wait to be wheeled in and out with his decorations. He even liked to be decorated himself! But the lights were always his favourite."
The Foley family has written a message to honour Liam as part of The Irish Hospice Foundation's (IHF) never Forgotten Appeal.
They said: "Liam brought a love to our lives that we could never have imagined. His death has given us a grief beyond belief.
"Our journey does not end here, it merely changes direction."
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29,000 people die in Ireland every year and ten people are directly affected, the IHF said that Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for those left behind.
IHF CEO Sharon Foley said: "Grief is difficult all year round but special occasions like Christmas can be particularly hard for those who are bereaved.
"Lets cherish the memories of our loved ones who are deceased by making this a Christmas to remember.
"Our Never Forgotten Appeal is one way in which you can honour a loved one who has passed away.
"You can make a real difference to others at end of life or those left bereaved by supporting the appeal. All donations go towards the work of the IHF and providing better care for those who are at end of life or bereaved."
The IHF's work includes helping people with illnesses other than cancer to die in their own homes by providing nurses for night care and supporting parents and guardians who care for grieving children and young people through the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network.
Six Garda stations around the country, including Stepaside, are to be reopened under plans outlined to TDs this morning.
The Dails Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has heard that that Garda report on which stations should be reopened is finished a decision has been taken on the six that will be returned to use.
The Assistant Garda Commissioner responsible for Dublin has said reopening Stepaside Garda station would not have been his number one priority.
However, Pat Leahy said that the station met the criteria for reopening better than anywhere else in his area of responsibilty.
Mr Leahy this morning told the Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that reopening Stepaside "wouldn't have been my priority in terms of the allocation of personell".
But he added: "In terms of the criteria it fairly and squarely met these criteria better than anywhere else."
Under questioning from TDs he repeated that Stepaside "wouldn't have been my number one priority. I have other pressing demands across the region".
Mr Leahy said if he was getting extra Gardai he would allocate them to Ballyfermot, Ronanstown and the North and South Inner City areas.
The criteria to be considered by the Garda Commissioner for reopening six stations under a pilot programme was set out by the government last year..
They included selecting the locations include population, crime rates, a mix of rural and urban and a stipulation that the station must still be in State ownership.
The six Garda around the country to be reopened under plans outlined to TDs this morning.
The PAC has heard that that Garda report on which stations should be reopened is finished a decision has been taken on the six that will be returned to use.
Ballinspittle, Co Cork and Bawnboy, Co Cavan join three other locations previously flagged as likely to be recommended for reopening Rush, Co Dublin, Donard Co Wicklow and Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow.
Stepaside is controversial as it was selected as the only station among previously four listed in an interim report last June as definitely reopening ahead of the completion of the final Garda report.
Independent Alliance minister Shane Ross had been campaigning for Stepaside - which is in his constituency - to reopen but both he and the government have rejected opposition allegations of stroke politics over the issue.
Acting Garda Commissioner Donall O Cualain and Department of Justice secretary general Noel Waters are today appearing before the PAC where they are to be quizzed on the process involved in selecting the stations for reopening.
A total of 139 stations closed around the country were closed in the wake of the economic crash between 2012 and 2013.
The Programme for Government after the last election committed to reopening six on a pilot basis.
Criteria to be considered by the Garda Commissioner in selecting the locations include population, crime rates, a mix of rural and urban and a stipulation that the station must still be in State ownership.
Mr O Cualain told TDs that he has approved the recommendations of the final report by Assistant Commissioner John ODriscoll on which stations should be reopened.
The next step is for the Gardai to liaise with the Office of Public Works to determine the work that will need to be done to return the stations to use and how much it will cost.
An examination of staffing, vehicles and IT needs will also be carried out ahead of the stations reopening.
The Department of Justice received the final report from the Gardai on Monday and minister Charlie Flanagan will be bringing it to the government soon.
TDs were told that there is no requirement for the Garda Commissioner to get the approval of the minister or the government to reopen a Garda station.
An Australian packing company involved in an horrific machine accident in which a young Irish backpacker was seriously injured could face a fine of 244,000.
Packing company Kalafatis Packing appeared in Shepparton Magistrates Court, Victoria yesterday on charges about the 2015 incident at its packing shed in Shepparton East.
According to the Shepperton News, the company could face a maximum fine of $379,000 AUS, or 244,000.
Tipperary native Annie Dunne suffered extensive injuries when her hair got caught in a mechanical conveyor belt at a packing shed in Shepparton Victoria in November, 2015.
Kalafatis Packing is the firm that runs the farm. The company initially faced 10 charges, but these have been reduced to two.
They intend to plead guilty to these two charges.
It is understood Ms Dunne - originally from Kilkeary outside Nenagh - was working to fulfil the 89 days of regional work required to extend her working holiday visa for a second year at the time.
'The Age' newspaper in Australia reported at the time that Ms Dunne was cleaning the conveyor belt which was used to deliver pears for distribution when her hair became entangled in a rotating drive shaft.
She suffered extensive damage to her scalp and one of her ears in the incident.
Kalafatis Packing lawyer David Schiers told the court yesterday that the accident "shocked everyone".
"This was the first serious accident at Kalafatis in 60 years, it shocked everyone," Mr Schier said.
He also said that language barriers among the staff could have contributed to the accident.
"The person who is supervising might be Chinese, and the person picking up fruit might be Irish, so there can be difficulties with language," he said.
The court heard that at the time of the accident there was no requirement to isolate or shut down the conveyor belt during cleaning.
It also heard that interlock guards, which would have added a layer of protection along the conveyor belt, had been removed and not replaced at the time of the accident.
Documents shown to the court showed that after investigations into the worksite there were a number of basic failures of safety.
This included a lack of a lockout procedure for maintenance and cleaning of equipment, as well as guarding deficiencies along the conveyor belt where the accident took place.
Since follow-up visits from WorkSafe, Kalafatis had implemented changes based on the problems safety inspections raised, Mr Schier told the court.
A further plea and sentencing will take place on January 11 at Shepparton Magistrates Court, and the work-site will be inspected to see the improvements first-hand.
The labour hire firm - T&R Contracting Shepparton Pty Ltd - pleaded guilty in January 2017 at Shepparton Magistrates Court to failing to provide a safe working environment as it had not provided instruction and training to the young backpacker.
It was fined A$60,000 (42,000) and had to pay another A$8,000 (5,150) in legal costs.
Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald wasn't told about an email at the centre of the latest justice crisis until a full week after it was discovered, the Irish Independent has learned.
Officials at the Department of Justice only alerted the embattled minister to the existence of the correspondence after she made a phone call seeking an update on questions being submitted by Labour TD Alan Kelly.
The email was found during a trawl of Ms Fitzgerald's old email account on November 9, but she wasn't told until last Thursday, November 16.
In the interim, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was allowed to twice face Opposition questions about what the depth of knowledge within the department was about the legal strategy being adopted by gardai at the O'Higgins inquiry.
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And the Irish Independent understands Mr Varadkar is poised to cancel a historic trip to Africa in order to save the political career of his Tanaiste.
He was due to travel to Mali and the Ivory Coast on Monday. The trip involved a visit to Irish troops in the Mali capital of Bamako followed by an EU-Africa summit in the Ivory Coast.
Senior government sources last night said the trip was hanging in the balance if there was a motion of no confidence in Ms Fitzgerald.
Meanwhile a source told the Irish Independent that the email wasn't shown to Ms Fitzgerald until a week after it was discovered.
"A decision was taken to get legal advice on the email and whether it was relevant to Charleton [Tribunal] before the minister was told about it," they added.
It is not clear when current Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan was briefed, but sources said it was "at some point last week".
The development raises serious questions for management in the Department of Justice, who left the Taoiseach "blindsided".
Ms Fitzgerald faces a further grilling over the controversy in the Dail at midday today.
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Last night Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein pulled back from attempting to force her from office. Both parties decided to allow more "time and space" for the Tanaiste to answer outstanding questions about her handling of the incident.
And sources close to Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe say he is still awaiting clarification from Mr Varadkar on the content of the email before deciding what his next move will be. He is understood to be shocked that it has taken two years for the email in question to emerge.
The email, sent for Ms Fitzgerald's attention when she was justice minister in 2015, shows lawyers for then-Garda commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan were going to raise Mr McCabe's claim that a serious allegation against him was not properly investigated when, in fact, a file was sent to the DPP who directed no prosecution.
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The O'Higgins inquiry was probing allegations made by Sgt McCabe about Garda misconduct in the Cavan/Monaghan district. Sources close to Sgt McCabe insist the transcripts show that no such claim was made at the commission. He is therefore shocked and dissatisfied as to how the claim appeared in the email.
In the Dail yesterday, Mr Varadkar said he had confidence in his deputy, but took aim at the Department of Justice for giving him misleading information.
"I am not satisfied with the fact that on a number of occasions - at least two in the past week - I have been given incomplete information from the Department of Justice and Equality," he said. "My role is to account for the Government to the House and it is not something I like to see happen."
A full trawl of documentation in the department is continuing, but sources said nothing of new significance had been discovered to date.
Mr Varadkar has now also asked for a progress report on the implementations of the recommendations made in the Toland review, which was heavily critical of the culture in the Department of Justice in 2014.
TANAISTE Frances Fitzgerald is facing a motion of no confidence after Sinn Fein claimed it is now "abundantly clear" she needs to be forced from office.
The minister put up a robust defence of her time in the Department of Justice today, saying: "I am not trying to hide anything. I was not part of any conspiracy to malign Maurice McCabe, quite the contrary."
But Sinn Fein have pushed a no confidence vote in a move in that is likely to force Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to cancel a trip to visit troops in Mali next week.
Fighting for her career, Ms Fitzgerald told the Dail that suggestion she did nothing about whistleblowers "is completely wrong".
"I was the first Minister for Justice who ever met a serving member of An Garda Siochana to discuss an issue like this. I wanted to hear his concerns," Ms Fitzgerald said.
Current Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is also likely to now face questions over delays in alerting both Ms Fitzgerald and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to the discovery of the email at the centre of the controversy.
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The email from May 2015 informed Ms Fitzgerald of events at the OHiggins Commission. It said that lawyers for then-Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan were going to raise Mr McCabes claim that a serious allegation against him was not property investigated when, in fact, a file was sent to the DPP who directed no prosecution.
Independent.ie now understands the email was discovered by officials on November 9 but Mr Flanagan wasnt told for four days.
Ms Fitzgerald was only alerted to the discovered when she rang the Department on November 16. And Mr Varadkar didnt find out until November 20.
In the meantime Mr Varadkar had twice told the Dail that a trawl of documents by the Department of Justice had not found anything to suggest the minister or officials were aware of the legal strategy being adopted by lawyers for Garda.
Fianna Fails justice spokesman said the Tanaiste was made aware of a plan "to attack and try to personally destroy" Maurice McCabe.
"You were privy to that strategy. And our criticism is that you did nothing to stop it," he said.
"You were sent this email so that you could either give a green light or a red light to the strategy.
"You could have expressed reservations about the legal strategy. You didnt do that."
Ms Fitzgerald replied: "I did not interfere with the legal strategy. That would have been illegal. I would have criminal for me to try influence the legal strategy of An Garda Siochana."
However, Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said: "I'm not taken for a moment by the bluster."
She said the minister became aware of an a malicious strategy and "failed to offer when it mattered any protection to Maurice McCabe."
"For reasons you need to explain looked the other way," she said.
"You continued consistently to give political support to one of the architects of that legal strategy. You picked your side and you certainly werent on Maurices side."
Ms McDonald said it was time for the Tanaiste to step aside.
Attention will now turn to Fianna Fail who are in a confidence and supply arrangement with Fine Gael. If they seek Ms Fitzgeralds resignation it could spark a general election in the days before Christmas.
Meanwhile, Minister Simon Harris launched a defence of the embattled Tanaiste, saying he expects the confidence and supply agreement underpinning the government to be honoured.
And he launched an attack on Sinn Fein who has placed a motion of no confidence in the Tanaiste before the Dail.
Mr Harris said: I think most citizens in this country respect the fact that when you ask a judge to set up a tribunal, you actually allow the judge get on with his work.
I frankly think Justice Charleton is a much better person to adjudicate on that email and all other information than Mary Lou McDonald or any other member of the Sinn Fein party.
Mr Harris said there should be respect for due process in this country.
I certainly dont think there should be dual process. The Tribunal is in place. I have every faith and confidence in the Tribunal.
Asked whether an election is the inevitable outcome if Fianna Fail are unable to abstain on the motion of no confidence, Mr Harris said: Fianna Fail supported the establishment of this tribunal. Fianna Fail has always been a party that respects due process and respects the institutions of this State.
Speaking at a hastily organised press conference outside Government Buildings, he said: The Government has full confidence in Frances Fitzgerald as Tanaiste, as Minister for Business and for her time as Minister for Justice.
Independent.ie understands that a series of ministers are likely to be sent over the course of the next 24 hours to defend the Tanaistes record in office.
The area with the highest rates of completed third-level education in Ireland is Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown.
A total of 61.1pc of the population in the area boast completion of third-level education.
Galway City came in second with 55.2pc, while Dublin City and Fingal came in joint-third with 48.7pc of their populations completing third-level.
Both Longford and Wexford were tied as the areas with the lowest level of people who completed third-level education, at 32.5pc a piece.
Education levels have sharply risen over the last 25 years, with 42pc of the population having a third-level qualification compared with 13.6pc in 1991.
The latest Census report on Education, Skills and the Irish language a continued decline in the number of early school leavers, but a slight drop in the number of people able to speak our native tongue.
Just over 1.7m said they could speak Irish, or 39.8pc of the population, a slight drop on 2011 of 0.7pc. Fewer than one in 50 speak Irish on a daily basis.
"This report shows a continuing decline in the numbers of early school leavers and increases in the numbers with third level qualifications," CSO senior statistician Deirdre Cullen said.
"It examines and analyses changes in these areas, as well as the relationships between the level of education completed and employment and economic status.
"It also looks at our use of the national language, including our ability to speak Irish, as well as where and how often the language is spoken."
The Census also reveals:
Women tend to be better educated than men, with 43.2pc of women and 40.7pc of men having a third-level qualification.
The average age of completion of full-time education is rising to 19.9 years, up from 19.1 in 2011. The youngest age of completion are in Monaghan, Cavan, Wexford and Donegal.
Those with an Arts degree ten to have the highest unemployment rate. The lowest unemployment rate is in Education graduates. There are more people with doctorates.
The report also examines use of the Irish language and finds that the highest percentage of people able to speak Irish was in Galway at 49pc, followed by Clare, Cork County and Mayo. The lowest percentages were in Dublin City, Louth and South Dublin, followed by Cavan.
One in four who profess to be able to speak Irish never use it.
Sexual harassment has dominated the news in recent weeks, with allegations made against powerful figures such as Harvey Weinstein sparking a worldwide #metoo social media campaign. The media's focus on Hollywood might have made it easy to dismiss serial predators as part of the celebrity lifestyle, but the #metoo initiative brought home the staggering scale and everyday nature of sexual harassment in women's - and many men's - lives. According to Facebook, 4.7 million people posted #metoo comments within the first 24 hours alone.
Reading the stories posted, I was struck by two recurring themes: that experiences of unwanted sexual advances often began at an early age (11 or younger) and that a key motivation for posting #metoo stories was to ensure that the next generation won't have to experience this.
Among the many areas in which concrete change can be effected, education is an obvious starting point.
Sex Education, in particular, is key to teaching about equality, consent and respect. However, the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme in Irish schools is over 20 years old. An analysis of the curriculum content conducted in 2006 noted that it focuses largely on the avoidance of pregnancy and STIs, and encourages students to wait for sex 'until the time is right'. An evaluation in 2007 also revealed that there was a strong perception amongst students that RSE was selectively addressed and sometimes even ignored. This study also found a lower implementation in all-boys schools. This kind of gender inequality in the provision of such an important aspect of education points to a wider issue with gender inequality in education and society.
Emphasis on risk and prevention places a disproportionate responsibility on girls as the gatekeepers of sex, underpinned by an assumption that boys will push to go as far as they can. Teachers report that boys find it particularly difficult to talk about sex. There is little, if any, space for boys to discuss intimacy, hurt, sexual rejection and fears about sexual inadequacy, a void which can be filled by alternative sources online, from hardcore pornography to the burgeoning industry of pick-up artists (PUAs) who tap into male sexual rejection, frequently encouraging non-consensual approaches to so-called 'seduction'.
Understanding and engaging with this broader social context is vital. The pervasive myth that women's self-objectification is empowering has exacerbated the idea that women's bodies exist to be rated, selected and consumed. A new wave of digital feminism has been met with a particularly toxic backlash, whose extreme misogyny has percolated into mainstream online discourse. Urban Dictionary, the crowd-sourced lexicon for contemporary slang, is infused with pornographic and misogynist rhetoric. The problem with the 'pornification' of mainstream culture is not about the greater visibility of sex, but the greater visibility of sexist sex, in which women are degraded, the sexual double standard still prevails and consent remains disputed.
Often wider school cultures may compound rather than challenge this sexual double standard. Dress codes forbidding girls from wearing short skirts or 'revealing' tops presuppose that female sexuality is problematic because it is 'distracting to boys', yet no such assumptions are evident in rules which forbid boys from wearing tracksuits or jeans that show their underpants, which are often more concerned with sloppiness than male sexualisation.
Similarly, cyber-safety guidelines, talks and educational videos about sexting generally reinforce the idea that it is the girl whose sexual reputation is at stake ('those pictures could ruin your career'), rather the boy who has violated her trust and privacy by sharing nudes with his mates ('boys will be boys'). Children are rarely taught to question the social order that perpetuates sexist values, an approach built into sexuality education programmes in the Netherlands and Sweden.
A cultural shift in thinking about sexism, sexual abuse and harassment is needed and this includes our schools. Along with reviewing and updating curricula, we need to focus on changing practices in schools that may reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and limit development for both girls and boys. By setting high expectations for all students irrespective of their gender, we can start to change the inequality that persists in wider society when it comes to the different levels of accepted behaviour for men and women. Teaching young people about sex should not be viewed as a set of problems to be managed, but as an opportunity to empower them as sexual citizens. Developing critical literacy in this area from as early an age as possible is essential if campaigns such as #metoo are ever to become redundant.
Dr Debbie Ging is Associate Professor of Media Studies in the School of Communications, DCU. She will deliver the keynote address at Educate Together's forthcoming Ethical Education Conference on November 25 in the Grand Hotel, Malahide. educatetogether.ie.
I was sitting cross-legged in a field the first time I heard of a trippy sensation apparently experienced by a small section of the population: autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). It was Electric Picnic, so one might imagine we were swapping stories of illicit substances, however as a group of thirty-somethings, we were actually kibitzing about our various physical ailments. Among the recommendations for bad backs (nothing beats reformer pilates, doncha know) and new eating regimes (as we ate burgers and drank beers), I threw in my new, accidentally discovered cure for chronic insomnia.
I told the creaking assembled of how every night I listen to the same audio book that featured a whispering woman's voice - Hunger by American feminist author, Roxane Gay - and that this had become a powerful method of relaxation.
"What's the book about?" asked the others. "Well, it's actually a pretty harrowing read, but I guess it's not the words she's saying but how she's saying them," I explained. At this point, one of the group asked if I'd ever heard of ASMR and so began my very enlightening, pleasurable and relaxing journey down one of the weirder rabbit holes of the internet.
ASMR only got its name in 2007 after a man who had the sensations since childhood began a subreddit chat forum asking if anyone else knew these feelings. Described as tingles or a kind of orgasm of the brain, it is triggered by specific sounds, whispers and repetitive tasks involving the hands of others. For those with ASMR, watching or hearing these stimuli results in a hugely pleasurable sensation that can start in the brain or neck and travels up the spine.
Since the mid-2000s, knowledge of the phenomenon spread through the online world and there are now hundreds of thousands of hours of video on YouTube created by so-called ASMRtists dedicated to triggering 'whispering community', as they often describe themselves. Before ASMR was discovered, people with ASMR got the sensation from unintentional sources.
"I have a memory of being in primary school and sitting beside my friend Niamh as she was going through my pencil case," actress and writer Mags McAuliffe tells me. "She was looking at all the pencils and pens, clicking the ones that could click, trying out each of the colours on the fat pen examining every sticker or random bit of paper wedged in the corners before neatly putting everything back in, tops all facing the same direction and zipping the case closed I had the same reaction to it that I'm having now, a massive ASMR tingle sensation."
McAuliffe convinced other friends to re-enact the careful attention being paid to her possessions. "They would tentatively agree to it but too often would get bored or ask, 'is this it Margaret?' and I wouldn't respond. If I've to respond to them, something is broken and it goes away."
The kind of personal attention McAuliffe alludes to plays a big role in the whispering community which is interesting given we live in a time where communication has become a largely automated affair and life in general is an increasingly less tactile experience.
The whispering aspect emulates the physical closeness somewhat diminished by living in a digital age, while the audio triggers conjure up elements of frisson, the phenomenon of music giving you chills. According to some studies, only about two thirds of people experience what some researchers have dubbed this 'skin orgasm'. ASMR could also be compared to synaesthesia, a neurological condition in which a person experiences 'crossed' responses to stimuli - when stimulation of one sense, like hearing, leads to involuntary experiences in a second sense such as vision.
Both frisson and synaesthesia have considerably more scientific basis with studies exploring each conducted as far back as the early 20th century. The scientific study of ASMR is woefully light: two psychologists I approached for this piece had been previously unaware of the condition and reticent about offering any conjecture on the causes or therapeutic potential of ASMR. It does sound a bit makey uppy, however the figures on the YouTube channels are pretty staggering: up to half a million people subscribe to videos of gift wrapping, whispering, role plays, scrunching sounds, brushing sounds and personal attention.
Successful channels have over one million subscribers, averaging 350,000 views a day and according to one Forbes report, ASMR videos is a lucrative enough field that some popular ASMRtists make a living through ad revenue alone.
Many sceptics have suggested that the stimulus is sexual. Theresa Veltri, a researcher on a UK-based team investigating the phenomenon, acknowledges this aspect of the subculture. "They're moving their hands slowly and touching things, and they have these whispery voices," she says. "I can understand how that is relaxing, but when someone's touching phallic-like objects..."
However, those who experience the sensations maintain that the tingles are not connected to sexual responses but rather are reported to be profoundly relaxing.
The experience roots one firmly in the moment, it seems to disrupt thoughts and produces a state of 'flow'. The 'flow' state, often observed in children playing, was introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as a state in which our energy is so focused on a single task that even the passage of time goes unnoticed. "It's like you're in a trance so you're not aware of anything else and the only thing that matters is stretching out the amount of tingle time before it goes away," says McAuliffe.
Anecdotally, ASMR has been suggested to have real potential in treating insomnia, depression and anxiety, though claims by the community should be treated with caution says Francis McGlone, a neuroscientist at Liverpool John Moores University. He described his concerns in a BBC report, saying that people with acute mental illnesses might attempt to treat themselves using this method and likening it to "snake oil".
However, other researchers are eager to expand the scientific base for ASMR with the aim of eventually applying their findings to treatment of insomnia, chronic pain and perhaps even chronic mental illnesses.
The first peer-reviewed paper was published in 2015 by Dr Nick Davis and Emma Barratt of Swansea University and interviewed 500 people. Findings suggested that ASMR "provides temporary relief in mood for those suffering from depression, with many individuals consciously using it for this purpose. Many reported that even in the absence of tingling sensations, they their mood and symptoms of pain had been improved", though Davis was quick to caution that anyone suffering from symptoms of depression or persistently low mood needs to seek professional help.
Interestingly the report also showed that there was a relatively high prevalence of synaesthesia among participants suggesting that there may be a link between the two.
As a newly indoctrinated member of the tingle cult, writing this piece was nearly unbearably stimulating but, hey, at least my insomnia is cured. I may become a full-time loiterer around the gift-wrapping service this Christmas - and perhaps I'll see you there. Tingle all the way.
Three YouTube ASMRtists to try
Gentle Whispering
Subscribers: Over one million.
Russian-born Maria Viktorovna of Gentle Whispering is one of the most popular ASMRtists. Her specialty is whispering in Russian and one of her personal attention videos has nearly 13 million views.
ASMRrequests
Subscribers: 472,601.
As the name of her channel suggests, Ally Maque takes viewer requests. Interestingly she wasn't 'born' with ASMR but developed it after being introduced to the community. She does quite imaginative role plays, a particular favourite is Time Travel Tuesdays where she combines 'tingles with nostalgia'.
ASMR Angel
Subscribers: 95,000.
Charlotte Angel is a UK ASMRtist who specialises in very naturalistic role plays.
Its been a whirlwind year for Irish model Roz Lipsett.
Last Christmas, the 31-year-old met up with her close friend from school, having lost touch with him for years. Not only was it great to see her old friend again, the model realised he was the man of her dreams.
Fast forward to less than a year later, and the pair are now engaged and expecting their first baby.
Roz is now busy planning for the baby's arrival in February. and a summer wedding next year. while working at her brother Rob's events company The Creator Agency.
Here she tells independent.ie why the ultrasound photo of her growing baby is the one photo shed hate to lose.
I love having physical photo memories, you often forget about the ones you take on your phone, but the ones you frame or print out you cherish.
The photo Id hate to misplace the most is the first picture of my unborn baby boy.
I recently got my first scan and the nurse gave me one in 4D. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming amount of love Id feel, as I was prepared to look at a grainy black and white x ray, but it actually was a very clear picture of my sons little developing face and body.
It just made everything suddenly seem so real, that there was a little being in my body that was going to change my life forever.
Do you have a photo you'd hate to lose? Send it to contact@indepedent.ie, and tell us the story behind your most precious photo
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I am due in February and seeing Junior's first pic was a moment I will never forget.
Myself and my fiancee Rob have looked at the photo of the little boy growing inside me hundreds of times, and spoke and laughed about all the possibilities that lie ahead of him and us.
We have talked about what he will look like, what kind of person he's going to be and praying for his health and happiness. It's like a little window into the future.
The nurse conducting the scan told us he had extra-long legs and a healthy heartbeat. I think he looks a bit like his Dad in this photo, especially when Rob is asleep.
I would be so upset if I lost this photo because I want to show this to my son in years to come, as the first photo he's ever taken.
Every day this week, an Irish celebrity will share the story behind their most precious photo.
A recent survey by Fujifilm Imagine showed 80pc of Irish people have lost photos they've taken and stored digitally, while 42pc have lost photo memories due to corruption or damage to their digital device. Some 38pc of Irish people changed or lost their phone or PC without saving or printing their photos, and 32pc deleted photos by accident.
Switzerland: The lakes are a particular shade of powder blue that you only get from glacial waters.
Throughout summer and autumn, hikers rule the Swiss hilltops. Nicola Brady gets her boots on in Graubunden.
I'm sitting in a sauna, and it's taking every ounce of restraint I have to keep looking straight ahead. My gaze is fixed upon a small knot of wood in the wall. Right now, it is imperative that it stays there.
What's going on?
Well, I've just spent the day hiking strenuous trails in the Swiss Alps, fantasising frequently about the sauna in which I now sit. What I didn't expect were the five men in here with me, who are all very much naked. Switzerland's prolific thermal suites are mostly unisex, it turns out, and nudity is compulsory. My instincts tell me that giggling is frowned upon also... hence my focus on that knot of wood.
I'm in the Swiss region of Graubunden for the tail end of summer, when hikers rule the hilltops. The mountains, shrouded in snow for much of the winter, come to life in the spring, carpeted with verdant, soft grass in the richest of greens. When you walk, the tinkling of bells rings through the hills as goats trot nearby. Lakes are the particular shade of powder blue that you can only get from glacial water; their pastel hues are hypnotic.
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Switzerland's summer landscape...
My first day begins, as all good days should, with a glass of chilled Prosecco in the hillside town of Falera. The plan is to embark on an eight-hour Culinary Trail in Flims. Between spurts of hiking, generally an hour or two in length, we make pit-stops at charming restaurants hidden throughout the mountains.
Our first stop is Tegia Larnags (larnags.ch), where we tuck into melon and local ham, as staff heave hay bales in preparation for a party later in the evening. We stop at Restaurant Runcahohe (runcahoehe.ch) for pizokels, pillowy little dumplings not unlike gnocchi, swaddled in a buttery spinach sauce.
There are several families enjoying lunch, with children flinging themselves along a zipline and gallivanting on a climbing frame. A local woman tells me that when she was a child, her family would make the two-hour hike to come here for lunch, with the promise of the playground and pizokels at the end.
"We would never drive - I don't think it occurred to my parents. Weekends were all about hiking, for everyone around here," she says.
It still seems that way today. Locals take to the hills whenever they can, overtaking wheezing tourists with ease. Mountain roads turn to gravel tracks, grassy knolls and rickety bridges over ravines. Every so often, a wooden pipe pokes out from a mountain stream, sending a spurt of chilled water into the grateful hands, mouths and bottles of hikers. It is the purest water I have ever tasted, manna for those conquering Switzerland's summer mountains.
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Pizokels... gnocchi-like dumplings
As we progress on to the tricky final stretch of our eight-hour hike, the promise of a huge meal weighing heavily in my mind, we reach a series of climbs that nearly have me pilfering the walking stick from a passer-by. Our final restaurant, Startgels (grandislaax.ch), appears up a dizzyingly steep climb.
I trudge on, just as the rain starts to fall. Almost instantly, the drizzle becomes an intense shower, slamming down on us as we battle up what would be a black run in the ski season. When we reach our destination, we take shelter on the deck, peeling off layers of wet clothing. Steam pours from our heads as the rain continues to batter down. A bolt of lightning strikes not a few feet from where I sit, where we stood only moments before.
As we tuck into thick chops of fire-charred lamb, roasted vegetables and polenta, the sun begins to peek out again, and the mountains emerge from the swathes of rain. The sound of hammering showers is replaced by serene silence. It's a quick-fire change in conditions that, even for one used to the vagaries of Irish weather, is fairly staggering.
Not all of the mountains here in Graubunden are as tranquil. St Moritz is a glitzy showgirl of a town, the streets lined with designer stores frequented by stylish skiers in the winter. The summer crowd is a little more low-key. Visitors duck into cafes for a slice of nusstorte, a rich walnut cake (below), before taking strolls around the piercingly blue lake.
Away from the glamour, there are plenty of spots that are friendly, welcoming and casual, however. Located behind the majestic Kempinski hotel, for example, La Baracca is the kind of joint that would be rammed in the winter, with people seeking the perfect night of apres ski.
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Nusstorte, a rich walnut cake
In the summer, this wooden chalet is filled with groups of friends, tucking into huge communal platters before tables are shifted to one side for dancing. You could be sat next to a stranger on the long table in the centre of the room, and then end up digging a spoon into his dessert once the sun has gone down.
As dusk falls, the groups mingle into one. Dangerously strong drinks appear and impromptu conga lines begin. Sashaying around the room in a tight cluster feels almost as intimate as sharing a sauna (but thankfully, we all get to keep our clothes on). It's hard not to get sucked into the spirit of things, in a place where good-hearted joie de vie seems to grow on the thickets of pine trees.
If this is what a life of hiking gets you, then my boots are never coming off.
What to pack
A decent pair of hiking boots is obviously a must, but be sure to wear them in properly before you hit the hills. Pack lightweight layers made from hard-working fabrics like Merino wool, too - the slopes in Switzerland can get chilly even when the sun shines.
Where to stay
The Signinahotel (signinahotel.com) is in the centre of Flims, close to all of the restaurants and a bus stop. Rates start at 170CHF/158. In St Moritz, the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains (kempinski.com/stmoritz) is the height of luxury, with plush rooms, an incredible spa and fantastic food. Rates start at 520CHF/484.
3 must-dos...
A Thrilling Ride
While public transport is well organised, some journeys provide more of a thrill than others. The Bernina Express (rhb.ch; 49CHF/45) runs from Chur to St Moritz, weaving through mountains and crossing staggeringly high viaducts and bridges over the course of a two-hour journey.
Sauna Etiquette
Saunas are everywhere in Graubunden. Most hotels come equipped with a thermal suite, and you'll be grateful for it at the end of a long day's hiking. Just remember: no swimsuits are allowed (though you can cover yourself with a towel). Some have gender specific areas, but unisex is the general rule.
Local Delicacies
Whether you're on a culinary hike or not, there are a number of foodstuffs you'll want to seek out. As well as the pizokels (above), you'll find polenta on most menus, which is hardy hiking fuel. In St Moritz, pop into Hatecke (hatecke.ch) for incredible cured Alpine meats, then find a slice of nusstorte.
Getting there
Swiss (swiss.com) flies from Dublin to Zurich from around 140 return. It's a good idea to get a Swisspass (swiss-pass.ch), which entitles you to unlimited travel on trains and buses, as well as entry into 400 museums. Passes start at 171 for three days.
For more info, see en.graubuenden.ch or myswitzerland.com.
View the latest independent.ie exclusive holiday deals on this destination and from around the world
Aer Lingus cabin crew and sisters Laura and Melissa Stapleton at the announcement of its Seattle route. Picture Jason Clarke
Let's give up pretending it's a single day, shall we? Black Friday now sprawls over more than a week, and savvy travel fans can make big savings.
That's not to say savings are guaranteed, however.
Buyers need to beware with Black Friday. Just because the words discount or 25pc off are attached to an offer doesnt make it great value.
Before you book, check what blackout dates and T&Cs apply. Is the discount taken from a reasonable rate, or a package bumped up just for the occasion? Consider wiping your cookies or using a different browser for comparison, too.
When can you travel? Mid-November to mid-December is traditionally a low demand period, as is the second week of January onwards - so expect steals there.
Ultimately, its the amount that comes out of your bank account that counts, and that needs to reflect value. Here's my pick of the offers for 2017.
Fly Away: Air fares from 9.99
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Ryanair is running Black Friday travel deals daily until Sunday, November 26, with one-way fares from 9.99 and 20pc off 20kg check-in bags. Check its website early each morning to beat the crowds. ryanair.com.
Aer Lingus' Black Friday offers go live on November 23. They include up to 30pc off selected European routes, for travel from December 1 until January 31. It's also got a cool 100 off US West Coast round trips to LA and San Francisco (travel from January 8 to March 21) and 30 off East Coast round trips. aerlingus.com.
WOW air is offering low fares to six US destinations in a Purple Friday flash sale. Discounted rates start from 129.99 one-way on flights from Dublin to Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Miami. The sale routes are available for travel between December 1-10 and January 20 to May 15 next year. wowair.ie.
CityJet has 25pc off flights if you use the code 'BREAKAWAY' when booking. It's valid to November 27, on select dates with 12+ days advance purchase. cityjet.com.
Top Tip: You can get early warning of discounts by signing up for airline newsletters or checking their Facebook accounts... nabbing deals before the masses.
Loop Dreams: Airport shopping
The Loop (Dublin & Cork Airport's shopping plazas) is offering 15pc off everything from Black Friday to Cyber Monday (24th - 27th) - online only. At the airports themselves, the offer is available on Friday, November 24 only. theloop.ie.
Top Tip: The Loop's prices are 15pc cheaper on average than high street shops, but Jo Malone and Chanel are excluded from the Black Friday promo.
Package Holidays from 69pp
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Cassidy Travel says it has city breaks from 69pp (we've confirmed the price for a two-night trip to Edinburgh, with flights, from November 28). cassidytravel.ie.
It's also offering 300 off a three-night break to Disneyland Paris for a family of four during the February mid-term break. The package includes flights, 3-star accommodation, three days of park passes and airport transfers from 1,599 (down from 1,899).
Camino ways has 25pp off all 2018 bookings, in addition to a 10pc early bird discount... equating to 93.50pp off a classic, seven-night Camino trip (expect to pay from 592.50pp, including seven nights' B&B, five dinners and luggage transfers, but excluding flights). See caminoways.com/black-friday-camino-voucher.
DirectSki.com is offering ski holidays in Andorra from 299pp, a saving of some 50pc. Offers are valid until Sunday 26th November (flights, hotel and transfers are included, but you'll need to tack on ski rental, lift passes and ski lessons to the price). directski.com.
Joe Walsh Tours has 100 off its seven-night pilgrimages to Fatima and Medjugorje for travel between May and October 2018. Holidays start from 499pp. joewalshtours.ie.
Crystal Ski has a 50pp discount across Europe on all Winter 2017/18 dates. The o ffer is available until Monday, November 27. crystalski.ie.
Other Black Friday travel deals see Topflight (topflight.ie) offering savings of what it says are to 450pp, and TUI and Marella Cruises (tuiholidays.ie) flagging discounts of up to 100 per booking (subject to specific dates and terms). Kanes Travel (kanestravel.ie) is also offering 50 gift vouchers for 25 (valid for travel in 2018 only).
Top Tip: Note that discounts are often subject to minimum spends. See itaa.ie/offers for more Black Friday travel deals from ITAA members.
Hot Hotels: Save up to 50pc
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Dublin's Castleknock Hotel is offering up to 50pc off accommodation on selected dates until March 2018. castleknockhotel.com
OCallaghan Hotels has a 50pc sale across all of their hotels for stays in December, January and February. Rooms at hotels like The Mont Clare and Davenport in Dublin start from 79 (room only). The sale is only bookable on Cyber Monday (November 27th), however - starting at 9am. ocallaghanhotels.com.
The CLIFF group is offering 10pc off all package vouchers over 100 from its three hotels (Cliff House Hotel, Cliff at Lyons and Cliff Townhouse). The discount is running from Thursday, November 23 to Wednesday, November 29. CLIFF.IE/vouchers.
Promoted: See the latest Aer Lingus offers and deals on Independent Discounts
Great National Hotels have 20pc off hotel stays and 20pc extra free on gift vouchers in its Black Friday travel deals. 21 hotels are participating, and the offer is valid until Tuesday, November 28. greatnationalhotels.com/black-friday.
Limerick Strand Hotel is offering 15pc off best available rates. The discount is available from midnight Thursday, November 24 to midnight on Cyber Monday. strandhotellimerick.ie.
Flynn Hotels will host a 72-hour Black Friday Sale from Friday to Sunday, November 26. Rooms start from 69 B&B for two people. flynnhotels.com.
In Borris, Co. Carlow, the Step House Hotel is offering 20pc off all B&B bookings for available dates until March 28, 2018 (stephousehotel.ie). The Keadeen in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, also has a 20pc discount valid until January 31 (keadeenhotel.ie).
Among the hotels offering 10pc off in Black Friday travel deals are Westport's Wyatt (wyatthotel.com; use promo code 'BLACK') and Cork's Castlemartyr Resort (castlemartyrresort.ie).
Treacys Hotel Group has dinner and B&B deals with a glass of Prosecco from 44pps, valid January to April of next year. treacysgroup.com.
Top tip: It's not just hotels themselves offering savings - Hotels.com for example, has up to 50pc off during 'Cyber Week'.
Read more:
A fountain to quench the thirst of walkers on the Cammino di San Tommaso has opened in Abruzzo, in central Italy.
This little gem provides hikers not with water - but revitalising wine.
What's more, the fontana del vino in Caldari di Ortona is both free and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Created by the local Dora Sarchese vineyard, the fountain will pour red wine for the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who make the journey from Rome to Ortona to visit the citys cathedral where the remains of Thomas, one of Jesus disciples, are kept.
Ortona is a 2.5-hour drive from Bari, to which Ryanair flies from Dublin, and roughly the same distance, cross-country, from Rome.
The fountain, a joint project between Dora Sarchese and the organisation in charge of maintaining and promoting the Cammino di San Tommaso, a popular pilgrimage route, is believed to be the first in Italy to be open all the time.
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Similar attractions have previously been used as one-off set ups to celebrate events and festivals... just not 24/7.
A post on the vineyards Facebook page said the Fountain of Wine is a welcome, the Fountain of Wine is poetry before adding that it was not for the use of drunkards or louts.
The Fountain of Wine is a gift for the Cammino di San Tommaso in which we believe so much and that in this way we want to help to grow, it said, slightly confusingly.
The Fountain of Wine is not the Trevi Fountain, not spilling wine all the time.
Perhaps Italys most famous wine fountain is that in the centre of Marino, from which wine flows during the annual Grape Festival. In 2008, however, a plumbing error meant that instead of wine coming forth from the fountain, it was re-routed to residents.
Mayor Adriano Palozzi said at the time: "Due to a technical error, instead of connecting wine to the fountains, we accidentally channelled it into some local homes.
"Apparently the people living around the square who got the wine coming out of their taps were very surprised, they thought that it might be some kind of present from the local council. It only lasted three minutes, we corrected it straight away."
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David Lynch has said he has not ruled out reviving Twin Peaks once again.
The director brought back the ground-breaking series this summer after more than two decades away from television screens.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he was asked whether he would consider returning to the world of Twin Peaks.
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Ive learned never say never, he replied enigmatically.
But the 71-year-old said it was too early to say what would spur him and co-creator Mark Frost to resuscitate the show again.
The original two seasons revolutionised television in the 1990s, but after a 1992 film it lay dormant until the latest season made by US network Showtime and broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic.
The already haunting show took on a more tragic dimension because of the deaths of three of its stars before its release.
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Log Lady actress Catherine Coulson lost her battle with cancer just four days after she finished filming, Lynch said, while the actor who played FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield, Miguel Ferrer, and Warren Frost, who played Dr Will Hayward, also died before it was aired.
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We were so lucky that we got Catherine. She passed away four days after she shot her scenes, Lynch told the trade magazine.
And Miguel and now Harry Dean Stanton. Its a sad, sad thing. I just loved working with Miguel. I loved working with everybody. But I guess its just a terrible thing to lose people.
But its just really fortunate that we got them in the show.
Jeffrey Tambor has been accused of sexual harassment by a third person, who said the actor forcibly kissed her on the set of a 2001 film.
The actor, who is considering quitting Amazon series Transparent after allegations over his behaviour on set, said he did not remember the latest alleged incident but apologised for any discomfort caused inadvertently.
Transparent co-star Trace Lysette and a former assistant to Tambor have both accused him of sexual harassment in recent weeks. He denies the claims.
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A make-up artist, who subsequently requested not to be named, told website Refinery29 that she had not interacted with him during filming, adding: It wasnt like he and I had bantered back and forth or flirted.
But she alleged that Tambor, now 73, made a sudden advance on the last day of filming the movie Never Again.
I said (to Tambor), It was very nice to work with you and he grabbed me out of nowhere and kissed me on the lips, she said.
And I was just shocked. I didnt even know how to react, because how do you react when youre not expecting anything like that? So I didnt know if I was embarrassed or shocked or mortified or stunned. It was a whole bunch of emotions.
In a statement, Tambor said he had absolutely no recollection of anything like this incident ever happening.
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If it did, it wasnt meant as anything more than an enthusiastic farewell and gratitude for a job well done at the end of a shoot, he added.
However, I am deeply sorry for any discomfort or offence I may have inadvertently caused her.
Last week, Lysette, who plays yoga instructor Shea, said Tambor made sexual remarks during filming and at one point thrust himself against her.
Tambor has won two Emmys and a Golden Globe starring as a transgender woman in the Amazon series but said he is considering quitting it given the politicised atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set.
Amazon is investigating the claims made against him in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which has led to increased scrutiny of the behaviour of powerful men in Hollywood and has triggered an anti-harassment movement.
Zimbabwe's ruling party promised Robert Mugabe that he would not be prosecuted if he resigned, a party official said.
"Prosecuting him was never part of the plan," ZANU-PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke said.
"He is safe, his family is safe and his status as a hero of his country is assured. All we were saying is resign or face impeachment."
As Zimbabwe prepared to witness the swearing-in of new president Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday morning, its citizens circulated on social media a new photo showing what appeared to be Mr Mugabe at the end of his 37-year rule.
The 93-year-old and his wife are shown sitting on a sofa with advisers standing behind them.
A dejected-looking Grace Mugabe, who just days ago had been poised to replace Mr Mnangagwa after his firing as vice president and even succeed her husband, looks off camera. Mr Mugabe's eyes are closed.
Mr Mugabe, who resigned on Tuesday as lawmakers began impeaching him, has not spoken publicly since his stunning speech on Sunday defying calls from the military, ruling party and the people to step down.
But it appears he and his wife will remain in the capital, Harare.
According to protocol, Mr Mugabe could even be present at the 75-year-old Mnangagwa's swearing-in on Friday morning at a 60,000-seat stadium after making a triumphant return to the country. He fled shortly after his firing, claiming threats to his life.
Mr Mnangagwa's speech upon his return on Wednesday night outside ruling party headquarters promised "a new, unfolding democracy" and efforts to rebuild a shattered economy. But he also recited slogans from the ruling ZANU-PF party, unlikely to reassure the opposition.
The opposition party MDC-T, which supported Mr Mugabe's removal, said it had not been invited to the inauguration. Spokesman Obert Guru said the party was closely watching Mr Mnangagwa's next moves, "particularly regarding the dismantling of all the oppressive pillars of repression."
In a new statement on Thursday, Mr Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans against "vengeful retribution".
The pastor who led large anti-government protests last year, Evan Mawarire, says Zimbabweans should let Mr Mnangagwa know that the country should be for everyone and not just the ruling party.
Mr Mnangagwa, a former justice and defence minister with close ties to the military who served for decades as Mr Mugabe's enforcer, remains on a US sanctions list over allegations of violently cracking down on opponents.
He fled Zimbabwe after being fired on November 6 and was in hiding during the week-long political drama that led to Mr Mugabe's resignation. His appearance on Wednesday, flanked by heavy security, delighted supporters who hope he can guide Zimbabwe out of political and economic turmoil.
Mr Mnangagwa will serve Mr Mugabe's remaining term until elections at some point next year. Opposition lawmakers who have alleged vote-rigging in the past say balloting must be free and fair, a call the United States and others have echoed.
Mr Mugabe's resignation was met with wild celebrations by people thrilled to be rid of a leader whose early promise after taking power at the end of white minority rule in 1980 was overshadowed by economic collapse, government dysfunction and human rights violations.
On Thursday, an editorial in the privately run NewsDay newspaper said Mr Mnangagwa has "an unenviable task" and that he should set up a coalition government that represents all Zimbabweans.
AP
The morning after ecstatic celebrations over the resignation of the long-ruling president Robert Mugabe, the people of Zimbabwe yesterday awaited the arrival of his former vice president, expected now to become the interim leader.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, believed to have been in South Africa, will be sworn in tomorrow, having been nominated by the ruling party to be the new president, according to the speaker of the parliament.
Mr Mnangagwa is a longtime Mugabe ally, nicknamed "the Crocodile" for his reputation for shrewd but often brutal tactics, and was known as the president's enforcer.
However, when the 93-year-old Mr Mugabe fired him earlier this month, likely to ensure the succession of his unpopular wife, the military moved in.
Even as the sense of euphoria in Zimbabwe lingers, the question looming over everyone is whether Mr Mnangagwa will be an improvement over Mr Mugabe's nearly four-decades of misrule that impoverished the once affluent country.
The US State Department said in 2000 that Mr Mnangagwa was "feared and despised throughout the country" and "could be an even more repressive leader" than Mr Mugabe.
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For the moment, Mr Mnangagwa appears to have the backing of Mr Mugabe's former party and the military, but Zimbabwe's opposition remains fragmented, and politicians and activists will now try to seize on the president's resignation to carve out their own positions in whatever government comes next.
This nation of 16 million people now faces a deeply uncertain period, with a fragmented opposition, no clear path to elections and a controversial heir to power, but the nation was at least momentarily united by the removal of its despotic leader.
Mr Mugabe's exit marks a historic moment that will echo across Africa, where he was among the last surviving heroes of the anti-colonial struggle to remain in power, a man who was initially lionised as a liberator but was increasingly seen as autocratic and brutal. He presided over the stunning collapse of a nation that was known as the breadbasket of the region at its 1980 independence.
His resignation could send a message to other strongmen on the continent who have clung to power for years, defying or manipulating their constitutions. Still, Mr Mugabe's likely successor worked closely with him for years, and is not viewed as a reformer.
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"The dictator is gone," Takudzwa Jonasi (32), a chemical engineer, shouted as he celebrated with a jubilant crowd outside parliament.
"For our generation, we have never seen any change. We were not allowed to exercise our rights," he added. Like many young Zimbabweans, Mr Jonasi has known no other leader.
"I have no words. We are finally free," said Shoes Tazviwan (36), a chef who had also joined the demonstrations.
In the end, the world's oldest head of state was a victim of his own allies. After years of purging members of his inner circle, Mr Mugabe had alienated the leaders of Zimbabwe's military, who detained him and seized control of the country's government on November 14.
After days of negotiations - and the largest anti-government demonstration in the country's history - the leader went quietly, sending his resignation letter to parliament, where it was read by the speaker, Jacob Mudenda.
The surprise announcement came as parliament was debating Mr Mugabe's impeachment. Shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, the speaker halted the discussion and announced the president's departure. The body burst into cheers. Mr Mudenda announced that a new president would be named.
According to the speaker, Mr Mugabe's letter said he was resigning for "the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and the need for a peaceful transfer of power".
Mr Mugabe's resignation leaves Zimbabwe at a crossroads - with the military technically in charge of the country and a wide array of political groups now angling for power.
For the past week, Zimbabweans have been united by their opposition to their long-ruling, autocratic leader, and many here expressed hope that the rare period of unity would lead to the formation of a broad coalition.
"Let's agree for this moment that the enemy of my enemy is my friend," said Fadzayi Mahere, a lawyer and politician.
As soon as Mr Mugabe's resignation was announced on the radio, car horns started blaring and drivers pumped their fists in the air. In front of the parliament, people danced on car roofs and blasted music, waving Zimbabwean flags as the sun set over Harare.
One man in a park fell to his knees in celebration with his arms outstretched. Another kissed the ground.
"It's a new day for us.
"He has ruined our economy," said Sibongile Tambudzi.
'A local sculptor has been commissioned to re-design it,' says principal
An Australian Catholic school has covered up a statue of a saint and a child over fears it was suggestive.
Blackfriars Priory School in Adelaide took delivery of the artwork only recently but bosses said it should be covered up and altered after a loaf of bread the saint is holding was deemed potentially embarrassing.
Black curtains now surround the statue of St Martin de Porres, of Spain, ahead of its planned alteration by a local sculptor.
Blackfriars principal Simon Cobiac said: "The sculpture is a famous depiction of the tireless work of St Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother, for the poor and downtrodden of the 16th century.
"The two-dimensional concept plans for the statue were viewed and approved by the executive team in May but upon arrival the three-dimensional statue was deemed by the executive to be potentially suggestive.
"As a consequence, the statue was immediately covered and a local sculptor has been commissioned to re-design it."
The statue provoked confusion and ridicule on social media.
One Twitter user said: "Omg. WHO APPROVED THAT DESIGN?!" And another wrote: "Wasted their money.. Buy books..pay teachers more."
A FIRM involved in an horrific fruit-picking accident in which a young Irish backpacker was seriously injured has been fined A$60,000 - approximately 42,000.
Tipperary native Annie Dunne suffered extensive injuries when her hair got caught in a mechanical conveyor belt at a packing shed in Shepparton Victoria in November, 2015.
It is understood Ms Dunne - originally from Kilkeary outside Nenagh - was working to fulfil the 89 days of regional work required to extend her working holiday visa for a second year at the time.
'The Age' newspaper in Australia reports that Ms Dunne was cleaning the conveyor belt which was used to deliver pears for distribution when her hair became entangled in a rotating drive shaft.
She suffered extensive damage to her scalp and one of her ears in the incident.
The labour hire firm - T&R Contracting Shepparton Pty Ltd - yesterday pleaded guilty at Shepparton Magistrates Court to failing to provide a safe working environment as it had not provided instruction and training to the young backpacker.
It was fined A$60,000 and had to pay another A$8,000 in legal costs.
The firm that runs the farm, Kalafatis Packing Pty Ltd, and its manager Dimitrios Vagelatos are also both facing charges, with the case due to be heard next month.
WorkSafe's Executive Director of Health and Safety, Marnie Williams, said it was "staggering" that workers were expected to clean the machines while they were still in operation, 'The Age' reported.
A UN court has convicted former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic of genocide and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to life in prison for atrocities perpetrated during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.
The court in The Hague convicted Mladic of 10 of 11 counts in a dramatic climax to a groundbreaking effort to seek justice for the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
Presiding Judge Alphons Orie read out the judgment yesterday after ordering Mladic, dubbed "The Butcher of Bosnia", out of the courtroom over an angry outburst.
Mladic was found guilty of commanding forces responsible for crimes including the worst atrocities of the war - the deadly three-year siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica. He will appeal the verdict, his legal team said yesterday.
Mothers of Srebrenica's victims clapped when the convictions were read out.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called the verdict a "momentous victory for justice".
"Mladic is the epitome of evil, and the prosecution of Mladic is the epitome of what international justice is all about," Mr al-Hussein said in a statement.
"Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take."
Mladic is to appeal his life sentence, his son said yesterday, calling the judgment by the UN war crimes court "war propaganda".
Darko Mladic said: "I'm not surprised. The court was totally biased from the start. This sentence is unjust and contrary to the facts, and we will fight it on appeal to prove that this judgment is wrong," he told reporters shortly after his father was found guilty. "Today justice has been replaced by war propaganda," he said.
Mladic's legal team added: "It is certain we will file an appeal and the appeal will be successful."
Mladic's trial was the last before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and comes as the court prepares to close its doors next month.
After rumours that he would not attend his verdict, the former general (74), who once cut a swathe of fear against Bosnia, at first appeared relaxed in the courtroom as he listened intently to presiding judge Alphons Orie.
However, Mladic was dragged out of his judgment hearing after he started shouting at war crimes judges that they were lying.
Mr Orie ordered him removed from the courtroom just after denying a defence request to halt the proceedings due to Mladic's high blood pressure.
"They are lying, you are lying. I don't feel good," Mladic shouted, refusing to sit down, before being hustled out of the courtroom by two UN security guards to a nearby room where he could watch the rest of the proceedings.
His outburst came after the judges refused to halt the reading of the verdict.
After a surprise break requested by Mladic which lasted about 45 minutes, defence lawyer Dragan Ivetic returned to tell the judges that Mladic's blood pressure had been taken three times by nurses.
According to British and US medical organisations, that meant that Mladic was in a "hypertensive crisis" and continuing the hearing could lead to "fatality", Mr Ivetic said.
But the judges disagreed with the findings, and refused to adjourn the hearing.
Yesterday's verdict has been long-awaited by tens of thousands of victims across the bitterly-divided region, and dozens gathered early outside the courtroom in The Hague, many clutching photos of loved ones who died or are among the 7,000 still missing. One had a picture of Mladic with a human skull saying: "Guilty of all."
Retailer Majestic Wine has said it is time to put its foot on the gas and ramp up sales growth as it cheered a return to profit.
The wine warehouse chain, which has 210 branches in the UK and two in France, posted bottom line pre-tax profits of 3.1 million for the six months to October 2 against losses of 4.4 million a year earlier.
Underlying per-tax profits jumped to 6.8 million from 51,000 a year earlier.
Shares surged 7% after the results.
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It thanked a boost in customer numbers for the turnaround, which helped offset a slowdown in underlying retail sales growth to 2% after hiking prices in the face of soaring buying costs from the weak pound and amid tough UK conditions.
The group said it has increased the number of repeat customers to 510,000 from 475,000 a year earlier.
Two years into a three-year turnaround, Majestic said it now plans to increase its rate of sales growth by steadily increasing spending to attract more new customers.
Chief executive Rowan Gormley said: The plan is on track.
Two years in and profits are growing, our foundation is solid and we are ready to accelerate growth.
We have the opportunities to invest in new customers and a team excited to focus on what they do best. Its time to put our foot on the gas.
Group-wide sales growth stood at 5.7%, including a 1.2% boost from the weak pound flattering sales in US dollars, which puts it on track for its target to hit 500 million of sales by 2019.
Its online Naked Wines business saw sales leap 10.9% higher to 67.8 million, with profits across all three of its markets worldwide.
The group said Naked Wines revenues in the last 12 months were now double the level reported when it bought the business in April 2015.
Majestics recovery has seen the group expand and look to retain its customer base, slow down branch network expansion and acquire new customers for Naked Wines.
But it said it still had more to do in keeping customers of the core retail warehouse chain, with customer retention down over the half year.
Phil Carroll, an analyst at Shore Capital, said Majestic had unveiled a good set of interim results and a significant improvement in profitability.
A man in Saudi Arabia has reportedly been sentenced to death on charges of apostasy after losing two appeals.
Several local media reports identified the man as Ahmad Al Shamri, in his 20s, from the town of Hafar al-Batin, who first came to the authorities attention in 2014 after allegedly uploading videos to social media in which he renounced Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.
He was arrested on charges of atheism and blasphemy and held in prison before being convicted by a local court and sentenced to death in February 2015.
At the time Mr Shamris defence entered an insanity plea, adding that his client was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of making the videos.
He reportedly lost an Appeals Court case, and a Supreme Court ruled against him earlier this week.
While news stories in the last few years consistently identify Mr Shamri, his identity or sentencing has not been verified by the Saudi authorities.
Under Saudi Arabias strict religious laws, leaving Islam can be punishable by harsh prison sentences and corporeal punishment - and a 2014 string of royal decrees under the late King Abdullah re-defined atheists as terrorists, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Last year, a citizen was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing atheistic sentiment in hundreds of social media posts.
Mr Shamris name and hometown have trended on Arabic-speaking Twitter in the last few days. Some users have even celebrated his sentencing.
If you're a lowkey atheist that's fine. But once you talk in public & criticise God or religion, then you shall be punished, one such post read.
I wish there could be live streaming when you cut his head off, said another.
International human rights watchdogs have consistently condemned Saudi Arabias human rights record.
The Kingdom came under further scrutiny last week when it emerged it had been elected to the UNs womens rights commission.
Under the countrys system of guardianship, womens rights and freedom of movement is heavily restricted. They are not allowed to drive, and voted for the first time in 2015.
Electing Saudi Arabia to protect womens rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief, UN Watch Director Hillel Neuer said. Its absurd.
Saudi Arabia has sat on the UNs human rights council since September 2015.
( Independent News Service)
A former doctor accused of molesting girls while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University pleaded guilty yesterday to multiple charges of sexual assault and will face at least 25 years in prison.
Larry Nassar (54) admitted to abusing seven girls, mostly under the guise of treatment at his Lansing-area home and a campus clinic. All but one of his accusers was a gymnast.
He faces similar charges in a neighbouring county and lawsuits filed by more than 125 women and girls.
Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas are among the women who have publicly said they were among Nassar's victims.
Some of his accusers attended the hearing yesterday in a packed Ingham County courtroom. Some were crying.
"For all those involved... I'm so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control," Nassar said. "I pray the rosary every day for forgiveness. I want them to heal."
Nassar admitted to digitally penetrating the victims and agreed his conduct had no legitimate medical purpose and that he did not have the girls' consent.
The plea deal in Ingham County calls for a minimum prison sentence of 25 years, but a judge could set the minimum sentence as high as 40 years.
Sentencing was set for January 12.
A prosecutor said 125 women and girls have filed complaints with Michigan State University police.
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar: "You used your position of trust ... in the most vile way to abuse children ... I agree that now is a time of healing, but it may take them a lifetime of healing while you spend your lifetime behind bars thinking about what you did in taking away their childhood."
Separately, Nassar is charged with similar crimes in Eaton County. He also is awaiting sentencing in federal court on child pornography charges.
Donald Trump with Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in Manila during the US presidents Asia tour
Three White House employees have been removed from their posts amid allegations they had improper contact with foreign women during President Donald Trump's Asia tour.
The military personnel, who worked for a specialised unit providing the president with secure communications, are alleged to have broken a curfew during Mr Trump's trip to Vietnam earlier this month.
Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, confirmed that the allegations during the president's 12-day tour of Asia were "under investigation".
It will raise fears that this may be similar to a high-profile incident during Barack Obama's administration when 10 secret service agents were sacked for taking prostitutes back to their hotel rooms while the president was visiting Colombia.
The 2012 incident raised concerns that prostitutes had access to the agents' rooms and potentially sensitive information regarding Mr Obama's movements.
In this most recent incident, the men who worked for the White House Communications Agency, are thought to have been reassigned from their White House jobs while the allegations are investigated.
In August, four military personnel from the same agency faced allegations of improper behaviour during a trip to Panama with vice president Mike Pence.
The four men were accused of taking foreign women into a secure area while they were preparing for Mr Pence's arrival, and were forced to fly home early pending an investigation.
If found guilty they could lose their security clearance - or even face a court martial.
Mr Trump and Mr Pence's teams have not commented on the incidents and have referred requests for comment to the Pentagon.
The White House's Communications agency is part of the White House Military Office, a team of technical personnel which travels with the president on state visits to other countries.
The agency's role is to prevent eavesdropping on presidential communications and to ensure that White House officials can be securely reached worldwide at a moment's notice.
A significant number of its staff are assigned to White House duties for four-year stints.
Military personnel with high-level security clearances are supposed to report interactions with foreign individuals to ensure that there is no risk of national security being compromised.
Martin Schulz's SPD is coming under increased pressure to go into another coalition with Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (AP)
Pressure is growing within Germany's Social Democratic Party to at least discuss the possibility of forming a new government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.
SPD leader Martin Schulz ruled out returning to the current "grand coalition" with Mrs Merkel after leading his party to a disastrous result in September's election, but appeared to soften his stance before a meeting on Thursday with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has urged politicians to compromise.
"The SPD is fully aware of its responsibility in the current difficult situation," Mr Schulz told German news agency dpa. "I'm sure we will find a good solution for our country in the coming days and weeks."
Mrs Merkel's failure to reach a deal with the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats after four weeks of talks put all of Germany's mainstream parties on the spot. If no one budges, the options are a minority government - never previously tried - or a new election.
Several Social Democrats, while expressing scepticism, have suggested their party should discuss another coalition with Mrs Merkel or support for a minority government led by her.
"If absolutely nothing else works, we must again consider a grand coalition," SPD MP Karl Lauterbach told public broadcaster ZDF.
The party's deputy leader, Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, said the Social Democrats should not rule out anything.
"We need to discuss every option," he told the Passauer Neue Presse.
Meanwhile, the fate of another key figure in the German coalition talks could be decided later. Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Social Union which forms the Bavaria-only part of Mrs Merkel's conservative bloc, was due to hold talks with senior party members late on Thursday.
There was widespread speculation of a party shake-up.
Mr Seehofer's party lost a significant share of its voters to the upstart nationalist party Alternative for Germany in the September 24 national election. The Christian Social Union is keen to avoid a similar blow in next year's Bavarian vote, putting pressure on its 68-year-old leader to step aside and make way for a younger rival.
AP
Robinho has been handed a nine-year jail sentence by a court in Milan
Former AC Milan and Manchester City striker Robinho has been sentenced to nine years in jail by a court in Milan on charges of sexual assault following an incident in 2013.
Robinho's lawyer said the 33-year-old, who is currently playing for Atletico Mineiro in his native Brazil, denied the charges and will appeal against the court's decision.
News agency ANSA reported that five other men were also accused of violently sexually assaulting an Albanian woman and that another member of the group, Ricardo Falco, was also sentenced to nine years in jail.
The other four men had not been found by Italian police, ANSA said.
Robinho's lawyer Marisa Alija said: "We clarify that he has already defended himself from these allegations, and insist he had no participation in that episode."
Brazil does not extradite its own citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.
Robinho began his career with Santos before leaving Brazil in 2005 for a three-year spell with Real Madrid.
He then joined Manchester City and moved to AC Milan in 2010, spending five years under contract with the Serie A club. After a brief stay at Chinese team, Guangzhou Evergrande, he joined Atletico Mineiro last year.
He has made 100 international appearances for Brazil.
AP
Rohingya Muslims have been the victims of "ethnic cleansing", the United Nations has said (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
Widespread atrocities against Rohingya Muslim women and girls have been orchestrated and perpetrated by Burma's military and may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict has said.
Pramila Patten, who met many Rohingya victims of sexual violence in Bangladesh camps during a visit this month, said she fully endorses the assessment by UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein that Rohingya have been victims of "ethnic cleansing".
Patten said at a news conference that the widespread use of sexual violence "was clearly a driver and push factor" for more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee Burma. It was "also a calculated tool of terror aimed at the extermination and removal of the Rohingya as a group", she added.
Burma's government has denied committing any atrocities, as has its military. The government refused a request from Patten to visit northern Rakhine state where many Rohingya lived.
Buddhist-majority Burma doesn't recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic group, insisting they are Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country. It has denied them citizenship, leaving them stateless.
The recent spasm of violence began when Rohingya insurgents launched a series of attacks on August 25. Burma security forces then began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages that the UN and human rights groups have called a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Patten said that during her visit to camps for the displaced, she heard "the most heartbreaking, most shocking, and horrific accounts of abuses committed cold bloodedly with unparalleled hatred against the Rohingya community".
Patten, a former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, said: "My observations point to a pattern of widespread atrocities, including sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls who have been systematically targeted on account of their religion and ethnicity."
"And a clear picture has emerged about the alleged perpetrators of these atrocities and their modus operandi," she added. "The sexual violence has been commanded, orchestrated, and condoned and perpetrated by the armed forces of Burma, the Tatmadaw. And other actors involved include the Burma border guard police and militia composed of Rakhine Buddhists and other ethnic groups."
Patten said the UN population agency had provided services to 1,644 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
She also said she could see a basis for characterising these violations as war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. "But it is not my role to make that determination," she added.
Patten said she plans to participate in a Human Rights Council meeting on Burma in Geneva on December 5 and hopes to brief the Security Council in New York on December 12.
The council would have to refer Burma to the International Criminal Court for the violence against Rohingya to be considered as possible war crimes. That appears highly unlikely as China, an ally of Burma, is one of the council's five powers that can veto any action.
AP
This tie-up promises to offer a unique adventure to fans of cars and Star Wars.
Through this campaign, Tata Motors has strategized to aggressively increase awareness of the Nexon in the country by joining forces with the Star Wars franchise.
According to Vivek Srivatsa Head - Marketing, PVBU, Tata Motors: We are very excited to associate the Tata Nexon with the Star Wars brand which is a huge franchise globally. Nexon has been one of the most talked about recently, just like the The Last Jedi has been for the movie buffs. Fueling the force within you, the Tata Nexon takes driving to LEVEL NEX which has resulted in a culmination of a radical shift in thinking about our products. Nexon promises to deliver an experience beyond the next level which will change the norms of what you can expect out of a car just like the Star Wars movies. We are sure that this association will definitely prove to be a real treat for fans of both the brands.
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Guwahati, Nov 23 (IBNS): Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, on Thursday started its banking operations in Guwahati with the launch of a branch.
The new branch was inaugurated at Lachit Nagar area in the capital city of Assam.
It is the second live branch of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB) in Assam.
During a press conference held in Guwahati, MD and CEO of USFB Ltd Samit Ghosh said that, USFB started its banking operations in February last year with pilot branches in Bangalore.
Currently we 17 branches in eight districts of Assam catering to over 1.5 lakh customers and 12 branches will be converted to USFB this year and rest to be converted next year. There are a total of 26 branches in North East region covering three states Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. We are looking to extend our business to other NE states, Samit Ghosh said.
In nine months of our bank launch, we have established our presence across all four regions with 110 bank branches covering 19 states and union territories. We will continue to increase our banking footprint across the country to serve the target customer segments, Samit Ghosh said.
On the other hand, Chief Operating Officer of USFB Ltd Ittira Davis said that, USFB is oofering savings bank account with no charges for minimum balance.
We are providing a whole host of benefits such as doorstep banking, mobile, internet and phone banking, access to biometric ATMs and Aadhar enabled debit cards. Aadhar enabled KYC facilities paperless account opening in approximately 5-7 minutes using biometric authentication on a hand-held device. The device can also be used for cash deposits, withdrawals and fund transfers at the customers doorstep. The customers of USFB will have unlimited access to ATM transactions on Ujjivans ATM network and a total of six free transactions on other banks ATM network, Davis said.
On the other hand, USFB also launched a educational film on financial literacy titled Paison Ki ABCD inpartnership with Parinaam Foundation.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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Shimla, Nov 23 (IBNS): A Colonel of the Indian Army was arrested on Wednesday over an alleged gang-rape of his colleague's daughter, reports said.
The victim has been identified as a 21-year-old daughter of a Lieutenant-Colonel posted at the Army Training Command.
The alleged crime took place in the Colonel's official residence on Monday.
According to the victim, the Colonel raped her on the pretext of helping her meet some modelling professionals.
Shimla SP Soumya Sambasivan said that an FIR has been registered against the Colonel and a friend of him, who allegedly helped him commit the crime.
The friend is however yet to be arrested.
In her complaint, the victim also stated that the Colonel had threatened to ruin her father's career if she opened her mouth about the incident.
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Dispur, Nov 23 (IBNS): Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has mocked Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the latter held "sins" responsible for cancer during an event on Tuesday.
Taking a dig at Himanta, who jumped from the Congress to the BJP in 2015, former Union Finance Minister Chidambaram tweeted: "Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person."
'Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 22, 2017
The former Congress man took to Twitter to revert back to Chidambaram saying: "Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life.Dont you belief that too?Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all."
Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life.Dont you belief that too?Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all https://t.co/P7CMBIRCYQ Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017
Himanta, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said: "God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe their background you will come to know that it's divine justice. Nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice.
"In this lifetime or in our previous life, or perhaps my father or mother... perhaps that young man did not do anything, but his father has done something wrong... no one can escape divine justice.," Himanta was quoted by media.
The Assam Health Minister continued to defend his own statement in a series of tweets.
Replying to several tweets, Himanta even urged his critics not to "belittle Hindu philosophy". "Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio,I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc."
Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio,I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017
The minister even tried too hard to convince that his speech was distorted as he intended to "motivate teachers".
"Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher.serve poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next http://life.science can not promote human value.religion might.good night.," Himanta said in one of his latest tweets.
Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher.serve poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next https://t.co/H4KfY7M9HQ can not promote human value.religion might.good night https://t.co/YTxbCZZnD9 Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017
The 48-year old Assam minister served the Congress party from 2001 to 2015 before he switched to the saffron party.
After the BJP came to power in the state in 2016, Himanta assumed the portfolio of the health ministry.
Image: twitter.com/himantabiswa
Guwahati, Nov 23 (IBNS) : Noted Assamese actor Biju Phukan passed away at Apollo Hospital in Guwahati on Wednesday evening following cardiac ailments, family members said.
He was 70.
According to reports, the popular Assamese film and theater actor was admitted at the private hospital on Wednesday evening at around 4-30 pm with breathing difficulty and passed away at around 6-15 pm.
A popular actor of the Assamese film industry with a career spanning over 55 years, Biju Phukan was born on February 18, 1947 in upper Assams oil rich district Dibrugarh.
The award winning actor started his film career with Brajen Baruahs film Dr Bezbarua in 1970.
He appeared as a hero in Samarendra Narayan Devs Aranya in 1971, which was adjudged best regional film at the National Film Awards.
He acted in over 80 Assamese, Bengali and Hindi movies in his career.
Baruar Songshar, Lalita, Bonoriya Phool, Momota, Brishti, Ajoli Nobou, Upapath, Itihaas, Bowari, Aparoopa, Ghar Sangshar, Devi, Agnisnaan, Bohagor Duporiya, Mon Mandir, Anthony Mur Naam, Maa, Papori, Pita-Putra, Pahari Kanya, Agnisakshi, Barood, Rong, Rowd, Khandob Daah, Dur are some his popular movies.
He also acted four Bengali film named Hotel Showfox, Aparajita, Doishyu Ratnakar, Gajamukta and a Bollywood film - Ananda Ashram -- directed by Shakti Samanta and released in 1977.
Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi expressed his condolence at the death of Biju Phukan.
I am deeply saddened by his death who hugely contributed to popularise Assamese cinema. With his death a void will be created which will be hard to be filled. I extend my condolences to the bereaved family and his fans. May his soul rest in peace, Prof Mukhi said.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal too mourned the demise of the veteran actor.
I am grieved and saddened by the sudden demise of Biju Phukan who is largely responsible for promoting Assamese film industry and brought it to the present status. His contributions will be remembered by posterity. Biju Phukan enriched Assmese cinema with his immortal roles in films like Dr. Bezbaruah, Ajoli Nobou, Boari, Ghar-Sansar, Devi, Agni-Snan, Pita-Putra so on and so forth. His death is an irreparable loss to the society. He also empathised with the bereaved family members and prayed to the Almighty for eternal peace of the departed soul, Sonowal said.
Chief Minister Sonowal, who is on an official tour to Upper Assam, has asked his Media Adviser Hrishikesh Goswami to rush to late Biju Phukans house and be with the family at this difficult time.
He also talked over phone and expressed his empathy with the bereaved family members.
Sonowal asked Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia to take steps to complete his last rites with full state honour.
All Assam Students Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJPs Assam unit, Assam Pradesh Congress, AIUDF and several organizations also condoled the death of the popular Assamse actor.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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New Delhi, Nov 23 (IBNS): In a bizarre case, a four-year-old boy has been booked by police for allegedly raping his classmate using a pencil, reports said.
The alleged incident took place in Delhi's Dwarka region on Friday.
Even though police have registered a case against the perpetrator, keeping his age in view, they are consulting lawyers on how to go about the trial.
The incident came to light after the victim, who's of a similar age, went home and complained about pain in her private parts to her parents.
Upon a review by a doctor and receiving confirmed reports that it was indeed a rape, the parents filed a complaint with the police.
Describing the plight of their daughter, the parents said that the perpetrator unbuttoned the victims pants and used a finger and a sharpened pencil to molest her.
Blaming the school authorities of negligence, the parents said that they did not provide much help after learning about the incident.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dependra Pathak, the Delhi Police chief spokesperson, said, "The Indian Penal Code provides children below seven years of age certain protections against prosecutions. We are examining those provisions even as we are handling the matter with utmost sensitivity."
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Chennai, Nov 23 (IBNS): Following the student unrest at the Sathyabama University campus, located near Chennai, the university officials have decided to close the campus and asked students to vacate the hostel, according to media reports on Thursday.
Commotion erupted on Wednesday after a student allegedly committed suicide asr she was caught cheating in the examination, reports said.
The body was sent for post mortem.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, students turned violent, raised slogans and set fire to hostel property, reports said.
The media quoted the police as saying that the situation has been brought under control.
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Guwahati, Nov 23 (IBNS): Police is yet to take an action against a college principal in Assam, who allegedly sexually molested a female teacher, about nine months ago, according to media reports.
According to reports, the incident took place on Feb 21 at Bilasipara college in lower Assams Dhubri district.
A case (number 608/2017 under section 354 (A)/506 IPC) was also registered at the Bilasipara police station
Citing that the police has not taken any action against the accused, the teacher also wrote a letter to the Director of Assam Higher Education on October 28 last stating the circumstances and how Principal Dr Raju Bordoloi sexually assaulted her.
In her letter she also mentioned that along with a few other female colleagues, she reported the matter to the local administration head, SDO (Civil).
The SDO (Civil) conducted a magisterial inquiry based on which report a complaint was lodged and a case of molestation registered (case no -608/2017) against Dr Bordoloi on June 22, 2017 in Bilasipara police station, she mentioned.
In her letter, she claimed that despite submitting their statements in this regard to the police station on August 6, 2017, nothing has transpired.
Instead, the teacher said in her complaint letter, she and her colleagues have been served show-cause notice by the president of governing body on September 18, 2017 for lodging complain to the SDO (Civil), Bilasipara Sub-Division.
Meanwhile, SDO (Civil), Bilasipara Sub-Division, Dr MS Lakshmi Priya, IAS, also submitted a report before the state government and urged to take necessary action against the accused principal as per law.
After receiving the letter from the female teacher, the Director of Higher Education has initiated an inquiry committee headed by a joint director to probe the matter.
According to a reports from Assam Home Department, over 9,770 women were raped in the state in the past five years, while over 15,570 women were molested during the same period.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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Srinagar, Nov 23 (IBNS): In a major decision, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has announced amnesty to first-time offenders of stone pelting, who are in jails for years.
In a surprising message on twitter, Mufti wrote that the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone pelting will resume.
"It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone pelting, she wrote on Wednesday night.
"My government had initiated the process in May 2016 but it was unfortunately stalled due to the unrest later that year."
"It is a ray of hope for these young boys and their families. This initiative will provide them an opportunity to rebuild their lives." She added more on twitter
The Centre's special representative on Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma had recommended the move .
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Gandhinagar, Nov 23 (IBNS) : Ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections, the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar archbishop Thomas Macwan has urged voters to elect those "who respect all human beings," saying the result of the state polls can make a difference, media reports said.
In a letter to voters, Macwan also urged voters to "help save the country from nationalists" and and warned them about communal forces taking over the nation.
The Indian Express reported that the letter was sent to bishops across the country, calling upon the community to pray for the victory of "humane leaders."
"The results of this election are significant and it will have its repercussion and reverberation throughout our beloved nation. It will influence the course of our country," he has been quoted as saying.
" We are aware that the secular and democratic fabric of our country is at stake. Human Rights are being violated. The constitutional rights are being trampled. Not a single day goes without an attack on our churches, faithful or institutions. There is a growing sense of insecurity among the minorities, OBCs, BCs, poor and so on. Nationalist forces are on the verge of taking over the country. The election results of Gujarat State Assembly can make a difference.
The archbishop claimed that there was no "malicious" intent behind the letter.
We can always pray for good humans to be elected as leaders. Where do we Christians stand in Gujarat, at a bare 0.5 percent of population? It has not been issued with any bad intention. If anyone uses the letter to divide the society or polarise voters, it will be unfortunate, Macwan said, according to The Indian Express report.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (IBNS): Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday called on Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.
Welcoming the Sri Lankan Prime Minister to India, the President said that India supports his vision to create a stable and prosperous Sri Lanka.
Kovind also appreciated Wickremesinghes positive role in Sri Lankas active engagement with the world.
The President said that relations between India and Sri Lanka are unique, warm and friendly.
"They are based upon shared historical, cultural, ethnic and civilizational ties and extensive people-to-people linkages," said he.
The President said that development cooperation forms an important part of India-Sri Lanka bilateral engagement.
"India is keen to strengthen the economic pillar of its relationship with Sri Lanka. There is a lot that can be achieved, given the synergy and economic complementarities between the two countries," Kovind said.
The President reiterated Indias "firm commitment" to partner with Sri Lanka on projects of mutual interest.
Sikhi Wiki
New Delhi, Nov 23 (IBNS): President Ram Nath Kovind on the eve of the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur urged all to dedicate themselves to the latter's principles.
On the occasion of the observance of the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, let us recall and commemorate his supreme sacrifice for the cause of human dignity, liberty and freedom of worship," Kovind said.
"The teachings and the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur convey a message of everlasting significance and represent universal and unalienable values that are the right of every human being," he said.
"On this solemn day, let us dedicate ourselves to the principles that Guru Tegh Bahadur stood for and gave his life for, the President added.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (IBNS): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has asked Pakistan to allow Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been held in the neighbouring country over the charges with spying, to meet his wife along with the accused's mother.
While Pakistan is yet to grant visa to Kulbhushan's mother as the latter's wished, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said they have conveyed to Pakistan that Kulbhushan's wife would like to accompany her mother-in-law to Pakistan.
"We have conveyed that the wife of Jadhav would like to travel along with her mother-in-law for the meeting." the MEA said.
"We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the wife and the mother of Mr. Jadhav and that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their visit and stay in Pakistan. We have further asked that a diplomat of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting.," the MEA spokesperson added.
Pakistan Foreign Office months ago said that it was considering granting visa to Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother. The
Kulbhushan is presently locked up in Pakistan, where he is facing spying charges and has been sentenced to death, only to be stayed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following India's successful appeal.
His mother Avantika had made repeated pleas earlier, which went unreciprocated by the neighbouring country.
Twitter
A day after his controversial remarks on people suffering from cancer, which sparked massive controversy across the country, the Assam Health minister offered his unconditional apology to those hurt by his statement.
The Assam minister said that, his speech on divine justice and Karmic deficiency is being quoted out of context.
In their bid to trivialize and sensationalise, no one is looking at content of my whole speech and intent. It was said in the context of helping poor students of Government schools and request to teachers not to neglect them. It was also a message to indicate district eduction officers not to harass teachers, Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The Assam minister accused that, a section of national media, local media and few in Congress party are now playing the story.
I am pained to say, will cause agony among cancer patients and their relatives. I lost my father, best friends and relatives to cancer. And everyone in Assam and outside know my passion to work on containing cancer through best possible treatment facilities including free chemotherapy, financial scheme to help up to Rs 2 lakh to cancer patient, one state-of-art cancer hospital in Guwahati with PET CT, banning chewing tobacco and now starting a grid of hospital in across Assam are some of my humble contribution as health minister of assam, Sarma said.
A philosophical discourse, designed purely to help poor students, is being misused and which in turn is causing avoidable anxiety among surviving cancer patients and their close ones. I still believe divine justice will catch up with each and every one us for trying to cash in on someone elses pain to gain political mileage and cheap publicity. I reiterate at no point my statement was intended to cause any pain to cancer patients. However, if owing to the blatant distortions, it has caused any anxiety and problems to anyone, I hereby offer my unconditional apology for the pain, the Assam Health minister said.
Himanta Biswa Sarma further said that, detachment from life, karmic action and rebirth are some of core principles of Hindu philosophy developed over last 5000 years, that western thought process can never dominate or dilute the spirit.
So many oncologists in TV studio are citing reason for cancer? But why it is happening to certain individuals and not to other in spite of living under same environment. Science has not been able to give answer to many of our perennial queries and therefore at our last moment, we are asked to pray God, the Assam minister said.
Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, he is not against science and strongly believe there is strong merit in spirituality and teachings contained in Bhagvad Gita as well as those of our ancestors.
The purity of the philosophy and its essence help us in bringing sanity and balance in life. I once again offer my apology to those who might have been hurt owing to this absolutely mindless controversy triggered by few political desperado, the Assam minister said.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Mumbai, Nov 23 (IBNS): Controversy-marred Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Padmavati has been cleared by the UK censor board but the film producers are in no mood to release the movie on the foreign soil now.
Viacom 18, the production company, said they will hold the release in the UK till the film is cleared by Indian censor board.
Padmavati received criticisms from several fringe groups in the country over the alleged portrayal of Rani Padmini, played by Deepika Padukone on screen, in poor light.
The Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments have banned Padmavati even before the film received its certificate. The state governments stated they have banned the film since it hurts the Rajput sentiment.
Padmavati evoked a huge controversy after several fringe groups alleged that Bhansali has distorted history in his upcoming film.
Taking the controversy to a new low, a Karni Sena leader has threatened to chop off actor Deepika Padukone's nose as the latter reacted sharply to the ongoing controversy centred on the film recently.
Reacting sharply to the vandalisation of a Kota mall recently, Padukone said people have regressed as a nation. "It's appalling, it's absolutely appalling. What have we gotten ourselves into? And where have we reached as a nation? We have regressed."
The actress even said nothing can stop the release of the film, drawing strong reactions from the leaders of Karni Sena.
Reacting to it, threats of physical harm were issued to Padukone.
Recently Haryana BJP leader offered a bounty of Rs. 10 crore on the heads of Bhansali and Padukone.
Padukone had earlier urged Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani to take legal actions after few protesters who had vandalised artist Karan K's Rangoli, which was inspired by film Padmavati.
The Supreme Court has recently dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a stay on the release of Bhansalis film Padmavati.
The top court suggested that the Censor Board should take an independent view over the issue, saying it cant substitute role of CBFC.
Amid the running feuds, the censor board, has sent the movie back to the makers as the application for the certification was incomplete."
According to media reports, the application was sent back to the filmmakers through an online process on November 16.
The makers of Padmavati have even deferred the release date of the movie from Dec 1.
The producers have also hinted that the film might be released in 2018.
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh on Tuesday refused to make any comment on the controversy.
Ranveer, who will be seen in the role of second ruler of Khilji dynasty Alauddin Khilji, told media: "I have been specifically asked (producers) not to comment at this sensitive time."
The actor even said only the producers will make any official statement on the row. However, he said, "I am 200% with the film (Padmavati)."
The film also stars actor Shahid Kapoor in one of the three lead roles.
Mumbai, Nov 23 (IBNS): Bollywood actor Ameesha Patel has raised the temperature on the social media with an image from one of her old photo shoot for a magazine cover.
Ameesha shared the picture on Instagram where the actor was seen wearing a bold, revealing outfit.
The actor captioned the picture saying: "Throwback to feb shoot for magazine cover aiaiai."
Throwback to feb shoot for magazine cover aiaiai A post shared by Ameesha Patel (@ameeshapatel9) on Nov 22, 2017 at 10:05pm PST
Ameesha made her Bollywood debut with 'Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai' in 2000, opposite another debutant Hrithik Roshan.
New York, Nov 23(Just Earth News): Despite escalating violence and increasing humanitarian needs, life-saving medicines, medical equipment, and surgical supplies are being prevented from entering eastern Ghouta in Syria and the plan to transfer critically ill patients to hospitals elsewhere has not been approved, the United Nations health agency has warned.
Continuous and unimpeded humanitarian aid to eastern Ghouta is urgently needed, and medical evacuations of critically ill patients are long overdue, said Elizabeth Hoff, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Syria.
Life-saving health supplies are available, and WHO, along with partners, stands ready to respond to health needs once access is granted, she added.
In eastern Ghouta of Rural Damascus, local health authorities report that in just four days through 17 November, 84 people were killed, including 17 children and 6 women; and 659 people were injured, including 127 children and 87 women.
During the same period, more than 200 surgical operations were conducted in eastern Ghoutas overwhelmed and under-resourced hospitals. Hospitals and healthcare centres have been damaged, severely limiting medical care for people at a time when they need it most.
On 18 November, two resident doctors and three patients at al-Mujtahed Hospital in Damascus city were injured in an attack. The 412-bed facility is one of the main public hospitals in Damascus serving patients from eastern Ghouta and other parts of the country.
WHO is also concerned that lack of essential health services, as well as limited electricity, fuel, safe drinking-water and basic sanitation services are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks such as diarrheal diseases, typhoid and hepatitis.
Further, inter-agency convoys to the area have been irregular, and the aid provided has been insufficient to meet the increasing needs of up to 400,000 people besieged for more than 4 years.
Photo: UNICEF/Amer Al Shami
Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Nov 23(Just Earth News): Syrian opposition groups meeting in Saudi Arabia should do all they can to unify ahead of a fresh round of United Nations-facilitated talks in Geneva, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday.
The veteran negotiator was speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh, at a meeting involving the principal opponents of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
After welcoming the wide spectrum of representation at the Saudi meeting, de Mistura noted the very complicated environment in which it was taking place a reference to the crisis in Syria that has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions.
Despite these obstacles, the UN Special Envoy called for the opposition groups to take a common line on their countrys future.
Their actions could help shape not one but two rounds of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, de Mistura said.
The first discussions are due to begin next Tuesday, to be followed by a second session in December.
We want to show, and we want to show through you, that this is the way the future of Syria can be decided, de Mistura told all those gathered in Saudi Arabia.
He added that they had a chance to give a new dynamic to the UNs efforts to secure peace in Syria, based on UN Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). The measure calls for the Syrian Government and opposition to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process on an urgent basis something will be sure to figure prominently when intra-Syrian talks begin on Tuesday.
In his push for real negotiations based on resolution 2254, de Mistura explained that once back in Switzerland for the UN talks, he would be seeking progress on a new constitution and elections supervised by the United Nations.
The aim is to produce credible, all-inclusive, non-sectarian governance in Syria, he said, and to address the threat of terrorism in the war-torn country.
In addition, the UN Special Envoy insisted urged also to press for the release of detainees and missing persons, and humanitarian access to areas still under siege in the more than six-year war.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
Source: www.justearthnews.com
I think were extremely happy with the results of the conference, said Stephen OMalley, the UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
The powerful category-5 hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the Caribbean in September causing a number of deaths and widespread devastation in the Caribbean. According to the latest needs estimates, recovery costs are expected to surpass $5 billion.
Barbuda, the smaller of the two-island State of Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica were among the most severely affected, along with Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands. Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis also suffered damage, while St. Maarten/St. Martin as well as Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico were also impacted.
It is a very long road to recovery, OMalley said in an interview with UN News, noting that while the roads in the capital, Roseau, are more or less clear and water is back, only three per cent of the country currently has electricity. In addition, agriculture has been badly affected. Its still a hard time.
Meanwhile, on Barbuda, water was restored yesterday and people are trickling back to the island. The roads have been cleared and people are beginning to repair their homes, and trying to determine whether they can come back and resettle or wait longer until the conditions are right for returning. Schools have not re-opened and medical services are very limited, OMalley noted.
Nearly 400 high-level representatives from governments, multilateral and civil society organizations and the private sector gathered in New York, along with the Secretaries-General of the UN and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to help the affected countries build back better.
They want to be a climate-resilient region, OMalley stated, explaining that this involves practical steps from the way a countrys road network and electricity grid are designed to ensuring that schools and hospitals are built to withstand the impact of climate change.
Its your infrastructure. Its also better planning and preparedness by the governments so that they can respond more quickly, he pointed out. They have the capacity to do that [] theres a variety of different things there to make everybody more climate resilient.
Addressing the conference yesterday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that countries in the Caribbean need support now to rebuild, and to take effective climate action.
We need a new generation of infrastructure that is risk-informed, to underpin resilient economies, communities and livelihoods, he told the gathering.
Photo: UNICEF/Moreno Gonzalez
Source: www.justearthnews.com
New Delhi, Nov 23 (IBNS): Strongly reacting to Pakistan's release of Jamaatud Dawas (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, India on Thursday said the development indicates Pakistan's attempt to mainstream terrorism.
It is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non state actors, and its true face is visible for all to see, media reports quoted MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar as saying.
He also said the release of Saeed reflects the lack of seriousness on the part of Pakistan.
India is outraged that a self-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist has been allowed to walk free. Pakistans lack of seriousness in bringing perpetrators of terror to justice is evident."
"It is the responsibility of Pakistani government to fulfil its international obligations and take credible and effective action against terrorists like Hafiz Saeed. India, as indeed the entire international community, is outraged that a self-confessed and UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue his evil agenda.," the MEA spokesperson said.
In a major development, a review board, comprising judges of the Lahore High Court, refused to extend the detention of Jamaatud Dawas (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed on Wednesday.
The current house arrest of the JuD chief is scheduled to end on Nov 24.
The review board under the chair of Justice Abdul Sami Khan passed these orders after a senior finance ministry official failed to convince the board that the release of Saeed would bring diplomatic and financial problems to the country, Dawn News reported.
Saeed had been put under house arrest since Jan 31.
He was initially put under house arrest for 90 days but the period was later extended more than one time.
Saeed is suspected of masterminding the attack Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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Its strange how one film became the eye of the storm in our nation. From getting entangled in the political world to becoming a subject of violence, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati has gripped the entire nations mood in a negative way. Almost everyone is discussing the fate of the film. Furthermore, debate on intolerance in the nation has been brought alive again. It looks like the controversies are raging each passing day.
(Also Read: BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha Questions PM Modi, Smriti Irani & Bollywoods Silence On Padmavati Row)
Screengrabs
Amid massive protests and threats being issued to chop off body parts of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone, censor board rejected the application of the makers saying that it was incomplete, and hence, the movies released has been delayed.
On the other side, British censor board has cleared the movie, and the Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor-starrer is all set to hit the screens on Dec. 1.
(Also Read: Javed Akhtar Bears The Brunt Of Supporting Padmavati, FIR Filed Against Him For Rajput Remarks)
Youtube Screengrab
According to the official website of the BBFC, 'Padmavati' will be released "uncut" in the UK.
The magnum opus sets out to tell the tale of Rani Padmavatithe legendary Mewar queen known as much for her beauty and intelligence as she was for her courage, her husband Maharawal Ratan Singh - a glorious Rajput ruler and a warrior king who fought till his last breath to defend his kingdom and his wife's honour and Sultan Alauddin Khiljian ambitious and obsessive invader.
Most women in Delhi dont feel safe, not even in the broad daylight, forget after sunset. The statistics of rape and molestation are enough to validate any noun attached to Delhi, this fact would make you wonder why Delhi can never be safe for women.
AFP
The police are the guardian of law and order in any city which includes modesty of women, but how can you trust an establishment where rapes and molestations are rampant within and that too with the department not finding any of the accused guilty.
Yes, you read right.
At least 150 Delhi Police personnel have been accused of rape, sexual harassment and molestation but for the past six years, no accused have been found to be guilty in 28 cases and the accused have been acquitted while the investigation is underway in 122 cases.
According to a report by Hindustan Times with the help of Right to Information (RTI), 38 of the 45 different departments of Delhi Police responded to newspapers query.
Officers are accused of rape and even unnatural sex
According to the report, women have accused officers of stalking, inappropriately touching and even trying to have unnatural sex while they came to police station to lodge a complaint. The female police have also accused their male colleagues of sexually harassing them which include three women officers who accused their senior officers of sexual harassment.
reuters
Action taken
While none of the accused out of 28 inquiries which got completed have been convicted , 122 cases are still under inquiry.
Reuters
This itself speaks about the action that department took against the accused. However, in 30 per cent of the cases, the accused were demoted by up to four years and in other cases, two constables were dismissed. But that too can get reinstated if they win court cases filled by them.
Telecom companies including Airtel, Telenor and Reliance Communications have sought a revenue-share model from content creators - a demand that was strongly opposed by content companies as "unfair and unreasonable" and against the tenets of net neutrality.
bccl/representational image
At an open house session called by Trai on the issue of net neutrality on Wednesday, telecom companies demanded commercial arrangements with content creators to further monetise their mobile networks.
The telecom players have been pushing for a share of the advertising pie generated by content companies, saying that they have made investments in network and spectrum.
However, content companies say that telcos gain due to the popularity of their apps and websites that drive data consumption. The telcos' plea was opposed by content creators and those representing not-for-profit organisations.
bccl/representational image
Save The Internet volunteer and Medianama founder Nikhil Pahwa rejected the argument of mobile companies and said the approach suggested by them will lead to "extortion" by telcos. "Telecom companies are unfairly trying to control access to the content," Pahwa said.
He dubbed the monetisation suggestion of telcos as "ridiculous" and said it should be rejected."Commercial agreements reached upon by content companies are not the mandate of mobile companies."
bccl/representational image
Wrapping up the discussions, Trai said it is likely to finalise recommendations on net neutrality in a month's time. "All stakeholders are actively participating in this (net neutrality) debate. I think Trai should be able to give appropriate recommendation to the government which they have asked for," Trai chairman R S Sharma said.
VVIP movement causing trouble for others is nothing new in India. And every single time they get away scot-free, because of their VVIP status.
But MoS Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam wasn't so lucky to get away. On Wednesday he came face to face with the wrath of an angry woman passenger for causing delay to her flight due to VVIP movement.
ANI/ Screengrab
According to a video posted by ANI, the passenger, a woman doctor is seen shouting at the union minister and others as she had to catch a flight to attend to a funeral and her flight got delayed.
The woman is further seen asking Kannanthanam to give it in writing to her that her flight won't be delayed further.
To with the minister said he was ready to give it in writing.
ANI/ Screengrab
Earlier, as many as 13 flights were diverted out of Delhi and many were delayed due to a VIP movement. Many passengers were left stranded as nearly 90 domestic flights, arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, were either delayed or diverted due to the VIP movement.
WATCH:Angry passenger shouts at Union Minister KJ Alphons at Imphal Airport after flights were delayed due to VVIP arrival schedule #Manipur pic.twitter.com/0EWHjIA30n ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017
Meanwhile the authorities have clarified that there was no flight cancellations, but admitted of delay to some flights.
A proposal in Iraq's parliament that calls for scrapping the minimum age for marriage of Muslim girls has resulted in outrage in public and on social media. The critics view it as a 'license to rape'. Conservative Shiite deputies on October 31 proposed an amendment to a 1959 law that set the minimum age for marriage at 18.
bccl
The initial legislation, passed shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred the right to decide on family affairs from religious authorities to the state and its judiciary.
But now the new bill looks to go back on that and would authorise the marriage of any girl if it had the consent of the religious leaders from the Shiite or Sunni Muslim community to which her parents belong.
In effect, it makes "the opinion of the Shiite and Sunni ulema (scholars) obligatory for judges", said a liberal independent MP, Faiq al-Sheikh, a member of Iraq's legal commission.
abc.net/representational image
Historically, he recalled, Islam has allowed the marriage of pubescent girls from the age of nine, the same as Aisha when she is believed to have been married to the Prophet Mohammed.
Social media has been flooded with criticism of the parliamentary bill, ranging from outright indignation to black humour, with anger also rife on the streets.
Thus they created history in Indian Navy, by becoming the first woman pilot and the first batch of female officers at the Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) branch, which were considered a male bastion so far.
Facebook
They were inducted in the force on Wednesday, at an impressive passing out ceremony in the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, in Kannur, in which as many as 328 cadets of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and two overseas cadets, one each from Tanzania and Maldives, passed out on successful completion of their courses.
"I know, this is not just an exciting opportunity but a great responsibility also," said Shubhangi Swaroop, the girl from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, who became the first woman pilot in the Indian Navy. Now, she will undergo the pilot training at Dundigal Air Force Academy in Hyderabad.
Their appointment as officers in Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) branch, which is also for the first time in the history of Indian Navy, is a great recognition for the women in India, said Aastha Segal, Roopa A and Sakthimaya S, who have been inducted in the NAI branch. More and more women are interested to join the defence forces and this achievement will be an inspiration to others too, they said.
Facebook
Though the Indian Navy started inducting female officers in 1991, now the areas of induction have been expanded, said Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, who reviewed the passing out parade.
He said the professional training at the INA has been designed to instill discipline, professionalism, courage and camaraderie among the young officers. After the ceremonial review, the admiral awarded medals to nine meritorious midshipmen and cadets.
Medha Kumari, a National Institute of Technology (NIT) Patna student, has been offered an annual compensation package of Rs. 39.5 lakh from Adobe Systems India Private Limited. She is studying computer science and engineering.
bccl
Also read: The Oldest Student At His College, 75-YO Man Proves You're Never Too Old To Learn Something New
Apart from Adobe, 37 companies participated in the NIT Patna placement drive 2017. These include Tata Motors, Samsung R&D Institute India, HighRadius, IndiaMART, Hero MotoCorp, Wipro, Virtusa, L&T Corporate (POWAI), IBM, L&T Construction, Capgemini, Futures First, HighRadius, and Amazon, to name a few.
Amazon became the second biggest recruiter offering five students Rs. 27.5 pay package each.
nitp.ac.in
Also read: For The First Time, Apple Comes To Indian Engineering Colleges For Campus Placements
HighRadius made 51 offers this year, which is the biggest from a recruiter, out of which 49 students were offered Rs. 7 lakhs while 2 students received offers of Rs. 8 lakhs, reports NDTV.
Medha Kumari's offer has been the highest placement package for an NIT-Patna student till date said Dr. Samrat Mukherjee of the Training and Placement Cell.
Kumari appeared for a test as part of Adobe's recruitment drive and became the only student to be chosen from NIT-Patna. She will start her stint at Adobe, Noida in June 2018 as software development, implementation, and coding officer.
In a disturbing incident, a four-year-old boy from Delhi has been booked on rape charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a classmate inside the classroom as well as the washroom.
The boy used his finger and a sharpened pencil to assault her sexually, the victim told her mother.
AFP
Hindustan Times reports that the assault has caused wounds in the childs private parts.
According to the mother, the girl complained of pain in her lower abdomen after returning from school on Friday and told her about the alleged assault. The victim also told that the boy is also from the same class. The girl's mother also alleged that the school did not cooperate with them after she made a complaint about the boy's behaviour.
Representational Image
Even though the police have booked the boy under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they are still clueless on how to proceed in the case, as the accused is just four years old.
Dogs, whether they are pets or officers of a legal force, are awesome in all the roles that they 'play'.
One such dog is a K9 officer - a police dog - who does push-ups and he is a hit on social media.
Gulf Shores Police Department / facebook
Also read: Mali, The UK Military Dog Gets Awarded For Saving Troops In Afghanistan
According to Al.com, Nitro the dog is a two-year-old Dutch Shepherd who joined Gulf Shores Police Department's canine unit in Alabama earlier this year.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the smart dog can be seen doing push-ups with two human officers with the Rocky theme song "Eye Of The Tiger" playing in the background.
"K9 Nitro, Officer Cowan and Officer Hancock are getting warmed up and ready to apprehend any bad guys that break the law," wrote the police department on Facebook.
The video has been viewed over 748,000 times and has got over 26,000 shares on Facebook.
Also read: No More German Shepherds Or Swiss Dogs, India's Own Mudhol Hound Will Help The Army In J&K
According to Josh Coleman, who handles the police department's social media, the workout is part of the hashtag #9PMRoutine trend.
When Johnny Bobbit Jr gave his last $20 bill to a stranger woman, to fill gas in her vehicle as he was concerned about her safety, the homeless man had no idea what was in store for him.
Today, thanks to his selfless act Bobbit has received more than $110,000 in return from the people of US.
Kate McClure/ Facebook
It all started last month when Kate McClure, a New Jersey resident was on her way to meet a friend one evening when she ran out of gas on I-95.
As she walked toward the nearest gas station, Mr Bobbit, a homeless man who is a regular at the spot approached Kate and asked her to get back the car and lock the doors.
To Kate's utter surprise, Bobbit returned in some time, with some gas, which he purchased spending his last $20.
He came back and I was almost in shock, Kate said, adding that Bobbit did not ask for anything in return.
AP
Moved by his kind gesture, McClure and her boyfriend went back to Bobbit, again and again, helping him by giving some clothes, a jacket, gloves, a hat, and warm socks.
After a few such visits, she came across the idea of crowdfunding to help the 34-year-old US Marine veteran.
"He is such a great guy, and talking to him each time I see him makes me want to help him more and more," she recalled.
Kate McClure/ Facebook
That is how she started a go fund me campaign, and how it turned out was beyond what she could have imagined.
Her goal was to raise around $10,000 so that Mr Bobbit can support himself with is daily expenses for a couple of months. But thanks to the generous people the funds kept pouring in and it currently stands at 110,000 and counting.
Kate McClure/ Facebook
Overwhelmed by the response, McClure broke the surprise to Bobbit who was also left speechless.
Bobbit who had a career in the Navy now wants to work with Amazon and become a functional member of the society, ending the bad phase of his life, all thanks to $20.
All the major companies have already got their 2017 flagships out in the open, but Samsung is already looking to the future. The company is reportedly ready to debut the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, and plans to preview them at CES in January.
Reuters
The news comes from VentureBeats Evan Blass, known for his accurate tips in the smartphone industry. He says the two devices will be shown to the world at the Consumer Electronic Forum in January, and then launched soon after.
According to Blass, the new devices will look nearly identical to the S8 and S8 Plus launched earlier this year. The S9 and S9 Plus will however have upgraded processors likely Qualcomms upcoming Snapdragon 845, with 4GB RAM on the former and 6GB on the latter.
However, one major change expected is the fingerprint scanner moving back to below the rear camera, instead of its position beside the lens on the S8 and Note 8. Thankfully, whats not changing is the presence of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Its not clear just how much Samsung plans to preview the device at CES, seeing as its usual March launch event is apparently still on. Thankfully, its not a very long wait to find out.
We are all pretty addicted to the Internet, aren't we? Not just looking at cat videos and socializing online, the Internet has become a useful, indispensable part of our life. So naturally the man who's single-handedly trying to 'break' the Internet won't be in our good books.
Ajit Pai / REUTERS
Meet Ajit Pai, the chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission -- kind of like the IT & Broadcasting Minister, if you had to draw an Indian parallel. A very powerful man, who's trying to end net neutrality in the US, making it difficult and expensive for common folk to access Internet going forward.
In his capacity as the chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai released a plan to kill net neutrality as it currently exists in the US. A highly unpopular move among ordinary US citizens, obviously -- but something that American Internet providers (local telecom giants) will be very happy about, no doubt.
Under Ajit Pai's controversial leadership, the FCC The FCC released the final draft of its proposal to destroy net neutrality norms in the US. According to various reports, the FCC proposal takes away nearly every net neutrality rule, paving the way for internet providers to start charging for fast and slower Internet lanes (just like cable TV), prioritize their own apps and services and block whatever they deem fit (more than just pirated content).
No more net neutrality? / REUTERS
Net neutrality laws were finalized in the US a few years ago. In the current draft proposal arguing for the total repel of net neutrality framework, Ajit Pai's FCC argues the whole premise of net neutrality is misguided and legally flawed approach. Removing net neutrality rules, FCC claims, will facilitate critical broadband investment and innovation by removing regulatory uncertainty and lowering compliance costs.
This is obviously a deeply worrying trend, not just for America, but for places like India which looks up to the US for its net neutrality framework. Imagine if companies like Airtel, Vodafone and Jio -- who are the popular 4G Internet providers in the country -- decide to charge money for letting you access Whatsapp or Youtube? Not a pretty picture, right? Well, that's what America is staring at in its near future, with the demise of net neutrality.
And when the dust finally settles on this issue, people will largely have one Indian American to blame for all their trouble.
Burma ANALYSIS: A Window Opens for China to Nudge Myanmar Army Forward on Peace Process
Myanmar Military Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (right) arrives at Sanxia Airport in Yichang of China on Tuesday. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook
Top military officers from China and Myanmar met yesterday to discuss ways to improve border stability. The two sides promised to work together to promote peace and security along their shared frontier. But the question of how they will achieve this remains to be answered, given the deep distrust that exists between the Myanmar army and many of the armed ethnic groups in the area.
China invited Myanmar army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to visit China for five days at a time when the international community has put intense pressure on the military and the government over their handling of the Rohingya crisis.
Some Myanmar-based observers had expected that Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing would discuss the Northern Alliance of seven armed ethnic groups with his Chinese hosts, in addition to talks about buying weapons from China.
The military TV channel Myawaddy reported yesterday that Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing and some other generals met their counterparts from China and discussed ways to improve the two countries military relationship.
Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing thanked China for inviting him to the meeting, using on old Burmese phrase, Pauk Paw, to describe the relationship between China and Myanmar. The term means the two countries are old and good friends.
By having this meeting, the military relationship between Myanmar and China will improve. And a better military relationship will greatly support border stability and the peace process in the country, Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying by Myawaddy TV.
Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing expressed his gratitude to China for its support over the Rakhine case saying, China stands at the front of the international community beside Myanmar, and Myanmar thanks China a lot for it.
In turn, Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Gen. Li Zuocheng highlighted Chinas support for the peace process and noted that it had provided disaster relief to Myanmar in recent years. China will continue to help Myanmar, he said, adding that the two militaries would play a leading role.
Close cooperation among the two militaries could be the best way to solve the border conflict, Gen. Li said.
The Chinese general also thanked Myanmar for supporting its position on the South China Sea.
The two military leaders said China and Myanmar would work together on military training, health and education. The two countries also will cooperate to fight terrorism and work hand in hand to ensure border stability, Gen. Li said.
Border Stability
Despite the pledges of co-operation, it is hard to see how China will be able to ensure border stability unless the ethnic armed groups in northern Shan state are allowed to participate in the peace process in Myanmar.
There are seven ethnic armed groups that have a presence on the border with China, and Beijing has sought to play a leading role as a mediator between the Myanmar military and the ethnic groups.
The seven groups the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), which has so far refused to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). China initially sought to bring all seven groups into the peace process, but it could not convince the Myanmar Army to agree to this.
Two weeks ago, Chinas Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang met the leaders of the FPNCC and informed them that the Myanmar Army would not accept three armed groups the TNLA, AA and MNDAA in the peace talks as it considers them terrorist groups.
The Northern Alliance has said it will only meet the Myanmar Army as one group. But, the Army has insisted on meeting each group separately.
Peace talks stand off
Recently, some army representatives from the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) met with the UWSA and NDAA in Pangkham, the de facto capital of Wa state.
Nyi Rang a UWSA spokesperson posted a message that his group had asked the NRPC to remove TNLA, AA and MNDAA from its list of terrorist groups as it complicated the peace process.
He further mentioned in the Facebook post that the central government wanted the UWSA to sign the NCA based on the ceasefire agreement, but the UWSA leader told the peace commission that it would not do so until the process included the Northern Alliance.
The UWSA said it had intended to bring all the leaders of the armed groups to meet the Peace Commission. But, the commission officials met only representative of the UWSA and NDAA, disappointing the other armed groups.
At his recent meeting, the Chinese envoy Sun Guoxiang put pressure on the Northern Alliance to sign the NCA and join the Panglong conference.
But the armed leaders said there was no point seeking to participate until the Myanmar Army recognized them as lawful groups.
Brig.-Gen. Tar Phone Kyaw of the TNLA recalled what Sun Guoxiang told them, Mr. Sun expressed clearly that they wont meet the FPNCC. They will only meet each organization individually.
He added that three of the groups the TNLA, AA and MNDA would not get the same status as the other armed groups.
This issue of the terrorist listthus remains the main sticking point for the peace process. And despite yesterdays pledges by the military leaders of both China and Myanmar, there will be no stability along the border unless the Myanmar Army recognize the TNLA, AA and MNDAA. Amid the international efforts to isolate the Myanmar Army over the Rakhine crisis, China has an important opportunity to convince the Myanmar Army to accept these three armed groups as participants in the peace process.
Chinas role on the border
Thousands of Kachin refugees remain near the border with China and are dependent on being allowed to cross the border to find work and food, although they are periodically arrested and pushed back to the Myanmar side. Some local Kachin NGOs who help distribute food to the refugees also have to rely on the Chinese authorities to transport food to refugees who have fled fighting between the Myanmar Army and the ethnic groups to the Chinese side of the border.
China has more influence with humanitarian issues because the Myanmar Army had blocked humanitarian deliveries across the front lines. The U.N. has not been able to make an official delivery to the north since May 2016.
China officials have met with Kachin community leaders on several occasions to ask for ideas on how to establish peace and to support the Myitsone Dam project. The Chinese authorities met elders of the Kachin Baptist Convention on September and asked for proposals on how to restore border stability. Rev. Dr Hkalam Samson said that China did not want to see fighting on the border between the KIA and Myanmar Army.
They do not want to hear gunfire. This was their way of saying they want peace on the border. But, we need freedom of movement at the border for our side, he said.
Since fighting broke out between the Myanmar Army and the KIA along the border in 2011, China has not severely restricted the movement of Kachin IDPs, he said.
However, China was now placing more controls on Kachin refugees than previously, he said.
Burma China Tells Myanmar Military It Wants Closer Defense Ties
Myanmar Military Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and Gen. Li Zuocheng of Chinas Central Military Commission pose for documentary photo together with the senior military officers from both sides on Nov 22 in Beijing. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook
BEIJING China wants closer ties with Myanmars military to help protect regional peace and security, a senior Chinese general told the visiting head of the Southeast Asian countrys army.
China and Myanmar have had close diplomatic and economic ties for years, including increasingly in the strategically important oil and gas sectors, and China has offered its support to its southern neighbor throughout a crisis over its treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled from Rakhine State, most to neighboring Bangladesh, since a Myanmar military crackdown in response to attacks on the security forces by Rohingya insurgents in August.
The United States on Wednesday for the first time called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya ethnic cleansing and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible for horrendous atrocities.
Meeting in Beijing, Li Zuocheng, who sits on Chinas Central Military Commission, which runs its armed forces, told Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing that Chinas development and prosperity were an important opportunity for Myanmars development, Chinas Defense Ministry said in a statement.
In the face of a complex and changeable regional security situation, China is willing to maintain strategic communication between the two countries militaries, Li was cited as saying in the statement issued late on Wednesday.
China wanted greater contacts between the two armed forces and deeper training and technical exchanges and to promote border defense cooperation to ensure peace and stability along their common border, Li added.
China has been angered by fighting between Myanmars military and autonomy-seeking ethnic minority rebels close to the Chinese border in recent years, which has at times forced thousands of villagers to flee into China.
The Chinese ministry made no direct mention of the Rohingya issue in the statement.
China built close ties with Myanmars generals during years of military rule, when Western countries imposed sanctions on Myanmar for its suppression of the democracy movement.
More recently, their ties have included oil and gas as Myanmar pumps natural gas from the Bay of Bengal to China. A new oil pipeline, opened this year, also feeds Middle East crude through Myanmar to a new refinery in Yunnan, southwest China.
This has opened a new oil supply route to China, avoiding the Strait of Malacca and Singapore.
The United States and other Western countries have stepped up engagement with Myanmar since the military began handing power to civilians in 2011, and especially since former democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a 2015 election.
But an international outcry over Myanmars violations of the rights of the Rohingya has raised questions in Western countries about that engagement.
Rights group Amnesty International has called for a comprehensive arms embargo against Myanmar as well as targeted financial sanctions against senior Myanmar military officials.
Chinas Defense Ministry cited Min Aung Hlaing as thanking China for its support in helping Myanmar ensure domestic stability.
Burma I Always Follow My Heart When I Write a Poem
Myat. / Dana Lixenberg
Myat (b. 1970) is a prominent journalist and the co-founder of the Human Rights and Human Dignity Film Festival the first of its kind in Myanmar. She is currently writing a book about Myanmars recent political history. She sees a tension between journalism and poetry: while journalism is the realm of facts, it cannot reveal the truth in the same way that poetry can.
When did you start writing poetry?
I started writing poetry when I was ten years old because of my parents. They taught me how to write traditional rhyming poetry. I still remember when I was the youngest of all the poets during a poetry contest in my hometown. That was before 1980. My first poem was published in 1989 in a literary magazine.
Tell me about writing.
We have a saying that poetry is property of the wise. Words are the most powerful tool in a poem. Choice of words is more important than the words following rhyme to make a traditional poem. The words used in a poem can show a poets creativity. We see the taste of a poem through each and every word he or she puts in that piece. They can be very poetic words or common language of ordinary people.
Creativity is also in the structure of a poem. In our time, we have started to abandon rhyme. We break all traditional methods of poetry writing. Instead we play with words. We play with metaphors. We play with common language or slam words. We try to structure a poem with words and metaphors. Each poem has a unique structure and a unique style of a poet but we follow no form or no specific style.
I always follow my heart when I write a poem. I have never written a poem without a specific mood. For me creativity doesnt come alone, it always comes together with emotion. It comes sometimes in the middle of doing something like traveling on the bus or reading a book or seeing scenery. When I get a phrase or word in mind, I need to write it down in a notebook or in my mobiles notepad, not to wash that word away with other things I am doing.
My life without poetry would be like curry without salt.
Is writing easy?
Poetry doesnt come quickly. It forms in the heart of a poet for certain period of time. I was once in a place where I found the miracle of a beautiful stream and forest in a late full moon night. That beauty of nature stayed with me for a long time though I tried many times to write it down to make a poem of that magnificent night. A year later, in summer in my hometown, I wrote a poem about that night while I was struggling with the horrible heat of the dry season. I could still feel the breeze of that night on my sweaty forehead when I finished the poem.
And what about craftsmanship, the discipline of writing?
I hate the word discipline. I rather want to use ethics. When I started my career as a journalist, I always had to deal with ethics. Then I found two different truths: visible truth and invisible truth. As a journalist, I need to seek the truth with visible evidence but many times I found the invisible truth hiding in peoples minds which is sometimes much more painful than the visible truth. Because I need to follow the ethic of a journalist, I couldnt put how I felt in my writing. I began self-censoring myself after I became a journalist. I tried not to put any emotion in my writing. Thats how I lost the creativity of a poet. Thats how I ended up as a journalist and write less and less poetry since 2004. And its why Im stopping pure journalism now, and becoming more of a freelance author. So I will write more poetry.
How was your writing affected by living in an unfree society where freedom of speech was not permitted?
Living in an unfree society pushed us to use many metaphors in poetry. Thats how we could get away with censorship. But the more we hide what we want to say under metaphors, the less people read poems. The room of poetry and literary works became restricted to a smaller and smaller group of people. That led to a decline in literary life in Myanmar.
Now we have less restriction on freedom of speech. Many poets come up online and set up their own page on social media. We have freedom to write. We dont need to hide any word behind complex metaphors. Still we are trying to structure poem with strong and poetic words. We have more freedom than ever.
What can you say about being a woman and a poet?
I dont want to write issue-based poetry. I think poetry and women are two separate things. When I write a piece of literary writing, whether poetry, short story or novel, I dont want to think about any single issue. I just want to follow where my pen leads me. I want to break all boundaries. Many times, I have felt my pen lead me on a journey to finish a piece especially when writing poetry. I think that is art, not me or my pen.
Of course, I personally dont like any form of discrimination against women. I also dont want to be given more favors because Im a woman. I dont agree with a quota system favoring women in parliament because I disagree with the military quota system in our constitution [twenty-five percent of parliamentary seats are reserved for the military]. We want to have freedom to elect people who should lead the country without any gender-based interference.
Authors Note: These interviews are excerpted from Burma Storybook, a poetry and photography book inspired by the documentary film of the same name, produced by Corinne van Egeraat and directed by Petr Lom.
The English language hardcover edition of the book is for sale at Hla Day, Innwa Bookstore, Myanmar Book Center and the Strand Hotel.
A Burmese language-only paperback edition of the book is for sale through Yangon Book Plaza.
There will be a Free Open Air Screening of the Burma Storybook documentary film (82 min.) in Mahabandoola Park in Yangon on November 25 at 6 p.m.From Nov. 25 to Dec. 4, you can visit the interactive Burma Storybook Photo Exhibit at the Tourism Burma Building.
For more information: www.burmastorybook.com
Burma Lawmaker Says Ministerial Appointee Failed to Declare Past Work with George Soros
National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun. The Union Parliament approved his appointment as Government Office Minister on Thursday. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy
NAYPYITAW Lawmaker U Soe Thane, who served as Presidents Office minister under the previous administration, objected on Thursday to a ministerial appointment by President U Htin Kyaw, saying the new minister had failed to mention his previous work for the George Soros Foundation.
Speaking in Naypyitaw after Thursdays Union parliamentary session, U Soe Thane told reporters that the new minister, current national security adviser U Thaung Tun, did not mention his [previous] employment under George Soros, adding that U Thaung Tun had worked as a consultant for the US investor and businessman. Soros has supported the Myanmar democracy movement in exile for over two decades. He visited Myanmar in late 2011 after the countrys transition from military dictatorship to democracy.
As George Soros is a wealthy and influential person in America, U Soe Thane said, who knows what impact [U Thaung Tuns appointment] might have on national security or relations between Myanmar and China?
The lawmaker claimed that Soros had approached him during the previous administration about securing a ministerial appointment for U Thaung Tun, but then-President U Thein Sein rejected the idea because it had come from an American.
If he [U Thaung Tun] was honest, he would have mentioned it on the second page of his curriculum vitae, U Soe Thane said, adding that he was prohibited from sharing U Thaung Tuns CV with the media, as it was shared confidentially with lawmakers on Monday.
U Thaung Tun, a former ambassador under the military regime, was appointed as national security adviser in January.
Regarding the presidential proposal for two new ministries, U Soe Thane said the ruling National League for Democracy had wasted much time, taking two years to establish them. He added that the new ministries must be effective.
Responding to Parliaments request that he supply evidence to support his objections, he said, I worked under the previous government and I know all about U Thaung Tun.
He added that he had not had enough time to obtain evidence for his claim other than his own eyewitness account. He said he had requested corroboration by email from the US, but had yet to receive a response.
The President appointed U Thaung Tun and Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Tin to head the Governments Office Ministry and the Ministry of International Cooperation, respectively, on Monday. Despite U Soe Thanes objections, the Union Parliament approved the appointments on Thursday.
Burma Rakhine State Lawmaker Demands Details on Rehabilitation Plans for 3 Townships
The Rakhine State Parliament convenes on Nov. 22. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy
SITTWEA Rakhine State lawmaker submitted a proposal to the states Parliament on Wednesday urging the Union government to show greater transparency regarding plans to rehabilitate Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships.
The [state] government has told us nothing [about the rehabilitation plans]. It does not care a fig for the Parliament. So, we must ensure it respects the Parliament. We are in a new era. We have heard that rehabilitation work has begun in Maungdaw. But we, the Rakhine State Parliament, know nothing more than that, said U Maung Ohn of Maungdaw Constituency (1) regarding the purpose of his proposal.
As the rehabilitation process will take time and require substantial funding, the Rakhine State government should explain the process to the Parliament in a transparent manner, he added.
U Kyaw Win of MraukU Constituency (2) seconded the proposal, which met no objections. The state Parliament approved the proposal for discussion on Friday.
The Rakhine State government must explain the rehabilitation plan for Maungdaw to us with accountability and responsibility, said lawmaker U Kyaw Win.
He urged the government not to make hollow promises, citing the example of an airport project in Rakhine States MraukU, the former capital of the ancient Arakanese Kingdom of the same name. The plan was initiated by U Thein Seins government but dropped by the current National League for Democracy-led government.
U Than Tun, secretary of the Ancillary Committee for the Reconstruction of Rakhine National Territory in the Western Frontier, a civil society organization, said none of the governments actions so far has been satisfactory regarding the protection of ethnic [Arakanese, Mro, Dainget] people in northern Rakhine State.
In my opinion, the government is only concerned with the repatriation of Bengalis who have fled, he said, referring to the Rohingya people.
It has largely ignored ethnic Arakanese people and failed to ensure their emotional security and safe rehabilitation, or the harvest of their rice fields, he told The Irrawaddy.
Both ethnic Arakanese people, and Rohingya (referred to as Bengalis by most people in Myanmar), were forced to abandon their rice fields when they fled militant attacks on Aug. 25 and subsequent counter-insurgency operations by the Myanmar military.
During a visit to a Hindu refugee camp in Sittwe on Nov. 11, Rakhine chief minister U Nyi Pu said houses are being rebuilt in Maungdaw as part of the rehabilitation process.
State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has established the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine (UEHRD) to spearhead the rehabilitation process.
Burma U.S. Calling Rohingya Operation "Ethnic Cleansing" Unhelpful: Russian Envoy
A Rohingya refugee man holding children walks towards the shore as they arrive on a makeshift boat after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in early November. / Reuters
YANGON The U.S. labeling of a Myanmar army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims as ethnic cleansing is unhelpful and could aggravate the situation, Russias ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation said on Thursday, criticizing excessive external intervention.
Rights groups have accused the military in Myanmar of carrying out mass rape and other atrocities during a ferocious military sweep launched in late August in retaliation for attacks by Rohingya Muslim militants in Rakhine State.
That drove 620,000 Rohingya refugees, many traumatized with gunshot wounds and burns, to flee to Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands who have sheltered there for years after previous spasms of violence in the country.
The military operation amounted to ethnic cleansing, the United States said on Wednesday, echoing an accusation first made by top U.N. officials in the early days of the humanitarian crisis.
I dont think that it will help to solve this problem, Russian ambassador Nikolay Listopadov told Reuters in an interview in Yangon, when asked about the U.S. move.
On the contrary, it can aggravate the situation, throw more fuel, he said in English, citing concern over how the Buddhist community in Rakhine would react to such a designation.
This month, Russia and China agreed to a U.N. Security Council statement urging Myanmar to ensure no further excessive use of military force and expressing grave concern over reports of human rights violations, but they have opposed tougher steps and further pressure on Myanmar.
We are against excessive external intervention, because it wont lead to any constructive results, Listopadov said. Just pressure and blaming and accusing it simply wont work.
On a visit to Myanmar last week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to lead a credible and impartial inquiry, saying those who committed abuses should be held responsible.
But prospects for such an inquiry remain dim and Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government refused to cooperate with a mission launched by the United Nations Human Rights Council in March after a less intense bout of violence in Rakhine.
The so-called independent investigation demanded by Tillerson was absolutely out of the question for Myanmar, Listopadov said.
Its absolutely not acceptable for the Myanmar side it will never accept it it wont work its counterproductive, he said.
Independent investigation means international (investigation) no, its not acceptable.
Moscows approach was for the Rakhine issue to be solved by political means, political dialogue, he added, without elaborating.
He welcomed talks being held in Myanmars capital of Naypyitaw between Myanmar and Bangladesh on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, stressing it was important to start this process.
We wish them success, said Listopadov, this complicated Rakhine issue can be solved mostly only by negotiations and agreements between the two sides, because theyre the most involved, he said, referring to Bangladesh and Myanmar.
China wants closer ties with Myanmars military to help protect regional peace and security, a senior Chinese general told Myamar Army chief Sen.-Gen Min Aung Hlaing during a visit to China this week.
Burma U.S. Calls Myanmar Army Operations Against Rohingya 'Ethnic Cleansing'
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson answers questions during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. November 20, 2017. / Reuters
WASHINGTON The United States on Wednesday called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya population ethnic cleansing and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible for what it called horrendous atrocities.
The situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement, using a term he avoided when visiting Myanmar last week.
The United States will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions against those responsible for the alleged abuses, which have driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into Bangladesh, he said.
The United States shifted its stance in part to raise pressure on Myanmars military and civilian leaders, who have shared power for the past two years under an uneasy arrangement after decades of military rule, to address the crisis.
Rights monitors accused Myanmars military of atrocities, including killings, mass rape and arson, against the stateless Rohingya during so-called clearance operations after Rohingya militants Aug. 25 attacks on 30 police posts and an army base.
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine state, mostly to Bangladesh, since the crackdown.
These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes, Tillerson said.
While repeating U.S. condemnation of the insurgent attacks, he added: No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued.
Myanmars two-year-old government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced heavy international criticism for its response to the crisis, though it has no control over the generals with whom it shares power.
Its not a situation that is completely under her authority, but certainly we are counting on her to show leadership and also to work through the civilian government with the military to address the crisis, a senior U.S. official told reporters in a conference call.
The term ethnic cleansing is not defined in international or U.S. law and does not inherently carry specific consequences, a second senior U.S. official said on the call.
Murray Hiebert, a Southeast Asia analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, said the State Departments use of the term and threat of sanctions will likely have limited to no impact on the ground.
It is likely to create more distrust between the United States and Myanmars military and government and push them closer to China, Russia, and its more authoritarian neighbors in Southeast Asia, he added.
The U.S. move came the same day as a U.N. tribunal convicted former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic of genocide and crimes against humanity for massacres of Bosnian Muslims and ethnic cleansing campaigns, and imprisoned him for life.
The second U.S. official said Washington was analyzing whether genocide or crimes against humanity had occurred in Myanmar, which would violate international law, but has made no determination on either and that this would take time to assess.
In the end its a court that has to decide that, as weve just seen with the verdict against Mladic, he said.
A top U.N. official in September described the military actions as a textbook case of ethnic cleansing, but the United States until Wednesday had avoided using the term.
Washington has sought to balance its wish to nurture the civilian government in Myanmar, where it competes for influence with China, with its desire to hold the military accountable for the abuses. U.S. officials also worry that the mistreatment of the Rohingya Muslim minority may fuel radicalism.
The first U.S. official said Washington would work with Bangladesh and Myanmar to encourage the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya.
We have focused on the issue of voluntary returns, the official said. We dont want people to be forced to return to a situation in which they feel uncomfortable.
Congressional pressure for a tougher U.S. response to the Rohingya crisis mounted before President Donald Trumps first visit to Asia this month to attend a summit of Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, in Manila.
U.S. government sources told Reuters in October that officials were preparing a recommendation for Tillerson that would define the military-led campaign against the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing, which could spur new sanctions.
In early November, U.S. lawmakers proposed targeted sanctions and travel restrictions on Myanmar military officials.
Rights group Amnesty International called for a comprehensive arms embargo against Myanmar as well as targeted financial sanctions against senior Myanmar military officials.
Burma US Embassy Suspends Official Travel to Rakhine Townships
The entrance to Maungdaw township, in Rakhine State on Oct 17, 2016. Maungdaw is one of four townships that U.S. officials have been ordered not to visit from Nov. 23-Dec. 4.
News Pope to Meet Head of Myanmar Army, Rohingya Refugees: Vatican
Pope Francis waves at the end of the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, Nov. 22, 2017. / Reuters
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis will meet the head of Myanmars army and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, both late additions to a tour of the two countries next week.
Human rights monitors and UN officials have accused Myanmars military of atrocities, including mass rape, against the stateless Rohingya during operations that followed insurgent attacks on 30 police posts and an army base.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said on Wednesday that the pope would meet army head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Nov. 30 in a church residence in Yangon.
Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo had talks with the pope in Rome on Saturday and suggested that he add a meeting with the general to the schedule for a trip that is proving to be one of the most politically sensitive since Francis was elected in 2013. Both the pope and the general agreed.
Some 600,000 Rohingya refugees, most of them Muslim and from Myanmars northern Rakhine State, have fled to Bangladesh.
Burke said a small group of Rohingya refugees would be present at an inter-religious meeting for peace in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka on Dec 1.
Myanmars government has denied most of the claims of atrocities against the Rohingya, and the army last week said its own investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by troops.
The pope will separately meet the countrys leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital Naypyitaw, on Nov. 28 in an encounter that was already on the schedule.
Briefing reporters on the trip, Burke gave no details of how the Rohingya who will meet the pope would be chosen. A source in Dhaka said the refugees would be able to tell the pope about their experiences.
Both events were not on the original schedule of the Nov. 26-Dec. 2 trip.
Bo, the cardinal from Myanmar, has advised the pope not to use the word Rohingya while in Myanmar because it is incendiary in the country where they are not recognized as an ethnic group.
Burke said the pope took the advice seriously but added: We will find out together during the trip it is not a forbidden word.
Commentary Rakhine Unrest Pushes Buddhist Nationalists Closer to Army
People wave miniature flags of Myanmar and the military during a pro-army rally in Yangon in October. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy
YANGONThe latest outbreak of violence in northern Rakhine State has resulted in some significant shifts in the Buddhist nationalist movement, the most notable being how it has become closer to the army than ever before.
On Sunday, thousands of people, including Buddhist monks, joined two mass rallies in Mandalay Region and Karen State that were held simultaneously by the so-called Tatmadaw (military) Admirer Group to primarily show support for the armys actions in Rakhine State. One of the slogans shouted by participants at the rally was Good health to the army chief, who is defending the countrys sovereignty, race and religion.
While not present at the rally in Mandalay, nationalist Buddhist monk U Wirathu sent a message to praise the army and security forces for protecting people in northern Rakhine after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launched a series of attacks in August. He condemned the international community for its censure of the military, describing the armys operations as just and saying it had been the victim of bullying.
Monks and people are the ones who will take care of the helpless army like their sons, the monk wrote in a message that was read out on his behalf at the rally.
The army has been accused by the international community of using excessive force and carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State during its clearance operations in the area after Muslim militants attacked 30 police outposts in late August. The army operation sent more than 600,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh. The U.S. and E.U. have imposed sanctions on top military leaders in response to the alleged atrocities.
The pro-army rallies on Sunday were not the first to be held. Downtown Yangon saw a similar demonstration organized by the same group late last month, which attracted thousands of supporters. So did Mon States capital Mawlamyein earlier this month. At those mass rallies, apart from members of the countrys opposition party and the armys political proxy the Union Solidarity and Development Party, nationalist Buddhist monks and their followers have turned out to be active participants. Why?
Since the National League for Democracy government took power in 2016, Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar has experienced several turning points after enjoying the unofficial blessing of the previous government.
With the outbreak of communal strife between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State in 2012, nationalist groups claimed that the countrys Buddhist foundations were under assault and needed to be protected. They expressed fears that the Muslim population was growing faster than the Buddhist one and that Myanmar needed to be vigilant against fundamentalist influence. They saw the Rohingya issue as one of sovereignty.
In their heyday from 2012 to 2015, nationalist groups, led by prominent Buddhist monks across the country, organized activities and talks to encourage followers to boycott Muslim businesses and spread anti-Muslim hate speechsparking a series of deadly communal clashes between Buddhists and Muslims from 2012 to 2014. As a result, the image of compassionate Buddhism, in which much of the country believes in, was distorted internationally as a religion that favors bigotry and antagonism.
The hatemongers were rarely punished by the then government despite the countrys Constitution forbidding the promotion of enmity or discord between racial or religious communities. Instead, for example, they were favored by the general-turned President U Thein Sein of the former administration, who endorsed passage of the Protection of Race and Religion Laws, a quartet of controversial laws drafted by nationalists, viewed by many as discriminatory toward women and religious minorities, particularly Muslims.
However, the nationalists, who had operated under the Protection of Race and Religion banner, lost their safe haven when the NLD-led government came to power in March 2016. The first big blow from the new government came in July last year when the nationalist umbrella organization, Ma Ba Tha, was denounced by the State Buddhist Sangha authority as an unlawful association.
The unprecedented move was followed by a series of government actions this year: the arrest of nationalists for committing offenses against the state, restrictions on ultranationalist monk U Wirathu from preaching, a ban on Ma Ba Tha operating under its current name and ordering that their signboards be taken down across the country, a crackdown on sit-ins by nationalist monks in Yangon and Mandalay and the latest arrest of a prominent nationalist monk.
The antagonism between the NLD and the nationalists was not new. Even before the party took power in 2016, leading monks like U Wirathu had condemned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her failure to denounce the Muslim Rohingya and campaigned against her party in the general elections in 2015.
But, after Ma Ba Tha was banned in 2016, the relationship between the NLD government and nationalists soured notably. The nationalists accused the ruling party of failing to promote and protect Buddhism while favoring the human rights of other groups, especially Muslims. They demanded the resignation of the countrys religious affairs minister to no avail. When the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, the Muslim militant group denounced by the government as terrorists, launched a series of attacks in northern Rakhine last year, nationalists saw them as a threat to national security and interests.
Within this climate of distrust and unease, it is little wonder that the nationalists have found common cause with the army, who took the attacks as seriously as the nationalists.
Less than one month after the attacks in August, some leading Buddhist monks from Buddha Dhamma Parahita Foudnation (formerly known as Ma Ba Tha) flew to Rakhine State. They personally donated 200 million kyats to the army chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, to be distributed to security forces deployed in the area and displaced people and used for the rehabilitation process. In October, U Wirathu and his followers traveled under state security escort to the affected area in northern Rakhine to distribute donations. Then the pro-army rallies in Yangon, Mandalay, Karen and Mon States followed.
One of the countrys most prominent Buddhist monks, Sitagu Sayadaw, said during a sermon delivered to army officers at a garrison town in Karen State last month, that he wanted to see unity among the government, the military, the Sangha (monks) and the people for the good of the country. The sermon was heartily welcomed by the nationalists.
For the NLD government, it may be a headache to see the nationalists getting closer to the military, which already has the backing of its proxy, the USDP.
It has been reported that the relationship between the government and the militarythe most powerful and established institution in Myanmaris not stable. When asked in an interview with Radio Free Asia, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi described relations as normal. But other signs suggest ties are not good, the most recent example being the declaration of a state of emergency in Rakhine State.
In contrast, there is no question about the strength of the alliance between the military and USDP as the party has been the Tatmadaws proxy since it was founded in 2010. Similar to the nationalist groups, the former ruling party has repeatedly expressed concerns about the way the NLD government has tackled the Rakhine issue.
Despite the governments bans on Ma Ba Tha and rising anti-nationalism sentiment among liberal-minded Myanmar people, the organization is still active and popular, especially at the grass-root levels, under a new name Buddha Dhamma Parahita Foundation, for dedicating time to humanitarian relief for Buddhists and their education efforts. One of its leading monks, Ashin Sopaka, acknowledged name change was made to avoid confrontation with the State Sangha.
Only the name has changed. The rest is the same, he told Myanmar Udan Weekly, a publication run by nationalists.
It should be noted that the organizations subchapters in Mandalay and Karen State are still defying the governments order not to use the name Ma Ba Tha. The authorities there remain silent on the issue. It is worth noting that the pro-army mass rallies took place in those areas on Sunday as well.
With hundreds of sub-chapters and hundreds of thousands of followers across the country, Ma Ba Tha should not be underestimated. Embittered by their marginalization under the new government, while inflamed by radical nationalism, these groups may turn reactionary anytime soon. If that happens, they are vulnerable to being manipulated by anyone who wants to undermine the current democratic transition, and Myanmars democratic development will be placed at risk.
Thursday, Nov 23rd, 2017 (8:39 am) - Score 3,673
The UK telecoms regulator has today announced that they are revoking and re-examining the changes imposed under their 2016 Business Connectivity Market Review (e.g. Dark Fibre Access), which follows a BT supported ruling from the Competition Appeal Tribunal against their market definitions.
As a quick recap, Openreach were due to launch an Ofcom proposed Dark Fibre Access (DFA) product in October 2017, which would have enabled rival ISPs to gain physical access to the operators existing fibre optic cables (i.e. enabling them to install their own equipment at either end of the fibre within cable ducts).
The regulator claimed that DFA could foster more competition and speed-up the roll-out of faster broadband services around the UK (e.g. backhaul capacity for new networks), while big infrastructure builders like BT, Virgin Media, Cityfibre and Zayo all feared that it could discourage investment in the building of new fibre optic networks.
In the end BT challenged Ofcoms business connectivity review and won because the CAT found that Ofcom had used incorrect market definitions (here), which didnt just put a stop to the regulators Dark Fibre solution but also impacted many other aspects. As a result Ofcom has today revoked the following parts of their 2016 review.
Ofcoms Revoked Business Connectivity Review The Competition Appeal Tribunal has found Ofcom to have erred in relation to various aspects of the decisions concerning market definition under appeal and required Ofcom to look again at some specific matters concerning market definition. In the meantime it has required Ofcom to revoke the market identifications, market power determinations, SMP [Significant Market Power] services conditions and directions (where applicable) in relation to: a) The wholesale market for contemporary interface symmetric broadband origination in the Rest of the United Kingdom excluding the Hull Area; b) Wholesale market for contemporary interface symmetric broadband origination in the Central London Area; and c) The wholesale market for contemporary interface symmetric broadband origination in the London Periphery.
The regulator has now said that they are reconsidering the matters that were raised by the CAT and will address these matters as soon as practicable. In keeping with that Ofcom has today launched a fresh consultation on their original Dark Fibre proposals (here), which is effectively a re-run of what we saw a couple of years ago.
This exercise is also expected to overlap with the next business connectivity review (they tend to conduct these every 3 years), which Ofcom has already started work on.
Ofcoms Statement In the meantime, we are imposing temporary regulatory measures. These will apply in a revised set of markets where, under a conservative approach which takes into account the Tribunals judgement, it remains clear that BT has significant market power (SMP). These measures will safeguard competition and protect the interests of consumers in the revised markets. The temporary conditions include the following changes from the position in 2016: * There is no longer regulation of services above 1Gbit/s (Very High Bandwidth).
* We have also removed all regulation from the central business districts of Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds. The temporary regulations apply to services at and below 1Gbit/s and include: access requirements, charge controls, and minimum quality standards for these Lower Bandwidth Ethernet leased lines. These conditions are broadly in line with those set in the 2016 BCMR. Ofcom is also today consulting on proposals to introduce a revised dark fibre remedy to address BTs SMP for services at and below 1Gbit/s. We believe dark fibre can provide significant benefits for businesses and consumers supporting better broadband and mobile services, including 5G. This includes a consultation on the market definition and SMP findings adopted in the temporary conditions statement.
We had been expecting Ofcom to give DFA a second try and so todays development doesnt come as much of a surprise. In the meantime Openreach has proposed to launch a new OSA Filter Connect product, which is a kind of virtual (grey) dark fibre style solution (here) but it probably wont suit every ISP.
The new dark fibre consultation will close on 29th December 2017 and Ofcom expects to issue a statement in early 2018. At this stage its unclear whether theyll be able to fast-track it back into life next year or will need to wait until the completion of their next full review.
UPDATE 1:35pm
Cityfibre is naturally unhappy that Ofcom are taking a second bash at Dark Fibre.
The "YouGov BrandIndex" has announced its 2017 Brand Advocacy Rankings in Australia, showing Netflixs customers are the strongest advocates of any brand in Australia.
YouGov Australia tells us that its "BrandIndex Brand Advocacy Rankings are calculated by measuring Recommend Scores among each brands customers for the 12-month period through October 2017".
Recommend scores for the brands are measured by asking, "Would you recommend the brand to a friend or family member, or would you recommend that a friend or family member avoid the brand?".
After this, scores are calculated quite simply: by subtracting the negative responses from the positive responses.
In the 2017 rankings, we learn that "Netflix comes out on top, with a score of 75.5. Airline brands also make up a large proportion of the top ten, with Singapore Airlines in second place with a score of 71.3, Emirates and Air New Zealand coming in at number 3 and number 5".
Another travel brand with high levels of customer advocacy is Airbnb (at number 8).
Elsewhere in the top 10, YouGov notes: "Another brand with heavy emphasis on the consumer Toyota comes fourth (with a score of 67.1). There are also two high-end electrical manufactures in the list Bose is sixth (with a score of 63.7), while Dyson comes in at number 9 (on 62.8)."
Ervin Ha, head of Data Products, said, A recommendation from friends or family is one of the strongest votes of confidence it is possible to give to a brand. While some traditional format brands continue to carry favour with consumers, the success of digital brands suggests that the conversation is changing.
"Consumers are increasingly making recommendations based on the service they receive that go beyond the traditional format experience. While the product helps to shape a brand, the latest YouGov BrandIndex Brand Advocacy Rankings suggests that a focus on experience will help brands to go that extra mile and secure not just the custom but a recommendation from consumers.
YouGov tells us its "BrandIndex Brand Advocacy Rankings give brands a good indication on how well or poorly they have been doing in terms of their customer service, as well as quality of services and products provided. Looking at the best improvers ranking, brands can also evaluate whether they are doing a better job in winning customers mindshare."
Indeed, YouGov BrandIndex states that it "interviews thousands of consumers every day, yielding over 2.5 million interviews each year. Respondents are drawn from our online panels of 5 million consumers across 31 countries".
Under a seven-year agreement, Optus Business will provide the Cyber Security CRC with direct access to a dedicated team of cyber security experts and industry partners from business and academia with the aim of accelerating the development of technologies boosting Australias cyber defences.
Optus says its team will also work with the Cyber Security CRC to deliver training and guidance as part of its strategy to help bridge Australias cyber skills shortage.
Launched in September this year by the Australian Government with an investment of $50 million over the next seven years to build Australias cyber capabilities, the Cyber Security CRC will initially focus on Critical Infrastructure Security and Cyber Security as a Service.
Optus says the agreement extends its focus on the development of cyber security solutions across the financial services, retail, mining and agricultural industries, leveraging investments and experience in critical infrastructure and IoT.
No matter who you are, or what you do, cyber crime is a persistent and growing threat. By working together we can build an ecosystem to maintain a resilient, secure and trustworthy cyber capability in Australia, and Optus is proud to have a crucial role in this through our many partnerships and now through the Cyber Security CRC, says John Paitaridis, managing director, Optus Business.
This co-operative investment into the Cyber Security CRC is the largest of its kind, following the Australian Governments launch of the National Cyber Security Strategy. The Cyber Security CRC has to-date received commitments to the value of over $139 million, made up from a range of investing companies and bodies, said David Irvine, chairman, Cyber Security CRC.
Optus Business is one of 25 CSCRC industry, research and government partners who are collectively investing more than $89 million to develop Australias cyber capabilities.
Optus says its investment of a $2.1 million cash contribution over seven years, plus $1.4 million in-kind and staff (people) contribution, represents the latest in a series of cyber focused partnerships and initiatives undertaken by Optus Business over the last 18 months.
The telco lists its investments in security as the opening of a $10 million Advanced Security Operations Centre, an $8 million partnership with La Trobe University to establish an industry-focused cyber curriculum and supporting a Digital University of the Future, and a $10 million investment by Optus Business and Macquarie University into the creation of an "Optus Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub" providing research, short professional courses and consultancy services to the private sector and government agencies.
After suggesting earlier this month that the NBN Co would make available the speeds possible on a customer's connection, the company's chief executive Bill Morrow has again turned coy, telling a government committee that it was not the task of his company to act as the police.
During the release of results for the first quarter of 2018, Morrow hinted that NBN Co was thinking of releasing speed estimates in the event that internet service providers did not do so.
But Fairfax Media reported on Thursday that Morrow was now back-pedalling on this position, claiming that it could confuse customers.
He told the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee that NBN Co had looked carefully at the "mass confusion" about services that were being provided to end users.
And he claimed that if NBN Co got involved in releasing speed data, that would add to the confusion because it was "never designed and set up to have that kind of interface with the end user".
Morrow said: "Part of the reason [why consumers are confused] is they think NBN Co is their entire provider.
"I do not want to propagate confusion ... where the consumer is confused about who their go-to company is for their telephone and internet requirements."
He said that the agreements that NBN Co had with RSPs would have to be examined by lawyers before any speed information could be released.
"If there are no restrictions, and if the RSPs do not publish the information, then I intend to," Morrow said.
But he was not willing to give the committee any more information, claiming that he did not know if this could take place before July next year.
Angstrom said: Lets buy some votes and get businesses to pay for it.
Wynne is a communist genius. Click to expand...
Her federal pal- Our idiot Boy Justin is no slouch when it comes to making messes either! AS I have said before- ALL LIE-beral policy is collapsing in disgrace right before our eyes! Consider:Here is an article illustrating how hard it is for Our idiot Boy Justin to maintain his sunny ways in the face of reality! With some comments of my own in brackets):Trudeaus making it tougher on studentsTHOMAS ROBSON, SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN. FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 08:36 PM EDT | UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 08:40 PM EDTAs doctors, other professionals and small business owners gear up for a tax war with federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau and the Liberals, post-secondary students have quietly and for most, unknowingly taken a serious financial hit as well.Those groups are all angry with the federal government over proposed changes to small business tax rules that could increase the amount of taxes they have to pay.Similarly, post-secondary students across Canada are at risk of their taxes increasing in the coming year, although this controversy isnt as widely known.As a fourth-year university student who has benefited from the existing education and textbook tax credits put in place by the previous federal government, I have worked every summer to gain experience for the future and to save sufficient funds to support my coming academic year.(And how sad that though this 4th years student will no doubt be working again in future- but his wages will NOT be increasing in spite of his growing knowledge and experience because his boss has been hit with new LIE-beral taxes that will pick the pockets of both employer and employee! And this pocket picking will be all in the name of finding the funding necessary for the civil service Hog gravy train so LIE-berals- with their oh so many FAILED POLICIES- can cling to power just a little longer!)Student summer income helps pay for school, residence and living expenses during the academic term.(Yes. Such student employment helps minimize the amount of debt that students incur in the course of getting that NECESSARY education- over 75 percent of all jobs out there DEMAND post secondary education- and that debt is often crippling- which explains why so many kids end up back at the parents house- and it explains why 25 percent of kids end up bankrupt- the cost of major debt coupled with LOW wages, high taxes and soaring rents ensures that a lot of kids are fiscally hobbled for a LONG TIME!)For some, this summer income allows them to take out smaller Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) loans, decreasing their debt when they graduate.The current education and textbook tax credits which the Trudeau government is eliminating, allow student incomes to be taxed at a lower rate, leaving more funds available to support the ever increasing costs of post-secondary education.(Post secondary education is the preserve of a pack of gravy train riding union Hogs who ENJOY their monopoly powers! College presidents made headlines last spring by demanding fifty percent raises- pretty much IMMEDIATELY! With LIE-berals telling college Hogs to cool it till after the 2018 election! LIE-berals have been caught out too many times making plans for HUGE tax and fee increases to be implemented AFTER they get re-elected- and they DO NOT like the current public reaction to their plans!)As a full-time student, I received a credit of $4,185 enabling me to keep more of my earned income to support myself during the school term.The loss of that credit and the increased taxes that will result limits the funds students can generate to pay for their education.(Face it kid- your generation has screwed itself in LIE-beral eyes- LIE-berals are totally focussed on votes and clinging to power at any price- and the younger generation does not often vote- meaning they have essentially told LIE-berals that kids do not care what LIE-berals do to them! But Hogs vote early and often- hence their value to LIE-berals- and that explains the regular supply of gravy- AS REWARD for loyalty to LIE-bberals!)Ironically, the most pain will likely be felt in the middle class the very group Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals catered to in their 2015 election campaign.(CLEARLY you are NOT studying political science or recent history or you would know that LIE-berals have hundreds of billions of dollars worth of IOU`s outstanding for Hog pensions- an economy CRIPPLING COST!)Taxing the rich, which is what Morneau claims the Liberals are doing by changing the small business corporate taxation rules, may be an easy political win for the government.But the Liberals silent attack on Canadian students who are attending colleges and universities is egregious and misguided.These students will help to grow the Canadian economy as they move into the workforce and become higher bracket income earners and taxpayers in the coming years.But with its proposed changes to education and textbook credits, the Liberal government will make it financially harder for students to attend post-secondary institutions.(And do you REALLY THINK LIE-berals CARE about your troubles?)While Trudeau and his government relied heavily on students and the youth vote to gain power in 2015, their pandering on issues such as legalizing pot doesnt offset the pocketbook pinch students are about to feel, courtesy of the federal Liberals.(That was then- when they needed your votes- and this is Now- and they are in power and do not need your support! But you can COUNT ON a pack of new LIE-beral promises in 2019- prior to the next federal election!)The government has been lucky so far in not having its removal of the education and textbook credit become a major public issue; presumably because students were busy working this summer and havent had the time to notice or protest this misguided and incorrectly targeted tax grab.If Trudeau and Morneau are to remain as politically savvy as they proved to be in the 2015 election campaign, there has to be federal action to help university and college students across the country defray the costs of their education.(Politically savvy? Throwing money at special interest groups and buying votes with WORTHLESS IOU`s is not savvy- its unscrupulous and it will be their undoing as their very many promises are completely UN-AFFORDABLE! Trying to pay off even a fair portion of LIE-beral promises will BREAK our economy!)Removing tax credits aimed at helping these students isnt a way to do that.The prime ministers website says hes working to make post-secondary education more affordable.If so, he should reconsider this move which will do the opposite.(You have 2 years to wait and then you can register your frustration in the ONLY way LIE-berals truly recognize- at the ballot box!)- Robson is a fourth-year student in history and European studies at the University of Toronto
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TeleSur |
British-Irish independent journalist Iona Craig, who focuses on Yemen and the Arabian peninsula, blocked about 9,000 bots on Twitter in the space of a few hours.
Fake Twitter bots are blocking the dissemination of information from within Yemen as the crisis gripping the country deepens, according to international journalists and academics.
Iona Craig, a British-Irish independent journalist focusing on Yemen and the Arabian peninsula, says she blocked about 9,000 bots which can damage genuine accounts by stripping them of their credibility or triggering official blocks by Twitter in the space of just a few hours
"This is something Yemen Twitterati have been facing since May, but in the last two weeks the bots/fake accounts following me have reached ridiculous proportions," she posted on Twitter. "Ive blocked nearly 9,000 so far. This is just from the last few hours."
Craig stopped short of speculating on the identities of those responsible for creating the fake accounts, but other Twitter users have suggested that Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E could be behind the move.
This is something the Yemen Twitterati have been facing since May. But in the last two weeks the bots/fake accounts following me have reached ridiculous proportions. Ive blocked nearly 9,000 so far. This is just from the last few hours. pic.twitter.com/1cCbMxLVYG Iona Craig (@ionacraig) November 21, 2017
One user, Daniel Miller, urged Craig to continue her work. "Theyre exploiting the Twitter algorithm to make you less visible on Twitter with your important #yemen reporting, I think," he posted. "Who are they? I suspect K.S.A. and U.A.E. Please dont give in and quit Twitter."
Other journalists and advocacy groups have also complained about the issue. In July, Sanaa political and information analyst and close friend of Craigs Hisham al-Omeisy highlighted the case of several nonprofit workers in Yemen whose accounts were being followed by fake bots. In August, he was detained by the Yemeni authorities.
"Fake followers can hurt your accounts credibility, engagement rate, and in extreme cases lead to suspension of account on premise of violating Twitters rules (i.e. where you would be suspected of buying followers)," al-Omeisy had explained via the social-media platform.
Exeter University lecturer Marc Owen Jones, meanwhile, said automated bots have been "using the Yemen hashtag to promote the idea of Iranian influence in Yemen, a common trope in Gulf politics."
These bots have been using the hashtag to spread anti-Iran messages, Jones said, noting a possible link to the satellite channel Saudi24, which is "loosely aligned with state rhetoric."
"In Graphs, How Pro Saudi Twitter Bots Boost Trumps Ego (and his retweet count)," Jones tweeted last week. "I have compiled a bewildering, uncensored & illicit array of graphs to show how @realDonaldTrumps pro-King Salman tweet was amplified by bots."
Once again, the #Saudi Twittosphere proves how easy it is to game trends pic.twitter.com/OUPQwjZjlu Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) November 22, 2017
Jones went on to note that the Saudi-linked bots could be using Trumps rhetoric and amplifying it in order to help his posts gain more prominence.
"Pro-Saudi bots have megaphoned Trumps tweet to make it seem more popular than it actually is. I am not quite sure what the value of doing this is, apart from for perhaps gaming trend, or maybe a thank you from Saudi bot overlords. Either way, Trumps message has undoubtedly been amplified by an entity paying (presumably) for this service."
Condemning the blockade by the Saudi-led coaltion, which is having dire consequences in Yemen, Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May on November 20 requesting immediate government intervention.
"The U.K. has a crucial role to play," Corbyn wrote on his Facebook page. "Theresa Mays Government must end our countrys support for the Saudi-led coalitions conduct in this war and suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia. There must be an immediate ceasefire through the UN to enable the negotiation of a long-term political peace."
Via TeleSur
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Related video added by Juan Cole:
TRT World: The War in Yemen: Yemen hospitals suffering due to blockade
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By Alexis R. Santos-Lozada | (The Conversation) |
Even before this years devastating hurricane season, the team of demographers I work with at Penn State and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics had predicted that the population of Puerto Rico would decline over the next few decades. Have Hurricanes Irma and Maria accelerated this trend?
Slowing population decline is central to the economic recovery plan drafted by the Puerto Rican government in March of this year. If migration off the island accelerates, it is likely that the government of Puerto Rico will face even greater challenges in meeting that plans milestones.
Preliminary data from the Puerto Rican Diaspora Study, which I recently concluded, can help shed light on how many Puerto Ricans who have fled the island might return home and how many are gone for good.
Seeking shelter
In the two months since Maria made landfall, Puerto Ricans have left the island in even higher numbers than before. Recent commercial flight passenger data indicate that between Sept. 20, the day Hurricane Maria made landfall, and Nov. 7, approximately 100,000 people left Puerto Rico. That number exceeds the 89,000 people who left island during all of 2015 and increases by the day.
Lack of access to power, drinking water and health care are pushing people out. Recent forecasts of migration out of Puerto Rico from the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY suggest that, because of Hurricane Maria, the island may lose up to 470,335 residents, or 14 percent of its current population, by 2020. This would represent a doubling of migration off the island compared to previous years.
Surveying the diaspora
My survey is designed to collect information from Puerto Ricans in the United States about their family members who remain on the island. The survey ran from Oct. 17 to Nov. 13, 2017. More than 6,000 eligible respondents completed it.
I employed a social media recruitment approach with targeted advertisements for Puerto Ricans living in the United States. The recruitment process was aided by organizations that serve the Puerto Rican and Latino population in the United States, and respondents who shared the survey through social media.
Respondents were asked about the intentions of their family members or friends who have migrated or intend to migrate.
Intentions to stay in the US
The data show that some Puerto Rican migrants have plans to relocate to the mainland permanently, others have decided to stay on the mainland temporarily but a third group is undecided, waiting to see how the island recovers. This third group is large, representing at least half of those expected to leave Puerto Rico before 2020 or between 131,925 and 245,186 people.
The return to normality of electricity, drinking water and other essential services could become crucial in reducing permanent migration from Puerto Rico. That, in turn, would help stabilize the total population of Puerto Rico and allow the government to better achieve the goals of the economic recovery plan.
Whats next?
Helping Puerto Ricans return home will benefit the island, but it could also help the mainland.
Puerto Ricans who remain in Florida and other states will pose challenges to local and state governments on the mainland. This population will require public services such as education, health care and housing. Florida is already dealing with increasing numbers of students, and recruiting teachers from Puerto Rico to better serve the increasing Puerto Rican population in the state. Both Florida and cities in New York state have started to aid displaced Puerto Ricans with housing.
If not reversed, the influx of Puerto Ricans will transform the demographic profile of the areas where they settle and produce shifts in workforce and job markets. They may even transform the political profile of the voters participating in the midterm elections and future presidential elections.
Alexis R. Santos-Lozada, Assistant Teaching Professor in Sociology and Director of Applied Demography, Pennsylvania State University
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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Related video added by Juan Cole:
The National: Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria: Still desperate for aid
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - November 23, 2017) - Millrock Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MRO) ( OTCQX : MLRKF) ("Millrock") is pleased to announce that PolarX ( ASX : PXX) ("PolarX") has issued a press release concerning the recently completed drilling program at the Alaska Range Project in Alaska. Results from the first five holes of the program are reported. The Alaska Range Project is a new name given to the combined Stellar and Caribou Dome projects.
The work was executed by Millrock on behalf of PolarX. Millrock presently owns 10.74% of the issued and outstanding shares of PolarX and is entitled to certain milestone and royalty payments on portions of the project.
Assay results from the first five holes drilled into the deposit confirm the presence of high-grade copper and gold from near surface.
PolarX reported the following highlights drill intervals:
14.5m @ 2.5% Cu and 2.0 g/t Au from 34.9m in hole ZM-17007
5.3m @ 2.0% Cu and 2.7 g/t Au from 9.7m in hole ZM-17006
3.5m @ 3.9% Cu and 2.2 g/t Au from 99.1m in hole ZM-17002
2.8m @ 2.6% Cu and 0.5 g/t Au from 227.4m in hole ZM-17005
Note: The mineralized intervals reported are down-hole, measured thickness. There is insufficient interpretation of the mineralization to confidently report "true widths". However, it is noted that the mineralized lenses appear to be relatively steeply dipping. As such, "true widths", depending on hole dip angle, will be 50% to 60% of the reported down-hole, measured thickness.
PolarX also reported that the results indicate:
mineralization is over wider intervals than previously expected (in comparison to historic drilling in two of the first holes); and
the deposit extends further along strike than previously thought; and
it remains open along strike and at depth.
The detailed PolarX press release can be read here.
Quality Control -- Quality Assurance
Millrock adheres to stringent Quality Assurance -- Quality Control (QA/QC) standards. Drill core and samples are kept in a secure location at all times. Representative quarter-core samples were collected and assayed at ALS Chemex laboratories in Vancouver, Canada and Reno, Nevada, USA. Gold was analyzed by Fire Assay (specifically ALS code Au-AA25 - Au by fire assay and AAS using a 30g nominal sample weight). Other elements (33 in total including copper) were analyzed using ALS method code ME-ICP61 which involves a four-acid digest and an ICP-MS finish. Over range (Cu >= 1%) was analyzed using ALS method code ME-OG62 which involves a four-acid digest and an ICP-AES or AAS finish. The following QA/QC protocols have been adopted for this program: 1) Duplicates were created as coarse crush duplicates on every 20th sample in the sample preparation process at the laboratory, and 2) Blanks every 20th sample, and 3) Standards Certified Reference Material (CRM's) every 20th sample plus additional random insertions at supervising geologist's discretion. All results from blanks, standards and duplicates were reviewed and found to be accurate within acceptable tolerances for results obtained to date.
The scientific and technical information disclosed within this document has been prepared, reviewed and approved by Gregory A. Beischer, President, CEO and a director of Millrock Resources. Mr. Beischer is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.
About Millrock Resources Inc.
Millrock Resources Inc. is a premier project generator to the mining industry. Millrock identifies, packages and operates large-scale projects for joint venture, thereby exposing its shareholders to the benefits of mineral discovery without the usual financial risk taken on by most exploration companies. The company is active in Alaska, British Columbia, the southwest USA and Sonora State, Mexico. Funding for drilling at Millrock's exploration projects is primarily provided by its joint venture partners. Business partners of Millrock have included some of the leading names in the mining industry: Centerra Gold, First Quantum, Teck, Kinross, Vale, Inmet, Altius, and Riverside. Millrock is a major shareholder of junior explorers PolarX Limited. and Sojourn Exploration Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN) (OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP:65704T 108) (the "Company") is pleased to report that assays have been received from drill holes completed to test the P-058 sulphide zone at the Fossilik area on the Companys 100% owned Maniitsoq nickel-copper-cobalt-PGM sulphide project in southwest Greenland. Hole MQ-17-146 intersected the extension of the P-058 zone comprised of high grade massive nickel sulphide veins.
Highlights include:
MQ-17-146:
10.70m @ 2.53% Ni, 1.26% Cu, 0.07% Co and 0.11 g/t Pt+Pd+Au including 3.50m @ 4.97% Ni, 2.30% Cu, 0.13% Co and 0.20 g/t Pt+Pd+Au and 2.20m @ 3.35% Ni, 1.31% Cu, 0.10% Co and 0.16 g/t Pt+Pd+Au
Mineralization is characterized by high nickel tenors and elevated copper and cobalt values.
Drilling and borehole electromagnetic (BHEM) surveys have extended the P-058 mineralized system from surface to a vertical depth of 650 metres where it remains open down-dip and down plunge.
An increased volume of norite has been intersected at depth and represents a possible source of the remobilized sulphides.
NAN CEO, Keith Morrison, commented: This exceptional result is consistent with the Companys 2016 drilling assays at P-058 (see News Release dated October 12, 2016). Drilling and borehole EM data now indicate that this well mineralized zone extends to a vertical depth of 650 metres. Fossilik is the largest known mineralized norite intrusion within the Greenland Norite Belt. These results, combined with previous drilling results at P-004 and P-059 as well as additional nickel sulphide occurrences in the immediate area, demonstrate and prioritize the overall prospectivity of the Fossilik area.
Six holes totalling 2,621 metres were completed at the P-058 target located in the Fossilik area in the central portion of the Greenland Norite Belt (Figure 1). This release summarizes the results for four holes totalling 2,384 metres that were completed to target depth. Two additional holes were abandoned and did not reach target depth. Drill collar information and a summary of assays are provided in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. A drill plan map is provided in Figure 2 and an inclined longitudinal section is shown in Figure 3. Figures may be viewed using the link provided at the end of this release.
Further details of the drilling completed at P-058 are given below.
Table 1: Drill Collar Information, P-058
Hole Number UTM East UTM North Elevation
(m) Length
(m) Azimuth Dip MQ-17-144* 473658 7248706 630 528.00 126 -64 MQ-17-145 474023 7248406 569 7.50 320 -51 MQ-17-146 474022 7248408 569 512.00 321 -53 MQ-17-148 474017 7248471 580 658.00 309 -62 MQ-17-151** 474022 7248410 569 229.80 317 -63 MQ-17-152 474021 7248412 569 686.00 344 -57
Note: Collar coordinates in UTM WGS84 Zone 22N
Abandoned Holes: * Hole lost in casing at 7.5m ** Hole terminated at 229.8m
Table 2: Assay Results, P-058
Hole
Number From
(m) To
(m) Core
Length
(m) Ni
% Cu
% Co
% S
% Pt
g/t Pd
g/t Au
g/t MQ-17-144 NSA MQ-17-146 408.30 410.20 1.90 2.51 0.15 0.08 14.94 0.00 0.02 0.01 incl. 408.30 408.90 0.60 4.70 0.40 0.18 30.89 0.00 0.03 0.03 and 409.80 410.20 0.40 4.73 0.07 0.12 23.67 0.01 0.04 0.01 451.50 462.20 10.70 2.53 1.26 0.07 14.63 0.06 0.02 0.03 incl. 452.50 456.00 3.50 4.97 2.30 0.13 28.26 0.09 0.04 0.07 and 458.00 460.20 2.20 3.35 1.31 0.10 19.16 0.13 0.02 0.01 MQ-17-148 NSA MQ-17-152 NSA
Note: Intervals represent core lengths, not necessarily true widths.
NSA No Significant Assays
The P-058 sulphide zone is located near the southwest end of the large Fossilik intrusion within a northeast striking and steeply northwest dipping structural panel consisting of mineralized norite, orthogneiss and parallel to sub-parallel mylonite zones. The mineralization consists mainly of high grade remobilized semi-massive to massive stringer, vein and breccia sulphides with nickel tenors (percent nickel re-calculated to 100% sulphides) of between 5.5 and 8.0%.
Near surface drilling completed prior to 2016 intersected narrow, near surface remobilized sulphide veins and stringers which were correlated with small, moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies. In 2016, deeper follow-up drilling intersected wider zones of remobilized sulphides associated with larger moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies. Main and footwall zones were defined, grading up 3.41% nickel, 0.28% copper and 0.10% cobalt over 10.20 metres (see News Release dated October 12, 2016) and the mineralization was extended to a vertical depth of 350 metres.
The goal of the 2017 drilling was to test for continuity and potential expansion of the P-058 mineralization at depth as a means of vectoring to the ultimate source of the remobilized sulphides. Four of six holes (MQ-17-144, 146, 148 and 152) were completed to target depth and two holes (MQ-17-145 and 151) were abandoned (see Figures 2 and 3).
Hole MQ-17-146 intersected two intervals of remobilized massive sulphide veins hosted in orthogneiss country rocks which returned the following grades:
Footwall zone: 2.51% nickel, 0.15% copper and 0.08 cobalt over 1.90 metres from 408.30 to 410.20 metres downhole including: 4.70% nickel, 0.40% copper and 0.18% cobalt over 0.60 metres and 4.73% nickel, 0.07% copper and 0.12% cobalt over 0.40m
Main zone: 2.53% nickel, 1.26% copper and 0.07% cobalt over 10.70 metres from 451.50 to 462.20 metres downhole including: (see Figure 4) 4.97% nickel, 2.30% copper and 0.13% cobalt over 3.50 metres and 3.35% nickel, 1.31% copper and 0.10% cobalt over 2.20 metres
Holes MQ-17-144, 148 and 152 intersected the expected norite-orthogneiss-mylonite stratigraphy but did not intersect any significant mineralization. All three holes are interpreted to have passed close to the mineralized corridor as indicated by the trend of moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies detected from borehole surveys of the holes (see Figure 3). The gap in the trend of BHEM responses immediately above the elevation of holes MQ-17-148 and 152 indicates either a gap in the mineralization or an area of poorly conductive sulphides.
The P-058 mineralization strikes northeast, dips steeply to the northwest and plunges moderately to the NNE. New drilling has extended the main zone to a vertical depth of 435 metres and the main and footwall zones are interpreted to be open down dip and down plunge. The overall footprint of the mineralization is interpreted to extend from surface to a vertical depth of 650 metres based on BHEM results.
The P-058 norite intrusion appears to be either widening or merging with a larger norite body at depth to the NNE in the direction of the Fossilik intrusion. This larger volume of norite represents a potential source for P-058 mineralization.
Quality Control
The drilling was completed by Cabo Drilling Corp (Canada) utilizing two Atlas Copco S2 diamond drill rigs. Additionally, drilling completed in September included a Heli 1500 Marcotte drill rig sourced from Arctic Core Drilling A/S (Greenland) and manned by a drill crew from Forage-M3 Drilling (Canada). Drill core samples (36.5 mm BQ and 47.6 mm NQ) are cut in half by a diamond saw on site. Half of the core is retained for reference purposes. Samples are generally 1.0 to 1.5 metre intervals or less at the discretion of the site geologists. Sample preparation is completed at the GeoLAB Greenland ApS preparation lab in Nuuk, Greenland. Sample pulps are sent by air to the MS Analytical laboratory in Langley, BC, Canada. Blank samples and commercially prepared and certified Ni sulphide analytical control standards with a range of grades are inserted in every batch of 20 samples or a minimum of one per sample batch. Analyses for Ni, Cu and Co are completed using a sodium peroxide fusion preparation and ICP-ES finish (PER-700). Analyses for Pt, Pd, and Au are by fire assay (30 grams nominal sample weight) with an ICP-AES finish (FAS-113).
Technical Information; Qualified Person
The Company is not aware of any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the project other than those set out in its annual information form filed on www.sedar.com. Please see below under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" for further details regarding risks facing the Company.
All technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Patricia Tirschmann, P.Geo, who is the Qualified Person for the Company and Vice President Exploration, North American Nickel Inc.
About North American Nickel
North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario.
The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all year round shipping season and abundant hydro-electric potential.
The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.
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While doing my doctoral dissertation research at a clinic for kids with diabetes, I observed the attachment that some of them had to the physician faculty member who directed the clinic. I particularly remember one teenager who complained that this doctor did not care about her, as he sent fake doctors (residents) to take care of her, not coming himself. She was refusing to cooperate. When I suggested to the director that he visit her, he did so. He pulled up a chair by her bed and assured her that he did care about her and requested her cooperation with the residents, as a favor to him. She was totally cooperative from that point forward.
After I completed my doctorate in psychology, I did a two-year fellowship in mental health research. I learned that research has shown that the doctor-patient relationship is a key part, quite possibly the most important part, of health care. For example, I first learned that the strongest predictor of compliance with medication is patients perceptions of the relationship with their doctors. Other research also shows that overall, patients with a better relationship with their doctors have better health outcomes. In the years following, I read a lot about the doctor-patient relationship. I read books filled with compassion, often heart-wrenching, which give important insights into health care.
Decades later, it seemed that there was something missing from the picture of doctoring in these books. In the intervening years, a terrible health care crisis had developed. It seemed unlikely, however, that the importance of the doctor-patient relationship would have diminished. So, when interviewing doctors for my book, I asked about real-life experiences to investigate all of this research. A prime example was given by one of my interviewees. With a blood transfusion, the hospitalist couldnt get a patient to do it. His primary care MD called and got him to agree to it in a few minutes. As another one poignantly said, With a strong relationship your voice will be in their heads at home. One interviewee said, So much of primary care is not just the science. If you have a good relationship, it helps you do your job better. You can uncover things that you need to make the diagnosis. Another interviewee said, Its important to the diagnosis, as the patient feels free to discuss with the doctor. Agreement from another doctor, Its key. If its not there, the patient wont trust you and take your advice. Its the key to being a successful physician.
One doctor interviewee got to the heart of the matter. The doctor-patient relationship takes what we do out of the dimension of strictly delivering a service. Sometimes I can do an exam relatively quickly and spend the rest of the time talking about children, bereavement, interests. We have developed a relationship over the years, and we are interested in each others lives to the degree that they intersect and we can share that. I have learned more about how people cope with loss than almost anything else, because I have found that people were coming in coping with loss and I did not want to sit there and be awkward and change the subject, I wanted to learn to explore being of comfort and assistance. I had to learn how to speak of these things, and I had known nothing about it beforehand. I let patients sit and cry in my office and cry for as long as they need to about things that have nothing to do about their exam because that particular day they needed to come to someones office and cry. The exam was sort of a bonus. Another doctor said about caring, I cant tell someone no. Throw me in jail, if you must, for taking care of a child whose parent cannot afford to pay. What jail do they have for doctors who care too much?
As we struggle with the health care crisis in this country, we are forgetting, in fact, the heart of the matter: the doctor-patient relationship. We are ignoring the fact that this is damaging for patient health outcomes. Its expensive financially too. When you dont have a doctor-patient relationship, you dont have compliance, and then costs go up. They go up because patients who are not compliant have worse outcomes, said one doctor. Another agreed, It matters the most because a good relationship means compliance and compliance means better outcomes which costs less. We are so concerned about, no, obsessed with, the cost of health care and here is a crucial factor that is being ignored. Is that supposed to make sense?
Recently, doctors have received such bad press, and so much damage has been done to the doctor-patient relationship, that we often forget that it matters so much. The doctor-patient relationship is one of the most intimate relationships that exists. People are literally stripped naked both psychologically and physically and what is being lost here is that relationship. A wedge is being driven in there, said a doctor interviewee. I believe that the key to quality care is the doctor-patient relationship. And the powers that be intentionally put a wedge between the doctor-patient relationship, said another one in agreement.
We all need to stop pretending that that this relationship doesnt matter, because it does matter. As one doctor interviewee said, It is everything. We are losing it.
We all need to work together to get it back. Our lives depend on it.
Peggy A. Rothbaum is a psychologist and can be reached at her self-titled site, Dr. Peggy Rothbaum. She is the author of I Have Been Talking with Your Doctor: Fifty doctors talk about the healthcare crisis and the doctor-patient relationship.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Durham Museum (801 S. 10th St., Omaha): Christmas at Union Station, Friday through Jan. 7. Ethnic Holiday Trees, Friday through Jan. 7. The exhibition showcases how cultures from around the world celebrate the Christmas season. Bridges: Sharing our Past to Enrich the Future Exhibit, Friday through Jan. 7. A Nebraska 150 Commission Signature Event, this exhibit shares photos from each of Nebraskas 93 counties capturing images of historic sites of hidden treasures from across Nebraska. Zoom Into Nano, through Jan. 7. The exhibit presents a variety of largescale, immersive experiences in the world of nanotechnology. Mid-Western Missions: Agents and Expeditions, through Jan. 14. A Lifetime of Objects: The Story of Byron Reed, 1829-1891, through Jan. 14. Lets Go to Town for Boys Town, through Jan. 21. Through images, documents and artifacts from the Boys Town Hall of History collection and archives, visitors to The Durham Museum will trace the development of this Omaha fixture over the last 100 years.
Admission: adults $11, seniors (62+) $8, children (3-12) $7, children under 2 free.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday and major holidays.
International Quilt Study Center & Museum (33rd and Holdrege streets, Lincoln): Against the Grain: Quilted Leather by Cathy Wiggins, through Jan. 6. Block by Block: American Quilts in the Industrial Age, through Nov. 30. Small Talk, through Feb. 4. Voltage: Quilts by Erica Waaser, through Feb. 25.
Admission: adults, $6; children ages 5-18, $3; children under 5, free; families, $10. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
May Museum (1643 N. Nye Ave., Fremont): Transplanted: The Early Ethnic Settlers of Dodge County.
Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for students. Hours: 1:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Nebraska History Museum (131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln): Imprinting the West: Manifest Destiny, Real and Imagined, through Jan. 8. The exhibit features 48 hand-colored engravings and lithographs. Dont Touch That Dial: Kalamity Kate and the George Churley Puppets, through June 17. The exhibit features puppets created by Churley that were prominently featured on the KOLN/KGIN program, Kalamity Kates Cartoon Corral, and hundreds of live programs during the 1970s. Visitors also will be able to see the original Kalamity Kate costume worn by Leta Powell Drake, as well as film footage.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission: Free.
Omaha Childrens Museum (500 S. 20th St., Omaha): Santas Magic, Friday through Dec. 23. Santas Magic is an enchanting winter wonderland populated by friendly characters like the Snow Queen, Holly the Elf and Santa. An interactive program is held several times daily and includes lights, music and Santas magical arrival. Forever Forest, through April 15. Exploring the realities of forests through play, this exhibit includes a tree top climber, a realistic mini replica of a Union Pacific engine, a kid-sized home kids can help build and more.
Admission: $12 for adults (16-59) and children (2-15), $11 for seniors (60 and older) and free for children under 24 months and members. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum (28210 West Park Highway, Ashland): Nebraska 150 Aerospace. The exhibit highlights significant contributions of Nebraskans over 150 years of aerospace history. Admission: $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and military and $6 for children ages 4-12. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History (14th and Vine streets, Lincoln): Guts and Glory: A Parasite Story, through May 1, 2018. The exhibit explores the hidden world of parasites while showcasing the museums Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. Miss Mie, through Dec. 31. The historic Japanese friendship ambassador doll and its accessories will be on display. Admission: $6 for adults (19 and over), $3 for children (5-18 years), free for children 4 and under, and $13 for families (up to two adults and children). Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays.
Stuff reports:
A northern Rodney breakaway council could make an operating surplus of up to $5 million in its first year of operation, a new feasibility report shows.
The report disproves the Morrison Low report, commissioned by the Local Government Commission to inform its decision on options for local government reorganisation in Auckland.
But the commission says its too far along in the process to consider the report.
Morrison Lows report claimed the proposed northern Rodney council would operate at a first year loss of $13.5m deficit, leading to a 48 per cent rates rise.
The Northern Action Group (NAG), which is proposing the breakaway from Auckland Council, commissioned their own report by APR Consultants in response to the commissions report, which it believed wrongly used figures from Auckland Council.
By Donald Kirk
The debate never stops. Pro-sanction people are saying the latest round of U.S. sanctions against the North may indeed bring enough pressure on Kim Jong-un so that he may agree to talks about giving up his nukes and missiles. The anti-sanctionists say sanctions never work, and now, they say, Kim may be tempted to test still more missiles and nukes just to prove what a great and independent leader he is.
We're never going to hear the end of this debate. Nor will we ever get any definitive answers. Who will know for sure, if he orders another test of a long-range missile capable of carrying a warhead to the U.S., that he would or would not have done so with or without the sanctions? And if he doesn't test another long-range missile, can anyone tell if he put off the idea just because sanctions were really hurting?
It's all a guessing game in which President Trump's decision to restore North Korea to its rightful place on the State Department's list of "sponsors of terror" adds colorful quotes to the argument. If nothing else, by bestowing this label on North Korea, Trump scores rhetorical or propaganda points. Proponents of a strong U.S. policy think he has done what's needed to bring Kim Jong-un to his senses and bow to the demands of just about every leader on earth to stop the nonsense.
After briefly making headlines in the U.S., however, these gestures do not appear really to have advanced the story a great deal. Certainly a few more Chinese companies may be constrained from doing business with North Korea, and certainly North Korean leaders do not like the "terror" label now any more than they did in 2008 when George W. Bush, then the U.S. president, ordered removal of the North from the list.
Bush at the time was persuaded by Condoleezza Rice, then secretary of state, that removal of the North from the list would provide the North with enough face and respect to abide by agreements hammered out by Christopher Hill in six-party talks to give up its nuclear program on a carefully devised timetable. Hill also got the U.S. Treasury Department to remove constraints that had forced Banco Delta Asia in Macao to freeze a few tens of millions of dollars in North Korean accounts.
Anyone could have seen that Hill, looking for a place in history as the diplomat who had gotten the North to give up its nuclear ambitions, was more or less out of his mind. What made him imagine that Kim Jong-il, then father of Kim Jong-un, would ever abide by such a deal? Had he not totally ignored the 1991 North-South agreement on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and then violated the 1994 Geneva framework agreement by engaging in a program for fabricating warheads with highly enriched uranium after making a great show of shutting down its plutonium reactor?
Hill these days is saying North Korean negotiators lied to him, broke their promises and were otherwise quite deceptive. Why of course, Hill has been saying, he always thought the North would go right back on the terror list as soon as it became clear the North Koreans were breaking their promises. In the meantime, Banco Delta Asia had gone on serving as a conduit for distributing counterfeit North Korean one-hundred-dollar bills while North Korea's Bureau 39 deposited profits from sales of weapons, narcotics, even cigarettes with phony foreign labels on them.
Having said that North Korea should have remained in its place of honor on the "terror" list along with Syria, Iran and Sudan, where does Trump go from here? Is Trump, having described his recent calls on Asian leaders as "historic," ready to move beyond histrionics? What if Kim Jong-un really does order another test of a long-range missile? Then what?
It's often said that Trump is really tough, that he's capable of some wild act, a "preemptive strike" that might precipitate counter-attacks on South Korea's populated, industrial regions. Perhaps the North might even fire a few missiles at the South.
It's the fear of such a reaction from the North that inhibits President Moon Jae-in from going along with U.S. hints of a "military option" if diplomacy fails. Many Americans, like Moon, also fear the North might unleash a devastating response. Nobody wants to take the chance.
It probably would be extremely risky to predict the next act in the great Korean drama. We have so often been surprised in the past. Let us hope intensified pressure does have a certain effect _ and we will never have to know what would have happened if either Trump or Kim had made good on their worst threats.
Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, has been reporting for decades on war and peace in Asia.
Local News, Crime
By Long Island News & PR Published: November 23 2017
Kalei Reyes, 13, was last seen leaving her residence on foot on Friday, November 17.
Syosset, NY - November 23, 2017 - The Missing Persons Squad is investigating a Missing The Missing Persons Squad is investigating a Missing Syosset Juvenile that occurred on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 12:00 pm.
According to detectives, Kalei Reyes, 13, a female white was last seen leaving her Oak Drive residence on foot in an unknown direction. Kalei Reyes is described as being female, white, 55 tall, 128 Lbs, brown eyes, long brown hair, and medium complexion. There is no clothing description. Her destination is also unknown.
The International Marxist Tendency has been celebrating the centenary of the Russian Revolution all year, releasing articles, videos and reading guides to commemorate the occasion. Around the day of anniversary itself (7 November by the modern calendar), we hosted a series of meetings, parties and events throughout the world. We have already published reports from Mexico, Italy, Austria and Brazil, and in the coming days will release more reports of how comrades across the international celebrated the greatest event in human history...
The IMT Netherlands organised its very first day school to celebrate the special occasion of the 100th anniversary of the October revolution. The day school was held in the city Utrecht and started in the morning around 10am, and lasted until 6 in the evening. During the sessions more than 20 people participated, including many fresh faces. Most were very new to the ideas of Marxism, and afterwards we received great feedback about how inspirational they found the day.
Materials at the Dutch October school / Image: own work
We started the day with a leadoff on Who were the Bolsheviks? by Kyle Michiels from the Belgian section. He spoke about how the Russian Marxists originally came from the populist Narodnik movement, from a small layer that saw the dead-end of their terroristic approach. Pioneers like Plekhanov turned to the working-class and founded the Russian labour movement. Kyle expanded on the split between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in 1903, the different stages of development of the party, its role in the October Revolution and finally its destruction by counterrevolutionary Stalinism in the 1920s and 30s. Many found this a very useful introduction to the rest of the day, with good questions asked on the approach of the Bolsheviks and how this relates to present day work by revolutionaries.
Kyle Michiels speaking on Bolshevism / Image: own work
The second session was by Zowi Milanovi, editor of the Dutch IMT magazine Vonk, who spoke on The Lessons of October. The lead-off was on how the Russian Revolution was prepared, and how it developed from the February Revolution to the October Revolution. There was an emphasis on the necessity of the revolutionary party as subjective factor, which through flexible tactics can obtain a leading role in a revolution. The Bolsheviks gained authority through patient explanation of their ideas and by using the tactic of the united front, to win a leading role in the Soviets and take power on that basis. The absence of this party has historically led to many defeats. As questions were asked on the theory of the Permanent Revolution, on the failure of the German Revolution, on reformism and imperialism, it certainly was a high-level political discussion.
After lunch the second half of the day started with the third lead-off by Lubna Badi on Women and the October Revolution. It discussed the Marxist approach to the women's question in general, and the role of women in the October Revolution and the achievements of the revolution in particular. Many found it very revealing and were impressed by the role women played and the achievements of the revolution. The discussion was very wide-ranging, covering such topics as the difference between Marxism and Feminism to the contribution of automatization in the liberation of women.
Lubna Badi on Women & the October Revolution / Image: own work
After all the leadoffs, it was time for the screening of the new IMT documentary, Leon Trotsky - The Life of a Revolutionary. It was very well received by everyone.
Eventually the day concluded with a final speech by Zowi Milanovi on Why we need a Revolution. He explained the economical and political turbulence of present situation, from which even countries as the Netherlands cannot escape, and why it is essential for us as revolutionaries to educate ourselves with Marxist ideas to prepare for the revolution and guide it into victory!
All in all, the weekend was a great success. Not only were many aspects of the Russian Revolution covered, the discussions were of good political level, but also we had a great number of attendees and raised more than 200 Euros. For the Dutch IMT section this is certainly a great achievement. We are very happy to have inspired these young people with the ideas of Marxism: the tools we need to do to change the world.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 22, 2017
Analytics company HiQ Labs is asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold an injunction requiring LinkedIn to allow publicly available data about its users to be scraped.
HiQ argues that the order, issued earlier this year by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen in the Northern District of California, is necessary to protect the company from "irreparable harm" while its dispute with LinkedIn plays out in court.
The 5-year-old HiQ scrapes LinkedIn's publicly available pages, analyzes the information to determine which employees are at risk of being poached, and then sells its findings to employers.
HiQ sought an injunction against LinkedIn this summer, shortly after receiving demands to stop scraping data about its users. HiQ alleged that LinkedIn was planning to roll out a commercial service that would compete with HiQ's, and that LinkedIn's demands to stop collecting data were anti-competitive.
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LinkedIn contended that HiQ's scraping violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act -- a criminal law that prohibits companies from accessing computer servers without authorization. LinkedIn also argued that HiQ disregarded LinkedIn users' privacy and that HiQ's products could harm LinkedIn users.
Chen sided with HiQ and ordered LinkedIn to withdraw its cease-and-desist letter, and to remove any technical blocks preventing HiQ from accessing the site.
LinkedIn recently asked appellate judges to lift that injunction, arguing that it has the right to protect the data on its servers from outside parties, and that HiQ lacks a valid antitrust claim. The advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center sided with LinkedIn, arguing that users didn't necessarily know that their data "would be acquired by others to build profiles that would be sold back to their employers."
HiQ this week asked the court to preserve the injunction. Among other arguments, HiQ says that the Criminal Fraud and Abuse Act -- an anti-hacking statute that prohibits anyone from accessing computer servers without authorization -- shouldn't be interpreted to allow website operators to stop users from accessing public content.
"Public webpages are, by definition, available worldwide and without restriction," HiQ writes. "No one needs 'authorization' to access them. A website owner cannot revoke a users authorization to view public pages because there is no authorization to revoke."
HiQ adds that the anti-hacking law would be unconstitutional if it could be used to stop companies from viewing publicly available information.
"The government could no more enact such a statute than it could authorize someone delivering a speech on the sidewalk to select which passersby could pause to listen, or give a billboard owner to the power to decide who could read a message posted in plain view," HiQ argues.
Four years ago, a different federal district court judge rejected arguments similar to HiQ's in a lawsuit brought by Craigslist against the data scraper 3Taps. In that case, the judge allowed Craigslist to proceed with claims that 3Taps violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by scraping publicly available listings.
HiQ is asking the 9th Circuit to rule that the decision in the Craigslist matter was wrong. HiQ argues that the earlier ruling "rested on the faulty premise that users are inherently 'authorized' to view public content, and that owners of that content can revoke this general permission as to specific users."
LinkedIn has until December 11 to reply to HiQ's latest arguments.
If youre shunning the stress of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner this year and eating out instead, you might want to approach the restaurant with caution; such an environment could cause you to eat more than you should.
Share on Pinterest If youre eating out for Thanksgiving, you could wind up eating more.
Research from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor suggests that food-related cues, such as images of food and inviting aromas, might trick us into thinking that we are hungry, even if we have just eaten.
But the researchers found that these cues are unlikely to make food taste better, nor do they increase the pleasure of eating them.
Study leader Michelle Joyner, who works in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, and colleagues have published the findings in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, gratitude, and a delicious meal, all while surrounded by family and friends. However, while the latter might provoke thoughts of a home-cooked feast, some of us prefer to enjoy the food but without all the hard work.
According to a recent survey from the National Restaurant Association, around 1 in 10 people in the United States will eat their Thanksgiving meal at a restaurant this year.
But the new study suggests that restaurant-goers should watch out, because the sight of food and its delicious aroma may trigger hunger pangs, even after a full-blown turkey dinner.
It's only been a week since Tesla unveiled its 2020 Roadster that boasted of sprinting from 0-100kmph in 1.9 seconds, an ahead of the curve record that shattered all previous ones like they never mattered. We hadn't even shaken that feeling of euphoria off before a Taiwanese start-up Xing Mobility came in and rained on Tesla's parade by positioning itself as their contender in the 0-100kmph performance sphere. Oriental, and exotic by birth, Xing's cheeky little Miss R is the next sensation in the motoring world and we'll tell you why.
Miss R, a rally inspired vehicle, is merely in its concept stage and it's coming from a company that is taking its first steps in the automobile industry. But the very ambitious brand is already claiming that their newest invention can do 0-100kmph in 2.0 seconds.
Xing
Yes we know it's 0.1 second more than the Tesla's base Roadster and Musk has already teased of packs that may lower 0-100kmph reach duration even further through "special packs" and "rocket tech" applications to the higher end models of the Roadster, but Miss R is something they should look out for simply because they too would want to exceed expectations and claims. That's how competition works.
Xing
2.0 seconds may look like a travesty in front of the Roadster's breakthrough 1.9 but its worth mentioning that there are still no other vehicles that have managed to exhibit this kind of performance. That makes Miss R the second fastest electric car in the world by acceleration.
Yes, the Miss R is an all electric car and its makers have done a fantastic job with the powertrain of the vehicle in order to reach their claim. Xing has chosen to install four individual motors at each wheel, with the capability of producing 1340hp together!
Xing
The only shortcoming of the vehicle is its limited range of about 250km, exactly one fourth of the Roadster, making the Roadster an all round performance car that can't be challenged as easily as one would wish, but we're pretty sure Miss R wouldn't have missed Musk's notice, especially because Xing has been loud about their swanky Magnetorheological Active Damping system that is found in premium performance vehicles like Lamborghini. The system allows the driver to adjust the suspension for better handling while driving. Even the state-of-the-art modular battery that can be liquid cooled is an attractive feature.
There is no intelligence on the cost of the hypercar, nor any information on whether it would be street legal and when it would be out for production, if it does. But it's a brilliant example for automobile posterity, makers are you reading?
These flat-earthers really are on some other level. They will do anything to prove the impossible, straight up refusing any solid proof given to them.
First, it was flat earther/rapper B.o.B who wanted to launch his own satellites into space to prove that earth really is flat. He wanted to raise $200,000 to help him launch satellites into space in order to prove everything that is already a scientific fact and has been proven before.
We thought that was stupid and unnecessary, but this guy named 'Mad' Mike Hughes is here to take the crown for the craziest flat earther ever.
In an order to prove this really credible conspiracy theory that the earth is flat Hughes, a self-taught 'scientist', is planning to launch himself on a mile-long flight over the Mojave Desert in a rocket of his own making.
He apparently built the 'steam-powered' rocket using scrap metal. Wow, such a solid plan, with no space for errors at all.
Reportedly, it will all go down soon, as the 61-year-old limo driver, from California, plans to launch the rocket, which cost an estimated $20,000, this weekend only, according to Associated Press.
AP
He told Associated Press, I don't believe in science.
I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air, about the certain size of rocket nozzles, and thrust, but that's not science, that's just a formula.
There's no difference between science and science fiction.
Are you okay, Mad Mike? Do you realize that science is not something one can chose to believe or not believe in? Do you even know what science even is?
Probably not.
Moving on, his upcoming adventures to prove that science isn't real and that earth really is flat is largely being sponsored by a group called 'Research Flat Earth'. Mad Mike is basically trying to fly high enough to gather evidence which disproves the accepted fact, the Earth is round.
Recently, in an interview with Daily Plane, a website for 'flat Earthers', Mike said he only started believing the theory fairly recently.
And he also revealed that this first flight is not going to be it, he said another planned flight will take him dozens of miles into space and allow him to 'prove once and for all this earth is flat'.
He said, It will shut the door on this ball Earth. This is the king of the deceptions. This is it. And once this domino falls and more people come to this side, then everything else the dominos structure falls.
Sure, why not Mike, we have all been waiting for someone like you to come and prove something utterly ridiculous, you are our saviour and the only hope for humanity.
Moreover, this weekend's rocket launch won't actually be a first for Mad Mike. According to The Independent, he took to the skies over Arizona back in 2014, which he said saw him sustain injuries which incapacitated him for weeks.
Well, good luck to this scientist who doesn't believe in science. We hope you and your questionable rocket are able to gather enough evidence to debunk one of the world's most fundamental facts.
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I once saw Matthew Stafford go into an X-ray room after a game against Minnesota. I once saw him need help untying his shoes after a game against Minnesota because he couldn't bend over.
Now he's playing thru a bum ankle.
He's a tough bastard, there is no question.
Sensational gospel musician, Christiana Love, now known as Obaapa Christy, has described the death of astute broadcaster, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong (KABA) as tragic and unbelievable.
Obaapa Christy, explaining how she reacted to the news said it was very shocking.
The gospel maestro sympathised with the family, The Multimedia Group and others who were close to him.
I was very sad because it was unbelievable when I heard of it in Takoradi and I wanted to come here early to extend my condolences.
"God knows best and we cannot challenge him. It will be sad for his daughter to grow up and realise her father was such a great man but she never met him, she said.
Kaba left a great name. People who dont even know him are sympathizing with the family. God should bless his soul and give him a special place in heaven Obaapa maintained.
KABA, as he is affectionately called, died after a short illness and was rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
He left behind a wife, Valentina Afriyie and a seven-month-old daughter.
Hiplife artisteTic Tac, born Nana Kwaku Okyere Duah, has condemned Shatta Wale for firing a gun in public.
The dancehall king in a viral video on Tuesday was captured firing warning shots, which were alleged to be directed at Nigerian artistes such as Wizkid, Patoranking and Timaya.
Tic Tac described the video and its content as no joke, as he indirectly drew security officials' attention to the social media activities of the musician who recently visited President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House.
This is not a joke. Do we want to lose lives before we take it seriously? This is a country where laws work and we must put them to use in this case. Lets use the law, Tic Tac said on Hitz FM on Tuesday.
Both Tic Tac and Shatta Wale have not been getting along after Shatta Wale, in an interview with Deloris Frimpong Manso, described Tic Tac as not being smart.
Tic Tac said he was hurt by the comment because it is disrespect to his brand as a musician.
For the first time in my life, I really felt down. He does not know how that comment hurts me. I didn't expect such comments to come from him because I have stood for him a lot of times, he revealed.
Meanwhile, Tic Tac has expressed his dissatisfaction with Shatta Wale for firing a gun in public all in the name of 'beefing' with Nigerian artistes.
Top gospel artistes like Daughters of Glorious Jesus, Yaw Sarpong and Opiesie Esther will be leading Christians to give thanks to God for a fruitful year at the 2017 edition of the Praise Jam Gospel Concert in Accra.
The organisers of the event, Stratcomm Africa, announced on Tuesday that the annual praise and worship event is scheduled for December 2 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) at 4:00pm.
It will be under the theme: 'Ceaseless Praise' and features seasoned gospel artistes like Daughters of Glorious Jesus, KODA, E-Rock, Impact Project, Jeshrun Okyere, Yaw Sarpong, Opiesie Esther and others.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stratcomm Africa, Esther A.N Cobbah, said, Many of us have had situations in the year when we thought there was no way, but God made a way. Every day, God gives us something to be grateful for, including the challenging situations, through which he blesses us. God's blessings are unceasing and endless so we also give him ceaseless praise. Our very lives should signify praise to God at all times.
Praise Jam is an annual praise and thanksgiving event organised by Stratcomm Africa. The event seeks to create a platform to celebrate and thank the Lord for His goodness throughout the year. Established in 2016, this platform has continuously attracted thousands of people and is an event that many look forward to every year.
Miss Ghana 2017 Margaret Mwintuur Dery left Ghana Wednesday night for Hungary, where she is embarking on a week cultural tourism excursion.
She is being accompanied by Miss Ghana 2017 first and second runners-up, Priscilla Nana Akua Gameli and Marigold Frimpong, as well as some officials of Miss Ghana organisation, Exclusive Events Ghana.
All three queens were crowned winners at the 2017 edition of the Miss Ghana pageant dubbed 'Miss Ghana 60 Years On. The event was held with grand ball at the State Banquet Hall in Accra on Saturday, October to, among other objectives, showcase Ghana's beautiful culture.
It was witnessed by a lot of dignitaries, including stakeholders in the beauty industry. Miss Hungary 2016 Timea Gelencser flew down to Ghana to be part of the occasion.
The trip to Hungary, which is being sponsored by Hungarian Embassy, Hungarian Trade and Cultural Centre (HTCC) and Primus Natural Mineral Water, is part of efforts to promote both Ghanaian culture and that of Hungry.
The queens who will be in Hungary till November 28 are expected to tour major parts of Hungary. They will visit Hungarian parliament, other tourist attraction sites, University of Debrecen to talk about Ghana, visit Primus Natural Mineral Water and have some fun at the spa.
Quaku Praise, a student of Preventive Basic School in Aflao has emerged the winner of the 2017 Godigbeza quiz competition organized by VFL-GHANA in collaboration with the Aflao Traditional Council, and supported by Gallery GM. The quiz competition is one of the activities lined-up towards this years Godigbeza Festival celebrated by the people of Aflao.
Quaku Praise by his performance has also won for himself an opportunity to travel to Sao Tome with the former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie. His travel expenses will be borne by Gallery GM an NGO set up by internationally acclaimed artist, Sarah Gusten-Marr. Gallery GM has been collaborating with VFL-Ghana to run some of its activities. The two NGOs together promote the Culture Crossings project which is interested in giving young artists support and exposure.
Praise was one of eleven candidates that emerged from the 52 candidates who contested for the first round in an essay competition held at the Preventive and Border Schools to take part in the grand finale, thus the quiz competition. Foster Bansah, a student of Wudoaba M/A Basic School came second whiles Martey Selasi, a student of Border Basic School came third.
For their prizes, each was given a branded VFL Ghana bag containing; an android kiddy tablet, 10 exercise books, an Ewe English Dictionary, Epistles to my Bubune (collections of letters), The Bloody Ingrate (story book), Nsempiisms (A collection of poetry, storytelling and satire), Love brewed in the African Pot (Africas sensational film hit Now a comic strip), This is Ghana (Tourism book), a food flask, a cutlery set, a portable radio set and a watch. In addition, the three will embark on a sightseeing and an educational trip to Accra.
As a sign of motivation the other contestants, the 4th to the 11th positions were also presented with 10 exercise books, portable radio set and cowbell product. They would also be going on one day trip to see UHAS, Ho Polytechnic, Adaklu Mountain and 66 Artillery Regiment in Ho. The rest of the participants were also not left out as they received exercise books and cowbell products.
In her closing remarks, VFL-GHANA CEO, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie thanked the Chiefs and Queens in Aflao Traditional area for their immense support. She advised all participants not to look at their inability to be in the finals as the end of the world but prepare more for the next competition and also to see this as an opportunity to work hard for greater things academically. She councelled the students that they are blessed to be the ones in their family to be in school so they should not take that opportunity for granted because their parents are giving them what they did not have. She reminded them that they need to show appreciation to their parents by taking their studies seriously and come out with flying colors.
Values For Life, (VFL-GHANA) a non-governmental organization continues to champion the development of children through the provision of various social systems and interventions to empower and improve lives of children, youth and women in society through the Arts, Culture, Tourism and Digital Innovations; and this quiz competition is one of its activities.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Listen to any of her covers for the first time and tell me if you didn't fall in love with her.
I first got to know about her after a Facebook user shared her viral video. After that, I rummaged through her Facebook page watching all her videos back to back.
I didn't need a prophet to tell me that with a little support and good people around her, she is set to become one of the biggest female artistes in the country.
Her deep nasal voice couple with her resilient attitude on the microphone do not only leave you craving for more but also paints a positive picture of the future for the music industry.
Her name is Ernestina Afari known in showbiz as Dhat Gyal and at age 17, she has garnered a huge following on Facebook just by releasing covers and mashups .
At the time of filing this story she had over 36 K Facebook followers.
"When I met Dhat Gyal about one and half years ago, I knew she was talented so I decided to support her," Jeremiah Adjei, her manager said in an interview with modernghana.com.
"We started doing covers about a month ago but we didn't intend to do any serious promotion with it. By the time I realised we hit 5k views within 2 days," he added.
After the cover became a hit, Adjei who doubles as a sound engineer and a video editor decided to help her release more covers before her own song is out.
Fans are anxiously waiting for her song release slated for November 25th, 2017. This is evident in the number of views that the teaser of the yet to be release song has garnered since it was posted on Facebook.
The teaser of the song titled, "Mayweather," released earlier this month has 25 K views at the time this story was being filed.
Ernestina (Dhart Girl) is a Junior High School graduate looking forward to enter Senior High School next year, Jerry noted.
However, he is planning to enroll her in a private day school so she could easily combine schooling and music.
Jeremiah hopes she will become big in the music industry across the world sharing same stage and collaborating with international acts.
This hope has started materialising as she is currently working on a collaboration with a great vocalist in Zimbabwe called Cindy Munyavi, he further said
"I am getting calls from all over the world: USA, Sweden, UK, Germany and Jamaica. Most of these people are very serious about signing her while others need her for jingles," he averred.
In an interview with Dhat Gyal, she explained that she started doing Dancehall music at age 14 and had to struggle to survive with no support.
"I had no one to take care of me after my mom died and daddy wasn't supportive. My sister will go hawking while I would move round looking for a job and then pass by the studio from there until I met my manager."
The huge following and views on her Facebook page so far motivates her to keep giving of her best.
"I see people love what I do so will ensure I don't disappoint my fans by doing good music," she noted.
Dhat Gyal hopes to be one of the greatest musicians in the world. Artistes like Efya, Kodjo Antwi and Rihanna are her biggest inspiration.
It is possible for Ivy Barley co-founded of Developers in Vogue to win $100,000 in the Kwese Inc #GoGettaz competition to enable her expand the scope of her initiative. However, it is highly dependent on your votes.
Early this year, Ivy Barley co-founded Developers in Vogue to bridge the technology gap between males and females in the tech field and shape a world where more African women will be daring enough to take on jobs in a male-dominated tech field.
In June 2017, Developers in Vogue organized their first coding bootcamp where they taught 20 girls to code in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Out of the 20 participants, 5 of them have so far gotten full-time jobs in tech firms, another 5 are currently working as freelancers and 6 recently won a Devless hackathon organized by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology.
Within this short space, Ivy won the Ghana Youth Social Entrepreneurship competition held by Digital Opportunity Trust, The TEN Ghana Elevator Pitch Contest in June 2017 and the E-Skills for Girls Competition In Berlin, Germany which came with 15,000 prize and Mentorship from Google. She also had the Opportunity to meet the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
"Last year, I was teaching young girls computer programming at a pre-university. During my classes, I realised that the girls were actually very interested in learning technology, contrary to what I have been hearing around," Miss Barley said in an interview with modernghana.com.
"Few months after leaving the school, I always felt the urge to start a sustainable initiative that will provide a support system for women in tech," she added.
Winning the competition will go a long way to enable her scale the work and reach out to all females across the country and beyond.
The $100,000, Ivy says, will position her to increase the number of females being trained to 1000 by next year.
She adds, participants on the programme are connected with jobs so that means more jobs will be created, more income will be earned and more impact will be made.
Help her make this dream come true by voting for her.
Here is how to vote:
1. Visit https://win.kwese.com/
2. Vote for IVY's Video which is #3 by clicking on the Facebook or Twitter icon under her video to share on your wall.
3. Go back to https://win.kwese.com/
4. Share IVY's Video with each of your Facebook friends
You can do this as many times as possible. Don't forget to share the link with your friends too.
Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has donated an undisclosed amount of money to the family of late broadcaster, Kwadwo Asare Baffuor Acheampong, popularly known as KABA.
He made the donation on Monday when he led a delegation from the Presidency to the extended family of the late broadcaster at his Abeka residence.
In line with Akan tradition, the delegation was at the residence to mourn with the family and to obtain accurate information about the tragic incident even though news about the death of the broadcaster has become public knowledge.
The visit is also a sign of respect to the memory of the late broadcaster, and to the surviving family.
KABA has been eulogised by politicians -- from both the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) -- veteran journalists, and dignitaries for his professionalism, and journalistic excellence.
The popular host of the local language political talk show, Ekosi Sen, on Asempa FM is survived by his wife, Valentina Ofori Afriyie and a seven-month-old baby.
Deputy Roads Minister, Anthony Karbo, who was part of the delegation told the family that their presence they will relay the information to Nana Akufo-Addo, who is currently in the United Kingdom for a state visit.
The Vice President also promised that the government will support the funeral of the late broadcaster.
The delegation later signed a Book of Condolence that has been opened at the late broadcasters residence.
The Vice President had earlier led a government delegation to commiserate with The Multimedia Group , the mother company of Asempa FM..
The 'Ekosii Sen' show host died Saturday morning at the Korle Bu Teaching after a short illness.
He had been at work all week with no sign of sickness until he complained Friday evening he was not feeling too well and had to go home early.
He went home never to return to work again. He was rushed to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where he was pronounced dead
His death came as a shock to colleagues, friends and families some of whom have found it difficult to compose themselves.
On Monday morning, The Multimedia Group held a Memorial Service for the late broadcaster and drew colleagues even from competitor stations all of whom came to sympathize with the Multimedia family.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
In spite of today being World Childrens Day, a woman believed to be pregnant, has reportedly abused her five-year-old step daughter.
She is said to have poured hot water on her feet and buttocks for bedwetting.
Rebecca Awanu has since been arrested and detained at the Amasaman Police Station in the Greater Accra Region.
Giving an account of what purportedly happened, the headmaster of Odumprala MA Basic School, Emmanuel Atisey, disclosed to Oman Fm that the victim who attends that school had not been to school for three weeks and was reported to have been suffering from malaria.
She reported to school last Wednesday and Gentian violet had been smeared on her feet which had serious burns.
The victim refused to disclose how she sustained the injury but the cat was let out of the bag when Mr Atisey reportedly asked his girl-child coordinator to examine the minor critically. The coordinator was reportedly shocked to see the victims buttocks rubbed with GV and burns showing as well. The educational directorate in the area was contacted for instructions and later the victim was taken to the hospital.
The poor girl had been kept at home since October 26 when the incident happened, without any medical treatment, as the father is reported to have said that he didnt have money to take her to the hospital.
Police report revealed that the vagina of the girl had been damaged and infected per the report from the Amasaman Hospital.
The dastardly act was confirmed by the Divisional Crime Officer, DSP Michael Happy Addae.
The family of the victim, sources have revealed, had refused to send her to the hospital for further treatment after the school authorities had paid for her initial hospital bills.
Queen Margethe II of Denmark has arrived in Accra with a business delegation Wednesday evening for a three-day visit.
The supreme authority of the Church of Denmark and Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Defence was received at the Kotoka International Airport by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Dr Bawumia welcomed the Queen and wished her a pleasant stay in Ghana.
Queen Margrethe II was accompanied by a business delegation to explore bilateral economic engagements with Ghanaian businesses in the food and agriculture, sustainability, maritime, infrastructure and railway sectors.
Tove Degnbol, Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana revealed earlier that Denmark seeks mutual collaborations with Ghana and the Queens visit is expected to cement ties between the two nations.
The private sector is now developing very fast in Ghana with a lot of new companies coming up. Some of them are struggling, but we do see companies being able to earn money. And there is a huge potential for Danish companies in Ghana. There is a growing middle class. They are demanding a lot of the products that we are able to produce, Mr Degnbol added during an interaction with journalists prior to the Queens visit.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
A near bloody clash between Dagomba head porters commonly referred to as Kayeyes and some local kayaye Wednesday evening in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern region has led to the injury of at least two persons.
The clash brought to a halt, activities at the Kumasi Lorry Terminal as the two feuding groups engaged in free for all fight.
Starr News Eastern Regional Correspondent, Kojo Ansah reported that, the fight broke out when a Dagomba head porter allegedly attempted to take the luggage belonging to a local Kayeye stationed at the Lorry terminal.
The Dagomba Kayeye was slapped and beaten by two of the local kayeyes.
Angered by the action of the locals, the Dagomba went and mobilized about 20 Dangomba Kayeyes who stormed the lorry terminal with some weapons to revenge leading to a near bloody clash.
The swift intervention by Police Personnel from the New Juaben Municipal Command led by the Station officer, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Sakyi, helped to maintain law and order.
The Police managed to arrest 14 persons who are currently being detained at the Police station.
Some drivers at the Kumasi Lorry Terminal told Starr News that this is not the first time the kayayes have been engaging in a brawl.
According to drivers, the Dagomba Kayayes sometimes trespass their operational jurisdiction to compete for goods at the Lorry station which is reserve of the other group.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Open defecation has engulfed the Busa Community Clinic under Wa Municipal exposing the health of both patients and health personnel at the facility to further risk as they breathed in the bad stench coming from the faecal substances.
The community lacked both public and household toilets; a situation that forced members to resort to open defecation.
Nancy Momoro, a Midwife at Busa Clinic brought this to light during a town hall meeting organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with support from DW Akademie in Germany as part of the implementation of a project dubbed 'Promoting Citizen's Participation in Local Governance through Increase Access to Information'.
The Midwife noted that the clinic lacked security lights which made the place dark at night; a situation that made it a convenient place for both children and adults to engage in open defecation.
'The darkness of the place also exposes the people to the threat of snake bites at night', she said.
Madam Nancy therefore appealed to the Wa Municipal Assembly to provide street lights around the clinic to brighten up the place and also provide a public toilet for the people to prevent them from engaging in open defecation.
Mr Mohammed Musah Bipuah, the In-charge of the Busa Clinic also appealed to the Assembly to help the clinic with a maternity ward and at least two delivery beds to support the comfort of women who come to the facility to deliver.
Ahmed Mansurah, a Teacher at Busa KG also raised a concern of people defecating on the school campus and sometimes inside the classrooms, saying 'Just yesterday, we had to convey faeces out of one of the classrooms and wash it before using it'.
She appealed to the Assembly to provide street lights at the school campus to prevent people from openly defecating at the school premises.
Mr Issahaku Tahiru Moomin, Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) thanked the people for the concerns raised and said the Assembly had taken notice of them and would act accordingly.
The MCE said the Assembly had acquired 200 poles to help extend electricity to some communities without electricity while liaising with other organizations to acquire pipes for the extension of potable water to other communities.
Madam Beate Weides, DW Akademie Country Coordinator Ghana said there was high press freedom in Ghana but pointed out that citizens access to information was however weak which needed to be addressed.
She said it was for this reason that DW Akademie was supporting media training in Africa including; Ghana to help build trust between Assemblies and the media to enable them join forces to keep citizens well informed to enhance their participation in local governance.
Mr. Jerry Sam, Programmes Director for Penplusbytes said they were working to ensure that information from the Assemblies would be simplified and put online and also on SMS platform for easy accessibility for people to channel their concerns to the Assemblies using the same platforms.
Mr Philip Acquaye, Programme Officer for MFWA expressed satisfaction at the level of participation, saying it was very important for citizens to be well informed about the activities of the Assembly.
'It is easy for you to criticize when you don't know, but if you know, you will even help to educate others', he said.
GNA
By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Tanoso District Pentecost Church, has appealed for more support for people serving term in the prisons to enable them to live in human dignity.
Mrs. Cynthia Twumasi, wife of the District Pastor, said they should not be abandoned by the society.
She was presenting 200 copies of the Bible and assorted gift including bags of rice, detergents, soap and toilet paper, during a visit to the Manhyia Prisons in Kumasi by the church.
They were there to socialize and to share the gospel with the prisoners as part of activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the district.
The theme chosen for the event is 'Celebrating the goodness of God'.
Mr. Twumasi spoke of the need to focus efforts on equipping inmates of the prisons with life skills that would enable them to lead decent lives after they regained their freedom.
This, she added, should not be left to the government alone and that corporate and religious bodies and individuals should have an important part to play.
She noted that many of them after completing their term could be tempted to go back to their bad ways, if they had nothing doing that could earn them some income.
Mrs. Twumasi reminded Christians that they were enjoined by their faith to show love, care and bring comfort to the poor and the needy.
'Giving to the needy and troubled in society is our way to respond to God's goodness towards the church over the period', she added.
Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) Patrick Salifu, the Assistant Supervisor, said they were grateful for the gesture and gave the assurance that these would be used for the intended purpose.
He pleaded for the supply of more training tools and equipment including computers to train the prisoners in information and communication technology (ICT) and other life skills.
The facility, holding in excess of 300 prisoners, has only four sewing machines, and he said these were inadequate.
GNA
By Josephine Nyarkoh, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Professor Jimmy Adegoke, acting Executive Director of West Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adopted Land (WASCAL), has called for increased investment in space science technology by developing countries.
He said the benefits to be derived were enormous, adding that, data generated through space science could for example provide early warning signs to avert threat to human survival.
These could also give impetus to national economic development.
Prof Adegoke was opening the sixth space science and satellite technology applications conference and the second international biodiversity information resources and data (BIRD) workshop at the All Nations University College (ANUC) in Koforidua.
The three-day meeting is being organized under the theme 'The importance of small satellite technology application in enhancing socio-economic activities in developing countries'.
It has brought together more than 20 space science research fellows from Africa, Europe, Asia and North and South America.
Prof Adegoke indicated that space science technology could provide wide range of information, from agriculture to every aspect of society - security, urban planning, environmental management, early disaster warning signs and many others.
He, however, noted that the success of any investment in space science would depend to a large extent on trained human resources.
He said such trained people needed to be given the opportunity to pursue their vision in space science, something that required continued injection of resources if the benefits of the investment were to be realized.
Pro Adegoke called for stronger collaboration and networking among public institutions, research institutions and the private sector for successful application of space technology.
He applauded the government's decision to allocate one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the research fund with the possibility of increasing it to 2.5 per cent in the near future.
He suggested that the government looked for additional sources to substantially increase the fund.
Ms. Turcia Busakwe, Programme Manager of Space Advisory Company of South Africa, said it was not always the case that 'one should develop a satellite' since there were already many out there in the space.
What was important, she said, was to develop a ground space center with the requisite structures to receive data from the already existing satellites for analysis and adoption, depending on the nation's needs.
The Reverend Dr. Samuel Donkor, President and Founder of ANUC, said the conference would put spotlight on how space science technology could be used to address many of the socio-economic challenges facing the developing countries.
GNA
By Edmund Quaynor, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The success of Ghana's decentralisation efforts requires competent and efficient human resource capacity with an in-depth understanding of the legal framework and the various protocols governing the local government system.
That would certainly and eventually lead to improved service delivery at the regional and district levels to enhance the social and economic development of the populace.
Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, stated in an address read on his behalf at the opening of a one-day sensitisation workshop on the Local Governance Act, 2016, Act 936 for Municipal/District Directors of Education, Health, Social Welfare and Community Development in the Region on Friday in Sunyani.
It was organised by the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) with support from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC).
It created a platform to sensitise the participants about the Act which has been promulgated to provide a framework for deepening Ghana's decentralisation endeavour in accordance with the 1992 Constitution.
The programme thus introduced them to the workings in the Local Governance legal regime as it relates to their respective duties and responsibilities to enable them to acquaint themselves with the Act to perform efficiently and effectively.
Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh noted Ghana had since 1988 implemented comprehensive local government and decentralisation reforms as a preferred development strategy, saying that the process was still on-going with significant success chalked including the consolidation of several Acts into the harmonized Act 936 of 2016.
He therefore lauded that the workshop was 'very timely and appropriate' because key personnel at national, regional and district levels must be exposed to new laws, trends and developments to position them conveniently to drive the decentralisation agenda.
Mr. Jonathan Azasoo, Deputy Director, National Development Planning Commission and a local governance expert gave highlights of the Act 936, 2016 and affirmed that it was a harmonization of previous Acts that were used in the decentralisation process.
He said those Acts were the Local Government Act 1993, Act 462, the Local Government Service Act 652, the District Assemblies Common Fund Act, the Planning System Act 480 and the Internal Audit Agency Act.
Mr. Azasoo said instead of totally supporting the decentralisation in the Assemblies, some of those Acts had some conflicting areas and inconsistencies.
He said the essence of the Act 936 therefore was to allow for efficient and effective local governance system without any inconsistency and discrepancy in the implementation and operational process by the Assemblies.
Mr. Felix Agyei Amakye, a lecturer at ILGS, stated that Heads of Departments were very important figures in the strategic development of the districts and with their professionalism and competencies, they could advise the district assemblies better.
He said being members of the District Planning Coordinating Units, they could bring their departmental plans to be part of the strategic development plans of the districts.
Mr. Amakye indicated that soon health and education would be well-integrated in the Municipalities/Districts and all departments would have to report to the Municipal/District Chief Executives (MDCEs) through the Municipal/District Coordinating Directors.
He urged the MDCEs to pay working visits to their departments, especially health and education to familiarise with their workings to have 'a strong bonding' for rapid and holistic socio-economic development of the Municipalities and Districts in the region. GNA
By Nana Osei Kyeretwie, GNA
Bolgatanga, Nov. 22, GNA - A beautiful modern edifice for a hospital by every standard. The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital also known as the Upper East Regional Hospital is the major referral Centre and a first point of call for emergencies of all kinds of health related incidents, yet has no Doctors to manage specialist cases.
It is horrifying to know that the 206- facility designed to serve a population of about 1, 124, 193 has just seven Doctors, whereas it needed 30 Doctors at least, to manage the health needs of the people.
Clearly, there is a big challenge at addressing the health needs of the people in the Upper East Region, considering the threatening and volatility with which patrons of the hospital are exposed to.
Glaringly, the hospital is seriously battling its core mission statement to 'offer quality health care to all persons living in Ghana, and delivered by well-trained, highly motivated, and client-focused health professionals', because seven Doctors positioned under this horrifying conditions cannot breakthrough to achieve this laudably stated mission of the facility.
This feature therefore seeks to examine the reasons why only seven Doctors live and work at the biggest referral hospital in the Upper East Region, when that facility needs 30 Doctors and more to contain the clientele population of about 1.5 million.
BACKGROUND
Established in 1902 to cater for the health needs of the minority white population in the then Gold Coast, a protectorate of the British, the Health Centre, as it was called, provided mainly orthodox medicines.
The experience of colonial rule in the southern part of Ghana guided the British to move with a small team of medical personnel to provide health care services to only the white minority.
With time however, infrastructure of the Brits expanded in the area and the black population that willingly cooperated with the Brits started benefitting from orthodox medical care together with their families.
The current site of the regional hospital was started in 1946 as a health centre to continue service to the whites and some few Gold Coasters working for the British and very few indigenes.
From the 1946s the hospital was expanded and given a bigger role to manage the health needs of the people with a team of five Brits ( names not available), made up of a Physician's Assistant, two nurses, and two health Assistants.
However, their numbers started increasing as more expatriates came around and more blacks aided them in their work.
Blacks started working in the Centre from 1946. They were basically Ghanaians who had their training in nursing and Physician Assistantship in the UK as there were no adequate training facilities in Ghana for that. All these while, the management of health care was entirely in the hands of the expatriates.
The first Ghanaian doctor called Dr Johnson, a Fante, was posted to the hospital in 1955 and assumed headship of the health centre. The Senior Nurses were still whites with blacks serving as Nurse Assistants. Dr Johnson died in 1961 and was succeeded by one Dr Gandaa.
The construction of the bigger facility upgraded to Hospital was completed in 1946 from where it is currently located and was opened to the general public. However, the indigenes rarely used the clinic. Instead, they preferred traditional African medicine.
CURRENT STATE
Today, the Regional Hospital has total staff strength of 612 out of which 491 are permanent and 121 temporal. Confronted with an uncontrolled population growth of 2.6 and estimated current demography of about 83.4 percent, it is disheartening that the Upper East Regional hospital today lacks doctors to comfortably execute its core values despite its progressive expansion and scope of services from successive governments of Ghana.
TARGETS
The 71-year-old facility ideally should have come to a halt considering the Doctors as core managers of the facility around whom every important work on the patient rest.
Sometimes, one is tempted to doubt if there shall ever be any breakthrough on the targeted achievements so focused by past and present management of the hospital as it holds the vision 'To become a well-resourced regional referral hospital; with adequate physical infrastructure, adequate number of well trained and highly motivated human resources; and the needed modern technology, systems and processes to provide secondary and tertiary health care; as well as adequate facilities for medical education and research.'
Surprisingly however, the hospital runs wide range of services in spite of its numerous challenges. The success behind what it has achieved so far rests on its untiring, business focused sacrificial oriented professional dedicated staff (even though under staffed), and headed by a strong human centred Paediatrician with solid backing from professionals constituting its Management team.
THE GNA OBSERVATIONS AND CHECKS
Several visits to the hospital by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to establish why people seeking health care spend hours at the facility before health delivery, revealed that one doctor attends to about 300 patients daily. It is not surprising that patients spend virtually the whole day at the facility to see the few doctors who practically sleep at the hospital to save lives.
For instance, the Paediatric Unit of the hospital has only one Medical Officer, Dr Ernestina Addah who sees a minimum of 60 children on admission a day, and still does consultations at the OPD throughout the seven days of the week.
Dr Patrick Atobrah, Medical Director of the hospital, usually support her with rounds at the Unit, especially on Saturdays and goes on to other units for same duty-call ward rounds, and further perform surgical procedures assisted by a Medical Officer, who has completed his house officer's job at the hospital and only sacrificing by giving support and augmenting efforts of the skeletal Doctors at the facility pending his posting.
On several occasions, the Director moves to the facility as early as 0300hours to start consultations all in a bit to reduce the congestion, and afford patients easy access to health care at the hospital.
From a distance, one would be tempted to conclude that patients enjoy to seek health care late at night, the fact is patients, especially women with their children queue as early as 0600hours for folders and still queue again to see a doctor who would usually be on ward rounds.
The Regional Hospital, which equally suffers the challenge of dwindling financial resources and undue delay in reimbursement for National Health Insurance Authority claims, coupled with inadequate human resources, characteristic of most health institutions, the facility in the face of these challenges made remarkable progress in its quest to improve on the status of its clients.
Checks by the Ghana News Agency again at the facility revealed that there was growing confidence by clients in the health delivery facility manifested by its Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendance of 8.3 per cent and improved quality of care resulting in general decline in mortality although admissions increased by 8.4 per cent in 2016, while majority of its clients were subscribers of the National Health Insurance Scheme with 97.5 per cent for OPD and admissions respectively.
The checks further revealed that there was significant improvement in maternal and newborn care as the hospital delivered more babies in 2016 than it did in the last four years and still recorded the lowest maternal mortality in the same period.
Speaking to the GNA in an interview, the Director of the Hospital, Dr Patrick Atobrah, said the facility currently has a Paediatrician and a Gynaecologist without Surgeon and added that the absence of such a vital specialist at a hospital of such grade was not befitting and confirmed that the facility would need 30 medical doctors of various disciplines to function effectively.
Dr Atobrah hinted that 'we do not easily get doctors at the Out-Patient Department' and appealed to government to post more doctors to the facility to ease the pressure, since the hospital was run by only seven Ghanaian doctors including three Cuban doctors made of an Intensivist, Gynaecologist and a General Practitioner who were currently on vacation in their home country.
The Medical Director, who is a Paediatrician, said although initiatives were put in place to attract doctors to the area, the hospital was constrained and could not fund such initiatives and reiterated the need for government to intervene.
Dr Atobrah advised young doctors to accept postings to the Region, especially to the Regional Hospital disclosing that 'they will see all the conditions they learnt from their textbooks manifest in patients, and would boost their level of experience than staying in the urban centres.'
He expressed concern about the lack of water supply to the facility as most of the units had no source of water to run the hospital's daily activities adding that 'although the Region was deprived, its natives were Ghanaians and deserved the maximum comfort in seeking health care services.'
Apart from the lack of doctors, which is one of the major concerns to management, the facility has only one X-ray Technician and four Pharmacists, the former, according to the Director, had worked alone for about 10 years.
This, he said exerted pressure at these units, especially at the pharmacy and laboratory, where the GNA observed was usually choked by patients waiting to be served.
Mr Zakariah Yakubu, Head of Administration speaking to the GNA, appealed to duty bearers to ensure that Medical Doctors posted to government facilities reported without fail.
He prescribed decentralisation of appointments to the Regional level so that when doctors turn out every year, they are distributed accordingly, and opined that 'If you post someone and the person refuses to come, no government hospital should absorb that person.'
Mr Yakubu called on government to institute special packages for doctors who accepted postings to deprived areas as a means to motivate them to stay at rural areas where their services were most needed.
He said peace is a cardinal component that would further attract people who may want to work in the Region, and appealed to stakeholders to uphold the peace in the Region to attract professionals, especially doctors to the area.
Even though the dispensary has been split into two sub-units with one serving In-patients and the other Out-patients as part of measures to ease pressure, the situation will remain the same if more pharmacists and dispensing technicians are not posted to the hospital to remedy the situation.
To further acquaint itself with issues of the facility, the GNA was surprised that almost all the units including critical ones, depended on what the nurses call 'Veronica Bucket' which compelled dedicated and self-motivated staff, especially nurses to carry water, from overhead tanks situated at vantage points to fill them in order to improve health delivery.
No wander its mission statement is to 'offer quality health care to all persons living in Ghana, delivered by well-trained, highly motivated, and client-focused health professionals'.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Health, it is usually said is wealth, ought to be taken seriously by all stakeholders in the region if the Regional Hospital must remain a referral point for all ill health cases in the Upper East Region.
The Tamale Teaching Hospital, a major referral hospital for the three regions in the north of Ghana suffers series of unnecessary congestions because simple ailments and conditions that could be handled by a minor referral point like the Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga are sent to the already chocked Teaching Hospital in Tamale to compound the already stressed Doctors and other specialists.
As suggested earlier by the Head of Administration for regional level postings of health professionals to be decentralized, a steadfast decision by the country's health Management authorities to insist on Doctors staying at post and punishing those who refuse to accept postings are done under the decentralized regimes.
A fine could be slapped on recalcitrant Doctors, they could be banned from practising for some years, and facilities that accepted their application to practise could be liable to fines and other deterrent punishments.
Special packages should be designed, especially for Doctors who accept postings to rural and deprived communities. These motivational packages should not only rest on the facilities.
The Ministry of Health which is the decision-maker for all health institutions should take the initiative to design the package attractive enough to motivate and sustain Doctors who accept postings to rural and deprived communities and the Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga.
These packages should be extended to other health workers including; Nurses, Biomedical Scientists and laboratory related staff, paramedics, and any other group of workers in the health sector helping to save human life.
A second look should be given to one worrying issue confronting the health sector; which is the movement of Doctors from the consulting room to do administrative work.
Dr Atobrah, a Doctor and Administrator's case may be unique as one cannot decipher his roles as consulting Doctor and Administrative Doctor. Where a Doctor decides to limit him or herself in such situation to do Administration, especially in a facility struggling like the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, it is the innocent patients that suffer these consequences.
If health is wealth, then managers of the country's health sector must begin to overhaul the sector for the citizenry to appreciate the health needs in order to begin to create the wealth we all vie for. A health to the wise is in wealth.
GNA
Tono, (UER), Nov 22, GNA - Crop production in the three regions of the North is faced with several constraints that adversely affect production and limit productivity.
One constraint is the poor soil fertility management, which includes the use of low rates of fertilizer, poor methods of application and outmoded traditional farming practices. Beside this, the use of bad quality seed and inadequate agricultural practices are resulting in low yields and poor quality paddy.
Rice farmers traditionally broadcast fertilizer for top dressing in a split application. Up to 67 per cent of urea (two bags out of three applied) are lost when broadcast, through volatilisation, leaching and runoff. The economic costs of this are both direct loss of input and indirect crop low yields due to insufficient nutrient availability. Production cost increase without realising a corresponding increase in productivity.
For this reason, rice farmers need exposure and training on new rice production methods including; fertilizer application techniques, use of quality seed and good agricultural practices.
Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology is one such important rice producing technologies that has the potential to increase yields sustainably by an average of 15 - 30 per cent more.
Since 2014, the Agriculture Technology Transfer (ATT) Project has introduced the UDP technology to rice farmers in irrigation schemes in the three Regions of the North.
At Tono and Vea Irrigation Schemes in the Upper East Region, where the technology is implemented, rice farmers benefited from demonstrations and learning centres, video shows and farmer exchange visit to Bobo-Dioulasso, Nissan and Bama Irrigation Schemes in Burkina Faso as part of efforts to encourage the farmers to embrace the technology.
This effort has been reinforced by 2015 AfricaRice intervention through the promotion of the use of quality rice seed.
The difficulty among farmers in the Northern parts of Ghana has always been the adoption of new technologies that had not been part of them. 'No matter how much you feed a wolf he will always return to the forest'.
Farmers fear losing their own technologies and adopting new technologies, even though many of them are now aware that the lack of scientific based technologies are limitations to agricultural production in recent times because of climate change challenges.
And as the saying goes, 'He that is afraid of bad luck will never know well', rice farmers in Tono and Vea Schemes have for the beginning of the project been adamant to accepting or adopting the technologies. However ATT and ICOUR had to collaborate effectively to promote and scale up the use of UDP to at least 50 per cent of the rice farmers in the two irrigation schemes.
SENSITISATION
Rice farmers, including local leaders, were sensitised on the use of UDP technology, quality seed and good agricultural practices. Women rice trans planters, agro-input dealers and equipment service providers were also educated on the various activities that they are expected to carry out to complement the success story of the project.
This effort boosted the demand for UDP technology resulting in high yields and less use of fertilizer as demonstrated by the crop budget analysis. Consequently, the demand for labour saving equipment increased.
Mr. Fusein Arror Abdul-Rahman, Agronomist with ATT project, said the ATT project's support to rice farmers during 2017 dry season in Tono and Vea came as a package to beneficiary farmers.
The package included; the provision of certified seeds, cost of transplanting seedlings in rows using proper spacing, field monitoring, timely and appropriate pest, disease and weeds management and proper fertilizer use.
The Uniqueness of the package is the urea briquettes, which are placed 7-10cm into the soil between four rice seedlings 7-10 days after transplanting to improve nitrogen fertilization in irrigation rice systems. A total of 283 farmers cultivating 440 acres were reached.
The technology helps to reduce nitrogen losses through runoff, leaching and volatilisation, and enhances the availability of nitrogen for the crop, suppresses weeds thereby reducing cost of weeding while increasing yields and reducing cost of fertilizer.
For the rice crop, this translated into more tillers (25-30) as compared to about 14 tillers for the traditional random method of planting
To facilitate the transplanting, the project trained groups of women transplanters. This created jobs for them and settled those who were traveling down South to look for job. The transplanting activity generated a lot of incomes for the women.
Realising the huge advantages of UDP technology and the gains rice farmers have been making through the adoption of the technology, rice farmers in the Tono and Vea Irrigation Schemes on their own this cropping season, willingly adopted the technology without any support from the ATT Project, with the objective to boost the rice production and maximize their incomes and livelihoods.
During a second visit to the Tono Irrigation Scheme in the Upper East Region within the year organised by Boubakary Cisse (AfricaRice Seed Expert) and Fusein Arror Abdul-Rahman (Agronomist with ATT project), this writer saw beautiful rice fields with farmers adopting the ATT project technology. Unlike the first visit where this writer saw sadness on the faces of several farmers, this time round, booming smiles coming from the farmers greeted the writer.
The current adoption figures show that as for Zone J in Tono, all the 184 farmers (163 males and 21 females) adopted the technology. The average adoption rate is above 80 per cent for the exposed Zones. The non-exposed Zones' farmers are also adopting the technology as the result of their participation to the Field days and spill-over effect.
The fields are promising and farmers have started counting their blessings and guessing how much they could reap from their sweat if post-harvest losses are curtailed with urgent provision of appropriate machinery such as combine harvesters, threshers, tarpaulin and other important equipment to facilitate easy and fast harvesting and threshing of rice to help reduce post-harvest losses.
BENEFITS AND TESTIMONIES
Referring to the ATT project technology and its benefits, a farmer has this to say 'Do not be born good or handsome, but be born lucky', we are lucky to have had this technology which has come to stay with us forever. The technology is being transferred to rice farmers throughout the entire region, including rice farmers at Fumbisi Valleys and other low land rice farmers outside the schemes.
A young farmer, Mr. Sylvanus Ayamba told this writer that with the application of the UDP technology changed the rice to green till harvesting, and yields are good, one hectare producing about 75 -80 maxi bags instead 50-55 bags, using the random transplanting methods, with farmers profiting more than 20 bags difference.
'We have been cultivating rice but, never had we reaped such good yields as it is now and we want to express our joy and appreciation to ATT and AfricaRice for providing the technology and improved seeds', Mr. Ayamba said.
At zone 'I' and 'J' where much concentration use of the technology is applied, rice farmers are getting more yields than before and cost of fertilizer has reduced and less seeds are used on the fields.
A Lead Farmer, Clement Kansaki at zone 'J' said that the good yields accruing from the fields have attracted more farmers who earlier on resisted the technology. Many farmers are now interested and are participating actively in the project.
Some farmers who were adamant to accepting the technology, visited the fields to see what they turned 'lies' but to their surprise, they saw good yields from the fields and the gains farmers were making, attracted several youth into rice cultivation and more focused to getting good yields.
It is difficult to adopt technologies because farmers fear adventuring into new areas they do not know, but now that the farmers have accepted the technology, the expectations are that more rice would be produced to feed our nation.
These notwithstanding, the farmers said threshing the rice with sticks is labour intensive and the poor will not be able to handle the cost and appealed for more harvesting and threshing equipment to make the technology to have the fullest impact on the farmers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In all of these, this writer believes that science-based agricultural tools hold great promise for tackling the Ghana's growing population and food demands. From improved seeds, to modern crop production solutions, to making foods fresher, safer, and healthier along the food chain, the agricultural and food system of the future can be more productive, more sustainable, more efficient, and more interconnected.
Greater investment in and broader adoption of science and technology can enable the three regions in the North to meet the growing demand for food as the population increases, improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families by producing more and higher quality crops for a growing and specific market; enhance the nutritional value and safety of food to improve the health and wellbeing of the people and contribute to agriculture sustainability through reduced resource use.
While technology has a pivotal role to play in achieving global food security, overcoming barriers to acceptance remains difficult. Given the magnitude of our challenge, the agricultural sector must think beyond single solution approaches to feeding the people in the North and give farmers the choice and access to all the tools that can boost productivity safely and sustainably.
Farmers know what is best for them and their land, and should have the ability to choose the tools and technologies that are right for them and the markets they serve. Typically, farmers want access to the tools and technologies that will provide them with the best chance of increased yields and success.
This writer is of the opinion that other factors also play a role in agriculture investment. Governance practices influence the ability of organisations to invest in improved agriculture in the North.
In addition, the availability of financing, capital and insurance enable farmers to make longer term investments in their land. Finally, we will need to support the full array of innovative solutions that are available to farmers to meet food demand.
GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, has urged government to pay attention to the mass unskilled youth and senior secondary school (SHS) certificate holders.
According to a survey conducted by ISSER, 40.1 per cent of the Ghanaian youth from 15 to 35 years have not received any form of education with only 3.8 per cent acquiring tertiary education qualification.
The Institute said the unemployment rate in the country for persons with SHS certificates was the highest constituting 19.3 per cent and 11.3 per cent Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) holders.
The Institute therefore, asked government to come out with transformative industrial policy to enhance the skills of the youth because the most sustainable way of providing hope for these youths was through industrialisation and structural transformation of the national economy.
Dr Charles Godfred Ackah, the Head of Economics Division of ISSER, said this at a media conference in Accra, to express the Institute's views on the 2018 Budget and Economic Policy Statement of government.
He said the Ghanaian economy was still heavily dependent on the production and export of primary products such as cocoa, gold and crude oil and, therefore, the country risked suffering from economic shocks in the event of downward pricing of those commodities on the international market.
Dr Ackah noted: 'The challenge facing Ghana, as with many other African countries, is to transform the economy from a resource-dependence one to a dynamic and diversified industrial economy'.
He said it was therefore surprising that the priority of government in the 2018 budget seemed to be enhancing the fortunes of graduates, instead of the mass unskilled youth.
He said the National Builders Corps programme in the budget projected to hire 100,000 graduates, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation plan also focused on providing tax reliefs to graduates who take up entrepreneurship.
'While commending government for such active labour market policies, we encourage government to pay attention to the mass of unskilled secondary school certificate holders,' he emphasised.
Dr Ackah said one of the most important features of any industrialisation programme was the role of transformative industrial policy.
'We need to re-visit the idea of selective industrial policy targeted at agriculture-based manufacturing (agro-industry), following the sterling examples of Brazil, China, Chile and Malaysia.
'The success story of China is not only fascinating but a clear testament to a simple yet highly relevant policy recommendation of today's developing countries if you want to prosper, you need to make stuff from textiles, garments and toys to electronics and ships and automobiles,' he noted.
Dr Ackah said a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Report indicated that, over the last three decades, Brazil had been among the most active countries in terms of her use of policies designated to expand natural-resource-processing industries and food production.
'Today, Brazil is among the top three producers and exporters of orange juice, sugar, coffee, soya bean, beef, pork and chicken,' he stated.
He said Chile succeeded in the 1990s to become the largest exporter of farmed salmon in the world and main exporter of fresh processed fruit and tomatoes.
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is holding a-four-day training in export marketing fundamentals for over 30 exporters and financial actors across the country.
The aim of the workshop is to support the export community to acquire managerial, technical and trade capacity as well as understand the current global export trends to give Ghana a competitive edge.
In a speech read on behalf by the Board Chairman Mr Sandy Osei-Agyemang, Ms Gifty Kekeli Klenam, the Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, said programmes such as the export school have contributed to the growth of the non-traditional export (NTEs) sector.
She said the NTEs, which is the core area of GEPA's facilitation presented many opportunities for exporters, adding that the sector holds the key to Ghana's export diversification drive.
Ms Klenam said GEPA was aggressively implementing the National Export Strategy with the objective to increase the contribution of NTEs from the current $2.4 billion to $10 billion.
Over a period of four years NTEs grew at an annual average rate of about 1 per cent from $2.364 billion in 2012 to $2.463 billion in 2016.
Ms Klenam said the statistics showed that earnings have flattened and there is the need to put shoulder to the wheel to take the country out of the stagnation.
'There is the need for all of us to put in more effort to ensure that the sector's growth is doubled and sustained,' she said.
She said GEPA has embarked on a rebranding exercise to properly position it to provide the needed support to exporters to become competitive and engender economic transformation.
'The new rebranded GEPA is poised and ready to create a new compelling positive image of GEPA to undertake strategic planning processes to be able to present the Made in Ghana products to the world,' Ms Klenam said.
She said owing to the importance of the Export Marketing Fundamentals programme, GEPA has plans to make the programme a pre-requisite part of the export registration processes in 2018.
Ms Klenam said the Authority would scale up marketing training programmes for exporters to enhance capacity and ensure they met required standards in the global market.
He said the Ghana Export School was always ready to develop training modules to meet the needs of product associations and identified groups of persons.
On his part, Mr Osei-Agyemang the Board Chairman GEPA, said building the skills and capacities of exporters is very critical if the country's goal of increasing export returns was to be achieved.
He said exporters needed to be schooled on recent trends and changes in the export market in order to remain competitive and also help the country to grow its export base.
Among the topics being treated are Export Marketing Research, Product Planning and Product Adaptation, Legal Contracts and Negotiations, Sanitary and Photosanitary Specification and Export Procedures and Documentation.
He expressed the hope that the training would provide the opportunity to contribute towards a much stronger sector.
The Ghana Export School was set up by GEPA, the National Export Trade Support Institution of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) responsible for the facilitation, development and promotion of Ghanaian exports in 1987, to address the training needs of the export community.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Kumasi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has launched entrepreneurial skills training for students in tertiary institutions as part of the drive to roll back the growing graduate unemployment.
Mr. Stephen Acheampong, acting Vice Chairman of the Chamber, said the goal was to aid them to set up their own businesses and hire other people after completion of their academic programmes.
They are taught how to draw up business plans, attract credit, the conduct of market survey, to share business ideas for linkages, proper bookkeeping and best business practices.
Speaking at one of such training sessions for students of the Baptist University in Kumasi, he encouraged them to be bold to venture into business. They needed to become more innovative.
He added that they could start operating from the kitchen, garages and stalls. They did not need any huge start-up capital.
Mr. Acheampong underlined the critical role of the private sector and said it was the driving force behind the economic growth of every country.
He gave the assurance that the Chamber, which had been providing voice for businesses and protecting their interests would stand with those, who established their own businesses.
It would do everything to aid their growth through training to enable them to uphold ethical practices in commerce.
He used the occasion to invite all business operators to register as members of the Chamber to enjoy both national and international flow of trade in goods and services.
Ms. Jacqueline Bondzie, the Executive Secretary, advised students to work hard to develop their innate talents to create jobs and wealth for themselves and others.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Three suspected armed robbers who allegedly attacked, a 27 year-old taxi driver, Abuguri Haruna, at Wasa Asikuma in the Amenfi East district, have been granted bail in the sum of 150,000 Ghana cedis with six sureties.
The three are Evans Amoako, 20, Kwabena Ennim, 30 and Yakubu Rashid, 25, appeared before the Tarkwa circuit court, presided over by, Mr. Emmanuel Bart-Plange Brew.
They were charged with possession of firearm and ammunition without authority, pretending to be military officers, possession of military accoutrement without lawful authority and robbery.
The accused persons, pleaded not guilty to all the four charges and are expected to re-appear before the court on Wednesday December 13.
Prosecuting, Detective Police Inspector Clement Amoah, told the court the accused persons are small scale miners and reside in the same area at Wasa Asikuma with the complainant, Haruna.
Detective Inspector Amoah said for the past two months, the town, Wasa Asikuma had recorded series of robbery attacks and properties worth millions of Ghana cedis have been taken away from victims.
He said on October 26, at about 0300 hours, whilst the complainant was asleep, the accused persons dressed in military uniforms broke into his room firing gun shots and ordered him to surrender all his money else they would kill him.
The Prosecution said as a result, they succeeded in stealing 2,000 Ghana cedis from the complainant and bolted.
He said, the complainant reported the matter to the Wasa Akropong Police and based on the information Amoako and Ennim were arrested on October 27, whilst Rashid was apprehended the next day.
He said the police conducted a search in the rooms of the accused persons and in the cause of the search, one pump action gun and a single barrel short gun were retrieved from Amoako's room.
Detective Inspector Amoah informed the court that during investigation, Rashid took the police to a nearby bush at Wasa Asikuma where a fertilizer sack containing four set of military camouflage uniforms, two military caps, 22 pieces of plastic lockers and a wire which the accused persons used in their operations were also retrieved under a decomposed oil palm tree.
He said Rashid further mentioned suspects Akwasi, Taller, Abodie, Aboboyah, Father and Labista who are all on the run as their accomplices.
He assured the court that the police would intensify their search for the six named suspects.
GNA
By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Africa shall move beyond aid and its people would work to make the Continent prosperous and a dynamic member of the world community, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
Africa, he said, would get to where it deserves and would no longer be seen as a "default place to go find footage to illustrate famine stories."
President Akufo-Addo said this at an event organised by the Royal Africa Society, Facebook and the Ghana 60 Years On committee, on the theme; 'Africa Beyond Aid,' on Tuesday as part of activities marking his three-day visit to the United Kingdom.
He said: 'We no longer want to offer the justification for those who want to be rude and abusive about Africa and her peoples."
"It is time to build our economies that are not dependent on charity and hand outs We have learnt from long and bitter experiences that no matter how generous the charity, we would and, indeed, we have remained poor,' he said.
President Akufo-Addo was pained that despite Africa accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the world's remaining resources, having the world's second fastest economic growth rates, and being the world's fastest-growing region for foreign direct investment, the masses of the African peoples remained poor.
With Ghana endowed with natural resources, the President said: 'We can, and we should be able to build a Ghana, which looks to the use of her own resources and their proper management as the way to engineer social and economic growth in our country.'
Making reference to the cocoa industry, he noted that Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, who produced 65 per cent of the world's cocoa, made less than six billion dollars from a cocoa industry that is 'a 100 billion-dollar industry.'
'If we simply ground and sold the cocoa in paste form, instead of selling the cocoa beans, we double our earnings. In much the same way as we would double our earnings from gold, if we sold it refined, than in its raw state. We are determined to process these products,' he said.
The President said it was time African nations put value on their resources by processing them, adding; "It is time that we, in Africa, manage our resources well, to generate wealth for our populations.'
President Akufo-Addo stated that the countries that had made rapid economic strides over the past 20 years had been the ones that had encouraged high levels of investment in entrepreneur development.
He said they were the ones that had promoted and developed a culture of accountable governance free of corruption, and where institutions of state saw themselves as independent public entities serving the wider public interest and not the temporary conveniences of the governments of the day.
'We have a responsibility to make our countries attractive to our young generation. They should feel they have a worthwhile future, if they stay and build their nations. We should be, and are shamed by the desperation that drives a young person to attempt to cross the Sahara on foot, and the Mediterranean Sea in rickety boats, in the hope of finding a better future in Europe,' he added.
'We are not disclaiming aid, but we do want to discard a mind-set of dependency and living on handouts; it is unhealthy both for the giver and for the receiver.
GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Private Health Insurance Association of Ghana has called for the amendment of the National Health Insurance Act 2012 (ACT 852) to ensure equitable, affordable and accessible health care delivery for Ghanaians.
The Association is of the view that the amendment should require all residents to be a member of a health insurance scheme of their choice and align the purchase of health insurance with incomes instead of with complexity of disease.
Mr Ronald Oppong Adom, President of the Association, made the call in Accra at a symposium on the theme: 'The Role of the Private Health Insurance Industry in Achieving Sustainable Universal Health Coverage'.
The symposium was supported by the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group.
Mr Adom said the amendment should limit the cost of health insurance to a value not more than five per cent of annual pre tax income and ensure equal representation of industry players on NHIA governance and dispute resolution structures.
According to Mr Adom, the amendment would create a more sustainable health insurance industry that optimises revenues available for healthcare and increase transparency in the build-up of costs along the healthcare supply chain.
Mr Adom said government expansion of the health scheme to register 40 per cent of the citizenry had exposed a serious flaw in the scheme's operational model.
He explained that as a result of the mismatch between revenue generation and utilisation rates, the scheme claimed costs had consistently outstripped revenues and it was forecast to continue to make losses on its current business model.
He said the health insurance had struggled in large part because the regulatory environment and operating models of both public and private health insurance schemes were not designed for sustainability and growth.
'The Association is committed to dialoguing with government, the NHIA and other stakeholder to improve the sustainability and performance of the country's health insurance industry,' he added.
Madam Esi Nana Sakyi-Ama, Consultant for the Association, noted that health financing in the country over the five years had been a mix of tax-based revenues, payment from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, grants, member premiums and out-of-pocket payments.
She said out-of-pocket payments had increased over the period as funding from government had either declined or become unreliable, adding that reliable health financing was key to consolidating advances made to provide financial protection to vulnerable households.
Mrs Abena Osei Asare, the Deputy Minister of Finance, said government had paid the health insurance scheme claims up to April and was working assiduously to clear all arrears to ensure efficient and reliable health care delivery.
On the Association's proposed amendment of the Act, she said government was open for discussions since an effective health care system delivery cannot be handled by government alone.
Mr Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, the Deputy Minister of Health expressed worry about the spate of corruption in the system, saying about 30 per cent of the claims paid were fictitious and that government was working on streamlining the system with ICT to curtail the menace.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that Africans should be utterly concerned that the Continent loses, annually, more than $50 billion through illicit financial outflows.
He said the revelation by a report of the panel chaired by former South African President Thabi Mbeki on Illicit Flow of Funds (IFFs), that between 2000 and 2008, some $252 billion, representing 56.2 percent of the illicit flow of funds from the continent, was from the extractive industries, including mining, should give all Africans "cause for pause".
'No one is going to sort out these matters for Africa, except Africans themselves," he said when speaking at an event organised by the Royal Africa Society, Facebook and the Ghana 60 years on Committee, on the theme 'Africa Beyond Aid', in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
"We need to have our own bright and sharp lawyers to keep us abreast with the sharp and bright lawyers that our trade partners have. We need to have our own bright and sharp technologists to keep us abreast with our competitors,' he said.
With the vast majority of the population being young, the President said it was in the interest of the whole world that Africa works.
'Even if the developed world had the means today, and were, indeed, minded to do so, it could not provide the aid that would keep Africa a sustainable part of the world. We do not want to remain the beggars of the world, we do not want to be dependent on charity,' he said.
Thus, African leaders should do everything possible they can to strengthen the African Union (AU), President Akufo-Addo urged.
'With Africa's population set to reach some two billion people in 20 years time, an African Common Market presents immense opportunities to bring prosperity to our continent with hard work, enterprise, innovation and creativity.
"It is evident that the time for African integration should be now. Hence, the importance of the success of the Continental Free Trade Area,' he added.
It is for this reason that President Akufo-Addo advocated for a new paradigm of leadership on the continent.
The new African leaders, he said, must be committed to governing their peoples according to the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability; and must be determined to free their peoples from a mindset of dependence, aid, charity and hand-outs, and must be bent on mobilising Africa's own immeasurable resources to resolve Africa's problems.
'This new generation of African leaders should help bring dignity and prosperity to our continent and its longsuffering peoples,' the President said.
GNA
Mrs Kate Quartey-Papafio, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reroy Cable, an indigenous cable manufacturing company was nominated for the energy personality of the year, female category and brand of the year by the Ghana Energy Awards Committee.
The award ceremony, scheduled for November 30 at the Labadi Beach Hotel, is to recognize individuals and corporate bodies in 20 categories, which is endorsed by the World Energy Council, Ghana, Ministry of Energy and its agencies.
It is aimed at recognizing the achievements, success, efforts, innovation and excellence of corporate entities as well as individuals in the energy sector.
It is also to celebrate the tremendous work of industry players competing in various categories.
Mrs Quartey-Papafio was in April awarded by the Ghana Entrepreneurs Foundation, and inducted into entrepreneur hall of fame, for her outstanding and innovative performance.
Mrs Quartey-Papafio, is the first female cable manufacturer in the ECOWAS sub-region.
Her company manufactures quality electrical and telecom cables and conductors and has grown tremendously over the years, employing over 100 employees.
The company produces local and international markets, and contributes significantly to the growth and development of the country.
Other award categories include CEO of the year power and petroleum, industry leadership award, power and petroleum, emerging energy company of the year, renewable and power and energy institution of the year.
GNA
By Kodjo Adams, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) James Owusu-Adjei, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has called on the public to desist from illegal electricity connections to help prevent domestic fire outbreaks.
He urged the public to engage professional electricians to attend to electrical connection in their houses and offices.
ACFO Owusu-Adjei gave the advice in an interview with the press after a send-off party was organised by the regional office of the GNFS in honour of 13 staff who had retired after various years of service to the nation.
He said bush and domestic fires increase every year during the dry season and urged the public to weed around their houses to protect their properties and avoid overloading their electrical sockets with many plugs.
He commended the 13 retirees for their dedicated service in risking their lives for over three decades in fire fighting in the region and the nation.
ACFO Owusu-Adjei urged the remaining staff to emulate the examples of their seniors to perform efficiently so that they would be remembered when they are not in active service.
He also urged the retirees not to use their pension allowances for building since that would put financial pressure on them and eventually affect their health.
ACFO Owusu-Adjei said there is the need to invest towards their pension and future.
On logistics the Regional Fire Commander said the staff were doing their best to save lives and properties with the little resources available and appealed to corporate organisations and philanthropists to assist the Service with equipments.
Each of the retiree was awarded with a double-decker fridge.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Management of Values for Life-Ghana, (VFL), an NGO, has wished all Children in Africa, especially Ghanaian children, a happy Universal Children's Day.
The United Nations Universal Children's Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
A statement issued by Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the CEO, VFL-Ghana, said the Universal Children's Day offers the NGO the responsibility to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights, translating into dialogues and actions that would build a better world for Children.
It said 'We stand for all children including children living with disabilities and will continue to build good social systems that will create an enabling environment for them'.
The statement said the NGO work in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to ensure that Special-Needs Children were well included in the society.
'We believe that the world will continue to be a better place if the children of today are given the necessary resources and skills that will groom them to be great future leaders,' it added.
It said VFL-Ghana has initiatives for children which includes; Reading Clinic, Skills Development Project, Mentorship Programs, Autism Awareness Initiatives, Poetry Festival and Inter-Schools Quiz Competition.
It pledged its support to all Civil Society Organisations, Non-governmental organisations, individuals and state agencies in the task of making the communities, the country and the world safe for children.
It said on this global day, 'we want to say thank you to our Board, Partners, Sponsors, Volunteers and Resource Persons for helping VFL- Ghana create various platforms and support systems aimed at making this world a better world for children.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Eric Asante, the 40-year-old teacher who was convicted to 15-year jail term for defilement is before the Supreme Court seeking for compensation from the state and his reinstatement by the Ghana Education Service.
The Supreme Court had earlier acquitted and discharged Mr Asante after he had 12 years of the sentence.
Appearing before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Mr Asiamah Sampong, Chief State Attorney (CSA) told the court that the Ghana Education Service was currently working the applicant's reinstatement and compensation.
Mr Victor Kwesi Opeku, who represented Mr Asante intimated to the court 'since we are still settling the matter, we pray that we should be given extension of time.''
The court presided over by Mr Justice Anin Yeboah said since the matter would be going through some bureaucratic procedures during settlement; the matter should be adjourned to January 24, 2018.
Other Justices on the panel were Sule Gbadegbe, Paul Baffoe Bonney, Gabriel Pwamang and Yaw Appau.
Mr Asante then teaching a basic schol was sentenced in 2005 by the Tamale High Court for defiling one Rubamatu Mohammed, then a 14-year-old pupil of the school.
After several appeal, he then proceeded to the Supreme Court in 2012 which then court ordered for a paternity test after serving 12 years in jail.
However a Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Anin Yeboah acquitted and discharged him on Thursday January 26, this year, after a DNA test proved that the teacher was not the father of the baby that resulted after the alleged sexual act.
Mr Asante is demanding GH10 million from the state as compensation.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) says a total of 800 applications were received for the maiden Chamber Business Awards due to be held on Saturday 25th November, 2017.
Out of these, 16 finalists have been selected by the adjudicators; Ernst and Young, for the competitive, Business Awards category, using the criteria set out for the competition.
Speaking at a press briefing on the awards, Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, President of the GNCCI, said 60 businesses were initially shortlisted out of the 800, and further reduced to the 16 finalists, based on further criteria.
The 16 awards cover sectors, including primary agriculture, catering, banks, logistics, automotive, dealership, building and civil engineering, arts and crafts, trading, manufacturing, guest accommodation and fashion, among others.
The maiden Chamber Business Awards is meant to celebrate the Ghanaian entrepreneurs and personalities who had contributed over the years to the development of Ghana's economy.
The theme for the Awards, to be held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, is: 'Enterprises in Transition: Recognising Innovative Businesses in Ghana', and will have President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo as Guest of Honour.
The other categories are Personality Awards (three awards) and Special Awards (10 awards) which are non-competitive. The Personalities awards will honour Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Businessman of the Year and Businesswoman of the Year.
The highlight of the Special awards, according to Nana Dankawoso 1, will be the 'Business Hene' (Business Mogul of the Year) award which will be given annually.
Other awards in this category include Young Business Leader in Banking and Finance, exports, women entrepreneur, leading though leadership, fastest and dynamic growing iron and steel company, and business leader in pharmaceuticals, among others. These will comprise of seven Chamber members and three non-members.
The Criteria for the awards included annual turnover, profit and tax compliance, thought leadership engagement, innovation and technology, customer service schemes, relationship and people management, corporate social responsibility, environment management and corporate reputation management.
He assured that the process had been independently handled by the adjudicators and could be trusted by Ghanaians.
GNA
By Belinda Ayamha, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The maiden International conference of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) of the Valley View University (VVU) opened in Accra on Wednesday.
The three-day workshop is on the theme: 'Fostering Inclusiveness and Partnership for Sustainable Solutions to Africa's Development Agenda: The Role of Government and Policy Makers, Universities, Industry and the Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and the community.
The aim of the workshop is to bring stakeholders, institutions, Universities, Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across Africa together to deliberate, exchange and share ideas towards the sustainable development of the country.
Speaking at the opening, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, the Head of the Office of the Local Government Service, called for a paradigm shift of transformational leaders in all sectors of Africa and the country's institutions.
The paradigm shift, Dr Arthur explained, would perfect the systems by addressing challenges confronting the country and Africa's development.
He also believes reforming the legal framework that regulates Ghana's human resources, revenue generation as well as the engagement of the poorest and vulnerable in society, in decision making was 'another way closer to the progress of Africa'.
'Data should also be reliable for planning and budgeting, stating who and where we are as a continent, no one is ever going to be left behind,' he said.
He mentioned high levels of poverty, hunger, poor education, corruption and high rates of urbanisation as some of the problems Africa needed solutions to if it really wanted to develop.
He charged Universities to adequately impart in their students the practicalities of solving Africa's problems through their teachings.
Professor Robert Osei-Bonsu, the Pro Vice Chancellor of VVU, lauded FASS for the timely organisation of the conference and called for effective collaboration among Africa and its development partners
He urged participants and Africans to orient themselves during the three-day engagement saying; 'it is my hope that research findings that will emerge after the conference will go a long way to promote Africa's development.'
Topics to be discussed would include; intra-female gender inclusiveness; strategic adaptation of traditional festivals for the sustainable development of the biodiversity of local communities in Ghana; holistic education; the role of church in Ghana's development; Seventh-Day Adventist Church's contribution to sustainable development in Ghana and African indigenous religious ethics, among others.
GNA
By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
By Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA Special Correspondent, Bonn, Germany
(Sponsored by GIZ Ghana, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana Chamber of Mines)
Bonn, Germany, Nov. 22, GNA - GIZ, a German Development Agency, in partnership with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has rolled out a programme on preventive and risk reduction instruments for smallholder farmers in Ghana.
The programme is being piloted within communities in two identified districts in the country while lessons learnt are being integrated into national adaptation policies in Ghana as part of the sovereign disaster risk insurance.
A report made available to the Ghana News Agency by GIZ in Bonn, Germany, said the programme tallies with the Government's commencement of the accession process to the African Risk Capacity.
The project would help strengthen the institutional capacity of NADMO and support the establishment of disaster risk management standards like contingency plans to comply with the accession criteria of the ARC-Agency.
It would also strengthen the capacity of the Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool to develop and provide viable insurance products for commercial agricultural companies to absorb climate-related agricultural risk events.
Under sector specific climate risks, the report said context-specific Integrated Climate Risk Management concepts were being developed for various applications in several countries in the urban, transport, water and tourism sectors.
With the industry and the public sectors, it said insurance solutions and risk reductions/adaptations measures were being developed for direct and indirect impacts of extreme weather events.
The report also makes recommendations for a legal enabling environment based on the individual circumstances.
Ghana has been one of Germany's partner countries for more than 30 years since GIZ opened an office in Accra in 1983.
Currently, GIZ has 208 employees working in Ghana including 154 local staff.
Germany regards Ghana as an outstanding example of economic and democratic development in Africa. With average annual per capita income of around 1,400 euros, Ghana had been classed as a middle-income country since 2010.
As agreed between the Governments of Germany and Ghana, GIZ's work in the country currently focuses on the priority areas of agriculture, governance, and sustainable development.
Under agriculture, GIZ, through the Market-Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP), contributes to the development of value chains for maize, citrus fruits, mangoes and pineapples.
Working with major processing companies, MOAP reaches large numbers of farmers who benefit from training in good agricultural practices in areas such as tree pruning, weed control, plant protection and fertiliser use, enabling them to boost their productivity.
The GIZ also provides advisory services to Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture and supports private sector capacity building in the agricultural sphere.
Under its Governance Programme, GIZ promotes good governance and supports the Ghanaian Government's efforts to deliver improved services for citizens.
As a basis for efficient and effective governance at the local level, GIZ is working to create reliable revenue streams, with a focus on the transparent and effective management of these financial resources.
The Sustainable Economic Development programme sees GIZ cooperating with the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Ghana and the National Insurance Commission on improving small and medium-sized enterprises' access to financial services and boosting employment in the financial sector.
GIZ also aims at improving vocational training and supporting the business and professional associations' efforts to identify training needs and devise appropriate skills development programmes.
In addition, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, GIZ provides support for the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and promotes the successful implementation of the Renewable Energy Act.
Ghana is becoming increasingly important for the German economy. There are currently 12 development partnerships in Ghana involving German international and local businesses.
GNA
23.11.2017 LISTEN
More companies have donated toward the 33rd National Farmers' Day award with the latest being Japan Motors, CFAO Ghana Limited and Omni Fert Limited.
Japan Motors donated a motorbike and a farm automobile, the 'Grizzly 350'- valued at GH76,000.00, CFAO donated a motorbike worth GH14,000.00 while OmniFert donated a pick-up and 200 bags of fertilizers valued at GH117,000.00.
Presenting the items on behalf of Japan Motors, Mr Abdul-Somad Alhassan Musah, the Assistant Managing Director said the company had been involved in the Farmers Day Awards since its inception to empower farmers.
He said the donation of the automobile and the motorbike was a gesture towards supporting government's initiative of planting for food and jobs.
Mr Julius Akyeampong Jnr, the Brand Manager of Light Vehicles at CFAO Ghana Limited, donating the 'Off Terrain' motorbike said the company, which had been in the country for more than 100 years had been proud donors towards the celebration each year.
Mr Dominic Donkor, the Chief Agronomist of Omni Fert Limited, said the company was committed towards the growth of the agriculture sector because they significantly contribute to the economy.
Dr Sagre Bambangi, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, receiving the donations, expressed his appreciation to the companies' and assured of the Ministry's commitment to use the donations to motivate farmers.
'We want to use the opportunity to thank all other organisations, who have donated towards this year's Farmers' Day and we look forward to other companies who are yet to donate', the Deputy Minister said.
The 33rd National Farmer's Day was launched on August 16 with the announcement of the sponsorship packages for corporate institutions to support the celebrations.
The sponsorship package begins with the bronze sponsor, which starts with GH10,000.00 and below and such sponsors would get acknowledgement in the media, special certificate of sponsorship at the Sponsors' Awards Night as well as photo opportunity for presentation of packages to the Minister for Food and Agriculture and for the media.
Silver sponsor, starting from GH10,000.00 to GH30,000.00 will also get acknowledgement in the media; advertise company's logo on sponsor's billboard at the durbar ground for telecast, special certificate of sponsorship at the Sponsors' Awards Night and photo opportunity for presentation of packages to the Minister for Food and Agriculture for the media.
The Gold Sponsor category starts from GH30,000.00 to GH50,000.00 and in addition to the four benefits above they will advertise their company logo in event brochure and a half page colour print company advert with felicitation message to farmers and fishers in the National Farmers Day Brochure.
Platinum sponsors, which is GH50,000.00 and above would get acknowledgement in the media, advertise company's logo on sponsors' billboard at the durbar for telecast, and advertise company logo in event brochure, plague and special certificate of sponsorship at the Sponsors' Awards Night.
They would also get a full page colour print company advert with felicitation message to farmers and fishers in the National Farmers' Day brochure, photo opportunity for presentation of packages to the Minister for Food and Agriculture for the media, and branding of some sections of the principal route to and outside perimeter of durbar ground.
GNA
By Julius K. Satsi/Stella Opokuwaa Asare, GNA
The more I read about Zimbabwe and Mugabe, and even the sad circumstances that led to his resignation today Nov.21, 2017, the more I respect their system and even the people and their culture!
It is rare for a powerful African leader, accused so much in the Western media, and yet his people force him to resign with no bloodshed, no gunshots, and no heads severed and hung on stakes in the public square for the vultures!
Human survival, as I have studied in America for four decades, takes a complicated mix of human souls, competing characters, all trying to survive under some leadership in an organization with unique cultures and customs!
I always compare events to that in my motherland Ghana. In this casenit is justified. Ghana set the pace for other African nations to follow in 1957. I think Zimbabweans have a better system than Ghana! The patience of the military, resorting to the constitution to find answers, is admirable. No matter how poor, I presict that Zimbabwe will be a far more succesful nation than most in Africa in the next decade.
I spent three years of my adult life reading and writing weekly and term papers on how human societies Organize and Manage themselves through changes and effectively under different kinds of leadership. This culminated in a PhD dissertation in 2006 and a book on "Leadership Concepts and The Role of Government" in 2007.
Over the decades working for ten American corporations and then in my own business, I learned a thing or two that predicts human success. Let me share a few:
1. COMMON VISION and PURPOSE:
Do you all notice from our Ghana political history, the oppositon to Nkrumah, the UP, were not strongly in favor of Independence? Some of their leaders actually opposed it!
In Zimbabwe, Mugabe and these Generals of the military were one. Mugabe being perhpas the more educated and senior has been allowed to run the country, and under a constitution, good or bad.
In 1957 after Ghana's Independence, had the opposition not planned so many bomb attempts on the life of Nkrumah, perhaps the good man who sacrificed his life and professional career to lead Ghana to independence would have modified some of his characteristics that some have described as dictatorial. Incan only predict in hindsight.
But then before we criticize Nkrumah, think what you would have done if the losers in a competitive fight start attempts to assassinate you!Would you have provided them milk and honey or "give them FIRE!", as Shaka Zulu once said!
In 1966, had the military and opposition cornered Kwame Nkrumah about the issues and actions that they felt were critical instead of colluding with some foreign intelligence to overthrow him by force, there is no doubt Ghana's destiny could have followed a different developmental trajectory! Perhpas even better than that of Singapore and South Korea!
To compare progress since then, examine this: In 1966 every High School teacher at Prempeh College could afford to own and was driving their car. Today it is hardly possible for lecturers at our Universities and Nurses to afford a car loan. The late Prof. Adu Boahene who was a founder of the Danquah-Busia club and then the National Patriotic Party, NPP, told me in 1992 that he was able to build his house at the affluent Airport Residential area during his term as lecturer at Legon. Is it possible today?
2. A Spirit of Persuasion and COMPROMISE:
Mugabe may have sounded as a man who would never compromise; but then how did such a man win the British high honor of KBE, Knight of the British Empire, when he was younger and the Brits got what they wanted! How did he resign eventually?
The behavior of the military Generals in the last few days leading to the resignation of Mugabe shows that there can be persuasive powers most Africans never use well as well as compromises if the common purpose exists! Zimbabwe has set a good example for others!
3. A sense of Selflessness:
In all the criticism of Mugabe and his Generals these seems to be the usual charges of corruption but no proof. This is similar to charges levelled against Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana after the forceful overthrow.
It is not my duty to clap for Zimbabwe or condemn them. I can only wish them well and hope that other African countries would not slash themselves to death as done in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Libya and many others. There are many ways towards socio-Economic development and small nations like Singapore have shown the way as demonstrated in Lee Kuan Yew's book "From Third World to First", a book I strongly recommend for readin by all Africans. Yes, it can be done!
Long Live Zimbabwe for the people!
God bless our motherland Africa!'
Dr. K. Danso, Nov.23, 2017
Co-Founder/President- Ghana Leadership Union (GLU)
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has described as unacceptable Ashanti Regions contribution to national tax revenue.
Commissioner General of GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, says it is surprising the second largest regional economy after Greater Accra Region was performing poorly with regards to tax revenue.
Considering the level of economic activities in the Ashanti Region, one would expect that the region will contribute about 10 or more percent to the national revenue.
In fact, It should more than double its contribution because with the kind of growth, buildings springing up, and business activities...it shouldnt be four percent. This is an issue that all of us must address, he said.
At an interactive forum between the revenue agency and the business community in the region as part of its tax campaign dubbed, Our Taxes Our Future on Wednesday, Mr Nti said the authority is focused on enhanced tax education to increase compliance for improved tax collection.
He also revealed a 10% of offenders penalty will be given to persons who report tax-evading individual and institutions.
From this forum, people are beginning to accept that Ashanti Region can and must do more. We must widen the tax net and get the informal sector to pay their tax, so the issue of taxpayer identification is key and it is the way to go. We want the participation of the stakeholders to encourage tax obligation, he said.
The tax forum allowed business owners to table their challenges and concerns about tax regime and its impact on their businesses.
The initiative is targeted at bringing more people into the tax net by changing public perception and attitude.
The GRA is hopeful is the initiative will increase revenue and the level of voluntary compliance.
Some of the traders who attended the programme complained that those they compete with are not registered and are not paying taxes, which is not fair to those who pay their taxes.
Both the Ashanti Business Owners Association (ABOA) and Ghana Cement Distributors Association (GCDA), for instance, want the 3% VAT flat rate charged on goods to be deducted at the manufacturing stage and entry point.
Chairman of GCDA, Nana Owusu Ansah, complains only 30% of distributors have registered to pay tax.
There are no control pricing mechanisms in the cement selling industry, as a result, those not paying tax are selling at lower prices than ours which is affecting our businesses, he said.
Meanwhile, officials say the contribution of informal sector operators to total tax revenue is insignificant.
Mr Nti says, With the dominance of the informal sector in the national economy, accounting for about 70%, the contribution of the sector to total tax revenue is below two percent. GRA believes that its time we reversed this situation.
The Danquah Institute will on Monday, November 27, 2017 hold a symposium to examine the role of women in nation building. Women, apart from forming the majority of the worlds population, also occupy a unique position in promoting the development of nations. A nation that fails to deliberately and consciously involve women in the decision-making process and governance risks meaningful and sustained development. Involving women in national development provides them the opportunity to bring their expertise, knowledge, skills and competencies to bear on societal progress and development.
With the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Oquaye as chairman of the occasion, there will be speakers drawn from academia, civil society and politics comprising: Mrs Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, founder and leader of the National Democratic Party; Hon. Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu, Coordinator, One District One Factory; Mrs Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Executive Director, The Ark Foundation; and Professor Ama de-Graft Aikens, Dean, International Programmes, University of Ghana. The theme for the symposium is Women Empowerment: How Critical is it to National Development. The symposium seeks to provide a platform to draw attention as well as provoke intellectual and national discussion on the theme.
Danquah Institute, which was established in January 2008 is named after Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah (21 December 1895 4 February 1965), one of Ghanas founding fathers who established Ghanas first political partythe United Gold Coast Convention in 1947. Individual freedoms are at the heart of the institutes philosophy. We believe in the laws of the land and that government should be dedicated to the growth of a property-owning democracy in order to enrich the life, property and liberty of each and every citizen. We also seek to deepen and encourage intellectual deliberations in Ghanas politics as well as improving Ghanas electoral processes.
The venue of the Symposium is at the Centre for African Wetlands, University of Ghana with the program teeing off at 10:30am prompt.
Signed
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko
(Executive Director)
Two people from two different regions, a teacher and instructor have emerged winners of the MTN spin the wheel promotion of the months September and October, 2017.
The two, a 34 year old teacher at the Afrancho D/A Basic School in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti region, and Peter Osei Agyei, a driving school instructor at Bibiani in the western region won the ultimate prizes at the end of the draw. Many others also won exciting prices in the draw.
Madam Evelyn Afua Owusuaa, a resident of Ntonso in the Ashanti Region and Master Peter Osei Agyei, a Bibiani resident in the Western Region having participated in the monthly draw by the Telecom giant took home two Hyundai i10 vehicles as their prizes.
The acting General Manager for MTN in charge of the Northern Business District, Mr Charles Osei Akoto presenting the winning prizes at a brief ceremony at the forecourt of the Poku Trading Shop in Adum-Kumasi applauded the duo and other prize winners for their spark efforts.
He said, such promotions like the Spin the Wheel and many others are ways designed by MTN to spice and reward its loyal customers.
Mr Akoto, hinted in an interview with Modern Ghana that "the Spin the Wheel promotion is a special drive aimed at rewarding subscribers of MTN across the country".
He intimated the promotion is also to encourage its pay as you go customers to get value for the money they spend in buying scratch cards.
The Spin the Wheel promotion, he revealed will run as long as the Company feels it should be in the system, adding customers are free to enjoy it while it stays on.
The acting General Manager indicated the desire of the company to continually reward its loyal customers throughout the year so as to encourage them to stay glued to the MTN network.
Evelyn Owusuaa, the 34 year old pupils teacher expressed delight at the prize she had won.
She noted the importance of winning the vehicle since saying, it will help her get to the school she teaches on time.
On his part, Peter Osei Agyei, a driving school instructor commended MTN for their gesture through the Spin the Wheel promotion.
He urged other subscribers to take active part in the promotion since some of the prizes could be a life changing one.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful addressing participants in the Tech in Ghana Conference
23.11.2017 LISTEN
In line with a universal requirement, Ghana has begun promoting Information and Communication Technology in government agencies. These include the ports, the health sector, Registrar Generals Department, Driver Vehicle Licensing Office etc.
Apart from the efficiency and accuracy that goes with paperless activities in government agencies, it is an easy way of maximizing revenues for government.
Reports from our countries ports and other government agencies that have gone paperless indicate that we are making progress in our revenue collection.
As a result of the importance of ICT to the nation, the ministries of communication and education have combined their efforts to introduce computer learning in Ghanas education curriculum.
According to the Minister of Communication Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful the program is meant to empower students of all ages to develop applications that can help provide solutions to the countrys information and communications technology (ICT) needs.
She said the Ministry of Communications was actively working alongside the Ministry of Education to make institutionalization of coding possible, as that would give children the opportunity to experience a new world at a very early age. A two-day conference brought together the government, private sector and small and medium-scale enterprises (SME) communities to highlight activities, innovations and opportunities for collaboration, and to encourage the development of Ghana tech ecosystem.
We are also developing ICT parks to promote entrepreneurship, attract private investment and enhance ICT research and development.
Our aim is to encourage the transfer of knowledge and development of human resource capacity to meet the increasing digital demands of the country and to boost youth employment, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said.
Institutionalization of coding will give children the chance to compete with other children globally, she said at the opening of the conference of IT start-ups in Accra on Tuesday.
All those eager to see Ghana proceed on the path of rapid progress would support the initiative by the two ministries. But what is needed most is for collaborators to give backing to this program. The government does not lack collaborators. one such resource group is AB2020, a technology business advocacy company currently working with the ministry of communication to promote interest in ICT through advocacy and training.
However, working quietly to promote the study of ICT in schools is Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services [ICODEHS] a Ghanaian non-governmental organization
Being run under the Chairmanship of Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, it engages in constructing schools, orphanages Mosques, Clinics and offers support for a large number of orphans throughout Ghana and other African Country.
Because the organization began with writing of books to enlighten people on Islam and morality it has decided to continue supporting schools. Currently the whole world is moving into digital paperless regime. Therefore, there is the need for emphasis on the use of computers in schools.
The latest charity work by ICODEHS is the donation of ten computers each to the Tahiriyya Islamic school in Bolgatanga and the ICODEHS basic school at Achimota in Accra. Apart from these two schools the ICODEHS Academy at Baatsona Spintex has also benefited from free computers. As usual the donations were made with support from Mohammed Bun Rashid Al Mattoon Humanitarian and Charity of Dubai United Arab Emirates. The representative of ICODEHS said the donations were important in these days when all educational institutions are required to promote the study of Information Communication Technology.
As said earlier the items were presented by [ICODEHS] on behalf of the donors to enable the students of the school to have practical learning in ICT and computer studies for them to stay clear the wrong use of computers.
Students and teachers of the beneficiary schools revealed that before the donations were made, the schools which had many students did not experience the use of computers in line with their time table. They thanked the donor organization and Chairman of ICODEHS Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim for the kind gesture and promised that due to the computers donated to the schools, the students would study hard to pass their examinations [theory and practical] in ICT and Computer
2017-11-23 071020
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, 22 November 2017 The Board of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a loan of 112 million to help finance the North-East Road Connectivity Support Project in Tunisia.
The project aims to make the Tunisian economy more competitive through supporting the growing demand for the traffic of goods and people in Bizerte as well as better mobility and improved connections between the northern and eastern regions of the country.
It is in line with three of the AfDBs High 5 strategic priorities. The first is Industrialize Africa through developing nearby export-oriented industrial zones. The project will also Improve the quality of life for Africans through cutting congestion and improving some neighborhoods. It will also contribute to the Feed Africa priority through upgrading local agricultural land. The project is also in line with the Strategic Plan for Tunisia for 2016-21.
This project will further improve the mobility of people and goods in Bizerte and Beja, as well as in Jendouba, said Mohamed El Azizi, the AfDBs director general for North Africa, when the Board of the Bank approved the project. He added that: in due course, the port of Bizerte is expected to become the premier port in Tunisia, so strengthening the competitiveness of the countrys economy.
The total cost of the project is 277.29 million, with the European Investment Bank lending 123 million and the Government of Tunisia contributing 32.29 million.
In June 2017, the AfDB Board approved the Country Strategy Paper for 2017-2021, which sets out the context and the strategic framework for AfDBs interventions in Tunisia. The Banks interventions revolve around two pillars: strengthening industry and value chains, and improving the quality of life in prioritized governorates.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
A black lady asked me, My brother, Why are you angry at African pastors, they are your colleagues. I said to her, I am not angry at African pastors, it is God Who is angry at them .
How can God be happy at African pastors when black African youths, young girls and boys, between the ages of 18-23 are humiliated and dying in thousands, running from the social injustice, corruption and deprivation that have engulfed a continent which have the richest pastors in the world?
God cannot be angry at the African politicians for the social menace, because it is the pastors who hold the highest stake in all social canker and deterioration. The clergies are not only silent, they contribute to the social deterioration, corruption and bribery in the continent.
Throughout all generations, God has been angry at His pastors for failing the society. In Ezekiel 22:25-28, and 34:1-10, Jeremiah 23:1-2 and throughout all His ministry on earth, the LORD was angry at the priests and church leaders.
The LORD chased the priests and the church leaders from the temple and threw their tables and money laundering businesses down in Jerusalem. And they got annoyed and sought to destroy Him. (Mark 11:15-18)
God cannot be angry at the people of world or at the congregation, but the priests. Prophet Malachi began his writing by saying, And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. (Malachi 2:1-2)
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings, Ye are cursed with a curse... Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:8-10)
Since Malachi 3:8-10 is the main scripture used by the African pastors to collect tithes and offerings from the congregation, without beginning from Malachi 2:1-2, which stipulates who the prophet gave the instructions, we shall begin to address the issue of tithing from this same scripture.
Malachi specified in chapter 2:1-2 that the commandment was to the priests, who were under the obligation to bring the tithes of the tithes into the storehouse designed for the fugitives in the cities of refuge. (Numbers 35:11-15)
The priests were to give tithes from the tithes received from the children of Israel (Number 18:24-27), and store them in the storehouse of the cities of refuge for fugitives. (Nehemiah 10:37-38)
It was not the children of Israel who should bring the tithes into the storehouse. Neither was their tithes which were to be stored, it was the Levites or the priests. So Malachis instruction cannot be referred to the children of Israel. The Levites were those who were to bring the tenth of the tithes they received from the children of Israel into the storehouse. So it was not the children of Israel that faced curse for not bringing the tithes into the storehouse, it was the priests.
Black Africans at home pay millions of dollars to churches annually. In the United States and Europe, the Blacks give billions of dollars a year into churches. So the problem is not the giving by the members, but the pastors who embezzle the part to be stored in the storehouse.
Recently, an American evangelist called Benny Hinn was seen jumping and dancing in great excitement in the eyes of the whole world. The cause of his great joy and excitement was that since his ministry career of over several decades he had not seen money flowing into the Church than when he teamed up with an African pastor from Nigeria called Chris Oyakhilome. At Chris Oyakhilomes Loveworld Television Broadcast in United States, millions of dollars were collected in one single program. A Nigerian gave $1 million.
This was happening at the same time when American Cable News Network (CNN) was showing a documentary to the world on how black African youths, mostly Nigerians, were been sold as slaves for as little as $600 each.
These African pastors care less about the social disgrace of the people they claim to be sent by God to save by their gospel of love. They are not ashamed to pose on television throughout the world claiming that they are men of God from Africa.
They selfishly care only for their families, their childrens welfare, their private investments and luxurious lifestyles.
The main reason why African societies are so deprived, and why the African youths are sold into slavery in Libya and thousands others are drown in the Mediterranean Sea everyday is not only the fault of corrupt African politicians. The crust of the matter is that the African pastors have failed to champion the course of social justice, youth training and wealth creation by judicious investment of Gods tithes and offerings in the African societies.
It is Christians, especially the pastors, who should champion the course of social justice and participation in the black African continent. But, unlike the Europeans, the African pastors are more Christian, but less Christlike.
In Europe, it is the Christians who champion the course of social justice, wealth creation and youth development in their countries. In German, the main political parties are christian, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarias Christian Social Union (CSU). They are people who are giving shelter, clothing, medical care and food to the African youths who succeeded in crossing to Europe. They cannot close their eyes on these poor and rejected souls sleeping outside at their doors without care.
Every month, the German government spend a minimum of 1500 on each of these youths, most of them carry a baby or more, so the amount is doubled or tripled in most cases. Every child in Europe receive support from infancy till it obtains its first vocation at the age of 25.
Christians in Germany pay between 8-9% of their monthly income from source to the churches, whether Roman Catholic, Protestant or Lutheran, Evangelical or member of other tax-collecting communities, you pay between 8 percent (in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerrttemberg) and 9 percent (in the rest of the country) of your income tax to the church or other community to which you belong.
These monies are judiciously used to support the youth, the needy mothers and children. The Caritas of the Roman Catholic give a minimum of 2000 to young mothers. At the train stations they provide shelter, free beds, blankets and warm foods to stranded passengers. The other churches have similar programs.
A clergy is threatened with imprisonment of up to ten years for embezzling church funds in Germany. Every cent collected by the churches should be accounted for. Every year every church registered in Germany is expected to submit their income and expenditure returns to the internal revenue office.
It is time, the African pastors be controlled and held accountable. But who can do the control? Is it the equally corrupt politicians? We have a long way to go as a people, but the journey to social justice and wealth creation for all should begin with the pastors and the clergies, the mouthpieces of God in the continent.
Edward Bamfo-Darko is a Ghanaian Pastor and Pharmacist residing in Germany.
Mr. Frank Amoakohene
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The National Union of Ghana Students, NUGS, has called on government to speedily solve challenges facing the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy. In a resolution passed at its 51st Annual Delegates Congress which ended Wednesday November 22, the student body commended government for the initiative whilst warning of a possible failure of the policy if the challenges emerging are not tackled timely.
With admissions soaring in Senior High Schools resulting in infrastructure and funding challenges, NUGS says it is about time government pays more attention to these issues as they have the potential to undermine an otherwise beneficial initiative.
In a statement issued, Outgoing General Secretary, Akwasi Agyemang noted that, as a student body we are always excited at any initiative that will lessen the financial burden on students and parents in extension. And so we were one of the first to commend the government for the political will to roll out this initiative. But increasingly, we are getting worried as we hear of widespread infrastructural and funding challenges which are impacting negatively on teaching and learning in our High Schools. We are aware that government has released only 20% of the budgetary allocation so far. That is woefully inadequate and we are calling on government to as a matter of urgency, to release full funding to school Heads and also to put in place long term measures to address issues of infrastructure deficit in our High Schools.
In a related development, Mr. Frank Amoakohene, a student of the University of Ghana Medical School emerged as the newly elected NUGS President after a heated contest. Ace student Journalist, Emmanuel Kabu Nartey also emerged as General Secretary-Elect for the 2017/2018 academic year. Other elected officers include Derrick Abotsi-Treasurer, Sylvester Kobby Marfo-Coordinating Secretary, Pearl Ossai- Womens Commissioner, Emmanuel Dogbatsey- Financial Controller, Eric Nana Agyemang- Press and Information Secretary, Solomon Ananpansah-Projects and Programs Secretary, David Mensah- Education and Democratization Secretary and Victor Elias Seshie-International Relations Secretary.
Speaking to the media after the declaration of results, President Elect, Frank Amoakohene expressed delight at the confidence reposed in him by delegates and promised to work hard to deliver on the mandate entrusted to him. He also sounded a note of caution to political party activists who are bent on dividing the Union along partisan lines.
I am very excited to have received such overwhelming endorsement from delegates across the country. In partnership with stakeholders and of course my colleague National Executives, we are going to roll out a number of initiatives intended to give NUGS a new identity and make it relevant to the promotion of quality and affordable education in Ghana in the coming year. We have the strongest resolve to carry through every single promise we have made in this journey and we promise to serve you diligently. Let me also use this opportunity to send a strong signal to our political parties who think that dividing the students of Ghana along partisan lines is the only contribution they want to make to the student struggle. We dont have NPP student nor NDC student. We only have Ghanaian student and we shall resist every attempt to destroy our ranks with party politics he said.
The National Union of Ghana Students, the umbrella body for all student Unions in Ghana was established in the 1960s to champion the cause of Ghanaian students and also as a vehicle to mobilize the youth for national development.
As Robert Mugabe's regime tottered and fell, one immediate benefit that Zimbabweans celebrated with glee was the sudden absence of bribe-extracting police who were a symbol of life under his rule.
Endless police roadblocks were a notorious feature of every journey in Zimbabwe, with drivers reluctantly paying frequent bribes to evade long questioning over minor alleged offences.
But across Harare and along major national routes, barely a single police officer has been spotted since the military took over on November 14 and forced Mugabe to step down after 37 years in power.
During the turmoil, the absence of police -- and the presence of the occasional armoured military vehicle on the streets -- shed light on the dramatic political struggle that was fought behind closed doors.
Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri remained a key supporter of Mugabe and his wife Grace until the end -- while army chief General Constantino Chiwenga led the military effort to unseat the president.
For ordinary Zimbabweans, the future under incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa may be uncertain, but the disappearance of corrupt traffic officers has been a daily cause to relish Mugabe's exit.
"I was paying bribes two or three times a week," Norman Manzini, 35, a self-employed brokerage dealer who drives a 2004 Nissan March hatchback, told AFP.
"It is amazing, now my route is clear every day.
"Even when everything about your car was perfect, they could pull you over about some silly thing and claim there was a fine to pay. To get away, you had to pay $5 (4.20 euros) or even $10."
'All about cash'
Some ordinary Zimbabweans say the army, which unseated Robert Mugabe, is not seen as corrupt as the police were under his rule
Manzini dismissed fears that crime might rise with the police apparently confined to their stations.
"The army are not dangerous or corrupt," he said. "They let people go about their daily lives."
For everyday transport, many Zimbabweans rely on privately-run "kombi" mini-bus taxis -- favoured targets for bribe-hungry police.
"There used to be so many police roadblocks, with the driver having to pay $1 or $2," said kombi passenger Spiwe Azvigumi, 31, an unemployed mother of three.
"It was never about speeding or whatever, it was about them collecting cash. It was impossible to escape. Some kombi owners even arranged to pay their fines in advance.
"With the police off the roads, crime is actually down -- they were so corrupt and now we are living free."
Faster commute
Workers in Harare say their commute has got quicker since Robert Mugabe resigned as president, with no more police roadblocks at traffic junctions
Encounters with the police were often polite but lengthy, and anyone who tried to swerve around a checkpoint faced having their tyres deflated by spikes thrown across the road.
In recent days, traffic flow at key junctions in Harare where officers normally lurked has been smooth.
Many Zimbabweans say the police were under pressure from their seniors to bring in bribe money -- and were set monthly targets.
Zimbabwe's political crisis has so far been peaceful ahead of Mnangagwa's inauguration on Friday.
Whether the police will soon return to streets under his new adminstration is unclear.
The political upheaval could also worsen the dire economy that has left Zimbabwe often unable to pay army and police salaries on time.
For Paddington Chichiri, 24, the historic developments for his country have also meant a much easier 18-kilometre (11 mile) commute by kombi bus from the suburb of Glen View.
"Even if you weren't always pulled over, it used to take over 40 minutes to get through six or seven roadblocks," he said.
"The police have just disappeared and now it takes less the 20 minutes.
"We don't mind the army for now. They're ok."
A total of 400 chiefs and scores of opinion leaders, including kingmakers from the Volta Region, are reportedly behind the petition submitted to President Akufo-Addo, calling for the creation of the proposed Oti Region out of the Volta Region.
This came to light yesterday when the petitioners from the region, represented by the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) for the creation of the Oti Region, appeared before the Justice Alan Brobbey Committee of Enquiry on the creation of new regions to make their case on why they think there is the need for the Oti Region to be created.
Several of the traditional rulers namely, Nana Ogyeabour Akompi Finam II of Kadjebi Traditional Area; Krachiwura, Nana Mprah Besemuna III, Chairman of the JCC; Nana Owusu Afari, Coordinator of JCC from the Worawora Traditional Area, among others, turned up for the meeting.
The Justice Brobbey Commission was formed by President Akufo-Addo under Constitutional Instrument (CI) 105 to, among other things, inquire, pursuant to petitions, into the need and substantial demand for the creation of new regions, and thereby, the alteration of the Western, Brong-Ahafo, Northern and the Volta Regions.
Six proposed new regions are on the table to be debated on for their creation or otherwise.
It is the same CI 105 that mandates recommendations to be made to the president, based on findings, and to specify the issues to be determined in a referendum and the places where the referendum should be held for the creation and alteration of regions.
At its first sitting on Tuesday, November 21, the commission met petitioners from the Western Region who are pushing for the creation of the Western North Region.
The meetings are being held in camera and journalists are only allowed to cover the introductory sessions and have brief interactions with the petitioners.
Briefing the media shortly after the introductory session of the meeting before going into camera, Secretary to the JCC for the creation of the Oti Region, Kwaku Addeah, explained that the underlying reason for the call for the creation of a new region is for poverty alleviation.
Basically, it is for one reason. We want the place to be developed, physically and humanly so that we'll also get our fair share of the national cake. We are not asking for all the cake but at least we must get some, according to Mr Addeah.
According to him, 60 years after Ghana gained independence from Britain, the Volta Region remains one of the poorest regions, with little being done to remedy the situation.
The region, he lamented, lacks basic amenities like hospitals, universities and good roads, saying that it has been grossly denied its fair share of the national cake for decades.
Asked what accounted for the under-development of the Volta Region, he told DAILY GUIDE that a number of factors were responsible, including what he termed as a deliberate colonial policy not to develop the region.
A number of factors. From the colonial days, it was deliberate British policy not to develop the northern side of the Volta Region and the Northern Region. It was a colonial policy and when the colonialists have left, our own people sitting in the regional office did not take good care of the people up north, he declared.
No decision has been taken on where the regional capital should be sited, should the proposal be honoured by the government to have the new Oti Region created, he told this paper.
Four more petitions two each from the Brong-Ahafo and Northern Regions are awaiting the attention of the Justice Alan Brobbey Commission on the re-demarcation of possibly six new regions.
The first petitioners from the Brong-Ahafo Region are expected to appear before the commission today, November 23, at the Osu Castle, to also make their case; and they will be followed by petitioners from the same region on November 28.
The move to create new regions is in fulfillment of the New Patriotic Party's campaign promise to carve new regions out of the Brong-Ahafo, Western, Northern and Volta Regions.
Upon assumption of office, President Akufo-Addo created the Ministry of Regional Reorganization and Development, headed by Dan Botwe to supervise the process.
Justice Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court judge, reiterated yesterday that the purpose of the meetings was to afford the commission the opportunity to hear at first-hand from persons who have submitted petitions for the creation of regions.
Warning
He, however, warned those sitting in closed doors meeting not to attempt publishing or circulating details of the proceedings, saying the status of the commission is similar to that of a high court and that anyone who flouts its orders would be held liable for contempt.
Caption: Kwaku Addeah (middle) conferring with the Krachiwura shortly before the opening session. Second right is the Chairman of the JCC
By Melvin Tarlue
SOME TOP members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are planning to organize a female-dominated demonstration against Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo.
This is because the NDC members are apparently not happy about Napo's recent statement that was construed to be an indictment on the immediate past Education Minister, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman.
Napo, who is known for his candid opinion, had disclosed the colossal debt that the NDC government left behind at the ministry under the leadership of Prof. Opoku-Agyeman.
The NDC gurus are not happy because they believe Napo's statement has the potential of denting the image of Prof. Opoku-Agyeman and the NDC as a political party.
Demo Plot
The NDC top members (whose identities are being kept secret for now), held a secret meeting at a location in Accra last Friday where they hatched the idea to demonstrate massively against Napo.
Per their strategy, they intend wooing more NDC women to sign a petition against Napo for disclosing the rot he inherited as a minister.
The demonstration is intended to take place before the end of this month (November).
Aim Of Demo
The organizers want to use the protest to tarnish Napo's hard-won image, sources within the NDC disclosed on condition of anonymity.
They said the angry NDC gurus see his (Napo's) recent statement not only as an attack on Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyerman, but the entire NDC as a political party, and so they want to retaliate.
They also believe the demonstration would benefit the NDC as it would overshadow the huge rot that it left behind at the ministry which Napo had disclosed publicly.
Napo's Statement
The DAILY GUIDE carried the story on its front page last week Wednesday.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM's flagship programme, 'Ekosii Sen,' Napo said the ex-education minister's poor leadership resulted in the piling of huge debts at the ministry.
For instance, he said Prof. Opoku-Agyeman's poor leadership contributed to the starving of basic schools of consumables such as chalk. He added that the ministry also procured services without making any provisions to pay for them.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh said that the ministry left behind a debt of $18 million through the distribution of yellow buses to schools, adding that a staggering $17 million textbooks debt still hangs on the neck of the ministry.
The minister of education, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South in Kumasi, said that the ministry is faced with a GH10 million debt, which occurred through the supply of chalk.
Napo also disclosed that Special School debt stood at GH4.7 million by the time the NPP took over power, adding that the NDC's so-called free senior high school (SHS) programme also left behind a debt of GH33 million.
Paper's Checks
Meanwhile, painstaking checks conducted by this paper have revealed that whatever Napo said about Prof. Opoku-Agyeman on Asempa FM is the truth.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
An environmental sanitation academic think tank, Tersus Ghana, has recommended the recruitment of qualified and technical to man sanitation offices across the country.
According to the think tank, appointment of staff to such offices must not be drawn into the arena of politics while windows and avenues to corruption be got rid of to ensure that resources to the sector are judiciously effectively managed to achieve the set goals.
President Akufo-Addo earlier in November launched a new National Sanitation Campaign with the aim to ensuring a clean environment to achieve his vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, and indeed to make Ghana the cleanest country on the continent.
The government has also formed the National Sanitation Brigade, a re-branding of the feared town council in the 80's.
The personnel of this outfit would conduct regular visits to all offices to ensure that there is compliance and, where it so requires, take legal action against those infringing on the laws, President Akufo-Addo explained.
While commending the President and his administration for the initiative, Tersus observed the sanitation crisis is a systemic failure extending across national and local government, and therefore reversing the trend will take both short-run and long-run interventions.
A short-run measure, such as the National Sanitation Campaign exercise will in the very least increase the awareness creation among both the citizenry and public officials, the think tank proposes in a statement.
It further suggests: In the main, the short-term should also aim at holding public officials to account, reforming state owned responsibilities and reversing the numerous institutional weaknesses at all levels of government.
In the long-run, both the public and private stakeholders will also need to formulate long-term policies. In this direction, we believe that to improve the quality of the overall environmental management strategy such a policy must be empirical research driven, Tersus said in the statement which was signed by its acting Vice President, Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio of the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana.
Read the full statement below:
Tersus statement on the launch of the National Sanitation Campaign
For and on behalf of Tersus Ghana by:
Prof Martin Oteng-Ababio (Ag. Vice President, Tersus Ghana)
Department of Geography and Resource Development.
University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.
We at Tersus Ghana, like most well-meaning Ghanaians, are embarrassed. We are embarrassed that Accra, the capital city of Ghana is tagged as one of the most trash riddled cities in Africa, with some communities like Agbogbloshie ranked by the Blacksmith Institute among the worlds top ten most toxic environments (along with Chernobyl, Ukraine - the site of the 1986 nuclear radioactive disaster). We are particularly worried because research has made it abundantly clear that clean cities promote physical and mental health of the citizens. In terms of tourism, we also factually concede that though tourists increased from 325,000 in 1996 to over 1.73 million in 2011, a clean city can attract even more tourists. It comes as no surprise therefore that these days, cleanliness has become a prime matter of concern in many cities in the sub-region. And it is in this same spirit that we welcome the governments comprehensive initiative with the launch of the national sanitation campaign on Monday, November 13. We share in this ambition and think things must change for the better, and significantly, the change must be now; it must be sustainable and indeed, it must be a way of life.
Getting the fundamentals right
But to get the change that we want, Tersus believe we must first get the fundamentals right. We must be honest to ask the right questions and seek the right answers. For example, why are we where we are today? What did we do wrong and what are we doing to right the wrong? What would it take cities to improve waste collection coverage and quality? What role can all stakeholders play in planning, implementation and monitoring to avoid situation where our solutions have become dissolution or avoid a process of circular and cumulative causation? Today, while some studies have reported gradual improvement in collection coverage in some middle-income countries, in sub-Saharan Africa, the average coverage remains worrisomely below 80%, particularly in lower middle-income cities.
Recent studies indicate that Accra faces a fourfold risk overlap. These include: local public health hazards; poor city-region air quality, water and industrial pollution; vulnerabilities to natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and storms; and amplification of some of these factors by the local impact of climate change especially as regards to floods and storm surges. Overall, small everyday hazards related to the brown or environmental health agenda still continue to account for the greatest burden of disease and premature death and serious injury in 21st century Accra, with their economic and social costs fall on poor families with little political fallout for city and national governments. For example, the year 2014 will forever be remembered as one of the years that another cholera pandemic struck the city and attacked about 16,500 defenseless people. This pandemic, which started in early June 2014, disappointingly affected 123 of the then 216 districts in all the 10 administrative regions of Ghana, with a cumulative figure of 26,286 cases with 211 deaths giving a case fatality rate of 0.8%. Paradoxically the wealthiest city was also the most hit accounting for 72% of all cases. Similarly, the June 3rd 2015 twin disaster in Accra resulted in the loss of about 200 lives and loss of property and livelihoods. The Red Cross assessment figures indicated that up to 46,370 people were affected in some way in five localities - Nima, Aworshie, Aladjo, Adabraka, Low McCarthy Hill.
Historys painful lessons
The embarrassing situation in Accra provides a food for thought. Unfortunately, the repetitiveness nature of the sanitation challenge suggests we have not learnt from our past experiences and therefore these horrid conditions are unlikely to be reversed anytime soon. In 2011, the city began with a fee- and performance-based strategy to improve waste collection coverage. Conceptually, the strategy had two key aspects: first, to offer the private sector an opportunity to bid competitively to participate in a 5-year franchise agreement, and secondly, to shift the responsibility for payment collection for services to these same franchise-holders. The Metropolis then retained for itself certain control functions, including responsibility to set the user charges, enforce the requisite legislations and monitor the service providers to ensure efficient service delivery.
This initiative, though promising, has so far failed woefully in achieving its set goals. That notwithstanding, it offers lots of historys painful lessons which perhaps we have not yet learnt. For example, research has shown that the tendency of local authorities to choose for private sector participation has more to do with the political difficulties involved in improving public sector operations, than in a genuine interest in what the private sector has to offer. Moreover, the authorities focus on formal sector privatisation appears to be misplaced, when informal micro-enterprise service providers have demonstrably shown that they can do a better job at a lower cost. Other empirical studies further reveal that the informal micro-enterprise collection sector, is accounting for about 30% of all solid waste collected in Accra, and their activity is responsible for the 25% increase in coverage recorded within the past five years since 2011. Till date, research shows that over 95% of all scraps used locally in the furnaces in steel industries in Tema are from the informal sector. Additionally, the country in 2011 officially exported metal scrap to 31 countries, representing a US$2.4 million business, and yet again, the unrecognized, often stigmatized informal sector championed this trade.
Looking for a clean city.
Turning a blind eye on all these developments have the potential to harm our quest of a clean city significantly. Although we know with business as usual, the future may hold significant dangers, yet our policy directions appear ill-defined, creating a challenging analytical problem. Thus, despite mounting research-based evidence of operational efficiency and effectiveness in adopting all inclusive private sector participation, waste managers and local government officials appear reluctant to believe that this will improve the system. Nor do the traditional approaches to planning produce a blueprint for co-operation with micro-enterprises. Their appetite for foreign-based flavoured solutions is rising to crescendo of misery. If the situation is to improve in our cities, something has to change in this regard. Studies indicate that the current situation will persist and perhaps worsen until and unless the imported solutions are integrated with indigenously derived knowledge and strategies, something it appears we are not doing todayor not doing correctly.
We at Tersus believe in the power of scientific research and we will always support such a call. We hold the view that policies and regulatory initiatives which develop out of empirical vacuum, are at best, to defeat themselves and sometimes inflict collateral damage or more likely suffer illusionary compliance. In our quest to support Accra improve the sanitation situation, our policy choices must be underpinned by the fact that the city is embroiled in multifaceted crises liquid and solid waste management, rising housing deficit, ambient air pollution, etc. Consequently, the urban poor who form the majority of Accras residents, have little chance of improving their lives. They will therefore necessarily be even more reliant on the provision of state (social) services.
In ensuring a clean environment to achieve the Presidents vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, and indeed to make Ghana the cleanest country on the continent, Tersus recommends, among other considerations, that qualified and technical staff be employed to man sanitation offices. Appointment of staff to such offices must not be drawn into the arena of politics whilst windows and avenues to corruption be got rid of to ensure that resources to the sector are judiciously effectively managed to achieve the set goals.
Fixing the systemic failures
Tersus believes and as several studies have made them abundantly clear. the sanitation crisis is a systemic failure extending across national and local government, and therefore reversing the trend will take both short-run and long-run interventions. A short-run measure, such as the National Sanitation Campaign exercise will in the very least increase the awareness creation among both the citizenry and public officials. In the main, the short-term should also aim at holding public officials to account, reforming state owned responsibilities and reversing the numerous institutional weaknesses at all levels of government.
In the long-run, both the public and private stakeholders will also need to formulate long-term policies. In this direction, we believe that to improve the quality of the overall environmental management strategy such a policy must be empirical research driven. This will also mean employing qualified personnel and providing requisite skills training to those who handle waste.
The situation where waste business is derogatorily reserved for a section of the society or used as a reward for poorly educated political foot soldiers must not be re-visited for it has not worked in the past and will not today nor tomorrow. Above all, if Ghana is to overcome the sanitation challenge, then the countrys badly frayed socio-economic fabric will need to be ultimately re-stitched, not just patched.
About Tersus Ghana:
Tersus is an environmental sanitation academic think tank, open to all Scientists and Researchers of the academia, members of the Civil Society Organizations and Industry-based experts who share in our vision of ensuring a sanitized environment in Africa through pragmatic world-class research.
WATERLOO (AP) With driver shortages across the country, training to become a trucker can be a good bet for employment.
"I can't emphasize enough (that) there is a driver shortage and the pay is good," said Ron Bohle, an instructor in Hawkeye Community College's commercial driver's license program. "Those companies that are out here are just paying really a phenomenal wage." He noted starting pay typically ranges from $45,000 to $65,000 per year.
And for those who have served in the military, Hawkeye is able to provide help with fees and tuition during the six- and 16-week programs at the Regional Transportation Training Center. The college received a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that it calls Trucking with the Troops. Military veterans, their spouse and children can get part of their tuition covered along with fees related to training to drive a semitrailer.
Constance Grimm, director of grants and resource development, said Hawkeye was awarded $100,524 last fall that is being matched with $25,132 of funds from the college. Grant money covers fees for such items as fuel and tires, a physical, a drug screening, the driver's license and student activities. "It will kick back a little bit of the tuition fee, also," she said.
In some cases, Grimm noted, veteran's benefits have been used to cover the rest of the student's tuition.
Nine veterans or family members who are recipients of the grant have completed the course so far. Another six are currently taking one of the courses.
The college is hoping to sign up more and is currently enrolling for spring semester. An open house Nov. 11 allowed people to learn more about the program.
"We still have enough funds to train at least another 15," said Grimm. "Currently, we've had a 100 percent placement rate."
Daniel Snook, a member the Iowa Army National Guard, is enrolled in the 16-week course and has received some grant funds. The initial amount was $2,100, about half of the total tuition, and grant funds have since paid for permit and license fees.
"It's just for me a couple less things to worry about," said the Elk Run Heights resident and 2016 East High School graduate.
Snook, 19, works as a mechanic in the Guard and will enroll in Hawkeye's two-year diesel tech program next fall. The program was already full when Snook applied for it this year, so some of his co-workers mentioned the truck driver training.
Snook began working at Fahr Beverage early this year as a support person for the company's truck drivers. That meant traveling with them to deliveries to help unload and sometimes getting behind the wheel of their 36-foot rigs, since he already had a commercial driver's permit.
This week he started the on-the-job training portion of his truck driving course and is now driving those trucks himself. That's been the goal since he started the job.
"They want their support guys to have a CDL, because then it's easier for their drivers to take time off," he said.
Three other people with military service currently in Bohle's class range in age from 28 to 57.
"It isn't usually a first career choice," he said. Students have often worked in another field and gotten laid off before coming to truck driving.
With Iowa Workforce Development projections of more than 1,400 annual openings for truck drivers in Iowa through 2022, job prospects are good when they finish the program.
Instructor Roz Dallenbach works with the students weekly during the first part of the class to prepare resumes and applications as well as connect them with recruiters from trucking companies.
"We want to make sure everyone has a job," she said. "We don't let people leave here without knowing where they are going."
The Melcom Group of Companies, a retail outlet operating in Ghana, is demanding the release of reports of some agencies that conducted investigation into the collapse of the building that housed the old Achimota shop in 2012.
The group said it rented the six-storey building which collapsed suddenly five years ago from one Nana Kwesi Boadu, Director of Kinsadu Company Limited, Accra.
Director of Communications of the Melcom Group of Companies, Godwin Avenorgbo, addressing the media at a press conference on Wednesday, November 23, in Accra, stated that the release of the reports would assist in addressing issues related the issuance of building permits by the relevant state agencies, as well as the engagement of qualified structural engineers.
We call on all state agencies that have something to do with the matter of the collapse of the building that housed the old Melcom shop in Achimota owned by Nana Akwasi Boadu to dust their files, fast-track their processes and procedures to bring justice and finality to the case he stated.
He said, Melcom, at the time of renting the facility from the owner, could not have doubted the integrity of regulatory agencies in charge of issuing building permits, regulatory standards in upholding levels of technical expertise and construction materials but now we have reasons to ask many questions.
Melcom, as an investor, operates within the laws of Ghana and we expect that same laws protect our investment as security incentive for growing business for the larger economy, he noted.
It is therefore disappointing that in the face of these obvious failures, the owner of the structure that collapsed causing death, injury and loss of business, has not been brought to book under the laws of Ghana, he stressed.
Mr. Avenorgbo said the owner of the building sued Melcom on grounds he declined to disclose, adding that the case was pending before an Accra High Court.
The Communications Director said if the regulators do not take the matters seriously, such levels of negligence would cause further avoidable deaths and destruction of properties.
Owing to deep cracks on the Yapei-Buipe Bridge, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Akwasi Amoako Atta, has announced its closure to pay way for maintenance works to begin at 6:00am from Tuesday, 22nd November, 2017.
Mr Amoako Atta told the media that about GH4 million would be used to repair the bridge over four weeks.
According to the Minister, the funds needed for the repair works have been duly provided and work was already underway.
He said the government has given priority to the bridge because of its importance to the socio-economic development of Ghana and other neighboring countries.
The bridge, which was constructed about 54 years ago, is in a deplorable condition.
This is the second time repair works are being carried out on the bridge in a spate of one year.
The Minister indicated that the cracks developed suddenly which called for immediate works to prevent gory accidents on the stretch.
However, Mr Amoako Atta revealed that there plans to replace the bridge for good.
He therefore called for cooperation from the general public, particularly drivers.
The Northern Regional Minister, who is the chairman of the Regional Security Council, Salifu Saeed, appealed to all users of the bridge to cooperate with the engineers working on the bridge.
He said he was optimistic the maintenance works would be completed on time.
Meanwhile, alternative routes have been provided by the authority for the meantime.
The alternative routes are from the western corridor, Accra- Kumasi-Techiman-Wenchi-Bamboi-Bole-Wa.
The eastern corridor; Accra-Tema-Hohoe-Jasikan-Nkwanta-Oti Damanko-Bimbila-Yendi.
Central corridor; Accra- Kumasi-Mampong-Ejura-Atebubu-Yeji-Salaga or Kintampo-Techiman-Nkoranza-Ejura-Atebubu-Yeji.
Western/Central corridor; Takoradi-Tarkwa-Bogosu-Ayamfuri-Dunkwa-Obuasi-Kumasi-Techiman-Wenchi-Bamboi-Bole-Wa.
The available talent pool amongst our homeland Ghana's younger generations is truly world-class. As a people we must nurture our talented young people's many gifts - for they are the ones who will help transform Ghana into a prosperous society.
That is why this blog is particularly keen to see the Ghanaian media highlighting the work being done at the exceptional tertiary educational institutions in our country, such as Ashesi University - which has set itself the goal of educating ethical leaders for Africa.
To progress, Ghana needs a private-sector led by entrepreneurs who place a premium on ethical behaviour and believe that corporate good governance principles ought to underpin all businesses.
Alas, a private-sector full of crooks is worse than useless - for in the long-term nothing of lasting value to society can emerge from such rogue businesses.
An example of some of the bleeding-edge technology emerging from Ashesi University, recently ended up leading to the award of the Chairman's Award and a silver medal, for an Ashesi student research team - led by Lena Rosca who is a senior lecturer - that participated in the first global synthetic biology competition, which took place earlier this month in the American city of Boston.
We hope that officials of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Minerals Commission will encourage players in the gold mining sector of our national economy to support the research work that won the Chairman's Award and silver medal for the said Ashesi student team at Boston.
Companies in the gold mining industry ought to fund the research work and ensure that it is scaled up and can be leveraged by the industry here and the rest of the globe. For the benefit of Ghana's gold mining sector's players, we will end this blog post by quoting from an Ashesi University blog post about the team's award-winning research work:
23.11.2017 LISTEN
On Saturday ,November,18,2017,Ghana woke up with the shocking news that one of her meticulous broadcast journalists KABA had passed away.
It began as a mere speculation on social media but ended up being true.
It was first emerged that KABA who died in his prime age was rushed to the Surgical/Medical Emergency (SME) Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) Saturday dawn in a car dead on arrival.
The second account had it that the Ekosii Sen host on Asempa FM was rushed from his Tesano home to the hospital, whilst another said he was brought in from a prayer camp (whose name is being held for security reasons) close to Nsawam.
Just as the entire nation struggles to come to terms with the untimely demise of this selfless broadcaster ,ace broadcasters Afia Pokuaa and Ohemaa Woyeje staff of the Multimedia Group,had come out with repugnant revelations.
In her social media post,Ohemaa Woyeje, the host of Work and Happiness on Adom FM revealed that the late KABA told her a few weeks ago, how a woman at Multi TV frustrated KABA especially during his days on TV.
Though Ohemaa Woyeje failed to name the person, she further described the person's tears and mournful act as fake.
Afia Pokuaa also In a Facebook post on Wednesday,wrote: Why do we use juju and evil means to kill each other and undermine each other when we came individually?.
The ace broadcaster who seems to have known the culprit who is purported to have used Juju to kill KABA also couldnt identify that culprit.
As people who have openly showed their love for KABA, wouldnt it be prudent for Afia Pokuaa and Ohemaa Wuyeje mention the names of the Culprits?
As a plausible Online News Surgeon,after taking analytical look at the whole scenario,Afia and Ohemaas revelations are trumpeting in my ear drums that they are really hiding something.
Oh Yes,i (Online Surgeon) recollected swiftly that, they worked with the late broadcaster and like the Akan proverb,Aboabi Be ka wua, Efiri Wuntumamu, meaning If an insect will bite you it will definitely come from your cloth,the management of Multimedia and the family of KABA must approach their repugnant revelations with much seriousness.
Afia Powuaa and Ohemaa Woyeje must quickly be investigated in order to mention the names of those culprits.
Britain's Africa minister Rory Stewart arrived in Zimbabwe on Thursday for wide-ranging talks, ahead of the inauguration of a new president following Robert Mugabe's dramatic departure.
Stewart is due to meet political and business leaders, as well as human rights groups and NGOs, the UK foreign ministry said in a statement.
His arrival in the capital Harare comes just days after Mugabe's resignation on Tuesday, ending his 37-year rule as MPs gathered in parliament to impeach their 93-year-old leader.
Stewart described the historic change as "an absolutely critical moment" following "Mugabe's ruinous rule".
"The events of the last few days have given people here real hope that Zimbabwe can be set on a different, more democratic and more prosperous path," he said in a statement.
Britain is Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler.
Around 20,000 British citizens live in Zimbabwe and some 112,000 Zimbabweans live in Britain.
Britain provides around 86 million (97 million euros, $114 million) in aid to Zimbabwe every year.
But relations were rocky under Mugabe, particularly over the expropriation of white-owned farms there.
"What comes next must be driven by Zimbabweans -- it must be in line with the Zimbabwean constitution and will be impossible without clear resolve from the incoming government. That is what my visit here is all about.
"Britain wants to be a genuine partner for Zimbabweans as they forge a new future," Stewart said.
Zimbabwe's incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa is due to be sworn in on Friday, following a triumphant return home this week after he was sacked as Mugabe's deputy earlier this month.
The Agricultural Development Bank (adb) has pledged GH200 million to support the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative by government which seeks to industrialise the Ghanaian economy.
The 1D1F is a very good initiative by the government to transform our economy from a service based to a more industrial focused economy where we can produce enough for both local and international markets and create the much-needed jobs across the various sectors, said Dr John Kofi Mensah, the Managing Director of adb.
The Board's decision to support the initiative was taken following its lead role in supporting several government initiatives in the past.
Adb was hopeful the move will help accelerate the full implementation of the One District, One Factory programme.
As an agric focused bank, we believe that supporting producers of raw materials for the factories will ensure that these factories run efficiently at full capacity and keep these jobs in the towns and villages instead of straining the already stretched urban areas, Dr. Mensah said.
ADB, therefore, adds to a growing list of banks, development finance institutions, private investors and sovereign nations that have all pledged support to the project that seeks to create a million jobs across the country.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who presented the 2018 budget to Parliament last week, noted that the government has so far identified as many as 191 companies under the programme in 102 districts, with the potential of creating 250,000 jobs when implemented and has allocated a minimum of GH2 million to each district for the implementation of the programme.
He explained that 104 of these companies will be operating in the agribusiness sector; 20 in the meat and poultry sector; 40 in the construction and building materials sub-sector; and the remaining 27 are businesses in the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals sectors.
According to Dr. Mensah, his outfit will establish dedicated desks in selected branches in all regions to receive and scrutinize proposals from companies willing to access the GH200 million support fund from the bank.
The regional breakdown of the companies are: Ashanti, 35; Brong Ahafo, 19; Central, 21; Eastern, 34; Greater Accra, 28; Northern, 17; Upper East, 4; Upper West, 5; Western, 10; and Volta, 18.
Government has emphasised that the One District, One Factory programme will be a vehicle to revive the country's ailing manufacturing sector and add value to agriculture.
The Finance Minister has confirmed that government is working to merge Agricultural Development Bank (ADK) and National Investment Bank (NIB) in the creation of the National Development Bank.
Ken Ofori-Atta said with the two banks government is looking at using them to finance its industrialisation and Agric agenda.
The Minister in the 2018 budget disclosed that government was looking at merging these banks.
Mr. Ken Ofori Atta told JoyBusiness they have come very far with this plan.
The thinking process is clear that we need a strong and vibrant and well-capitalised enterprise development bank. This is to be able to support the Agriculture and industriliasation drive, he said.
Government currently holds a significant stake in ADB and NIB, making it easier, to go ahead with this plan.
However, there are some of are of the view that there could be some challenges looking at the fact the government no longer has controlling stake in ADB.
The finance minister has indicated that the state would raise, some 500 million dollars to help recapitalized the Development Bank.
Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com | JoyBusiness
Though the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has made strides in reducing HIV/AIDS infection among key populations such as commercial sex workers and gays/lesbians in the country, the commission is now facing a new danger among the general population, as the disease is spreading fast among pregnant women.
The group among the general population which is seeing an increase in the number of people infected in the past three years is pregnant women.
According to the Ghana AIDS Commission in the Upper West Region, the region has seen an increase in the number of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS in three major areas such as Nadowli-Kaleo, Jirapa and Wa.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in Wa on Monday, the Upper West Regional Technical Coordinator for the GAC, Dramani Yakubu, disclosed that the 2016 HIV/AIDS Sentinel Survey carried out in the three areas showed an increase from a prevalence rate of 1.3 percent to 2.5 percent, which he explained, is slightly above the national average.
He said, Research in the Upper West Region takes place in three areas namely Naadowli, Jirapa and Wa. Though we cannot say this is a replica of the true state of HIV/AIDS in the region, it is worrying that it is so in these areas. The research shows that it has been going up among pregnant women for the past three years. It has gone up from 1.3 percent to 2.5 percent, which is slightly above the national average of 2.4 percent.
Mr Yakubu called for more funding to focus on the general population which is now more at risk as the infection is spreading fast among them.
We have not relaxed in our education drive but our funding is for targeted populations such as commercial sex workers and we are achieving results in that direction. We have challenges with the general population which is the fact that HIV/AIDS infection among them is now increasing and this is worrying to us. We are appealing for funding to target the general population as well, he emphasized.
FROM Eric Kombat and Lansah Musah, Wa
Most West African countries have integratedthe formal (scientific) system of natural resource management with community-based approach to ensure long-term sustainability of natural heritage use. In recent times, the governments of Ghana and Cote dIvoirehave intensively used these approaches to increase the level of communities involvement particularly in the management of off-reserves.
Although both approaches have provento be effective, theiracceptance by rural communities will depend, to a large extent, on how these management strategies influence community livelihood and the health of agricultural production landscapes.
The GEF/FAO funded Trans-boundary Project between Ghana and Cote dIvoire, has an environmental objective to establish a viable and sustainable trans-frontier conservation area (TFCA) that links forest reserves and protected areas in and around Bia in Ghana and Diambarakro in Cote dIvoire. Global benefits of the project will include improved biodiversity conservation in the protected areas and production landscape within the TFCA and reductions in the barriers to sustainable forest and land management.
In working towards achieving this key objective, a three-day study tour was organizedfor over 15 Executives of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA)fromBia (Ghana) and 15 members of Community Forests Leaders within Diambarakro (Cote d'Ivoire) todeepen their knowledge about thedifferent community resource management approachesin both countries. Beneficiaries of the study tour in Ghana and Cote dIvoire,also shared experiences on what has worked and what has not worked.
While on the study tour, the Community Forest leaders in Cote dIvoire emphasized the importance of cultural and traditional practices in the conservation of forests. These practices have proven effective in managing community forests in Cote dIvoire.
The CREMA Executives in Ghanarecounted how the influence of religion and, modernism have weakenedthe cultural beliefsthat used to underpin the management of natural resources in the past. TheIvorian counterparts considered the CREMA initiative that gives legal rights to communities to manage their natural assets and at the same time provide them with additional livelihoodsas a good option.
They called on both governments to ensure the integration of traditional knowledge systems into formal approaches for managing natural resources. They appealed to SODEFOR to initiate action towards providing legal protection to community forests in Cote dIvoire.
Mr. DoguiAboa, the Technical Advisor to the Director General of SODEFOR, and Mr. Jean Baptiste, a representative of the Ministry of Forests and Water in Cote dIvoire,in an interview with Modern Ghana assured participants that, they will collaborate with the relevant statutory institutions to explore the possibility of providing legal protection to community forests.
The International project coordinator, Ms. Abigail Frimpong, expressed satisfaction about the outcome of the study tour and was optimistic that the lessons learned could help improve the management of community forests in both countries. She appealed to the governments to helppromote additional livelihood initiatives to lessen the dependence on natural resources.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
The Gender Minister has revealed plans for soliciting contributions from some state agencies and private sector, to sustain the school feeding programme.
According to Otiko Afisah Djaba, proposals to that effect have already been submitted to some public institutions including National Lottery Authority, Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) as well as the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
The Ministry is also collaborating with some private organisations and Civil Society groups through Public-Private Partnership to continue to support the programme, as part the strategies for a timely, regular and predictive flow of funds.
Madam Djaba disclosed this on the floor of Parliament Wednesday when she appeared before the House to respond to a question posed by the MP for Bole-Bamboi.
Yussif Sulemana wanted to know the measures being taken by the Ministry to sustain the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
Mr. Speaker, feeding our children is very important and we propose that some contribution can be solicited from corporate entities like Ghana Lotteries, MASLOC, GETFUND and complementary resourcing by local authorities, she told the House.
The School Feeding Programme provides an opportunity to pursue Ghanas commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 17.
"Currently, the programme provides one hot and adequately nutritious meal to 1,671,777 pupils in 5,528 schools per each school day, she added.
According to her, in a bid to sustain the programme, her Ministry has so far facilitated the payment of an amount of 210,803,509.92, including 44 days of the 2nd term which will be paid by the end of this week. The remaining 56 days would be paid by the end of this month.
She also disclosed that the Ministry will embark on a 30 percent expansion of the programme which will increase the enrollment from 1,671,777 to 2,173,310.
Additionally, Madam Djaba said the Ministry is working on the development of an appropriate legal framework to establish an agency or authority to secure the gains, ensure reliable and consistent funds and position school feeding as a driver for national development, she said.
Monitoring and evaluation
Another critical component to the sustainability of the programme the Minister noted, is monitoring and evaluation.
She, therefore, assured that her outfit is determined to improve the routine monitoring for timely and corrective action to assess processes, application of resources and results.
The Ministry is working with development partners to enhance the capacity of staff and caterers to enable them to perform at their maximum capacity under healthier and environmentally acceptable standards, she said.
Further, she remarked that the Ministry is also embarking on an all-hands-on-deck programme to improve collaboration amongst Parliamentarians, MMDAs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and beneficiary communities to strengthen this noble programme.
Link to Agric
The governments Planting for Food and Jobs programme is expected to provide some relief as Madam Djaba said food grown in the vicinity of beneficiary schools will be preferred.
We are pleased to say that under the able leadership of the President, Akufo-Addo, the governments initiative of Planting for Food and Jobs and One District One Warehouse would provide the intermediate facilities needed to link the Ghana School Feeding Programme to Agriculture.
MASON CITY | Another Mason City man has been arrested in a September 2016 alley robbery investigation.
Armando Ismeal Ramon, 18, is charged with two counts of second-degree robbery.
At 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, Ramon and Gunnar Flores allegedly assaulted and stole $3,500 in cash and a wallet from a person, causing bodily injury, on the 700 block of North Commercial Alley in Mason City. The two are also accused of assaulting and stealing $600 in cash, a wallet, cell phone and a belt from a second person, causing bodily injury.
He was arrested and booked in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on Monday, Nov. 20.
Flores was released from custody on Nov. 1 after pleading guilty to an amended charge of theft in the first degree.
Flores' sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Ramon is also charged with interference with official acts, stemming from a May 30 incident.
He is held on a $20,300 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1 in Cerro Gordo County District Court.
A non jury trial for the interference charge is scheduled for Dec. 12.
Courtney Fiorini
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday received Denmark's Queen Margrethe II at the Flagstaff House, as the monarch began activities marking her five-day historic visit to Ghana.
'You are really welcome to Ghana we are excited and thrilled by your presence in our country,' President Akufo Addo told Queen Margrethe as both leaders settled to a tete-a-tete at the ceremonial room of the Presidency.
Earlier, the Queen, on arrival at the seat of government, inspected a full guard of honour mounted by the Ghana Armed Forces, and took the national salutes of both countries amidst the booms of the 21 guns fired in her honour.
An elated President Akufo-Addo recounted the peculiar longstanding history and relations between Ghana and Denmark, spanning some four centuries, optimistic that the monarch's presence in Ghana would further deepen the bonds of friendship shared by both nations.
'You know that between you and us, there is a very long historyfour or five centuries of history,' the President said as the pair discussed issues of mutual benefit.
The President continued: 'One of our greatest national asset bears your name.Christianborg Castle, it continues to be more a part of the Ghanaian projection.
'That alone means there is a constant reminder of the relations between uswe are hoping that your visit will develop and cement the relations between our two countries', the President said.
This is the first time in Ghana's history that a Danish monarch is visiting the country, and West Africa in general. Her visit to Ghana is at the behest of President Akufo-Addo.
With Ghana's policy increasingly focusing on developing good trade and investment with its partners, President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that the business delegation that acccompnied the queen would accentuate the economic partnership and investment opportunities for greater cooperation.
'I'm looking forward to the issues between the Danish business people and their Ghanaian counterparts..Denmark has been a solid ally in so many areas of Ghana's national lives and we have been affected positively by your generosity,' he said.
The President used the occasion to thank the Danes for their generosity and support 'which we treasure and value and have put to good use.'
Queen Magrethe II was pleased to be in Ghana and said she looked forward to deepening the ties between her country and Ghana.
Activities outlined for the state visit include; a business conference, cultural visits in Accra, a state dinner hosted by the President, and site visits to Danish projects in Accra.
The Queen is also expected to meet the Danish community in Ghana and visit some cultural sites in the Eastern Region.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, 23 2017 Executive Directors of the African Development Bank Group have approved a loan and a grant amounting to US$101.46m for the rehabilitation of power systems in Ethiopia.
The US$86.26m loan and US$15.20m grant from the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional window of the AfDB Group will be used to finance the rehabilitation and upgrading of power transmission and distribution Systems in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The Bank financed the systems distribution master plan study in 2015.
The Project, to be completed in three years, involves rehabilitation & construction of 545 km of medium voltage lines, replacement and installation of 582 distribution transformers, 14 primary substations and establishment of supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) for operations and control. It also includes upgrading nine existing high voltage substations and construction of one 132 KV, 3.8 km double circuit km overhead line.
The project will support Ethiopia governments efforts to remove constraints on the electricity infrastructure; meet growing demand in the capital city and its environs; replace obsolete equipment to reduce energy losses and overloads, all which aim to improve the quality of electricity supply. It will also address the connection backlogs estimated at 432,000 due to inadequate distribution capacity.
The project is aligned with the Banks Ten Year strategy (2012-2022), the New Deal on Energy for Africa and the High 5 priorities, especially with regards to Power Industrialization and improve living standards. It is also in line with the current Banks Country Strategy Paper (2016-2020) which focuses on infrastructure development.
The Banks intervention is aligned with Ethiopias long-term development blueprint GTP-II plan (2016-2020) which has energy infrastructure development as one of the main pillars.
Housing, commercial and industrial centers, the new light rail system and medium businesses are among the direct beneficiaries of the project.
The AfDB, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Government of Ethiopia are funding the project to the tune of US$ 216.87m.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, 23 November 2017 The African Development Bank Groups Board of Directors has approved a loan of 180 million to the Republic of Cameroon to finance the first phase of the governments Competitiveness and Economic Growth Support Programme (PACCE).
PACCE is the first of a three-year programmatic general budget support operations to be implemented from 2017 to 2019 in order to shore up public finances in the wake of dwindling oil prices exasperated by security and related humanitarian challenges within the country and across the CEMAC region.
The program aims at preserving macroeconomic and budgetary stability and contributing to laying the foundations for robust, resilient and inclusive economic growth by improving the public finance management framework and strengthening the governance and competitiveness of productive sectors (transport, energy and agriculture), Ousmane Dore, Director General of the Banks Central Africa Hub said while presenting the project to the Board.
The reform package of this operation is organised around two interdependent and complementary components: (i) streamlining the public finance management framework; and (ii) strengthening the governance and competitiveness of productive sectors. Both components are expected to help streamline the public the finance management framework, reinforce macroeconomic stability, create fiscal space, as well as prioritize public investment projects and stimulate growth.
Furthermore, the programs focus on enhancement of governance and competitiveness of productive sectors is expected to reduce production costs, particularly in transport and electricity. This will help attract private investments and stimulate growth through the development of agro-industry and fiscal consolidation measures.
Leveraging funding for agriculture, electricity and transport sectors will significantly accomplish the Banks High 5 priorities including the improvement of the quality of life of the population. The programme is aligned with the two pillars of the 2015-2020 Country Strategy Paper with regards to strengthening infrastructure for inclusive and sustainable growth; and strengthening sector governance to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of transformative investment programs. It is aligned with the Banks 2013-2017 Private Sector Development Strategy , among others.
In approving the program, Board members were convinced that providing support to Cameroon, the economic giant of Central African Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC) zone, PACCE will impact the entire sub-region, which is perfectly in line with the strategy defined in December 2016 by the Heads of State of CEMAC member countries and the managers of regional institutions. The overarching objective for the region is to achieve: (i) sustained public finance re-adjustment; (ii) restoration of sound monetary policy; and (iii) launching of major structural reforms to support economic diversification.
The Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress [NDC], Yaw Brogya Genfi has received a certificate of participation in the International Visitors Leadership Program, a flagship program of the government of United State of America.
The presentation was done at a colourful ceremony organised at the US Embassy in Accra.
Presenting certificates to some Ghanaians from diverse fields who have participated in the programme, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Porter Jackson advised the awardees to sustain the network built and bring to bear the experiences gained from the programme to the benefit of Ghana and the world at large.
Mr. Brogya Genfi who has declared his intention to contest for the National Youth Organizer of NDC was in United States of America in June this year following his invitation by the U.S Department of State to participate in their Youth Leadership Study programme.
The programme which was under the theme; Youth Inspiring Leadership and Civic Participation" was fully sponsored by the U.S Department of state.
Receiving similar certificates at the ceremony were the General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed, Deputy National Youth Organizer of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha and Accra-based Citifm News anchor, Richard Dela Sky.
Yaw Brogya Genfi aside giving the majority leader a run for his money in the last elections for the Suame Parliamentary seat, has also made a name for himself as the man who petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the controversial $2.25bn bond issued by finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Four thousand, nine hundred and forty-six (4,946) pupils in eight district in Ashanti and the Brong Ahafo regions have benefited from a free computer training lessons in the past three months.
Most of the beneficiaries who have never used a computer before got the opportunity to use the computer and the Internet for the first time.
The training initiative was undertaken by the Otumfuo-Agroecom Mobile Library Project (OAMLP) a subsidiary of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation in collaboration with Agroecom Ghana Ltd, a cocoa buying company.
Among its aims are to ensure that less fortunate children in deprived communities have the same learning conditions as other children in the cities and urban areas as well as encourage the habit of reading and the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among basic school pupils.
Beneficiary districts
The beneficiary districts include Sekyere North, Bekwai Municipality, Atwima Mponua, Bibaini-Anwhiaso-Bekwai, Bosomtwe, Offinso Municipality, New Edubaise and Goaso district.
Crucial role
The Country Coordinator of Agroecom Ghana Ltd, Mr Muhammadu Muzzammil, described the role of the OAMLP as very crucial in bridging the gap between pupils in urban areas and their counterparts in the hard to reach areas of the country.
He stated that the project christened aOtumfuo-Agroecom Mobile Library Projecta consists of three major parts namely Reading, ICT and Cinema.
The cinema is intended to bring a message from His Royal Highness Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as it exhibit the rich Ghanaian culture and educate farmers on good agricultural practices, farm management, information from the cocoa industry and projection of Agroecom in the communities.
Tour outcome
After touring some schools in the cocoa growing areas, it came to light that about 40 per cent of the pupils in the selected villages confirmed that they had not seen physical computers before except the drawings they see in their textbooks. Almost, all the students did not know how to operate the computer and were assisted to use it as some had knowledge on some of the basic computer software but did not know their uses. Although, there were ICT teachers in some of the schools, resources such as textbooks and computers were not available for the students, adding that some of the communities had rooms intended for ICT but there were no computers in them.
Background
Since the inception of the Otumfuo mobile library project, it has covered parts of Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Volta regions where the children have benefitted from ICT training. It focuses on improving learning conditions of children by providing basic academic resources such as reading books and computer lessons (ICT) to pupils in primary, junior and senior high schools.
With the help of generators, staff of the project spend several days in communities where the children and some members of the communities take turns to access the computers, internet services, variety of library books among other counseling services.
Support
In June this year, Agroecom Ghana Ltd presented a cheque of Gh1.4 million to the Otumfuo Charity Foundation at a special ceremony in Kumasi to support the operations of the Otumfuo Mobile Library project for the next four years. The amount presented was meant to help in the procurement of a pickup, a cargo van, 60 laptops, a generator, two projectors and screens, a video camera and allowance for 30 staff of the Otumfuo Charity foundation for the four years that the project would be in place.
Focus
The collaborative project is aimed at not only bettering the learning facilities in villages in the cocoa growing areas but also provide knowledge on cocoa farming and build pride and understanding of the glorious history of the Asante kingdom.
Agroecom Ghana Ltd has been present in Ghana from 2013 when it took over Armajaroas Global Cocoa, which was established in 2000. It has since then been involved in the rural part of the country to create a better livelihood for farmers.
Within this period, it had invested close to 40 million dollars in the country in providing clean drinking water, better schooling facilities and health care across the country.
Appreciation
Dr Thomas Agyarku-Poku, Executive Director of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation when contacted lauded the Agroecom Ghana Ltd for the support which had come to boost the strength of the OAMLP.
He called for more of such support from all and sundry so they would be able to extend the programme to all regions in the country.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
A one day conference on Out of Home Advertising has opened in Accra with a focus to validate a draft policy document to regulate activities of advertising agencies in Accra.
The conference which is the first of its kind in Ghana is being facilitated by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly ( AMA) and the Advertising Association of Ghana which "seeks to provide a platform for stakeholders to make valuable inputs into the draft policy guidelines and standards to ensure sanity in the metropolis."
Addressing participants, the Chief Executive Officer of AMA, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, said views and inputs were solicited from the Advertising Association of Ghana, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Institution of Engineers, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana Highways Authority, Ghana Road Safety Authority and Department of Urban Roads and other key stakeholders to ensure that all interests and concerns were properly addressed before the draft of the policy document.
He said the document christened Smart Procedures and Standards for Out of Home (Outdoor ) Advertisement " seeks to focus on how the Assembly can effectively and efficiently manage Out of Home Advertising activities.
He intimated that despite gains made from outdoor advertising, its related activities have had some negative impact on the citys beautification, security and safety thereby creating challenges, adding that the "Assembly is committed to ensure sanity in the industry."
He said the document was in three parts , the first part focusing on the Legal and Institutional Framework governing out of home advertising whiles the second and third spells out the procedures and requirements leading to obtaining a Permit , and the Standards (Specifications of Advertising Infrastructure ) for Out of Home Advertising respectively.
He announced that the Assembly had placed a temporary ban on out of home advertising and its related activities and was hopeful that the document would be finalized and ready by the end of December 31, 2017, for the ban to be lifted.
" Although we have imposed a ban on mounting billboards,we still see people mounting them....we will remove them when we sight any," he said.
He urged participants to embrace the new systems and standards that would contribute towards making the city and nation Smart.
Mr Joel Edmund Nettey, President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) and Chief Executive of Innova DDB Ghana, in an opening remark identified the lack of clear demarcations of boundaries for assemblies as one of the major challenges facing the industry
adding that "advertising agencies have had to deal with contemptuous issues between the AMA, Ga South Municipal Assembly , LEKMA and LADMA, Tema and LEKMA and Tema and Kpone Katamanso."
He commended the AMA for developing a document to regulate outdoor advertising within the metropolis and appealed to the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to invite other assemblies across the country to collaborate with the AAG to sanitize the system.
Mr. Nattey was hopeful that decisions and agreements made at the end of the conference would create a conducive environment for out of home advertising agencies.
Some participants who spoke to the media pledged to work with the policy document when ready.
23.11.2017 LISTEN
Ghanaians have been called upon to stop satisfying party concerns at the expense of the well being of Ghanaians and shun partisan coloring from discussions of national issues.
The Assistant General Secretary of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Reverend Father Wisdom Larweh, gave this call when he was speaking on theSPACE FM MORNING FLIGHT show with the host, Dickson Smith in Sunyani.
Sharing his thoughts on the Communique issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference at their just ended conference in Ho, the Volta regional capital, which called on the President, Nana Akuffo Addo to be proactive in dealing with the vigilantism menace in the country, Rev. Father Larweh said, matters of national security must be dealt with passionately.
He said the vigilantism menace is a national security threat and it must be dealt with all the seriousness and urgency it demands.
The people who are unleashing violence are attacking both their own and their opponents, so we should be thinking Ghana and not individuals. Ghana is not growing and we are where we are, because we are not focusing on Ghana, he stated.
Whilst commending government for making a commitment to deal with the vigilantism menace which has raised its ugly head since the assumption of office of the Akuffo Addo administration, Rev. Father Larweh asked the government to equip the security agencies with the needed tools for them to work.
He added that because these groups are fueled by some politicians, it makes governance difficult especially when it comes to punishing your own people.
The Assistant Secretary of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference further stated that we cannot take the stability and peace of the country for granted.
According to him, vigilantism has started in some regions in the country and much effort is required to stop it, in order not to generate into conflicts and civic wars, since it has happened in some countries.
He said the Bishops are of the view that, after 60 years, Ghana has come a long way and matters of insecurity belong to the past.
Ghana should be looking forward at how to better the life of its people, best opportunities and not what will stagnate the growth of the country, he concluded.
The Africa Liberal Youth has been monitoring with keen interest the professional conducts and misconducts of the members of the Ghana Police Service and how they are rewarded or punished by the Police Administration and or government.
These conducts are deemed the direct acts of government and affects the human rights profile of the government both locally and internationally.
We have had reasons to worry about these standards, especially with recent happenings in Sepe a suburb in Kumasi where two suspects were shot under questionable circumstances by personnel of the Ghana Police Service.
The deceased persons identified as Awudu Osman and Lukman Mohammed were shot and killed whiles in handcuffs and in the custody of the police at the time. In the case of Awudu Osman, the bullet hit his chest. Awudus pregnant wife has also complained that a day before her husband was killed, she was hit with the bar of the police AK 47 raffle when the police had an encounter with her in her home. The police had indeed escorted Awudu to his house to search for a pistol which they suspected would have been found in the house.
We find if very worrying the responses given by the Interior Minister on the floor of Parliament because such comments are totally inconsistent with:
1. Ghanas motor Freedom and Justice,
2. The Constitution which guarantees innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, and
3. Democratic principles in general. The ministers comments also promotes impunity as this is not the first time the Ghana Police Service has shot and killed suspected criminal under such questionable circumstances in Ghana.
In this particular case, the suspected criminals had been arrested and handcuffed by the police. They had assisted the police to go to their homes to search them for weapons without success. This is an indication of cooperation on the part of the deceased suspects. It is our considered view that a person in handcuffs under police supervision who tries to escape will not pose enough threat that would necessitate a shoot to kill from the police.
Per the story of the police and the interior minister, the suspects were trying to run away. Yet Awudu was shot on his chest. The question is, how can a man, running away from the police be shot on his
chest? This is a complete case for murder and we expect the police and the interior minister to apologise to the families and institute corrective measures to forestall similar incidences in the future.
Not too long ago. A military man was gruesomely murdered by members of the Denkyira Obuase community because they suspected him to be an armed rubber. In his case, we had the whole nation realise the mistake and mourned with his family.
WE from the Africa Liberal Youth believe that the killing of any suspected criminal by anyone also deserves that attention.
The constitution of Ghana demands that any suspected criminal be given a fair trial and if found guilty, punished. It is therefore wrong for any police officer under the guise of performing his duties to kill any suspected criminal. Once they do that, they usurp the authority of the courts and they must be brought to justice by the government and not shielded.
The police are leaders in every community. If the police continue to shoot and kill suspected criminals, the citizens will also continue to lynch and kill suspected criminal and the story of Major Mahama will continue to happen to many innocent people. It could be anyone. You here reading, could just be the next victim of such unfortunate circumstances if we do not stand against the police on such unprofessional conduct.
We urge the interior minister, Hon. Ambrose Dery, to take a deep reflection of the facts and see for himself if the story of the police is believable. We urge him to initiate reforms that will make the Ghana Police Service a modernised service that is able to fight crime whiles protecting innocent lives and property.
Richard Amarh
Secretary General
This week, Ubers shortcomings were thrust into the public eye.
The company admitted that hackers had stolen personal data from 57 million of its customers. Only this didnt happen recently. It happened 12 months ago. And Uber had covered it up.
Instead of alerting the public to the breach, they went to extreme lengths to sweep it under the rug. Including paying the hackers US$100,000 to delete the trove of data.
To smooth things over, recently installed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi assured the market:
We are changing the way we do business.
The breach is the latest explosive scandal Khosrowshahi inherited from his predecessor, Travis Kalanick.
Data Theft is a Huge Threat
However this is not an isolated event. Large data theft is a huge threat to society, and alarmingly common place. Big companies such as Yahoo, MySpace, Target, Anthem and Equifax have all been hacked in recent months.
And despite the media frenzy, this should come as no surprise. The current system of data-silos is flawed. Centralised stores of data held in Facebook, Google, and the central banks are not only invasive, but an unnecessary risk.
They are what is known as a high-value target for hackers. Meaning, there is high incentive to hack the server, as it carries so much valuable information.
Simply put, these companies had the equivalent of a web banner that read: Rob me. Because within the current system, data-theft is that common.
So, what is the alternative?
Decentralised Data Storage
Sia, Storj, and Maidsafe are all creating products where data is not stored in one place. Its distributed across a network, encrypted, and can only be accessed via your personal key. This is known as decentralised data storage.
Or a worldwide free-market for data.
Like most projects designed to decentralise, it is powered by blockchain my preferred term is the shared record book.
The effort for a hacker to break into such a low-value target isnt worth it. Because the reward is so much lower.
The internet is kept on by server-farms. To understand these projects, you first need to understand the basics of file storage. The web, at its simplest, is millions of always on computers around the world storing and serving files to users on demand.
These computers, otherwise known as servers, are big business.
Amazon is the biggest of them all.
By some estimates, Amazons data-centres could power 45% of the internet on their own. Thats far too much responsibility for one company. The energy required for these projects is also completely impractical.
It was estimated in 2015 that Googles server-farms required as much energy to run as the nation of Turkey.
And its only going to get worse.
Consider this: 92% of the worlds data was created after 2012.
Sia Coin
This project was born out of the idea that the internet will continue to grow. However, data storage became the biggest bottleneck to its development.
Sia theorised an innovative way of storing files that didnt require additional servers. Instead, Sia would use the empty storage space on devices we already had: smartphones, tablets and PCs. Essentially, Sia would turn all of our devices into servers, minimising the need for new server farms.
This would be done by renting free space from existing devices all over the world for a small fee.
So wheres the peace of mind for consumers?
Well, the data would be fragmented, to demotivate an attack. A 10-page document might be separated across 30 storage devices, for example. Meaning one device might hold five lines, while another holds two pages.
This information would be largely useless to a hacker. To cap it all off, the files would be encrypted. Meaning neither Sia nor the host could access the information.
Access is only granted to the person who the information belongs to via their private key.
This solution demotivates hackers, makes use of devices already created, and is far more energy efficient. Not to mention, its far harder to hack.
You could say its a no-brainer.
Siacoin has a market cap of 191 million and is currently trading at AU$0.0062.
Regards,
Dion Dalton-Bridges,
Junior Analyst, Money Morning
PS: To find out more about the secret world of bitcoin, click here.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)
Today
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
MASON CITY | A group of Mason City high school leaders is showing deployed Iowans and several North Iowans they aren't forgotten during the holidays.
Students part of YIELD a Mason City Chamber of Commerce and Mason City Youth Task Force initiative for those identified as future leaders on Tuesday assembled care packages during their annual community impact project.
Mason City High School junior Abbigail Brosdahl knows a thing or two about putting together care packages.
Her dad, Bradley, served in as an officer in the Air Force during her childhood. He is now retired from the military.
As a military brat, Brosdahl moved often. She was born in Virginia and has lived in Omaha, St. Louis and Chicago.
"It was interesting," she said. "I never realized my life was different than others."
Growing up, Brosdahl said her dad was gone many times, either through temporary duty assignment elsewhere in the U.S. or deployment, including to Afghanistan or Iraq.
He deployed to Afghanistan for about a year while she was in first grade, missing Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Brosdahl said they kept in touch through letters and packages, as email wasn't widely available at that time.
She said her dad especially missed home-cooked meals and candy bars.
"Overseas, they have basic food and meals, but it's not the same," said Brosdahl, 17.
The nearly 40 packages they are sending for an Iowa National Guard unit stationed in Afghanistan and three North Iowans stationed in the Middle East and Japan include snacks, candy, playing cards and letters from elementary through high school students.
The items were suggested by the National Guard and donated by local businesses, Newman Catholic High School junior Isaac Fettkether said.
"It can be a hard and trying time during the holidays," Brosdahl said. "We want to show our military we care for them, respect them and are all supporting them."
Devin Benter of Mason City is currently deployed with the Iowa Air National Guard in a dangerous location in the Middle East, his wife Lisa Benter said Wednesday. He will be receiving one of the packages.
Devin, who was in the Air Force and Marines before joining the Air National Guard, left in October for a communications assignment. He is expected to return sometime next summer.
Lisa said the deployment, the first overseas one since she and Devin have been married, has been especially difficult for their 17-year-old daughter, Jade.
"You think she'd get used to it, but the older she is, the harder it's been," Lisa said.
A friend who makes memorial bears used one of Devin's old Marines uniform to make a bear for Jade. "She sleeps with it every night," Lisa said.
Some days are better than others, Lisa said, but she's grateful for her church family at Rolling Acres Christian Reformed Church.
"Theyre awesome and keep us busy all the time," Lisa said. "They're a great support system when Jade is feeling bad."
Rolling Acres recently sent 83 pounds of goods to his unit.
Lisa says holidays are tough when you are deployed, especially when you don't have a family which is the case for many in Devin's unit.
Days are long, with work shifts 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Devin is limited with where he can go and what he can do, Lisa said, due to his location. He spends a lot of his free time reading.
As for Devin, she says he misses being home with his family the most. He is able to message them via phone, and sometimes they can talk via Facetime, but Lisa said Devin's internet connection is spotty and often cuts out after a minute or two.
Nick Westendorf, a 2014 Mason City High School graduate, is currently deployed with the Marine Corps in the Middle East. He will also be receiving a care package.
Nick, a 21-year-old who has been in the Marine Corps for two and a half years, is on his first deployment, his mom Jeanette Westendorf said Wednesday. He arrived in the Middle East this week for an armory assignment and will be there for up to nine months.
"We're doing OK," said Jeanette, who lives in Clear Lake. "This will be our first Christmas without him; he was always home at Christmas before."
Nick has a 2-year-old son, Benton. "I don't think he understands, but he knows his dad is gone," Jeanette said.
Their family is able to talk with Nick via Facetime and through social media, Jeanette said, since he has access to wireless internet.
YIELD is accepting additional care package requests through Nov. 30 for North Iowans who are deployed. Monetary donations to cover shipping costs are also appreciated.
Contact the Mason City Chamber of Commerce at 641-423-5724 for more information.
Review of CI.133 will aid in ...
NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation into Tezos concerning possible violations of federal securities laws in relation to Tezos Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
Recent reports note a significant falling out between Tezos co-founders, Arthur and Kathleen Breitman, and Johann Gevers, president of the Tezos Foundation, a Swiss non-profit foundation with significant control over Tezos operations.
Following this news, the value of Tezos Tokens futures contracts dropped as much as 60%, according to the futures/derivatives markets which track their value. To obtain additional information, go to:
http://www.zlk.com/pslra-sbm-cc/tezos
or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972.
Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, California, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The firms attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, on National Housing Day, the Federal Government is unveiled its new National Housing Strategy with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto, and Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos making his announcement in Vancouver, BC.
Dubbed as Canadas first ever National Housing Strategy, this $40 billion vision aims directly at the heart of homelessness in our country with a core goal to reduce chronic homelessness in Canada by 50%. The strategy will be underpinned by a rights-based approach to housing, and a $241M National Housing Strategy Research Agenda that embraces open data.
Todays announcement is arguably the most positive development in federal housing policy since the early 1970s. Key elements of the strategy include:
The strategy is primarily focused on rental housing, and seems to use a 10-year timeline.
A $40 Billion figure is being used, which includes the $11.2 Billion announced in the 2017 federal budget, alongside of already existing federal, provincial and territorial funding that has already been budgeted for.
There is an aim for the creation of 100,000 new units along with the repair of 300,000 units with an overall goal of removing 530,000 households in Canada from core housing need.
Over the next 10 years, up to $200M in federal lands will be transferred to housing providers.
Designed by 2020 in partnership with provinces and territories, the Canada Housing Benefit will result in 300,000 households being assisted with an average of $2,500 annually for each recipient household.
Over the next few days, CHF will continue to unpack the national housing strategy and provide further analysis on how it addresses some of the core issues that we consistently find in our goal of ending homelessness in our city. For example, the strategy itself does not define what it means when making reference to a rights based approach to housing, and doesnt outline how expertise in municipalities will be effectively leveraged.
Overall, we feel that this strategy is a major milestone in the goal to end homelessness in our country, and is a massive step forward for the 1.7 million families in Canada who live in core housing need. We look forward to working with all orders of government on legislative and regulatory design implementation.
About CHF
The Calgary Homeless Foundation is a catalyst and enabler for Systems and Service Agencies to optimize client success. CHF focuses on four strategic pillars of work; Advocacy, Research and Development, Systems Planning, and Funding (outcomes). In addition, CHF addresses gaps and identifies best practices to improve the system of care and enhance desired client outcomes. Through mobilization of collective impact, CHF is committed to moving forward in partnership with the many homeless-serving agencies, the private sector, government partners, local communities, the faith community, other foundations and all Calgarians to end homelessness in Calgary. For more information, visit calgaryhomeless.com.
Media Inquiries
Supsects being arrested at the scene View Photos
Sonora, CA Employees of a Sonora grocery store saw two men carrying bags full of groceries right past the checkout lines and out the door.
A call for a theft in progress at the Safeway on Sanguinetti Road went out over the police radio with the description of two African American male suspects leaving the store in a dark colored sedan. It just so happened that the closest patrol car was that of Acting Sonora Police Chief Turu VanderWiel, who spotted the vehicle westbound on Highway 108 and pulled it over.
A supermarket employee was brought to the scene and identified the suspects as 26-year old Antione Parker of Stockton and 24-year-old Delano Sherman of Oakland. A woman, 25-year-old Arlethia Sims of Fresno was also an occupant in the vehicle but the employee could not ID her for the theft. During a search of the car, nearly $1,000 worth of canned baby formula, bottles of alcohol and clothing were discovered that were traced back to the store, according to police.
Officers also discovered pepper spray on Sherman, which he was prohibited to have as he was a parolee. Sherman and Parker were charged with grand theft and conspiracy to commit theft. Parkers bail is $20,000 while Sherman is being held on a no bail parole hold. Sims was taken into custody for an outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrant.
California Department Of Education View Photos
Sacramento, CA An Arnold native will take over a key fiscal position at the California Department of Education.
Leisa Maestretti has been appointed the Director of the departments Fiscal and Administrative Services Division by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
Maestrettis extensive background in fiscal administration and accounting will help support the CDEs mission of overseeing the states diverse public school system, notes Torlakson. Her leadership and management skills will help ensure that the CDEs financial systems run smoothly, incorporate the latest technology, and maintain our transparency.
Maestretti will oversee the divisions fiscal systems analysis, child development and nutrition, budget management and accounting offices among other duties. She was promoted from a Staff Services Manager III position that supervised the Budget Management Unit in the division. Maestretti most recent experience includes being the Associate Director at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and provided fiscal administration to the Department of Child Support Services and the California Department of Community Services and Development.
Maestretti now resides in Sacramento. She replaces Caryn Moore, who was promoted to Director of the School Fiscal Services Division.
Sonora, CA Event-wise, Mother Lode residents and visitors have a lot to be thankful for, from free, open-to-the-community Thanksgiving feasts to winter holiday kickoff fun.
Heres a rundown of this holiday weekends highlights
On Thanksgiving Day, Sonora United Methodist Church on Yaney Avenue is holding its annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner from noon until 3 p.m. It will include a vegetarian main dish as well as the traditional turkey and trimmings. Anyone who wishes to bring a dish is encouraged to make it a dessert. In Arnold, a free Community Thanksgiving Dinner is also being served from 1 to 4 p.m. by the Ebbetts Pass Loyal Order of the Moose at the Moose Lodge on Blagen Road.
Ahead of the feasting, Murphys Klassen Klassic Turkey Trot, which begins at 9 a.m. at downtown Murphys Park, will help an estimated 1,000-plus participants free up some calories while at the same time raising funds through T-shirt sales for Murphys Food Bank and the Zach Peterson Memorial Fund. Arrive at 8 and bring nonperishable canned good donations.
Along with the rest of us who are mindfully taking the time during this season of gratitude to count our blessings and appreciate all the good within our community Sonora Area Foundations Executive Director Darrell Slocum shares his thoughts here.
Friday Festive Fun
Off the bat, consider eliminating any morning-after remorse for the extra servings of stuffing and pumpkin pie at by taking part in the Run or Walk after Turkey Day at Sonora Highs Wildcat Ranch from 9 a.m. until noon. Run, stride, walk, trek or stroll with your family (no pets) along the trail at the ranch, located at the corner of Tuolumne and Wards Ferry roads.
Sonoras Historic Downtown Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m., the centerpiece of a fun evening visiting with Santa and enjoying the festive spirit out and about downtown. Making it easier to park and get about, due to numerous street closures, the Tuolumne County Transit Holly Trolley will be running free shuttles between The Junction Shopping Center and downtown from 3:30 until 5 p.m., and again from 6:30 until 8 p.m.
Friday is also when Bear Valley Mountain Resort holds its Opening Day Winterfest Celebration. Too, there is Christmas in White Pines Parade of Lights Park, which will begin at 7 p.m., leading off with a parade down Blagen Road.
An Old Fashioned Tree Lighting and Holiday Celebration is also slated from 4 to 7 p.m. at Copperopolis Town Square, which is part of a two-day fun fest highlighting family-friendly activities. Saturdays schedule will run from noon to 7. Among the attractions are arts, crafts and food vendors, live music and photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Saturday Happenings
Saturday morning, beginning at 9 a.m., Mountain Ranch Community Club hosts the 32nd Annual Christmas in the Country Craft Faire, Bake Sale & Luncheon, which will be staged at the Community Hall and also at Central Calaveras Fire Station.
Those interested in burning more calories are invited to reserve a spot to take part in the Giving Thanks to Nature Hike along Angels Creek Trail in the Glory Hole Recreation Area. Sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, the moderate-level, 2.5-mile roundtrip hike will commence from the Glory Hole Entrance Station at 10 a.m. To RSVP, call 209 536-9094, ext. 233
The City of Angels 27th Annual Winter Wonderland Parade of Lights will line up outside St. Patricks Catholic Church at 3:30 p.m. and then lead off at 5 p.m. From 4 until 8 p.m. the citys Christmas Open House and Wine Stroll will also be underway.
Too, the Dorrington Christmas Tree Lighting and Visit with Santa will begin at 5 p.m. in the Dorrington Hotel parking lot.
For even more community happenings, including local theatre events, click here and then onto the date you are interested in checking out.
CA Thanksgiving Proclamation View Photos
Sacramento, CA Governor Jerry Brown has issued a Thanksgiving proclamation for the State of California. You can read it below:
PROCLAMATION
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was a celebration of the harvest that brought together the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation and the Native Americans who helped them adapt to their new environment. Over the years Thanksgiving became an American tradition and one of the first holidays we celebrated as a free and independent nation. In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving observance in the newly formed United States of America, writing that it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.
Thanksgiving has continued to be one of our most cherished observances, a day to join with family and friends and feast on traditional delicacies from roasted turkey to pumpkin pie, and commemorate the joining of the Old World and the New that brought about that First Thanksgiving long ago.
It is most fitting that we set aside a special day for gratitude. As Americans, we have every reason to give thanks for the wonderful bounty of our land, the strength of our fellow citizens and our system of government that protects our basic freedoms.
NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim November 23, 2017, as Thanksgiving Day.
Sacramento, CA Governor Jerry Brown is utilizing the Thanksgiving holiday to pardon a man that was wrongly convicted of a 1978 double murder.
The Governors Office reports that a new investigation, including modern DNA tests, concludes that 70-year-old Craig Richard Coley did not kill his 24-year-old girlfriend and her four-year-old son at Southern California apartment nearly four decades ago. Coley was tried twice with the first resulting in a hung jury and the second time in a first degree murder conviction.
Browns official pardon notes that the Simi Valley Police Department and Ventura County District Attorneys Office recently initiated an investigation into the integrity of Coleys conviction and found that he was actually innocent. Coley had no criminal investigation prior to the arrest in 1978 and he has been a model inmate over the past 38 years.
Brown adds that he hopes whoever killed Rhonda and Donald Wicht are eventually brought to justice.
By Samuel A. Greene, Reader in Russian Politics and Director of the Russia Institute at Kings College London. Originally published at openDemocracy
Failed utopias lead to the death of idealism, and the likes of Putin and Trump are symbols of this process. As we watch Russia struggle with history, the US and UK cannot afford to pretend that this history doesnt affect us too.
Revolutions and their centenaries are best dealt with in the first person. That, of course, creates a certain awkwardness for an academic, whose stock in trade is meant to be distance from the subject of study. But nothing forces a reckoning with ones place in the order of things quite like a revolution, and that is true of academics even 100 years after the fact. Witness, for example, the never-ending debates about what a revolution even is.
Slipping into the first person reckoning with my place in the order of things allows me to admit another awkwardness that has arisen in this centenary season: That of an American, living in the UK, who is expected by virtue of his profession to pronounce on the Russian revolution. If any combination of subject, audience and personal heritage could make me feel like more of an imposter, I dont know what it is.
To lessen that awkwardness, I have told myself and a handful of audiences that October 1917 was not just a Russian revolution. February had already done away with monarchical absolutism and the doorway to modernity at least in the Euro-centric conception that dominated the age was open. But Bolshevism, as the name would suggest, was meant to be about more than that: about more than Russia, perhaps about more than modernity.
The Bolsheviks looked at western modernity and found it lacking in need of transformation. However misbegotten, and without regard to its eventual mutations, the communist ideal what Yuri Slezkine has described as a millenarian, utopian vision for the fall of Babylon and the establishment of Justice was to its adherents a universalist idea. It was a pathway to universal justice, to global justice, and it emerged onto the scene just as its brother, the Wilsonian democratic ideal, strode forth from America. Both of these universalist projects shared a progenitor, in the Scottish Enlightenment of Hume, Ferguson and Smith.
Russia and America: Mirroring Ambition, Mirroring Failure
Each vision of Utopia presented an insurmountable challenge to the other.
Woodrow Wilsons conceit was that paradise on Earth was already extant, in the New World and pockets of the Old, and, provided that the passions of humanity could be tamed, this paradise would eventually bathe the world in a gently rising tide of democracy. Lenins conceit was a hotter one, an understanding of the world so structurally unjust that only the fire of revolutionary uprising the passions of humanity unleashed could clear away the suffocating underbrush and allow for new growth. Russia and America have spent the last 100 years as mirrors held up to one another, revealing in excruciating detail both the loftiness of our ambitions and our frequent failures to live up to them. Indeed, our almost ubiquitous failures to live up to them. Russia and America and perhaps the west more broadly have constructed their contemporary selves with clear and abiding reference to one another: the American way was American because it was the rejection of the Soviet way, and vice versa.
A Works Progress Administration poster. Source: Public domain.
That reflexive, reflective modernity continues today. It outlasted the death of ideological fervour in both Moscow and Washington. It was the New Deal and the rise of the western welfare state propelled by the example of state socialism and the fear of contagious ideology that fueled Khrushchevs Thaw. It was Yuri Gagarin who put Neil Armstrong on the moon. It was in the hall of mirrors that we call the Cold War that Martin Luther King Jr and Andrei Sakharov came into focus.
Utopia, of course, died long before the Soviet Union, but it is threatening to drown idealism in its wake. It is easy to forget, but in 1991 in that moment of genuine euphoria many Americans and Russians alike believed in a common future.
It took Americans longer than Russians to realize that this dream that Russians would somehow become like us (whatever that might mean), the dream of the end of history would not come true. Russians began to see in their American mirror something unattainable, but also something undesirable, and retreated from universalism into particularism, an insistence on a special path, a uniquely Russian civilization.
And Americans have come to see in the Russian mirror an image of everything we so desperately fear becoming and that image is getting sharper by the day. We fear, in truth, not that Trump was installed by Putin, but that in electing Trump we ourselves have elected our own Putin a leader who allows us to be our basest self and absolves us of guilt. If poet Fyodor Tyutchev (of You cannot understand Russia with your mind fame) has replaced Lenin in the Russian discourse, Sarah Palin has replaced Wilson in the American.
As Russia Grapples With Its History, Are We Doing Any Better?
It has become commonplace to note how few conversations are happening in the Russian public space about 1917. The current masters of the Kremlin have hewn to a story of uninterrupted Russian power, from the princes of Kyiv, through Ivan the Terribles Muscovy and the Romanovs, into the Soviet era and beyond, with Putin the rightful heir of all of these disparate lineages. It is a neat trick, made possible only by the replacement of universalism with particularism. The only legitimating idea that connects the 19th, 20th and 21st-Century constructions of Russian power into a single arc is that of Russia itself.
Having noted that, its worth turning the same question back on ourselves: If Russia is struggling to come to grips with the transformation caused by 1917, are we doing any better?
We call it the Russian revolution or the Bolshevik revolution, which, if anything, makes it sound even more foreign and we hold lectures and exhibitions. Excellent lectures and engrossing exhibitions. The Royal Academy. The Tate Modern. The British Library. Even Kings College London. John Reed is serialised on BBC Radio 4, with Russian workers speaking in cockney and Stalin sporting a spectacular Scottish brogue. We have dozens and dozens of opportunities to reflect on Russia. And theyre fascinating. And were fascinated. But they miss the point.
How did 1917 change us? I dont mean the fate of capitalism and socialism in the west, though that matters, too. I mean the west itself. To a very great extent, the west as we know it was born in 1917 in Petrograd. And 100 years later, it is still in Russias mirror that we see ourselves most clearly. If we care to look.
Revolutions generally begin with a mixture of concrete grievance and an abstract sense of justice while the most powerful revolutions seem to involve an appeal to a transcendent, universal justice, to values that accrue to us all. Revolution in its purest sense thus might be thought of as the negation of identity and the rejection of particularism.
Revolutions are also about imagination a simultaneous re-imagination of the future and the past, transforming our past into an abstraction of injustice to be rejected, and transforming the future into its opposite. In the process, we universalize our particularism we ascribe to all of humanity our own grievances and our own imaginations.
But revolutions are also mobilisational processes, and sociology tells us that mobilisational processes seek solidarity by reinforcing dichotomies between just and unjust, past and future, us and them.
The first thing we need to understand, then, was that 1917 threw all of us into a process of self-definition by reference to different imagined utopias. Competing and incompatible claims to universality stalemated first by accidents of history and then by the design of Mutually Assured Destruction decay into competitive claims of exceptional particularism, with the caveat that each particular exceptionalism is grounded in an exclusive universality.
Let me repeat that. Over the course of the 20th Century, Russias and Americas competing and incompatible claims to represent a universal vision decayed into competitive claims of exceptional particularism. And each of these particularistic formulations of exceptionalism was grounded in a mutually exclusive vision of universality.
An Impossible Future, and a Past That Never Existed
Because we won the Cold War because our system of political and economic governance survived and the Soviet Unions did not we might forget that we have walked the same path and arrived at the same destination.
The Soviet Union began by attempting to build a future that could not exist: universal prosperity could not be planned. As the idea of that shining future faded, Russia sought shelter in a past that never existed, a myth of pan-Slavic virtue, harmony and plenty. The argument that justifies Crimea, that justifies Donbas, is not an argument it is the absence of an argument. It is the argument that arguments do not matter. That ideas do not matter. That what matters, is where we are, and right now, we are here.
But the America of the NRA and Black Lives Matter or the Britain of UKIP and Grenfell Tower are not the lands we told the Soviets we were building. They are not the lands we told ourselves we were building. And we, too, retreat from future into past. We elect governments on the basis that government is the problem, not the solution. We cleave to leaders who base their politics in the absence of policy. And we, too, fight wars because we can.
Im in danger of sounding like an activist, rather than an academic but I have tried, briefly, to make two arguments. One is that the process that has led to the politics we observe and dislike in Russia is not distinct from the process that has led to the politics we observe and dislike in the west. But the second is that we need to have arguments. As social scientists, what we want from this is to be provoked into finding our own new universalities, our generalizable conclusions drawn from methodical observation and rigorous analysis.
For those of us who study politics, these past few years have also been a time of retreat into particularism into methodological exceptionalism, if you will. Rational choice. Realism. Constructivism. As a discipline, whatever your preferences, your foundations have been shaken. The politicians tell us our nations have had enough of experts, and we are duly, maybe ritually indignant but in our quieter moments, we, too, wonder about our usefulness. The evisceration of idealism that enables both Putin and Trump afflicts us, too.
Maybe the time for quiet moments has passed. Maybe we can raise the volume a bit. Maybe we can turn the tide back towards the universal, towards understanding something about the other in ourselves and the self in our others. Wouldnt that be revolutionary?
This text is adapted from a keynote address delivered at the British International Studies Association Conference on 1917 in 2017: Russias Unfinished Revolution on 17 November 2017, in London.
Yves here. NC readers, this Real News Network segment on net neutrality discusses an issue that affects you directly. The Trump Administration says it plans to ignore public comments, which would seem to open up the ruling to a procedural challenge by anyone who had standing.
AARON MATE: Its the Real News. Im Aaron Mate. The chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, wants to end the principle of a free and open internet. This week, Pai announced the plan to undo rules that bar internet providers from controlling how we access the web. The rules Pai is targeting prevent providers from doing things like slowing down or blocking content as they see fit. Pai announced this plan to the Heritage Foundations Daily Signal.
AJIT PAI: It is essentially in my proposal to repeal the Obama administrations heavy-handed regulations adopted two years ago in a party line vote that regulated the internet. What Im proposing to do is to get rid of those regulations, and to return to the bipartisan light touch framework that governed the internet, starting in the Clinton administration and continuing all the way to 2015.
AARON MATE: Pais plan would undo the net neutrality rules that were won in 2015 after years of grass roots activism. Im joined now by Kit Walsh, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Welcome Kit. What is Pai up to here?
KIT WALSH: Hi. Thank you for having me. So what Pai is doing is, for the first time, removing the protections for net neutrality that have kept the internet open. So he is doing a wholesale rollback of the protections that we, a coalition of public interest organizations, and millions of internet users won in 2015. And theres a bit of trickery going on when the opponents of net neutrality say that this is going back to the way it was before. Thats just not true. In the very early days of the internet, when you got your internet access over phone lines, those phone lines were subject to non-discrimination rules under the same legal framework that is implicated in the 2015 open internet order. And so, that was why you were able to use your phone to call up a dial up ISP. There were thousands of ISPs, you didnt just have to get your internet from ATT. And they werent able to stop you from putting a modem on your phone line.
So the internet grew, thanks to non-discrimination rules like net neutrality. Then broadband came along and there was a fight about how to classify it. This is within the FCCs discretion. They can say were going to treat broadband just like any other telecommunications service, but what they chose to do instead is to treat it like whats called an information service, which its really not. What that meant is you no longer had the kind of protections that the 2015 open internet order established. Instead, you had a decade of going back and forth, where the FCC would try to protect net neutrality in some way. Comcast would sue them, get it struck down. They tried another way, Verizon sued them and got it struck down. Finally, they did it the right way, the legally supportable way, which is what we and our allies and internet users urged them to do. So, this was a victory for the grassroots, like you said. And what Ajit Pai is doing now is rolling back that victory, and for the first time saying its open season.
ISPs can, as long as theyre transparent about it, they can discriminate with respect to whos able to speak online, what services you can use, what information you can access, and they can create fast lanes and slow lanes that favor their own content or the content of paying partners.
AARON MATE: Right, so what this means for example say, I say at the Real News, we put out our stuff on the web. If these rules are rolled back, could internet providers charge us more money to deliver this faster? And if we dont pay up, that would mean that our audience doesnt experience the Real News as fast as, say, a site that pays up does?
KIT WALSH: Right. Absolutely. So, for instance, Comcast owns a share in Universal Media Company. AT&T has its own streaming media platform. Verizon briefly had a news platform where they said that people were not to discuss net neutrality or mass surveillance, because that was contrary to their corporate interests. So, what companies can do if this proposed order goes through is theyll be able to threaten to block access to your website. So theyll say, Hey Real News, it would be a shame if you could no longer reach Verizon customers. Why dont you pay us an extra fee? And short of that, they can say, Were going to speed up our own news content. Its gonna be a better experience for people. And your connection is going to be degraded. That connection that internet subscribers are already paying for theyre gonna put road bumps in the way so, when they go to watch the Real News, theyre not able to get a high quality stream. They have to make do with less bandwidth or its less reliable.
AARON MATE: Right. Well let me go back to more if Ajit Pai and his comments to the Daily Signal, which is the website of the Heritage Foundation. And he mentioned that argument that you claimed where hes saying that he just simply wants to reinstate the old rules, go back to the old days. And he actually said that this measure will actually help increase the quality of internet service. This is what he said.
AJIT PAI: The fundamental issue with internet access that people have in America today is not that their internet service provider is blocking access to lawful content. Its that they dont have the fast, cheap internet the service that they want. And so thats why repealing these heavy handed regulations on internet service providers will give them a much stronger business case for spending scarce capital building up these networks.
AARON MATE: So, thats Ajit Pai, the chair of the FCC. I should note so, he was speaking to the Heritage Foundation. And it seems like every time he announces a major rollback of net neutrality, he does so to right wing groups like Heritage. The time before this, if I recall right, he made an announcement to Freedom Works, which is a group funded by the Koch Brothers. But Kit Walsh, if you could respond to what hes saying there. This is gonna actually free up much needed capital to help improve broadband.
KIT WALSH: So, its interesting because those are the arguments that the lawyers for the ISPs made when they went to the FCC and argued that these rules should be rolled back, but thats not what their CEO said to investors when they had a legal obligation to tell the truth. When the open internet order came into effect, they said it wasnt going to affect investment. And weve also seen one of the things that reduces infrastructure investment is the fact that there are fewer and fewer competitors in this space. Most Americans dont have choices for broadband. There have been a series of mergers in this space. Sprint was trying to acquire T-Mobile, and when that deal fell through they said, Well, all the money we were going to use for that acquisition, were going to pour it into investment instead. Because theres competition, a need to invest, and thats a good use of their capital.
So I think the idea that the rules, which are actually saying keep offering non-discriminatory internet service the way you have from the very beginning the idea that thats heavy handed or burdensome or is gonna decrease investment is just not supported and not true. You made an interesting point also about Ajit Pai making these announcements to right wing groups. Its actually very difficult to find ordinary Americans who oppose net neutrality. Among Republicans, its a 73 percent approval of net neutrality, even more if you dont call it net neutrality. And among Democrats, its 80 percent support. The only place where theres not bipartisan support is unfortunately in Washington DC, in the halls of Congress.
AARON MATE: Right. Interestingly, the attorney general of New York, Eric Schneiderman, just wrote to Ajit Pai saying that hes been investigating thousands of fraudulent comments that were submitted about net neutrality rules as part of the public comment process. And he had some interesting findings. Can you talk about what happened there?
KIT WALSH: Sure. So in the previous cycle, back in 2015. We broke records for comments to the FCC. And the overwhelming majority were in favor of protecting net neutrality with legally enforceable rules, which ultimately it did. This cycle, there were a lot of comments from both sides. There were some form letters, many of which are people legitimately agreeing with the content of those form letters, some maybe not. And under any measure, the FCC has acknowledged that the majority favored net neutrality and keeping the existing scheme. And an analysis that was done by the ISPs themselves, which you would expect to favor their side, actually found that of all the people who went to the FCC website, who bothered to type in their own unique comments, 98 percent favored net neutrality.
So, its very clear that public sentiment is on the side of keeping these rules. People are not interested in handing over control of what theyre able to read and do online to their internet service providers.
AARON MATE: Right. So finally, on that front, the FCC vote is next month in December. What is already happening to pressure them, and what can be done in the weeks until that vote?
KIT WALSH: So, yesterday was the day that Ajit Pai announced his intentions clearly. And just that day alone, our coalition drove 175,000 calls to Congress. Congress is the place where the FCC vote can be stopped right now. So the todays announcement is just a proposed order. Theyre going to vote December 14th. FCC votes have been stopped in the past. And if we keep melting down the phone lines at Congress, thats our best shot.
AARON MATE: Kit Walsh, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Thank you.
KIT WALSH: Thank you very much.
AARON MATE: And thank you for joining us on the Real News.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (23 November 2017). He praised NATO and Moldovas 25-year-old partnership and reaffirmed the Alliances respect for Moldovas neutrality. Today we discussed how NATO and Moldova can build on our achievements, Mr. Stoltenberg said. The Secretary General also announced the inauguration of the new NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau next month, calling it another step forward in our partnership.
Read NATO Secretary General's remarks at the joint press point here
The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet the President of Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Petro Poroshenko, on Friday, 24 November 2017 in Brussels. There will be no media opportunity.
Still and video images of the event will be available on the NATO website after the event. Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg).
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (23 November 2017). The two leaders met to discuss NATOs continuing adaptation to the security situation in Europe. The Secretary General praised Estonias contributions to NATO missions, its leadership on defence spending, and support for NATO-EU cooperation. He also welcomed that Tallinn will be hosting NATOs flagship cyber exercise, Cyber Coalition, next week, underlining Estonias expertise in cyber defence.
Read NATO Secretary General's remarks at the joint press point here
English Norwegian
(Fornebu, 23 November 2017) In collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center, Telenor Youth Forum kicks off its fifth annual event on December 8, 2017, in Oslo. Young social activists from markets where Telenor operates will be challenged to deliver digital solutions to pressing global issues.
Out of nearly 8,000 applicants, 24 accomplished delegates, aged 20-28, have been selected to represent their countries at the Telenor Youth Forum (TYF). The programme takes place December 8-11 in Oslo, where the youth will kickstart their work to design digital solutions to solve social challenges as well as participate in Nobel Peace Prize-related festivities.
The programme runs through May 2018. In this time, two delegates from each of Telenor's 12 markets in Asia and Europe will work in teams to solve specific social challenges and design digital exhibitions in collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center. Last year's TYF exhibition is currently on display at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and can also be viewed online.
On the final day of TYF in Oslo, Monday December 11, the delegates will present creative solutions to the challenges given. They will be evaluated by a jury of experts, who will provide live feedback during the event. This jury includes:
Espen Barth Eide, Member of the Norwegian Parliament
Babou Olengha-Aaby, Founder & CEO of The Next Billion, the crowdfunding platform for women entrepreneurs
Susanne Kaluza, Social activist, engagement specialist and advisor at Trigger
Ingjerd Blekeli Spiten, Telenor's Global Head of Products
Cecilie B. Heuch, Telenor's Chief People Officer
Wenche Agerup, Telenor's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Mr. Barth Eide will also talk to the TYF delegates and audience about long term leadership for peace and security and what Norway's role is.
Meet the delegates & mentors
Each TYF delegate was carefully selected following a rigorous recruitment process. They will travel to Oslo from countries in Asia and Europe, spanning from Myanmar and Thailand to Hungary and Sweden.
Rakib Rahman Shawon from Bangladesh has been selected to TYF for his passion about bringing equality to society, whereas Danish Amalie Rasmussen wants to solve climate issues - especially regarding clean water. Representing Bulgaria, Iva Gumnishka is working for refugee integration and bringing innovation in the humanitarian sector.
Find out more about all the delegates on the TYF website.
To guide them through the TYF journey, each team will be assigned an expert mentor from Telenor Group; Michael Foley, CEO of Grameenphone, Zainab Siddiqui Hussain, Director of Sustainability, Phillip Ling, Principle Sustainability at Digi, and Bjrn Taale Sandberg, Head of Telenor Research. Meet the mentors here.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Hanne Knudsen
Media Relations, Telenor Group
hanne.knudsen@telenor.com
+47 908 04 015
Download the high res version of the TYF delegates here
(As delivered)
President Kaljulaid, dear Kersti, it is a great pleasure and honour to welcome you once again to NATO headquarters.
And I really appreciate your strong personal commitment and interest in NATO. And I welcome the strong commitment, not only of you, but also of Estonia, and the highly valued contributions of Estonia to the Alliance. Because Estonia contributes in so many different ways to our Alliance.
You are leading by example because you spend more than 2% of GDP on defence. And thats important when we try to also make sure that other Allies follow the example of Estonia.
You are a lead nation when it comes to cyber defences, you are hosting the Centre of Excellence for cyber in Tallinn. You have the cyber range and you will also soon host a big exercise, one of the biggest exercises in the world when it comes to cyber defence. So you are a key country for the Alliance on cyber.
Then we are also extremely grateful for your contribution to our mission in Afghanistan with troops, Estonian troops, serving in Afghanistan, making sure that Afghanistan doesnt become a safe haven for international terrorists once again.
But also the fact that you are providing funds to finance the Afghan national security forces.
And all of these are examples of how Estonia is contributing to the Alliance.
Estonias support for NATO is strong and NATOs support for Estonia is just as strong. Allied jets keep your skies safe. Allied ships patrol the Baltic Sea. And NATOs battlegroups in the region prevent conflict and preserve the peace. In September, I visited the multinational battlegroup in Tapa. Meeting British, French, Danish and Estonian defence forces. And I was impressed by their professionalism and also the way they have been able to work together and increased the interoperability of forces coming from different NATO Allied countries. And this demonstrates the unity of the Alliance. And its sending a very clear message, that an attack on one Ally will be regarded as an attack on the whole Alliance.
This is a commitment that has kept all NATO Allies safe for nearly 70 years.
And that is the core task of the Alliance, that is credible deterrence, strong defence because thats the best way to prevent conflict and to preserve the peace.
So again, a warm welcome to you, its always great to see you and I thank you for Estonias great contributions to our Alliance.
Welcome.
Question 1: We have heard from Lithuania in the recent days from their army chief that they are planning to send possibly a unit of Special Forces to fight terrorism in Iraq. Has NATO asked the Baltic States to be more involved in fighting terrorism in the region and what do you think of the idea?
Secretary General: Yes, we have asked all NATO Allies to contribute more to the global fight against terrorism. We do that when it comes to Afghanistan and NATO is now increasing our presence in Afghanistan: thats not a combat mission, but we do training and advising the Afghan forces because we believe that, perhaps the best weapon we have in the long run against the terrorism is to train local forces and to help them stabilize their own country. Then, we also asked NATO Allies to contribute and let me add that I welcome that Estonia has contributes forces and troops to our mission in Afghanistan for so many years. Then, we also asked NATO Allies to contribute to our activities and capacity building activities in Iraq. What we do there is what you call mobile training teams, we provide some training when it comes to military medicine, counting IED - or improvised explosive devices, and we help to build some capacity in the Ministry of Defence and the Joint Chief of Staff, help them to reform and organize the defence institutions and also do some maintenance of military equipment.
We are looking into what more we can do because we strongly believe that when ISIS is defeated we need to continue to make sure that Iraq is able to stabilize its own country, that Iraqi Government forces are able to do that and therefore training is also key in Iraq. And we have asked our Allies to help with those training activities. I would also like to thank Estonia for announcing that we are now looking into the possibility of sending an officer to what we call The Hub for the South in Naples, which is a new hub we have established to address many of the challenges we see in the south, including fighting terrorism. NATO has to be able to both respond to a more assertive Russia in the East but at the same time respond to all the instability, the terrorism you see to the South of our Alliance. All our Allies are into all these challenges together.
Question 2: Does NATO plan to hold any more NATO Russia Councils this year? And how do you assess the work done so far this year in the NTV?
Secretary General: There are no plans for any NATO Russia Council (NRC) meetings this year in addition to those we already convened, but we will continue the political dialogue in the NRC, and I expect new meetings to take place next year because NATO has clearly stated that we are in favour of a dual track approach to Russia, which is about strong and credible deterrence and defence, but at the same time a political dialogue with Russia. Because Russia is our neighbour, NATO doesnt want a new Cold War, we dont seek confrontation with Russia, but we have to send a firm and clear message that we are ready to defend and protect all Allies against any threats. That is the reason why we have increased our military presence in the east of the Alliance, with the battlegroups including in Estonia - that is the reason why we have increased the readiness of our armed forces to be able to reinforce if needed. I think that the NRC is one important tool for keeping the channels of political dialogue open and I regard the meetings weve had both this year and also in 2016 as useful. Dialogue with Russia is not easy but that is exactly why it is important. We have addressed important and difficult issues like Ukraine, where NATO Allies have expressed clear and strong support for Ukraine, to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. And we have also discussed Afghanistan, and we have also discussed military transparency, risk reduction. We had reciprocal briefings on exercises. I strongly believe that we should continue this dialogue. For me, dialogue is not a sign of weakness, dialogue is a sign of strength. And as long as we make sure that we have credible deterrence and strong defence we should continue to also engage in political dialogue with Russia.
Question NTV Turkey: Last week, there has been a very unfortunate event or incident at a military exercise in Norway, during this Javelin Trident exercise, the use of the portrait of Ataturk as the founding father of Turkey has harmed a lot the Turkish citizen and Turkey in general. To that end, are you making a kind of investigation about how this happened and can you reassure Turkey and the Turkish public that this kind of incident will not reoccur in any kind of military exercise or within NATO. Thank you very much.
Secretary General: NATO military authorities are now investigating the details of what happened and they are also looking into procedures to make sure that something like this does not happen again. I phoned President Erdogan this weekend where I expressed my apologies for the incident and the offences caused. I also informed him that NATO took immediate action when those responsible in Norway became aware of what had happened. I also met with the Chief of the General Staff General Akar and the Minister for EU Affairs in Halifax this weekend. I expressed my apologies to both of them for the offences caused, but also reassured them that our military authorities are now looking into how to make sure something similar does not happen in the future. Let me also underline that Turkey is a key Ally. Turkey is contributing to the Alliance in many different ways. In the fight against terrorism, bordering Iraq and Syria but also by being a key Ally in what we now do in the Black Sea region, bordering Russia in the Black Sea. We highly value the contributions of Turkey to the Alliance and therefore we have to make sure incidents like these do not occur again.
(Natural News) In recent weeks Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, exposed yet another monumental fail on the part of the federal government: The Feds are actively blocking the public from learning about an herbal molecule from licorice root that can be added to alcoholic beverages to dramatically reduce the liver toxicity caused by alcohol consumption.
In a Health Ranger Report podcast, Adams noted that the liver protective effects of this plant-based molecule are astonishing, yet the TTB (which regulates alcohol) is demanding this molecule be censored from public knowledge and not mentioned on alcohol labels, he said.
The trade name for the molecule is NTX and its a combination of a licorice root extract plus a functional sugar molecule, Adams continued.
It has already been awarded a patent as a liver protective substance, and it has the potential to help prevent tens of thousands of acute liver toxicity cases each year that are derived from alcohol consumption.
Isnt it astonishing that the U.S. federal government doesnt want to make alcohol safer to consume? he asked, even as the government grapples with alcohol-related illnesses (and an opioid epidemic to boot).
The ingredient, Adams said, acts as a protective shield for the liver, which is most often damaged by long-term alcohol abuse, thereby dramatically reducing the risk of liver failure.
Licorice root, he continued, is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used by Asian healers for thousands of years, but is now also used by Western herbal healers as well.
The root, for example, has been utilized to treat Type II diabetes, Adams said, as it is known to help regulate blood sugar. But new research shows that the NTX molecule can also provide protection for the liver, he added.
Nevertheless, said Adams, the federal government doesnt want to allow the company that makes NTX to advertise its alcohol-protective claims.
Youve got to wonder, with all the crazy, insane things our government does like the EPA polluting the rivers in Colorado, the FDA conspiring with pharmaceutical companies to keep deadly toxic drugs on the market like Rezulin, which also harmed the liver why it wouldnt want to support a substance that made alcohol consumption somewhat safer?
As for licorice root, prior research from several years ago also indicated that it had protective properties regarding the liver. Natural News reported in June 2012 that licorice root decreased the presence of liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), both of which are released when the liver is distressed.
Natural News reported further:
ALT and AST high counts or concentrations alone do not determine the exact liver issue, but it clearly shows the liver is in distress. This could be from a period of heavy drinking or pharmaceutical consumption, or it could lead to further testing for determining hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), cirrhosis, or cancer.
As to the federal governments intransigence on permitting the marketing and use of NTX, Adams had a plausible theory.
Its almost like [the government] wants people to have liver damage because that creates more patients for the pharmaceutical industry and the hospital industry and the sick-care system that influence policymaking and provide campaign funds for politicians, Adams noted.
He notes that the primary federal agencies that formulate policies regarding food and medicine all work for the corporations these days, said Adams, reflecting on the influence they have on policies and Congress.
Later in his podcast, Adams cited additional research that indicates licorice root is protective of the liver, but federal agencies refuse to acknowledge it.
You have to ask yourself, why wouldnt the government want to make alcohol safer to drink? he said.
Theres much more and you can listen here or click the YouTube presentation below.
(Natural News) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been caught yet again hiding footage of anomalous objects flying through space this time a strange object of unidentified origin that, before NASA cut its live online feed, was seen flying directly towards the earths atmosphere.
Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli captured a shot of the strange footage before it was quickly removed from NASAs website. It depicts a glowing, fiery-looking object moving directly towards earth that members of the International Space Station (ISS) identified as space debris. But the skeptics arent convinced.
While some, including NASA, have suggested that this categorical unidentified flying object (UFO) was most likely a meteor based on footage captured by the ISS, Nespolis image suggests otherwise. It is clearly missing the characteristic tail that one would expect to see in a photograph of an actual meteor, which suggests that the object is of some other origin.
I dont think its a meteorite at all, stated YouTube channel SecureTeam10 owner Tyler Glockner to the DailyMail Online.
What many people may not realize is that this video is a time lapse. Youre seeing the earth spinning at a high rate of speed and we see this flash of light coming from space If you compare this to what they are calling a meteor in this new footage, at no time does this so called meteor look like anything that was captured back in 2011 it just doesnt.
Anyone who uses common sense to ask questions is now a crazy conspiracy theorist
Based on the rotating speed of the earth, it is difficult to truly pinpoint how fast the object in question was moving. Glockner mentions a speed of 85 miles per hour (mph) that was reported by other sources, but also notes that the earths relative spin in relation to the object could have indicated that the object was moving at a much slower speed than NASA is claiming.
Speeds that are slower than even the slowest meteorites, Glockner notes.
But NASA was quick to label it a meteorite and be done with it, even though the evidence is contrary. Glockner compared this latest footage to that of the 2011 Perseid meteor shower noting significant variances between the two events. This latest object was short and stubby, he notes, while almost all other footage of actual meteors reveals them to look quite the contrary.
This wouldnt be the first time that NASA has tried to cover up strange objects in space, as the agencys live feed has on numerous occasions gone dead when unusual things appear on the feed. But this latest cover-up attempt has gotten many people talking because theres no consensus as to the true identity of the object in question, despite NASAs arbitrary declaration of it being a space meteor.
And the worst part about the whole thing is that honest astronomers who are simply asking logical questions about this strange event are reportedly being labeled as conspiracy theorists simply for using their brains. If an anomalous object event such as this warrants further inquiry, such inquiry should be done without fear of being regarded as a lunatic and yet, this is exactly what is now happening.
The DailyMail Online even went so far as to include random scientific data in a report on this space anomaly implying that people who believe in conspiracy theories are probably narcissists. It pegged doubters of the moon landings, as an example, as suffering from personality disorders like selfishness and having a constant need for attention. The DailyMail Online also likened people who question events such as this to having low self-esteem.
Sources for this article include:
WakingTimes.com
DailyMail.co.uk
NaturalNews.com
The state Fire Marshal has imposed an extraordinary fire safety order on the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters since the San Francisco building failed an inspection last month, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit has learned.
On Oct. 2, state fire inspectors found the fire alarm system to be inoperable at the commissions Van Ness Avenue office, which serves as the meeting place for the five-member commission that oversees utility safety and rates.
The Fire Marshal inspectors discovered the sprinkler system had mechanical problems and had not been fully serviced in 18 years. And they found that an emergency exit door, which was apparently damaged during a break-in attempt, had been chained shut.
Authorities immediately ordered a severe fire safety watch, which requires the halls of the building be patroled around the clock until the problems are fixed.
The fact that such problems could be found at the building that houses a key state safety regulator was not missed on critics, like state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo).
Theres certainly an irony in that, said the senator, who has often criticized the commission for being lax on safety enforcement.
Despite the apparent gravity of the situation, CPUC officials only hinted at the problems during the commissions Nov. 9 public meeting.
We prioritize safety, and Im going to outline a couple of safety concerns in this venue, President Michael Picker announced at the start of the meeting but did not outline those concerns. Instead, he instructed the audience on how to best exit the structure and designated the executive director of the agency as the one to call 911.
But fire officials say the safety concerns Picker failed to discuss are significant.
These are all severe violations as far as Im concerned, said Steve Guarino, chief of the northern division of fire and life safety for the Fire Marshals office.
He said that inspections conducted on Oct. 2 and Oct. 31 revealed several troubling problems. The alarm system failed a spot test due to a broken control panel. It has since been repaired and is awaiting certification.
Elsewhere, inspectors discovered cracked seals and other mechanical problems with the water pump that feeds the sprinkler system, he said. It had not been serviced since 1999 a violation of state standards requiring servicing every five years.
But Guarino was particularly troubled by the discovery that the emergency exit doors on McAllister Street had been chained shut.
That wasnt good at all, he said, adding that the chain was ordered cut on the spot.
He said overall, systems were not maintained, tested or inspected per protocols established to assure they function as designed. Many had not been checked in several years.
The violations were not lodged against the utilities commission, but rather the building managers, the states Department of General Services.
The department is working closely with the CPUC and the state Fire Marshal to expedite repairs, the agency said in a statement that went on to say the fire-watch will remain in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the repairs are complete.
Hill said the troubling inspection findings point to a major safety breakdown that occurred under the noses PUCs own safety regulators.
Its indicative of the problems that we see, he said. One hand doesnt know what the other ones doing in many cases.
Two former Presentation High students on Wednesday spoke publicly for the first time about allegations of sexual misconduct by a teacher at the prestigious all-girls Catholic school in San Jose.
Kathryn Leehane and Cheryl Hodgin Marshall, who graduated in 1991, were accompanied by attorney Robert Allard at a Wednesday press conference to discuss the accusations, which date back nearly three decades.
Leehane first recounted being groped and shown a pornographic photo by her high school Spanish teacher in a recent essay published in the Washington Post, but has not spoken publicly about the allegations until now. She said shes doing so in an effort to make positive change at the school she still holds in high regard.
Throughout all of this my biggest concern has been for the safety and welfare of those young women, Leehane said. I love Presentation. Its a wonderful school and I want all of those women to thrive.
Hodgin Marshall, also speaking publicly for the first time, said her close friend Jane was molested by that same teacher in 1990.
Both women say they reported the incidents of sexual misconduct to trusted school leaders: Then principal Marian Stuckey and current principal Mary Miller who was vice principal in 1990.
Former Presentation High School students Cheryl Hodgin Marshall and Kathryn Leehane, along with attorney Bob Allard, discuss alleged sexual misconduct allegations by a teacher.
I told a trusted teacher about the molestation who then spoke with Jane and in turn immediately reported it to the principal, Hodgin Marshall said. Jane was called in to speak with the principal and afterward came to me in tears saying she did not feel that the principal believed her and that the principal suggested that Jane must have been dreaming it. We were both in disbelief and we didnt know what to think.
Hodgin Marshall said she and Jane heard nothing for approximately a month, so they went to Vice Principal Mary Miller.
Once again we were in disbelief and in tears at the outcome, she said. Not only did we not get any help, she dismissed both of us with stern warnings to be careful of what we say.
Miller, now the principal of the $20,000 per year private school, denied those claims. Stuckey did not respond to requests for comment but Presentation spokesperson Samantha LoCurto responded absolutely not regarding Hodgin Marshalls allegation that Stuckey told Jane she must have been dreaming.
The accused teacher, John Fernandez, continued to teach at Presentation High School until he retired in 2004. He recently died of cancer in 2015.
"One thing has become alarmingly clear," Leehane said. "My abuse did not have to happen. The administration had notice going back to the mid-1980's that the teacher who abused me was a problem. The school had numerous opportunities to deal with him. Tragically, I was not his first -- or his last -- victim."
School principal Mary Miller continues to decline interview requests from NBC Bay Area. In a written statement released after Wednesdays press conference, Miller strongly disputed the claims made by Leehane, Hodgin Marshall, and Allard.
For the attorney or others to suggest that at some point in the past PHS could have handled certain cases in a different manner is open to interpretation and is taken to heart, Miller wrote. However, for anyone to suggest that PHS has in any manner covered up or condoned any instance of sexual abuse is an outright lie.
In the statement, Miller said the administration conducted an investigation into the allegations when they were first brought to the schools attention.
"PHS conducted an investigation more than 25 years ago into this matter as well as other claims made today. There is no new information provided by this personal injury attorney or the former students," Miller said in the statement. "Due to privacy and confidentiality, we cannot disclose the details or outcomes of our investigations; we sincerely wish that we could reveal more information. Each case described today was investigated and action taken based upon the information provided to the school at the time."
But NBC Bay Area learned Wednesday that investigation did not include informing authorities.
In an email Wednesday, a spokesperson for the school confirmed what Leehane and Hodgin Marshall said they suspected all along: the allegations were never reported to police or Child Protective Services.
Leehane contacted the San Jose Police Department herself in 1996. Leehane said the officer did a thorough job investigating her accusations, but because years had passed since the alleged abuse, there wasnt much the police could do.
What we can tell you is that prior to the report that was made to law enforcement, Presentation has not been provided with sufficient information with which to form a reasonable suspicion of childhood sexual abuse, PHS spokesperson Samantha LoCurto wrote. The school did not report the matter to CPS or police.
Last Wednesday, the Presentation High School board sent a letter to parents defending Miller. The board in the letter said the administration satisfied its due diligence in the investigative process.
Requests to speak with Miller were declined by Presentation High School.
There were active attempts on behalf of this administration to suppress the sharing of information about crimes which were committed on this campus, attorney Robert Allard said.
If you have a reasonable suspicion that a sex crime has occurred, the law tells you you must call the police and report it. You're not to investigate it. You're not to ask the victim questions. You're not to ask the teacher questions. Your job is to report and apparently that message got lost in translation with this administration.
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At Wednesday's press conference, Leehane also shared responses to letters she wrote in college to Principal Miller. She says she decided to report Fernandezs actions only after learning about her classmates alleged abuse by the same teacher.
Leehane said the administration never responded to her first letter, and only replied to a second letter after she sent copies to several other teachers.
In a response to Leehane, Miller wrote back, saying in part:
As I said before, the welfare of the students is my number one concern. But I am also concerned with the welfare and reputation of our faculty members. John [Fernandez] needs to know what you are accusing him of so he has the opportunity to respond. I would appreciate that any further correspondence regarding this matter be directed to me only.
In addition to holding Wednesdays press conference, Allard said he recently sent a letter to the Presentation board demanding a public reckoning by the administration, an apology, and a commitment to train its staff.
However, after reading Millers Wednesday statement about the press conference, Allard wrote to NBC Bay Area saying his team may have to reconvene after the holiday to develop alternative courses of action.
Most regrettably, the current administration at Presentation has chosen, in response to our public comments made today, to engage in personal attacks and deflect attention away from the sole issue raised, specifically, the schools repeated failure to appropriately address reported incidents of sexual misconduct involving its staff. Since the allegations as described are indefensible, the more appropriate response would have been to, as requested, acknowledge past failures, apologize and enthusiastically commit to making a safer child protection system so that all involved can move forward in a productive direction. The schools response, however, make it clear that these demands will never be met and that it will continue to hide behind alleged confidentiality as opposed to making any attempt to justify its actions.
Although Leehane and Hodgin Marshall were the only Presentation graduates to share their stories Wednesday, Allard said his team is in the process of investigating claims of sexual misconduct by other alums. He said the allegations go well beyond John Fernandez.
Earlier this month, Presentation put two current teachers on leave while the school and police conduct an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior against them.
Multiple sources who spoke to NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit say the allegations against one of those teachers occurred earlier this year.
NBC Bay Area obtained an email sent to Principal Miller by a Presentation staff member in March that stated the staff member witnessed disturbing behavior by a male teacher.
In that email, the staffer said she was concerned the teacher was acting inappropriately with a current student.
Many of the girls came up to me during the tournament and told me various times that they found [him] creepy and didnt like how he talked to them or treated them, the staff member wrote. A few of them mentioned times where he had inappropriately touched their hair or made them feel uncomfortable.
That email was written in March of this year, more than seven months before he was eventually put on leave.
San Jose police say they are investigating accusations against various teachers, both past and present. They encourage any potential victims or anyone with information to come forward.
The nation's first hotel-based dispensary is opening in the heart of the Sunset Strip next year.
The Standard, Hollywood is partnering with Lord Jones a company that manufactures and distributes cannabis and CBD infused products to "bring the cannabis movement into the mainstream."
The dispensary, which is slated to open in Hollywood in early 2018, will be located on the hotel's ground floor and will be open to both hotel guests and the local neighborhood.
The two companies also plan to develop a line of co-branded THC and hemp-derived CBD products that will eventually be available to guests at all Standard hotel locations, according to a news release.
Although legal recreational marijuana sales kick off on Jan. 1, many cities in California are still struggling to establish local rules for pot shops and growers.
A UC Riverside student has been charged with misdemeanor grand theft for taking another students "Make America Great Again" hat in a now-viral video.
The complaint against Edith Macias was filed Nov. 3 by the Superior Court of California County Riverside. If convicted, Macias faces a maximum sentence of one year in county jail.
The incident happened on Sept. 27 on the universitys campus. Student Matthew Vitale wore the red hat and had it taken off by Macias, who ran away with it and complained to the campus' Student Life department.
In the video recorded by Vitale, he can be heard demanding Macias to give his property back. The defendant told the Student Life department that the hat "represents genocide" and Vitale responded that he has the right to wear it because of his freedom of speech.
The statute the defendant has been charged under says grand theft applies when property is taken from someones body.
Macias' next court date is scheduled for March 1, 2018.
San Jose police officers made several rounds at many homeless shelters on sidewalks on Wednesday as a part of an initiative they call Operation Care to hand out backpack care kits in the spirit of thanksgiving.
According to officers Operation Care is an effort to build relationships with the citys homeless as well as a reminder that San Joses law enforcement cares.
There is enforcement that takes place in some of these encampments but we want them to know thats not the only thing were concerned about. We also care about them and are trying to help them get housed, said San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer.
The backpack kits assembled by the police cadet were filled with a long-sleeved t-shirt, socks, a list of homeless services and a flashlight with batteries.
The new initiative was launched in conjunction with Adobe, a non-profit housing agency.
Beating the clock is hardly the airline industrys strong suit. We want help you work around that shortcoming.
Nationally, 20 percent of all flights land late, according to the most recent Department of Transportation data. Some passengers are so conditioned to daily delays, theyve simply padded their schedule and flipped their thinking.
I usually add an hour or so into my trip because of that, said one airline passenger. [Today] we arrived on time, so I felt like we arrived an hour early!
So, we dove into gobs of government flight data.
First on our radar: the calendar. We found flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays have the best on time record. Avoid Fridays and Mondays. Thats when the data show most flights land late.
Next: set your alarm if you want to takeoff on time. We found early morning flights are most reliable; early evening departures are delayed the most.
Punctuality also has a lot to do with which airline you choose. The Department of Transportation ranks the top 12 U.S. carriers by on-time performance. Hawaiian Airlines is number one. Just eleven percent of its flights land late.
At the very bottom -- with 31 percent of arrivals delayed -- is Bay Area-based Virgin America.
We wanted to know why.
An airline spokesperson pointed to an increase in west coast air traffic and said Virgin America is even more impacted than other airlines, because 85 percent of its flights are on the west coast.
Virgin Americas poor showing isnt the only bad news for San Francisco International Airport.
I know there are a lot of flights that are late out of SFO, said passenger Peter Manderino.
But I think Ive probably been lucky on that.
Peter has been lucky.
Our analysis shows just 73 percent of flights have landed on-schedule at SFO since the beginning of 2016, giving it the worst on-time record of any airport in the nation.
But lots of passengers dont seem to notice.
One said, I would say theyre about average
Its somewhere between an A and a B, said Peter Manderino.
Another traveler had higher expectations for SFO.
I would say probably a C, he said.
An airport spokesman declined to do an interview, but told us off-camera that SFOs most recent record is actually its best in 10 years. He noted SFOs parallel runways pose a challenge. One hiccup can cause a domino effect of delays.
The airport says it plans to fund $10M for continued exploration of new GPS technology that should improve on-time performance.
Flying into Oakland or San Jose improves your chances of landing on-time. At Oakland about 20 percent of flights land late. At San Jose its about 18 percent.
Their records are still far from perfect, so many travelers still prefer SFO even though 27 percent of flights are landing late these days.
This is my default airport, said passenger Holly Ashby. To me, its an A. I wont fly out of Oakland, I wont fly out of San Jose.
Airline delays now seemingly inevitable don't have to be completely roil your travel plans.
We believe your most powerful weapon to recover from a flight delay is your smartphone.
First: set alerts, so youre among the first to know when a flight is late. Then, when there is a delay, open your airline app to see if it lets you modify your reservation yourself.
Many do.
Your options might include an earlier flight, or an alternate destination. Sometimes you can work a delay to your advantage. Best of all: using the app means you dont have to stand in a mile-long line to re-book.
So long, Black Friday. WOW air is going with "Purple Friday," and they're celebrating with eye-popping prices for flights from the Bay Area to Europe.
For $129.99, travelers can fly one-way from San Francisco International Airport to European cities such as London, Amsterdam, Dublin and Brussels, according to the airline.
As with any striking deals, there are some catches.
Travelers have to first fly to Iceland before arriving at their final destination. The deal for SFO-departing flights also only applies to trips between Dec. 1 and Dec. 10, 2017 and Jan. 10 and May 15, 2018.
Don't forget about the airline's strict bag policy. Travelers are allowed one personal item (no larger than 17 x 13 x 10 inches) that comes included with their original ticket purchase, but carry-on bags (no larger than 22 x 18 x 10 inches) and checked baggage require additional payments.
English Finnish
Helsinki, Finland, November 23, 2017 at 1pm The Finnish Ministry of Finance orders implementation of the national digital transformation program related consulting services of up to two hundred (200) person-days from QPR Software. The program is part of the country-wide health, social services, and regional government reform. The Ministry also has the option to extend the service by one hundred (100) person-days. Decision about exercising the option is made separately.
The purchase was carried out as a small-scale tendering process and as part of a framework agreement on provision of strategy and operational development related consulting services between 2017 and 2021. QPR is one of the framework agreement suppliers in several areas, such as development of strategy, processes, and services.
The objective of the health, social services, and regional government reform is to establish a modern and cost-effective division of labor between the central government, counties, and municipalities. The purpose is to improve equality and availability of services. An important tool for the change is digitalization.
About QPR Software Plc
QPR Software provides solutions for strategy execution, performance and process management, process mining and enterprise architecture in over 50 countries. QPR Software allows customers to gain valuable insights for informed decisions that make a difference.
With 25 years of experience, 2 000 customers and over a million licenses sold, QPRs products are highly regarded by industry analysts and customers alike.
Dare to Improve. www.qpr.com
For additional information, please contact:
Miika Nurminen, SVP, Consulting and Advisory Services
+358 40 503 1982
miika.nurminen(at)qpr.com
For additional information on QPRs Business Process Management related services, please visit:
https://www.qpr.com/solutions/business-process-management
One person is dead after a plane that left from Massachusetts crashed in Pittsford, Vermont.
The plane was located on the east side of Route 7 having sustained heavy damage. There were no passengers on board the aircraft but its pilot was found dead at the scene, say Vermont State Police.
The pilot was identified as 89-year-old Norman Baker from Windsor, Massachusetts. Baker's Cesna left the Pittsfield Municipal Airport in Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon headed for Middlebury.
Baker has been flying his whole life. He had made the trip from Pittsfield to Middlebury approximately 20 times before Wednesday's crash.
Pittsford Police were alerted by a caller to a crash on Wednesday around 5 p.m. in the area of Sugar Hollow Road. The caller had spotted a small, low-flying aircraft in the area and reported that as the plane traveled out of sight, the caller heard a loud noise. The caller was concerned that the plane had crashed, but did not see a crash or wreckage.
Initial investigation found the caller's claim to be unfounded. Police coordinated with the FAA, Vermont Civil Air Patrol and Rutland Regional Airport to determine that there were no unaccounted for aircraft in the area, nor any broadcasting a distress signal.
Late Wednesday night, however, police were informed of an overdue aircraft en route to Middlebury from Massachusetts. Search parties were activated in Pittsford and surrounding areas.
The site of the plane crash was discovered Thursday afternoon by a private landowner searching his property. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor asked for authorization Monday to investigate reported human rights abuses in Afghanistan, including allegations of rape and torture by U.S. military and the CIA, crimes against humanity by the Taliban and war crimes by Afghan security forces.
The request marks the first time that ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has targeted Americans for alleged war crimes. Bensouda said an investigation under the auspices of the international tribunal could break through what she called "near total impunity" in Afghanistan.
The prosecutor's formal application to judges at the court also sets up a possible showdown with Washington. The United States is not a member state of the court, but its citizens can be charged with crimes committed in countries that are members.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it was reviewing Bensouda's authorization request, but opposes the International Criminal Court's involvement in Afghanistan.
"Our view is clear: an ICC investigation with respect to U.S personnel would be wholly unwarranted and unjustified," the State Department said. "More broadly, our overall assessment is that commencement of an ICC investigation will not serve the interests of either peace or justice in Afghanistan."
As well as alleged crimes by American troops in Afghanistan, Bensouda wants to investigate the activities of CIA operatives in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan and in Poland, Romania and Lithuania, which also are members of the court.
Established in 2002, the International Criminal Court is the world's first permanent court set up to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Bensouda said in a summary of her request that "information available provides a reasonable basis to believe" that U.S. military personnel and CIA operatives "committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period."
The prosecutor's office said there was reason to believe that at least 54 detainees were abused by U.S. military personnel and at least 24 by CIA operatives.
The alleged abuse included waterboarding, which simulates drowning, and was allowed by the Bush administration after the Sept. 11 attacks. President Barack Obama banned such practices after taking office in 2009.
The 16-page summary said the people likely to be targeted in any future investigations "include persons who devised, authorized or bore oversight responsibility for the implementation by members of the U.S. armed forces and members of the CIA of the interrogation techniques that resulted in the alleged commission of crimes."
A Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, said the Defense Department does not accept that an ICC investigation of U.S. personnel is warranted.
"The United States is deeply committed to complying with the law of war, and we have a robust national system of investigation and accountability that more than meets international standards," Andrews said. "We do not believe that an ICC examination or investigation with respect to the actions of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan is warranted or appropriate."
Bensouda's application for investigation authority states that Afghan security forces also are suspected of involvement in "systematic patterns of torture and cruel treatment of conflict-related detainees in Afghan detention facilities, including acts of sexual violence," Bensouda said
The Taliban and its allies are suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes "as part of a widespread and systematic campaign of intimidation, targeted killings and abductions of civilians," the detailed document stated. The victims an estimated 17,700 during 2009-2016 usually were perceived as supporting the government or opposing the Taliban rebels, according to the request.
In a statement, Richard Dicker, the international justice director at Human Rights Watch, welcomed the appeal for investigative authority.
"The request to pursue abuses by all sides, including those implicating U.S. personnel, reinforces the message that no one, no matter how powerful the government they serve, is beyond the law," Dicker said.
The ICC is a court of last resort, intended to mete out justice to high-ranking suspects considered most responsible for grave crimes and only when national authorities cannot or will not take legal action.
The request for an investigation in Afghanistan said that while the U.S. maintains that thousands of investigations have been conducted for alleged detainee abuse, those probes appeared only to cover low-level suspects.
Bensouda's filing said alleged abuses of detainees in CIA custody, "appear to have been committed with particular cruelty, involving the infliction of serious physical and psychological injury, over prolonged periods, and including acts committed in a manner calculated to offend cultural and religious values, and leaving victims deeply traumatized."
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the Rome treaty that established the court, but President George W. Bush renounced the signature, citing fears that Americans would be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons.
There is no set timeframe for judges to rule on Bensouda's request. Victims have until Jan. 31 next year to make their views about the possible investigation known to the ICC judges who will assess the request.
A 24-year-old Indiana teacher was arrested Wednesday after students at the school where she teaches tipped off the principal, police said.
Samantha Cox, of Northwest Indiana and a teacher at Lake Central High School, is being held at Lake County Jail pending charges of possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A student at the school shared video of a woman in a classroom shuffling in a corner that was reportedly then shown to school officials.
The father of the student confirmed to NBC 5 his son was the one who shot the video.
St. John police were notified of a teacher suspected of possessing an illegal narcotic on school property about 11:30 a.m., authorities said.
School officials and police praised the student witnesses for bringing the information to the principal of the school.
Their actions showed a tremendous amount of fortitude and integrity and enabled staff to address this situation promptly, police said in a statement.
No other information was immediately available.
Dozens of volunteers came out to feed hundreds of people who otherwise wouldnt get a Thanksgiving meal at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) in Willimantic Wednesday.
The school hosted its 11th annual Day of Giving. About 50 volunteers served up 400 pounds of turkey, 150 pounds of potatoes and several other trimmings.
More than 500 people walked through the doors of Hurley Hall, including Greg Spinnato.
"Its so pleasant. You get a free meal and its hot and its warm," Spinnato said.
The Willimantic resident has been attending the Day of Giving for four or five years now. He said if it wasnt for this event, his family wouldnt have a Thanksgiving dinner.
"My sons a special needs child. Im disabled myself. Theres been some rough times and this is really helpful for all of us," Spinnato said.
Angelica Oteros sister is part of Early Head Start, a home-based program that helps prepare young children for school. Families often have lower incomes.
"Its an extra day we get to say thanks to God and enjoy everybody for everything they do," Otero, of Willimantic, said.
Thea Oaks was in the food line, enjoying a Thanksgiving meal before she has to cook on Thursday.
"To be honest? I dont have to work! I dont have to cook! I can eat and enjoy myself," Oaks, of Willimantic, said.
The community event is a collaboration between Easterns Center for Community Engagement, the Office of Institutional Advancement and Chartwells, Easterns food service provider.
Food was donated by the ECSU Foundation and Chartwells. Chartwells staff also donated time to prepare the meal and decorate the dining hall.
The event also received 1,868 items from food drives at local grocery stores, raised $683 in cash donations and gathered even more supplies through collection boxes around campus.
The outpouring of community generosity was something special for students who helped make the day possible. Like Amber Schlemmer, an Eastern sophomore and student leader for the Day of Giving.
"People tell me, 'Otherwise, I wouldnt have had a Thanksgiving meal,' and it really has a special place in my heart," Schlemmer said.
The day was also special for Eastern alumnus Jason Kyle, who started the Day of Giving back in 2007. He was in visiting from Oakland, California and said hes glad the event has morphed into something bigger over the years.
"Now that I think about it, its not about your background or your socioeconomic status, its about an inclusive community event," Kyle, formerly known as Jason Budahazy.
All leftovers will be brought to Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic.
What to Know Trooper Damon Allen, 41, was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Thanksgiving Day. He was married and had three children.
Gunman identified as Dabrett Black, 32, of Lindale. He's been charged with capital murder of a peace officer and is being held without bond.
Black arrested by Waller County deputies hours after fatal shooting near Fairfield.
A man with a lengthy history of aggression toward law enforcement was arrested and charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a Texas State Trooper on Thanksgiving Day.
A Texas State Trooper gunned down Thanksgiving Day during a traffic stop was married and had three children. Officials have arrested a suspect with a lengthy history of aggression toward law enforcement and charged him with capital murder of a peace officer.
Late Thursday night, the Texas Department of Public Safety identified the fallen State Trooper as 41-year-old Damon Allen, a married father of three who joined the department in 2002.
RAW VIDEO: Officers, firefighters, first responders and hundreds of others lined the highway on Friday as the body of fallen State Trooper Damon Allen was taken from Dallas to his hometown of Teague Texas.
"Our DPS family is heartbroken tonight after one of Texas' finest law enforcement officers was killed in the line of duty," said Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "Trooper Allen's dedication to duty, and his bravery and selfless sacrifice on this Thanksgiving Day, will never be forgotten."
Suspect info on officer shooting: Darbrett Black, black male, 5 11, 175 lbs. Left scene driving a Gray Chevy Malibu LP# JDN4273. Incident occurred in Freestone county at approx 4:00 PM south of Fairfield on I45. Contact law enforcement if spotted and do not approach. #dfwnews Navarro County OEM (@NavarroOEM) November 23, 2017
Investigators said Allen pulled over 32-year-old Dabrett Black, of Lindale, along Interstate 45 south of Fairfield and was walking back to his patrol car when he was fatally shot with a rifle.
Officials said Black then drove away; Allen died at the scene.
Five hours later, and more than 100 miles from where the fatal shooting took place, deputies in Waller County arrested the suspected shooter near Hempstead.
DPS officials identified the suspect as Black.
The Waller County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that shots were fired ahead of Black's apprehension, but did not indicate who opened fire.
Meanwhile, late Thursday night, Texas DPS joined a number of other law enforcement agencies escorting Allen's body from the crime scene to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office.
Late Thursday night, Texas State Troopers joined a number of other law enforcement agencies escorting the body of slain Trooper Damon Allen's from the crime scene near Fairview to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office.
The Navarro County Office of Emergency Management praised agencies on Twitter for the "excellent operation" in taking the suspect into custody with no additional casualties.
Black went before a magistrate Friday and was officially charged with capital murder of a peace officer, among other charges. He is being held in the Brazos County Jail -- bond has not been set.
Please join all Texans as we pray for the family of the DPS Trooper just killed in Freestone County. TX AG Office (@TXAG) November 23, 2017
Attorney information for Black was not immediately available.
The Navarro County Office of Emergency Management has confirmed that a Texas State Trooper was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in Freestone County.
Suspected Shooter Has a Troubled Past
Black had a history of vehicle chases and other issues with law enforcement. Jail records show he was free on bond from Smith County where he was charged earlier this year with aggravated assault of a public servant and evading arrest with a vehicle.
NBC 5 News
Bond of $400,000 in those cases has now been revoked.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the TXDPS trooper shot and killed this afternoon in Freestone County. Information on the suspect to follow. #dfwnews #txdps Navarro County OEM (@NavarroOEM) November 23, 2017
Smith County court records show Black was indicted in October after he led police on a chase in July and rammed his car into a police cruiser after they tried to pull him over for speeding.
Court records also show 2015 charges of assault on a public servant and attempting to take a weapon from an officer. Those charges were dismissed in 2016, but it was unclear from records why.
Black was also charged with evading arrest in Anderson County, though details of the charges are unclear, including the date. According to jail records, bond was forfeited in that case.
On Friday, Black was moved from the Brazos County Jail, where he was originally booked, and brought back to Freestone County where the shooting took place.
A motive for the Thanksgiving Day shooting remains unclear.
RAW VIDEO: A Texas state trooper was shot and killed along I-45 in Freestone County Thursday afternoon.
Slain Trooper Was a Father of Three
Allen was born in Morgantown, Kentucky, on Oct. 4, 1976. His family moved to Mexia in 1984 where he grew up and played football for the Mexia Black Cats before graduating in 1995.
Allen married Kasey Pickett in November 1993 and after graduation worked beiefly for the Mexia State School before accepting a position with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the Mark W. Michael Unit, a men's prison in Tennessee Colony, Texas. Allen then, in 2002, went on to become a Texas State Trooper.
RAW VIDEO: Texas Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Lt. Lonny Haschel gives an update after a Texas state trooper was shot and killed along I-45 in Freestone County.
Allen is said to have enjoyed hunting, fishing and riding sand dunes. He attended Cowboy Church in Freestone as well as First Assembly of God in Mexia.
Allen is suvived by his wife, Kasey Pickett Allen, of Teague, two daughters and a son, his parents, four siblings, and numerous other in-laws, nieces and nephews.
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas flags at Texas Department of Public Safety facilities statewide to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Allen.
Funeral Services Set for Dec. 1
A funeral service for Allen will be held Dec. 1, at the Mexia High School football stadium. Pastor Bryan Hallmark will officiate.
Interment will follow the service at Salem Cemetery near Freestone.
The family will be present for visitation on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague.
He is survived by his wife, Kasey Pickett Allen of Teague; two daughters, Kaitlyn and Madison Allen; one son, Cameron Allen; his parents, Jimmy & Sue Allen of Mexia; three brothers, Ricky Allen & wife Lisa of Tennessee Colony, Ernie Allen & wife Tena of Thornton, and Doug Allen & wife Kristen of Mexia; one sister, Amy Gilmore & husband Jon of Mexia; his mother-in-law, Kathy Pickett; brother-in-law, Charlie Pickett & wife Leslie; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
The family requests memorials be made to The 100 Club, 5555 San Felipe St., Ste 1750, Houston, Texas 77056-5527 or online at the100club.org.
A Costa Mesa woman alleged her attorney took thousands of dollars from her after having his license to practice suspended and never disclosed it.
Shayne Rucknagel wonders why for month's no one in law enforcement was investigating the now disbarred attorney David Hiersekorn.
"Here he is taking large amounts of money from people and he's at home right now," Rucknagel said.
The State Bar of California suspended Hiersekorn's law license in July 2016 for failing to pay license fees and allegedly misappropriating more than $210,000 from a client's trust and recommended that he be disbarred.
At the time, he represented Rucknagel, too. She says he never disclosed he'd lost his law license.
"It shows what kind of character he is," she said.
In an email to the NBC4 I-Team, Hiersekorn denies the accusation, writing, "I informed Ms. Rucknagel of my status in July of 2016."
He also sent us a substitution of attorney form with Rucknagel's signature that she doesn't recall signing.
We checked for the form at the Orange County courthouse. It was never filed. Hiersekorn now confirms he never filed it.
In fact, nothing was filed in 2016 on Rucknagel's case, despite her paying Hiersekorn nearly $3,000 in October that year, months after he was ruled ineligible to practice law. Hiersekorn says he was owed that money for previous work on the case.
When Rucknagel contacted the I-Team, we suggested she file a complaint with the State Bar of California, whose mission is to protect the public. She did this past February. In March, she received a letter from the bar that says the bar recommended Hiersekorn's disbarment and that the bar was suspending investigation of Rucknagel's complaint pending final outcome of their recommendation.
The bar recommended she file a claim with their client security fund to reimburse her for the money she'd paid Hiersekorn.
On July 6, 2017, Rucknagel got a second letter stating the California Supreme Court had ordered Hiersekorn disbarred, and that "the State Bar has authority to take disciplinary action only against attorney's therefore this case against respondent is closed."
The State Bar represents right now a complete failure in how a government should serve the people of the state.
Mike Gatto, a lawyer and former state lawmaker, says complaints about the bar were rampant during his years in the legislature.
"Complaints just languishing for months and years of a lawyer doing really bad things without any consequences," he said.
Gatto isn't playing politics. The state auditor's office in 2016 issued a scathing report on the bar. The most serious allegation was the organization was failing at protecting the public.
Rucknagel isn't the only person at a loss for words. The bar denied our interview request about her complaint. We asked whether or not the bar would generally refer this type of matter to law enforcement for inquiry or what the standard is for the bar to do so.
Gatto says considering the amount of money allegedly misappropriated in Hiersekorn's disbarment, the case should have been referred to the district attorney's office.
On July 26, 2017, the state Supreme Court order disbarring Hiersekorn went into effect.
After numerous questions from the I-Team less than a month later, the State Bar sent Rucknagel another letter, this time an investigator wrote, "I have notified the Orange County District Attorney's Office of the alleged misconduct."
A spokesperson for the district attorney's office sent us a photo of an envelope confirming receipt of the bar's referral on Aug. 21 and that an investigation of, "Hiersekorn's conduct (both before and after his disbarment) is still ongoing."
The district attorney's office says it had not received a referral prior to that date.
"It's shocking," Gatto said.
That's because Hiersekorn is now long gone. He's left California. He never contested his disbarment, although he tells us he did not steal his client's money but lost it through a poor investment.
The court ordered he pay restitution, but he has not paid a dime. Hiersekorn says he's broke and expects his former client to be reimbursed through the bar's client security fund.
Hiersekorn is also supposed to notify the court in writing between 30 to 40 days of the order, that he's alerted his clients and affected parties of his disbarment. He hasn't done that either, but tells the I-Team he has complied with the obligations and intends to notify the court now that he's established a permanent address.
The bar's rules note failure to do so can be punishable by being held in contempt of court or charged with a crime. Rucknagel still wonders why neither has happened.
"Because they are protecting their own maybe? I have no idea," she said.
Rucknagel is also waiting to get her money back from the client security fund set up by the bar. It has told her there is no timetable for getting her claim resolved. It could possibly take years.
Hiersekorn, according to his social media postings, now lives in Idaho.
A Costa Mesa mother of three is calling out the attorney she hired to help her navigate the most trying time of her life.
In 2014, Shayne Rucknagel hired David Hiersekorn to handle some business and probate matters related to her husband's death. He committed suicide while the couple was divorcing.
"He had total control of all our finances, so he paid all the bills," Rucknagel said. "I had no access to any of the accounts."
She says the grief was tremendous. The panic of caring for three children alone was blinding, and financially she was broke.
Hiersekorn reassured her.
"He was like, 'No, Shayne. I'm going to help you through this,'" Rucknagel recalled. She says she was told the legal work would take about a year, but it dragged on.
Rucknagel says Hiersekorn blamed court delays, but she had regained control of some finances.
On July 27, 2016, Rucknagel emailed Hiersekorn after unsuccessfully trying to reach him for weeks, she says. She asked him specifics about a few outstanding matters and paying Hiersekorn's remaining final fee, writing, "I want to be done with this process. It's coming up on two years since Eric's death."
Hiersekorn responded a few days later on Aug. 1st that he was having email problems and needed to meet with her.
In the time between those two emails, according to the State Bar of California, Hiersekorn became ineligible to practice law on July 29, 2016.
Rucknagel says she met with Hiersekorn on Aug. 5. She says he requested $2,935 to close her case and file the final paperwork. She saysHhiersekorn said nothing about losing his law license.
On Aug. 10, Hiersekorn writes, "I can file the petition with the court as soon as I receive the payment."
On Oct. 25, Rucknagel cut the check. Hiersekorn cashed it. Rucknagel says it was back to silence.
"He never contacted me," she said. "I tried calling, emails."
In Feburary 2017, she looked Hiersekorn up online. The first thing that came up was the state bar's warning.
The bar suspended Hiersekorn's law license for failing to pay his dues and failing to respond to disciplinary charges accusing him of misappropriating $210,208.61 from the trust of a former client.
The NBC4 I-Team reached Hiersekorn through his email and by phone. He doesn't deny continuing to do work for Rucknagel after his license was suspended.
"I knew that a suspension was imminent but I had no notice of when it would take effect," he wrote to NBC4.
Hiersekorn says had he been paid immediately he could have completed court filings before his suspension became official. He insists he informed Rucknagel he'd lost his license to practice in July 2016.
Hiersekorn emailed the I-Team an attorney substitution form with Rucknagel's signature. He admitted to never filing it. We have asked Hiersekorn what the $2,935 paid to him after losing his law license paid for. He says it was the end of case balance, money owed to him for court filings he made while still licensed to practice and related to court costs he'd paid on her behalf.
"It was like he was stealing money from my children, that's all they have left," Rucknagel said. "They lost their father, they only have me."
We suggested Rucknagel report what happened to the state bar because as late as February 2017, Hiersekorn was still emailing her apologizing for letting matters related to her husband's IRA account "fall through the cracks." He tells us that was outside of any scope of work in their agreement.
We'll show you what the California State Bar did in Part 2 of our report airing in the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
A chase and shootout involving California Highway Patrol officers and two suspects in Stockton late Tuesday resulted in the arrest of one of two Santa Clara County escaped inmates, according to the CHP.
Tramel McClough, 46, was arrested late Tuesday night and is being housed at the San Joaquin County Jail, but the CHP said they are still searching for John Bivins, 47, who along with McClough, escaped from a Santa Clara County courthouse in Palo Alto two weeks ago.
Bivins is driving a green 1999 Ford Explorer with the California license plate 7TTY505, the CHP said.
A chase and shootout involving California Highway Patrol officers and two suspects in Stockton late Tuesday resulted in one arrest and a search for a man who had been identified as one of two Santa Clara County escaped inmates, according to the CHP. Jean Elle reports.
At about 5:15 p.m., CHP units attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle on northbound Interstate 5 south of Eight Mile Road. A short chase ensued onto southbound Trinity Parkway, where McClough exited, ran into a Walmart store and was later apprehended, the CHP said.
The passenger, Bivins, fled in the vehicle on southbound Trinity Parkway, where an officer fired shots just south of McAuliffe Road, the CHP said.
Bivins continued to flee in the vehicle on northbound Trinity Parkway.
Santa Clara County sheriff's investigators tracked the two to Stockton.
"As for the specifics of why they were in Stockton, I don't have that information at this time," sheriff's Sgt. Richard Glennon said. "But based on the information they had, it was reliable."
Earlier this month, Bivins and McClough, who were being held without bail after robbing a Verizon store, were leaving a courtroom when they made a beeline for the exit, hopped in a getaway car, drove a few blocks and jumped into a van before fleeing the area, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department.
Bivins, 47, is described as being 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 180 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair, the sheriff's office said.
"Bivins, he escaped from custody, he evaded CHP, he's in a fleeing vehicle," Glennon said. "There was an officer-involved shooting, so he's dangerous. Definitely a dangerous individual; has a history of acquiring weapons."
The sheriff's office did not provide a timetable on when McClough will be brought back to Santa Clara County after his court date in San Joaquin County on Monday.
NBC Bay Area's Robert Handa contributed to this report.
PICTURE A CLASSIC CAROLING PARTY... and you're bound to see a row of houses or apartment doors, the kind of doors that merrily rock a wreath or some holly or some lights or some over-the-top combination of all three. You'll probably summon the images of a few front yards next, and fences, and sidewalks, and perhaps a few mailboxes, too. What you're likely not conjuring with your mind's eye is a harbor seal, or a gull, or a buoy, or a harbor, or that surf-y scent that dominates when you're on a boat ("salty sunshine" is a fine way to describe this particular aroma). If those critters and visual elements did spring to mind at the mention of caroling, you've likely been on a caroling cruise, a seasonal to-do that isn't exclusive to California but is very much one of those special Christmassy California things. Finding your vessel, though, in which to fa, la, la? There are a few companies offering such on-the-waves whimsy over the next few weeks, including...
ISLAND PACKERS CRUISES: If you've been to the Channel Islands National Park, or gone whale watching 'round Ventura, you likely know Island Packers well. And while the company's Holiday Caroling Cruises don't head out to the national park, the boat does spend an hour heading "through the Ventura Harbor and Ventura Keys," all to "(v)iew the decorated homes and boats." Sixty minutes will give you and your pals and everyone on board plenty of time to get a few "Jingle Bells"-esque tunes in along the way, too. An adult ticket? It's $16, a senior ticket is $13 and a child's admission is ten bucks. If you require more watery whimsy woven through your seasonal warbling, finding a caroling cruise, one that keeps close to the shore and harbor in order to enjoy the lights on land, is the wave-tastic way to go.
As many as 10 members of the gang MS-13 stabbed a man more than 100 times in a Maryland park, ripped out his heart and buried him, officials say.
Court documents released Wednesday reveal gruesome details about the killing of a man officials in Montgomery County still have not been able to identify.
Miguel Angel Lopez-Abrego, 19, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
A ranking gang member told police Lopez-Abrego was the first person to stab the victim, court documents say.
The informant said that he, Lopez-Abrego and eight other MS-13 gang members lured the victim to Wheaton Regional Park this spring. For about two weeks, they planned how to get the man to go from the Annapolis area to Wheaton because they planned to kill him and dispose of his body, the informant told police.
Lopez-Abrego helped dig a grave for the victim and used a walkie-talkie to tell the other gang members when the victim had arrived, the informant told police.
Then, the gang members choked him, stabbed him more than 100 times, decapitated him and dismembered him, the informant said. They ripped his heart from his chest and threw it into the grave they dug for him.
On Sept. 5, the informant led detectives to the body. The man's remains were where the informant said they would be, and he had injuries consistent with the torture the informant described.
Lopez-Abrego was found in North Carolina on Nov. 11 and arrested on a first-degree murder warrant. He has been extradited to Montgomery County.
Police are still working to identify the victim. In September, investigators released several photos of clothing and a rosary that were found with him.
The items included a rosary, a sweatshirt with a Methodist church logo and a pair of blue shorts. You can see the photos on the Montgomery County Police website.
Police say the victim was a Hispanic man who was about 5 feet 2 inches tall and 126 pounds. He had short, dark brown hair. He was missing a bottom tooth, and police believe he was living in the Annapolis area.
Anyone with information is asked to call 240-773-5070.
Oslo, November 23, 2017: The Board of Directors of Scatec Solar ASA ('SSO') call for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held at the Company's registered office in Karenslyst Alle 49, 0279 Oslo (4th floor) on 14 December 2017 at 09:00 (CET) for the purpose of electing a new Member of the Board of Directors.
The complete Notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting is enclosed, and will also be distributed by post to Scatec Solar's registered shareholders as of today.
For further information, please contact:
- Mr. Raymond Carlsen, CEO, tel: +47 454 11 280,
E-mail: raymond.carlsen@scatecsolar.com
- Mr. Mikkel Trud, CFO, tel: +47 976 99 144,
E-mail: mikkel.torud@scatecsolar.com
About Scatec Solar
Scatec Solar is an integrated independent solar power producer, delivering affordable, rapidly deployable and sustainable source of clean energy worldwide. A long term player, Scatec Solar develops, builds, owns, operates and maintains solar power plants, and already has an installation track record of close to 600 MW.
Currently, the company is producing electricity from 322 MW of solar power plants in the Czech Republic, South Africa, Rwanda, Honduras and Jordan and another 394 MW are under construction.
With an established global presence, the company is growing briskly with a project backlog and pipeline of more than 1.5 GW under development in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Scatec Solar is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
A former business associate of Michael Flynn has become a subject of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation for his role in the failure of Flynn's former lobbying firm to disclose its work on behalf of foreign governments, three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
Federal investigators are zeroing in on Bijan Kian, a partner at the now-dissolved Flynn Intel Group, and have questioned multiple witnesses in recent weeks about his lobbying work on behalf of Turkey. The grand jury convened for the investigation will soon have a chance to question some of those witnesses, the sources say.
Mueller recently indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates simultaneously. Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty. Both Flynn's and Manafort's lobbying firms have come under investigation for failing to disclose lobbying work on behalf of foreign governments.
Rapper Meek Mill's five-year tradition of giving out turkeys to his fellow Philadelphians continued on Thanksgiving Eve this year despite the lionized musician's controversial imprisonment.
Mill, 30, began the holiday event in 2013 with the help of community leaders like South Philadelphia's Anton Moore. That first year, 200 turkeys were handed out at the Vare Middle School, as well as winter coats.
This year, as many as 1,000 turkeys will be distributed at four locations throughout Wednesday morning and afternoon. The first batch of birds were given out at Moore's community organization, Unity in the Community, at Point Breeze Avenue and Dickinson Street, starting at 11 a.m.
The giveaways were to proceed then at noon at Bible Way Baptist Church, 1323 North 52nd St.; 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 2101 Cecil B. Moore Ave.; and 3 p.m. at Strawberry Mansion Learning Center, Dauphin Street and North 30th Street.
NBC10/Lauren Mayk
Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, has become a nationally-recognized figure in recent weeks after a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge sentenced him to jail for probation violations.
Activists and renowned musicians from Colin Kaepernick to Jay-Z have pointed to his jailing as symbolic of what they describe as harsh treatment of blacks by the criminal justice system.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins took part in a Center City #FreeMeek" rally.
I am proud to Stand For Justice today and everyday. #Justice4Meek #FreeMeekMill pic.twitter.com/eQgh6OAY7o Julius Dr J Erving (@JuliusErving) November 13, 2017
Hundreds of protesters, including 76ers legend Dr. J, Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins, and rapper Rick Ross, rallied in Center City in support of jailed Philly hip hop artist Meek Mill. NBC10s Aaron Baskerville has the story.
Kaepernick said in social media posts that he spoke with Mill in prison and said the rapper was "in good spirits."
A DreamChasers Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway is happening this Wednesday November 22nd for the city of Philly. Please come out and support. A post shared by Meek Mill (@meekmill) on Nov 21, 2017 at 12:39pm PST
Jay-Z wrote in a New York Times op-ed that the Mill has "been stalked by a system that considers the slightest infraction a justification for locking him back inside."
"Consider this: Meek was around 19 when he was convicted on charges relating to drug and gun possession, and he served an eight-month sentence," Jay-Z wrote. "Now hes 30, so he has been on probation for basically his entire adult life."
This is the card handed out with the turkeys pic.twitter.com/RjVPB0Mr0k Lauren Mayk (@Laurenjmayk) November 22, 2017
Mill's attorneys have filed appeals to Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley's sentence of two to four years in prison. Brinkley, who has overseen Mill's decade-long probation, has not made a ruling on the appeal.
His attorneys have also asked that Brinkley recuse herself from Mill's case and any appeals. They claimed in court filings that the judge has expressed herself over the years "in personal, injudicious terms when ruling or explaining her rulings" in the ongoing probation hearings.
The recusal request included some tawdry accusations, like a claim that she asked the Philadelphia-born rapper to record a version of a Boyz II Men song and include a shout out to Brinkley. Another claim accuses the judge of recommending Mill leave his management agency, Roc Nation, which is headed by Jay-Z, and rejoin his original manager, a Philadelphia man named Charlie Mack.
In sending Mill to jail Nov. 6, Brinkley said Mill "does what he wants" despite repeated warnings.
Twice in recent years, Brinkley ruled that Mill violated his probation by being associated with an alleged fight at a St. Louis airport and being charged with popping wheelies on a dirt bike in New York City.
Thousands of police officers from around the country turned out to pay respects Wednesday to a rookie Pennsylvania police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop last week.
Law enforcement officers from as far away as Colorado and Rhode Island joined students and residents lining the roads as Officer Brian Shaw's funeral procession moved through the streets of New Kensington. Some held handmade signs, such as one that read, "God Bless Officer Shaw." The mile-long line of police cruisers followed the hearse from the funeral home to Mount Saint Peter Church.
WPXI
The 25-year-old officer was shot and killed Friday night when he tried to pull over an SUV for a routine traffic violation.
Mourners remembered Shaw for his smile, twinkling eyes and devotion to his job.
Frazer Police Chief Terry Kuhns, who was Shaw's boss before he joined the New Kensington department, said the officer once told him he wanted to make a difference in the world.
"It is not how officers die that make them heroes, it is how they lived," Kuhns said during the funeral Mass. "Clearly Brian tried to make a difference and did make a difference and lived his life as a hero."
The Mass was broadcast to the hundreds of mourners outside and could be heard all throughout the block.
Afterward, the vehicle procession wound its way to the cemetery for a private burial. In front of the hearse was Shaw's cruiser, draped in black ribbon with bouquets of flowers strewn about the hood.
Authorities have charged 29-year-old Rahmael Holt with fatally shooting Shaw.
Officials have said Shaw stopped a vehicle that Holt was riding in, and Holt fled on foot. Shaw, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, pursued Holt and was shot several times. It doesn't appear that Shaw returned fire.
Holt was arrested Tuesday after a multiday manhunt.
Among those watching the funeral procession was a group of about 60 Valley High School students and faculty gathered near the church.
Senior Ian Henry told the Tribune-Review he was there to show support to Shaw's family and other officers.
"We hope that they'll see how important they are to us," Henry said. "Our cause is to make sure Officer Shaw won't be forgotten."
Since 2010, 71,000 guns were reported lost or stolen in California, according to data obtained by NBC 7 Investigates, more than a dozen NBC stations across the country and the nonprofit journalism organization, The Trace.
Many of those weapons are arming the very criminals they are meant to protect against.
Stolen and lost guns come from many places, including gun dealers, pawn shops, law enforcement. The largest number of them come from private owners. National Crime Information Center statistics show thefts from private owners increased 42% from 2005 to 2014.
Click here to see more on where stolen guns end up across the U.S.
Five years ago a San Diego area law enforcement officer, who wished to be identified only as Mike, said he was devastated after his nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun was stolen from his car.
"Because of me, I put a gun on the street," he said.
According to Mike, he returned home around five oclock in the morning after his second double shift in a row. Tired, he said he forgot the gun in his console and locked the car. Later that night a thief struck.
The gun was missing, Mike said. My wife she had some Prada glasses in there. The baby's diaper bag was missing. It all hit me.
In data from more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies in 36 states and Washington D.C., NBC 7 Investigates found more than 204,000 guns stolen since 2010. In San Diego County, nearly 200 stolen guns were recovered in connection with crimes, including two attempted murders, 15 assaults, and 40 burglaries.
ATF Operational Intelligence Agent Kevin O'Keefe said after cash, guns are the most desirable thing to steal.
"We just ask that everybody partner to realize what's going on to not make it easier for the bad guys to get at these guns," he said.
According to the police data, of the thousands of guns lost or stolen from California, 359 traveled more than 50 miles; some traveling as far away as Maryland, New York, and Florida.
Sixteen hours after stealing Mike's weapon the suspect's getaway vehicle was photographed on the South Bay Expressway. According to Mike, the stolen diaper and gym bags in the bed of the truck can be seen in a photo taken while the vehicle traveled through the checkpoint.
Mikes gun was ultimately recovered and wasn't used in any crimes. A relief to this law enforcement agent who is also a father of three.
"I don't want any danger to come their way and I don't want it to be me to be the cause of that," Mike said.
Mike reported the theft of his gun to the Chula Vista Police Department.
In California, Proposition 63, which went into effect in July, requires gun owners to report stolen weapons within five days or face fines up to one thousand dollars after multiple infractions.
A spokesperson for the National Rifle Association said, "a law that requires reportage (of stolen or lost guns) is nothing but punitive. It does not prevent crimes from being committed, and it only serves to further victimize an otherwise law-abiding person(s) after they've been robbed."
Mike said he now transports his handgun in a firearm safe bolted to his car.
It's better that the average citizen has weapons and is able to protect them, Mike said. With the responsibility that comes with it, you just can't be careless.
He said he turned one careless fatigued moment into a forever lesson so the next crime he investigates isn't perpetrated with his gun.
The FBI estimates 2 million guns were lost or stolen in the U.S. over the last 10 years. According to law enforcement experts, a quarter of those are never reported to police.
A man has died after a car crash on the Capital Beltway early Thanksgiving morning, police say.
Christopher S. Padilla, 30, of Alexandria, was killed when his 2013 Honda Civil crashed into the back of a parked tractor-trailer in Franconia, Virginia, early Thursday, Virginia State Police said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer had mechanical trouble early Thursday and pulled onto the right shoulder of I-495 just south of Exit 173/Van Dorn Avenue, police said.
He inspected his vehicle and was about to drive away when he felt the impact of the crash.
The front of Padilla's car was forced under the rear of the tractor-trailer.
A witness told News4 he saw the crash.
"It looked like they just veered off. The truck wasn't in the street, it was on the side," Marcus Johnson said.
Troopers were called to the scene about 3:35 a.m.
Padilla was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Traffic was moving steadily after the crash, but lanes on the right were blocked.
Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
A couple of crashes delayed traffic in Maryland during the last rush hour before Thanksgiving.
A crash occurred about 4 p.m. on westbound Route 50 between Martin Luther King Boulevard and the Beltway in the Landover area. Prince Georges County Fire and EMS went to the scene.
One of the two vehicles involved overturned. At least one person was injured.
Then about 6:15 p.m., a police-involved crash on the Inner Loop of the Beltway at Ritchie Marlboro Road in the Capitol Heighs area tied up traffic in both directions.
A Prince George's County Police officer was responding to a Maryland Sate Police request for assistance when the officer's cruiser was struck by a sedan near the Ritchie Marlboro exit, causing the police cruiser to hit two other vehicles and the guardrail.
The officer got pinned inside and had to be cut out of the vehicle by Fire and EMS. The officer was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
An adult and three children in a minivan and four adults in a pickup truck all sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
A man accused of posing as an Uber driver and raping a D.C. college student who was his passenger was released from jail Wednesday despite the rape charge.
El Houcine Jourhdaly, 36, said he had sex with the woman but that it was consensual. D.C. Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz ruled that under D.C. Code, the woman was too drunk to consent to sex.
As News4 reported, the woman told police the driver sexually assaulted her on American University's campus.
Details revealed in court shed new light on the alleged crime that shocked many ride-hailing service users and members of the American University community.
Surveillance video shows Jourhdaly circling the campus before the alleged attack, a detective testified.
The 20-year-old woman and her friend, a man, told police they saw an Uber sticker on a car near Dupont Circle about 3:20 a.m. Sunday. They were leaving the bar Manor after a night of drinking and flagged down the driver.
Jourhdaly said he would drive the pair, and they got in the car, police said.
According to the driver and the woman's friend, the woman and her friend were arguing, and then she passed out. When the car got to American University, the male passenger got out and Jourhdaly took off with the woman still in the car, police said.
Surveillance footage shows him driving around campus for 10 to 15 minutes and then stopping in a remote parking lot.
Then, the woman says the driver raped her.
Then, he drove her to her dormitory and dropped her off.
Jourhdaly, of Springfield, Virginia, was initially arrested on sexual abuse and kidnapping charges. The judge dropped the kidnapping charge on Friday for lack of evidence.
He has no prior criminal record. The judge ordered him to get a GPS monitor, stay away from the victim and not drive anyone but family members.
Police say video shows Jourhdaly's car had an Uber sticker before the assault. The sticker was gone when police went to interview him at his home in Virginia, police said.
Uber said Jourhdaly was a driver for the service beginning in January 2014, but said he was banned from the app in 2015. The company declined to say why he was removed. Uber initially told News4 that Jourhdaly did not appear to be an active driver.
Lyft said Jourhdaly applied to be a driver but was not approved.
The woman initially reported the crime to campus police.
American University issued a crime alert to students and staff. Information on the alert was posted on the AU Public Safety Twitter account about 8:45 p.m. They reminded students to only request rides through official apps.
Police ask anyone who has information or had a previous encounter with Jourhdaly to call police at 202-727-9099.
Jourhdaly is due in court Jan. 16.
More than 350 firearms have been lost or stolen from local and federal police agencies headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area since 2011, according to an investigation by the News4 I-Team.
In many cases, the firearms have not yet been recovered.
A compilation of police records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveals a series stolen or lost firearms at large and small police agencies. At least 35 of them were taken or lost from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., since 2011. Twenty-eight others were lost or stolen from Prince Georges County Police. Ten were reported missing or stolen from Alexandria police, while eight were lost or stolen from Virginia State Police during the time period.
In a rising number of cases, the firearms were stolen from police vehicles. Six of the seven firearms taken from Fairfax County Police were listed as taken from cruisers or officers personal vehicles. A firearm stolen from the car of an off-duty Rockville police officer was later seized from a teenager on campus at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, according to police reports.
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The teenager from whom the firearm was seized is facing federal criminal charges.
Firearms experts with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said thieves often steal firearms from vehicles from both private citizens and law enforcement.
Individuals who are known to posses firearms legally become targets, ATF investigator Kevin OKeefe said.
Some high-profile thefts have yet to be solved. FBI agents told the I-Team they have not yet located a pair of agency firearms and other tactical gear stolen from the vehicle of a D.C. field office employee in summer 2016.
Calvert County Sheriffs officials said they have not determined the rightful owner of a cache of stolen police weapons found in the possession of a man they arrested in March.
Rockville Police, from whom two guns were stolen in April, said they have recently stiffened their policies to prevent future thefts. Acting Police Chief Robert Rappoport said officers must now store firearms in a locked case when keeping those guns in a vehicle trunk. It'll add another level of security to the weapons," he said. "If a vehicle's trunk is compromised, there's one extra level to ensure the weapon can't be removed from the trunk."
A review of reports from federal inspectors general shows federal agencies also lost guns by the dozens in recent years. An October 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said federal homeland security agents lost at least 228 firearms since 2014.
Personnel did not follow policy or used poor judgment when safeguarding these assets, the report said.
In a formal response to the report, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would offer additional training to staff to reduce the risk of future gun thefts or losses.
Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.
The suspect accused in the killing of Ollie the pit bull has a history of targeting animals and his apartment had gruesome evidence of cruelty, according to a Hollywood Police Department report.
The HPD said it made the arrest on Wednesday in the animal cruelty case related to Ollie, who died days after being found beaten, stabbed and stuffed in a suitcase.
In a statement, HPD said 31-year-old Hollywood resident Brendan Evans was arrested following an investigation in which it executed a search warrant at his residence on Nov. 14.
Evans, whose DNA was found on the suitcase in which Ollie was found, is charged with aggravated animal cruelty, police said.
The investigation into Evans, who police noted had a dog tooth in his wallet, revealed a criminal history, police said. He was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in 2012 for domestic battery and he is currently on probation for a bank robbery in Hernando County.
"Evans' fingerprints were also found to be linked to a residential burglary in the City of Hollywood," HPD said in a statement. "He was taken into custody for the burglary and violation of probation."
Ollie's case drew national attention after a couple found the dog in the early hours of Oct. 10. He was rushed to a veterinarian but died days later.
We will not tolerate any form of animal cruelty or violence in our city," HPD Acting Police Chief Chris O'Brien said in a statement. "Each reported case of animal cruelty, be it physical abuse or neglect, is disturbing, and this case is particularly heartbreaking. We were all pulling for Ollie to survive, but unfortunately, he didn't make it. However, due to our investigation, we are now able to provide justice for Ollie."
Dr. Nicole Patterson, the associate veterinarian who treated Ollie at the VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital, said the animal cruelty Ollie sustained was "probably one of the worst abuse cases I've ever seen."
The investigation revealed Evans' disturbing, gruesome history with animal cruelty, according to a police report.
The detectives on the case first made note of Evans' "cold" demeanor during an initial visit to his residence.
"Opposed to the numerous people we had come into contact with, Brendan Evans never made note of how egregious of an act that occurred, nor did he seem concerned this incident occurred so close to where he lived," the HPD detective wrote, adding that he and his partner "noted [Evans'] extremely cold yet nervous demeanor."
A report by a Delray Beach police officer from June shows that a man filed a complaint after Evans bought two kittens and called days later requesting for more kittens. The seller of the kittens, who questioned Evans' intentions, called police after becoming suspicious.
In a Fort Lauderdale Police Department report filed in February, Evans was reported as attempting to kick a mother duck and her ducklings.
When an FLPD officer questioned him, Evans said he wanted to kill the duck because it was his religious right as he practices voodoo.
Police further saw evidence of animal cruelty when executing the search warrant.
"In the freezer's top shelf, several frozen rats were observed. The first white rat appeared to have had its legs removed and a circular piece of scalp was removed from the top of its head," the report reads. "A second dead white rat with a severed tail was located on the top level with white wax attached to its body."
Another rat was decapitated, according to the report, which adds that police also found what appeared to be two cat paws in the freezer.
"It appeared that something within the stove was bleeding and struggling inside the oven, smearing suspect blood while the oven door was closed. Small tufts of suspect fur were visible to the eye on the oven grate," the report adds.
Officers also found a bloodied one-and-a-half-foot machete and on top of Evans' dresser, a shrine made up of candles, melted wax, blood and fur.
On the shrine, between two candles, police found a Crime Stoppers flyer of Ollie the pit bull ripped in half.
A 92-year-old woman is recovering after she was violently robbed on a path near her home in Quincy, Massachusetts, and police are still searching for the suspects.
It happened Sunday as Doris Prendiville was walking back to an elderly living complex on Clay Street in Quincy after getting the Sunday newspaper at a nearby CVS.
She told police a man in his 30s came out of nowhere, pushed her to the ground and took off with her pocketbook.
The violent purse snatching was caught on camera. Prendiville suffered a fractured sternum.
"How somebody could ever punch a woman like that in her chest, let alone punch her at all, it's pathetic," neighbor Deborah Moffett said.
Her purse was later found by an observant neighbor who described a similar suspect leaving it by a nearby dumpster after taking cash.
Prendiville's daughter, Chris, told NBC Boston Wednesday that her mother is tough, but in a lot of pain.
"It hurts for her to bend over or to lean forward or to even lie back," Chris said.
"She saw the guy, she said 'good morning' and then he just shoved her in the chest and pushed her down," she added.
Police are not just looking for the male suspect, but also a female who they say assisted the elderly woman back to the lobby of the complex after the assault. They say before the good Samaritan was seen on camera in the lobby, she was spotted with the suspect.
"I have to think she had somewhat of a conscience and what happened bothered her and she came back," Lt. John Steele of the Quincy Police Department said.
"She was shocked when she learned that the girl was in it, I think very disappointed in the girl," Chris said of her mother.
Both Chris and Doris hope the suspects turn themselves in.
"They need help, absolutely they need help," said Chris. "If they're willing to hurt somebody, anybody else, to get money. And I really hope theyre prosecuted for this horrific crime."
Police are hoping the twist in the case will help them solve the heartless crime. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Quincy Police Department.
LONDON and TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BGL Group, a leading digital distributor of insurance and household financial services, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), today announced the signing of an agreement which will see CPPIB invest c.675 million for a 30% stake in BGL Group. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals.
BHL, the current owner of BGL Group, will retain a majority shareholding in the business, and the investment is expected to be completed by the end of April 2018 subject to satisfaction of the closing conditions. CPPIB will nominate a non-executive director to represent it on the board of BGL. As a result of this investment, BGL Group will not be pursuing an IPO at this time.
BGL Group is a leading digital distributor of insurance and household financial services, which owns brands including comparethemarket.com, LesFurets.com and online life insurer BeagleStreet.com. For the year ending 30 June 2017, BGL reported 14% underlying revenue growth to 585 million, and 19% growth in underlying profit before tax to 126 million. Total customers increased to over 8.5 million. To date, the business has seen growth at a similar rate in this financial year.
Peter Winslow, Chairman of BGL Group, said: We are delighted to welcome CPPIB as an investor. During the course of our IPO preparations, our shareholder BHL received a number of approaches from different kinds of investors, as BGL represents a unique growth opportunity in UK financial services. A competitive process followed and our view was that CPPIB was the best partner for BGL. It is a hugely respected and experienced global institution, with a long-term ethos and track record of supporting growth. Building BGL Group and its brands into some of the most well known in the UK and France has created significant value for our stakeholders, and this investment reflects confidence in our continued success.
Ryan Selwood, Managing Director & Head of Direct Private Equity, CPPIB, said: Through this investment in BGL Group, CPPIB will participate in the continued growth of a leading financial technology business serving the UK consumer insurance distribution market, which provides greater transparency and choice to consumers. We are very pleased to create this partnership with BHL in a dynamic, high-growth sector to support the success of BGLs iconic brands, including comparethemarket.com, which will further diversify our portfolio. This investment alongside a world class, aligned partner in BHL is a great example of our Private Equity Solutions strategy, where we provide capital solutions at scale to families, like-minded investors, corporations, funds and entrepreneurs, to pursue sizeable investments with an option to hold long term, ultimately delivering strong risk-adjusted returns to CPP contributors and beneficiaries.
Matthew Donaldson, Chief Executive of BGL Group, said: This investment is a clear vote of confidence in our performance and potential. We have a long-term growth strategy which builds on our market-leading core capabilities of data, digital and marketing. We will continue to operate in our current markets, innovating to ensure we continue to offer the best products for our customers, but we will also focus on developing and launching new ventures. My executive team and I are looking forward to working with our new partner to drive the next exciting stage of our growth.
Contacts
BGL Group: Caroline Raines, Associate Director, External Communications
Telephone: 07891 639333
Caroline.raines@bglgroup.co.uk
Finsbury (For BGL Group): James Bradley / Alastair Elwen
Telephone: 020 7251 3801
James.bradley@finsbury.com / alastair.elwen@finsbury.com
N M Rothschild & Sons Limited (Rothschild): Christopher Kaladeen, lead adviser to BHL and BGL
Telephone: 020 7280 1866
CPPIB: Mei Mavin, Director, Global Corporate Communications / Dan Madge, Senior Manager, Media Relations
Telephone: +44 0 203 205 3406 / +1 416 868 8629
mmavin@cppib.com / dmadge@cppib.com
Notes to Editors: BGL Group
BGL Group is a leading digital distributor of insurance and household financial services to 8.5 million customers. The Group is organised in two divisions: Price Comparison and Insurance Distribution and Outsourcing (IDO).
The Price Comparison division offers customers access to a growing range of car, home insurance and breadth products (including life, travel, energy and pet insurance as well as utilities and money products). Comparethemarket.com is one of the UKs largest and most-loved price comparison sites and LesFurets.com is a leading player in the French market.
In IDO, our partnerships business, Junction, provides car and home insurance through some of the UKs most well-known brands; Beagle Street and FiftyLife offer simple, fast online life insurance; and our own insurance brands, Budget and Dial Direct offer tailored car, home, life and van insurance products all supported by our state of the art contact centres.
Comparethemarket.com, Dial Direct and Budget are trading names of BISL Limited and BeagleStreet.com is a trading name of BGL Direct Life Limited. BISL Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. BGL Direct Life Limited is an Appointed Representative of BISL Limited. Both entities are subsidiaries of BGL (Holdings) Limited. Registered Address: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, PE2 6YS. More details are available on www.bglgroup.co.uk
Notes to Editors: CPPIB
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits on behalf of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a diversified portfolio of CPP assets, CPPIB invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, New York City, Sao Paulo and Sydney, CPPIB is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At September 30, 2017, the CPP Fund totalled $328.2 billion. For more information about CPPIB, please visit www.cppib.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
A juvenile has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of an 18-year-old this weekend in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's office said Tuesday that a juvenile, whose name has not been released, allegedly shot Ian Jewell of Manchester to death during a robbery at the Ace Hardware Store on Depot Street Sunday afternoon. An alternative count of second-degree murder was also filed.
Because the suspect is a minor, authorities did not release any additional information.
Jewell was found suffering from a gunshot wound by police around 4:20 p.m. at the store's parking lot. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
Jewell, a student at Manchester Memorial High School, was honored by his classmates Tuesday, with students wearing tie-dye in his honor.
"He was really positive, he tried to keep everybody positive. If someone was feeling down or getting bullied, he would step up and speak up for them," recalled classmate Matthew Gagne.
"He was one of the popular kids. But most popular kids here are all snooty but he was different. He'd smile at everyone. If you tripped and fell in the hall, he was the one to help you pick up your books," classmate Katelyn Bisson said.
The senior was just months away from graduation.
Anyone with information is asked to call New Hampshire State Police at 603-223-8890.
Norfolk priest loses her hair for Mind charity Norfolk priest loses her hair for Mind charity
Norfolk community priest and City Pastor in Norwich, Rev Deb Cousins, has lost all of her hair to raise money for Norwich and Central Norfolk Mind.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 1 in 7 people in the United States, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). These individuals have a very high risk of cardiovascular disease, and some will also progress to kidney failure requiring dialysis and transplantation.
However, few options exist to treat them, and few major breakthroughs have been made during the last 30 years. More than 660,000 Americans have kidney failure, according to the NIDDK.
A new study that included researchers from Norway, the University of Washington, the University of California San Diego and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (now called UT Health San Antonio) found that dozens of small molecules called metabolites are altered in this disease. "We analyzed these small molecules in the blood and urine of non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease and compared the results to samples obtained from a group of healthy individuals," said Stein Hallan, M.D., first author of the study published in EBioMedicine. "Importantly, our study identified that a group of molecules called tri-carboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites are significantly affected in chronic kidney disease."
Chronic kidney disease, fatigue and metabolism
The TCA cycle is a process in which fuel molecules are converted into energy. This activity occurs in mitochondria--the energy centers of all types of cells. The fact that the TCA cycle is significantly impacted in chronic kidney disease supports the view of CKD as a state of mitochondrial dysfunction, said study senior co-author Kumar Sharma, M.D., FAHA, chief of nephrology and founding director of the Center for Renal Precision Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.
"Typically, patients with more advanced stages of CKD suffer from severe fatigue, and many other organs (muscles, brain, gut and others) are also not functioning well," Dr. Hallan said. "The clinical picture indicates that there is a general underlying defect in mitochondrial function of these patients."
Dr. Hallan has been an active collaborator with Dr. Sharma and has done several sabbaticals with Dr. Sharma in San Antonio and San Diego.
This discovery builds on the Sharma group's earlier work. Since 2013, when the team was based at UC San Diego, the clinical investigators published several research papers supporting that mitochondrial dysfunction is an important mechanism in diabetic and other types of kidney diseases.
The new study also found that in patients with CKD, expression of genes that regulate the TCA cycle was significantly reduced compared to healthy individuals.
Molecular clues to kidney disease therapies
Researchers hope that a new breakthrough therapy could arise from these insights.
"This is certainly our goal," Dr. Sharma said. "Metabolomics, the analysis of small molecules in biological samples, has revealed numerous abnormalities in the blood of uremic patients, whose kidneys are unable to eliminate the body's waste products. Further exploration of the TCA cycle, using metabolomics, may identify novel therapeutic targets for CKD and in turn may help us evaluate the effects of promising interventions."
The Center for Renal Precision Medicine at UT Health San Antonio contributed to the work and will expand upon it in future studies. The Kidney Precision Medicine Project, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health at centers including UT Health San Antonio, and The University of Texas System STARs Program will be part of the ongoing research.
STARs awards, established by the UT System Board of Regents in 2004, are granted to UT System institutions to help attract and retain the best-qualified faculty. (STARs is short for Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention.)
Center for Renal Precision Medicine
Dr. Sharma recently was awarded a $1.4 million Translational STARs award to establish the Center for Renal Precision Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Sharma is also the vice chair of research in the Department of Medicine of the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, and occupies the L. David Hillis, M.D. Endowed Chair in Medicine.
Dr. Sharma has submitted an invention disclosure based on the research to the Office of Technology Commercialization at UT Health San Antonio.
Indoor firing ranges may put hobby shooters, law enforcement officers and employees at risk from lead exposure, particularly if proper dust-control measures are not in place.
"We are seeing an increase in firing rangerelated lead poisoning in adults, which can result from faulty ventilation systems or just inadequate cleanup of lead dust," says Diane Calello, New Jersey Poison Control Center Executive and Medical Director at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. "Exposure can happen from inhaling the lead dust emitted when the firearm is discharged or from ingestion of lead from contaminated hands or food."
Calello, whose center is part of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, encourages people who use these facilities to understand the health effects of lead poisoning, how to prevent lead exposure and the importance of being tested.
How do you know if you have lead poisoning?
Lead gets into the body by inhaling, ingesting or absorbing lead dust or particles. Adults can have lead poisoning without knowing it. The symptoms of lead poisoning are nonspecific at first, but can include headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and weakness in the hands or feet.
People who shoot at indoor gun ranges or are in professions that work with firearms or lead, such as police officers, should have a blood test, which is the only way to measure the amount of lead in the body. The United States Department of Labor recommends employees working in high-lead environments be tested every six months. So, if an individual is using a shooting range regularly, getting tested every six months is reasonable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead.
What are the health effects of lead poisoning?
Inhaled or ingested lead enters the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body. Over time, it collects and is stored in the bones, leading to significant and even permanent damage to a person's organs and health. The severity of the damage depends upon how much lead is in the body and the length of exposure. It can lead to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased sex drive, infertility, memory loss and difficulty concentrating, hearing and vision problems, tiredness, irritability and mood disorder. Also, pregnant women exposed to lead are at a higher risk of reduced fetal growth, and children suffer a lower IQ and cognitive function.
Who is at risk for lead exposure?
If an indoor gun range does not have proper air ventilation, then shooters, range employees and visitors are exposed to lead dust that comes out of the gun's muzzle when fired. Even if it is not immediately inhaled, lead dust can linger in the air and collect on the shooter's hands, face and clothing, where it can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed into the body later. This puts the shooter's family at risk since lead particles on skin and clothing can be carried into vehicles and homes. "Take home lead" is harmful to anyone exposed to it especially young children and pregnant women.
How can people who use indoor firing ranges protect themselves and their families?
Indoor ranges are safe when there is proper air ventilation and when workers take precautions when cleaning the residue, such as wet mopping debris or using a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air filter rather than dry sweeping or shoveling to remove debris. Unfortunately, ventilation systems occasionally fail, so it's important to stay vigilant.
Be aware of the features of certain ammunition, which may decrease the lead hazard. For example, jacketed bullets create less dust when discharged. Since loading bullets also can release lead particles into the air, make sure you are in a well-ventilated area, not around children or in a residence and are wearing proper protective equipment. When using a firing range, wash your hands and face before you eat, drink or smoke and never eat, drink or smoke in areas of lead dust and fumes. Before you leave, shower and change your clothes and shoes if possible. Place your shooting clothes in a tied bag and wash them separately from the family laundry. Keep firearm materials away from living areas and do not put leaded material in your mouth.
What is the treatment for lead poisoning?
In the majority of adult cases, the primary treatment is removal from the source. The body will excrete lead slowly and, if exposure does not recur, will eventually eliminate the excess lead. This will result in resolution of at least some of the symptoms.
Chelation therapy is used in rare cases when the patient is critically ill or has severe elevations in the blood lead level. However, chelation has no benefit in patients with lower levels and more nonspecific symptoms.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital led by Ying Bao, MD, ScD, an epidemiologist in BWH's Channing Division of Network Medicine and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, have found that women with stronger social networks had better survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis and conclude that social network strengthening could be a tool for management of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed and second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. At current rates, approximately 5% of individuals will develop a cancer of the colon or rectum within their lifetime. Though social network research has been done in other diseased populations, very few studies have examined the association between social network and survival in varying cancer sites.
The team utilized data from 896 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1992 and 2012. Social integration was assessed every four years during that time using the Berkman-Syme Social Networks Index; the value scale accounts for factors like marital status, social network size, contact frequency and religious or social group participation. This helped organize a patient rating system that identified patients on a range from socially isolated to socially integrated.
The findings indicated that, overall, women with high levels of social integration before a colorectal cancer diagnosis had significantly reduced risk of all-cause and colorectal cancer-specific mortality, particularly among older women. Though the number of extended ties (religious or social group participation) weren't associated with survival, the presence of more intimate ties (family and friends) was associated with a significantly lower death rate.
"When a patient is diagnosed, health care providers can look to the patient's social network to see if it provides necessary resources or whether outside help might be something to consider," said Bao who is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "That could be assistance from social workers, for example, to ensure access to care. For physicians, portions of a care plan aimed at strengthening a patient's social network can be valuable tools that haven't always been considered in the past."
Due to the complexity of network interactions, there are many pathways through which social networks could cause improved survival among cancer patients. Some prior research indicates that higher levels of social integration are associated with lower levels of inflammation and thus disease progression; other studies indicate it relates to a reduction in psychological stress and poor health behaviors that may contribute to cancer progression. Support from social networks, such as assistance in getting to medical appointments, reminders to take medications, and help with nutrition and mobility, may also explain the observed association. Future investigations are required to understand how these factors are influencing different kinds of patients and their care plans.
Source: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/
The fragrance of hot pumpkin pie can bring back pleasant memories of holidays past, while the scent of an antiseptic hospital room may cause a shudder. The power of odors to activate memories both pleasing and aversive exists in many animals, from humans to the humble fruit fly.
Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), writing in the journal Cell Reports, detailed how the intricate biochemical mechanism for storing scent-associated memories differs slightly from a less-understood mechanism for erasing unnecessary memories.
Understanding how brains actively erase memories may open new understanding of memory loss and aging, and open the possibility of new treatments for neurodegenerative disease.
In multiple ways, the processes of forgetting and remembering are alike. In fruit fly models of odor-associated learning, both the saving and erasure of memories involves dopamine activation of the brain cells. This clue in flies is important for understanding the human brain.
"The olfactory systems of flies and humans are actually quite similar in terms of neuron types and their connections," said study leader Ron Davis, Ph.D., co-chair of TSRI's Neuroscience Department.
Also, in both cases, activation of the neurons causes them to make an identical messenger molecule, cyclic AMP, leading to a cascade of activity within the cell, either building or breaking down memory storage, added Davis.
"So how do the cells know when they are getting a forgetting signal versus an acquisition signal? That was the huge, perplexing question," Davis said.
TSRI Professor Kirill Martemyanov, Ph.D., and Staff Scientist Ikuo Masuho, Ph.D., found that a type of signaling protein in neurons played a role. Masuho and Martemyanov screened a panel of these signaling proteins, called G proteins, against cells that expressed two key receptors known to be involved in memory and forgetting.
The TSRI team found one G protein, called G alpha S, that latched on to a neural dopamine receptor called dDA1, associated with memory formation. They found a different G protein, called G alpha Q, linked up with a nearby dopamine receptor called Damb, associated with the machinery of forgetting.
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The next question was whether those two different G proteins could be controllers of the fly brain's memory machinery. To find out, the researchers silenced genes involved in the production of the G alpha Q protein in the flies. The flies with the protein silenced were exposed to odors in aversive situations and sent through mazes to see how well they remembered to turn away in the presence of the scent.
"If you removed G alpha Q, the flies should not forget, and indeed, they did not," Davis said. "They remembered better."
It appears in flies that some level of forgetting is a constant, healthy process, he said.
"The idea is, constantly as we learn information, there is a slow process that whittles away memories, and it continues whittling them away unless another part of the brain signals the memory is important and overrides it," Davis said.
It may be that the process of acquiring and forgetting memories ebbs and flows in a state of balance, he said. Important memories like the taste of mom's pumpkin pie might be forever retained, but trivialities like what you wore 10 years ago can fade into oblivion without consequence.
"If you have too much memory that is old and unnecessary, why keep them around? Why shouldn't you have a system for removing those for optimal function of the brain?" Davis asked. "We're getting all this information, all this learning during the day, and the brain may be saying, 'No, no, bring me back to my basal, my happy state.'"
Many questions remain to be solved, Davis noted. "We need to figure out what is downstream--walk down the pathway to find the complete signaling system for forgetting," he said. "We are very early in this research."
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New Delhi : The decision to set free Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai massacre, shows Pakistan's "true face", the Indian government said on Thursday.
"His (imminent) release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of Pakistani government in bringing to justice perpetrators of heinous acts of terrorism including by individuals and entities designated by the UN," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters.
"It is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is visible for all to see.
"It is the responsibility of the Pakistani government to fulfil its international obligations and take credible and effective action against terrorists like Hafiz Saeed," Kumar said.
The Indian reaction came a day after the Lahore High Court ordered Saeed to be freed after about 10 months of house arrest, citing lack of evidence against him.
Kumar said the release of Saeed appeared to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists.
Kumar said Saeed was not only the "mastermind" of the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners but also the "prime organiser" behind the horror. India also blamed him for unleashing terror attacks against Pakistan's neighbours.
Kumar said India and the entire international community was outraged that a self-confessed and UN proscribed terrorist was allowed to "walk free" and continue with his "evil agenda".
Saeed and his four aides -- Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal Shahbaz, Abdur Rehman and Qazi Kashif Hussain -- have been under house arrest since January under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexican Gold Corp. ("Mexican Gold" or the "Company") (TSX-V:MEX) (OTCMKTS:SRXLF) (FRA:4QW1) is pleased to announce that drilling to expand the high-grade dike contact mineralization outlined in hole LM-17-ED-40 has successfully intersected long intervals of chalcopyrite-magnetite mineralization in five additional recently completed holes. All of the holes intersected mineralization, with core intervals varying from 21 metres to 42 metres in length. The mineralization is located adjacent to and on both sides of the 70 metre wide dike with a known strike distance of 700 metres. The Eldorado/Juan Bran Zone has also been found to thicken substantially approaching the dike, which appears to be a vertical offshoot from the main El Dorado Sill.
Highlights from the Five New Diamond Drill Holes LM -17- ED-41, 42 & 43 and LM -17-JB-22 & 22 A
LM - 17- ED- 41 intersected 42.0 metres of chalcopyrite - magnetite mineralization from 42.6 to 84.6 metres (see Figure 1 Core LM - 17- ED - 41)
from 42.6 to 84.6 metres (see Figure 1 Core LM - 17- ED - 41) LM - 17- ED- 42 intersected a cumulative 48 metres of chalcopyrite - magnetite mineralization (see Figure 2 Core LM - 17- ED - 42)
(see Figure 2 Core LM - 17- ED - 42) LM - 17- JB-22 intersected 20.3 metres of chalcopyrite - magnetite mineralization from 40.3 metres to 60.6 metres before being lost due to technical problems. (see Figure 3 Core LM- 17- JB - 22)
from 40.3 metres to 60.6 metres before being lost due to technical problems. (see Figure 3 Core LM- 17- JB - 22) LM-17- ED-JB-22A intersected a cumulative 28.0 metres of chalcopyrite - magnetite (see Figure 4 Core LM -17- JB - 22A)
(see Figure 4 Core LM -17- JB - 22A) LM- 17- ED- 43 intersected 28.0 metres of chalcopyrite - magnetite from 52.9 to 82.9 metres. The hole was drilled on the east side of the dike. (see Figure 5 Core LM -17- ED- 43)
Assay results are pending and expected to be received by mid-December.
All intervals are core lengths and are estimated to be 95 percent of true width in hole ED-41 and +70% of true width in other holes.
Figure 1 LM - 17- ED- 41 Box 24
To view Figure 1, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e05af8f-4413-4942-a9f6-5bd5b29f3c56
Figure 2 LM -17- ED- 42 Box 14
To view Figure 2, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c52596bf-5332-4a11-8a4c-31f85b47fea3
Figure 3 LM -17 - JB - 22 Box 18
To view Figure 3, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/75cece0d-9174-44ec-af29-9aa0c4116cd8
Figure 4 LM -17- JB- 22A Box 09
To view Figure 4, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/517d1948-f379-4394-9861-ab5c09fcf118
Figure 5 LM -17- ED- 43 Box 24
To view Figure 5, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7739599c-27e6-4c51-8818-f764d34f216b
Brian Robertson, President and CEO stated, These early drill results for the dike contact zone are extremely exciting. The drilling, which has outlined the west dike contact zone over a strike distance of 300 metres, remains open for expansion. And we have just identified a mineralized zone on the east side of the dike contact as well. We are continuing with step-out and infill drilling to fully delineate the high-grade structure.
Diamond Drill Holes LM - 17- ED- 41, LM -17- ED - 42 and LM - 17- JB - 22
Recently completed holes LM -17- ED- 41, LM -17-ED- 42 and LM -17- JB-22 & 22A extended the dike contact mineralized zone intersected in hole LM-17-ED-40 by a further 300 metres along strike. All of these holes are located on the west side of the dike - see Figure 6 Drill Hole Locations.
Hole LM -17- ED- 41 (-75) intersected a 42.0 metre interval of chalcopyrite mineralization at a depth of 42.6 metres and continuing to 84.6 metres. The hole, which is located 108 metres northwest of high-grade hole LM -17- ED- 40, cut both the dike contact zone mineralization as well as the underlying flat dipping El Dorado zone.
Hole LM -17- ED- 42 was drilled as a 45 degree angle hole from the same drill pad as hole LM -17- ED- 41. The hole cut a cumulative 48 metres interval with chalcopyrite mineralization from 37.0 m to 89.0 m. The hole cut a single wide zone of mineralization, rather than two separate zones, indicative of a joining and thickening of the dike contact and El Dorado zones.
Hole LM-17- JB - 22 & 22A are located 233 metres northwest of hole LM 17- ED- 40. Hole LM-17 JB - 22 intersected 20.3 metres of chalcopyrite- magnetite mineralization from 40.3 m to 60.6 m before being stopped at 60.6 metres due to mechanical problems. Upon re-entry, the drill string was deflected at 31.0 metres depth due to a blockage in the hole. The deflected hole was continued as LM-JB-22A and intersected a cumulative 28 metres of strong chalcopyrite magnetite mineralization followed by an additional 7.7 metres of similar mineralization.
Hole LM -17- ED - 43 was drilled to test previous indications of a mineralized zone on the east side of the dike. A 10 metre hematite-magnetite retrograde zone strongly resembling the upper dike contact zone in hole LM -17- ED- 40 was encountered at the dike contact, followed by a further 28.0 metres from 54.9 metres to 82.9 metres of chalcopyrite- magnetite mineralization. This is the longest mineralized intersection drilled to date at the El Dorado North- East zone.
See Figures 6 & 7 for a plan view and cross section of the drilling.
Figure 6- Drill Hole Locations
To view Figure 6, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7e2ef200-6a96-4805-94bd-a3a4c67241b5
Figure 7- Dike Contact Targets
To view Figure 7, please click on the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc61044a-9986-4333-9415-1deba3d29331
Assays are uncut, length weighted average values.
(1) Gold equivalent (Au Eq) calculations use metal prices of US $1250/oz. for gold, US $18.00/oz. for silver and US $3.00 /lb. for copper. No adjustments have been made for potential relative differences in metal recoveries.
Au Eq g/t = Au g/t + [(Ag g/t x 0.014) + (Cu% x1.64)]
About Las Minas
The Las Minas Project hosts near-surface gold - silver and copper skarn mineralization and high -grade gold - silver epithermal vein deposits. The project is comprised of six mineral concessions covering approximately 1,616 hectares (3,995 acres), with several small scale, past-producing mines and a number of untested targets.
The district has a production history that extends back to the Aztec era. The Las Minas diorite intrusive measures approximately 10 kilometres in diameter and underlies the Las Minas concessions. The mineralization controls and association with magnetite appear to be similar to the Guerrero Gold belt, which is the site of the Los Filos and Morelos gold deposits.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sonny Bernales, P. Geo., a registered Professional Geoscientist in the Province of British Columbia and a qualified person for the purpose of NI 43101. Mr. Bernales is responsible for logistics and supervision of all exploration activity conducted by Mexican Gold on the property.
About Mexican Gold Corp .
Mexican Gold Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration company committed to building long-term value through ongoing discoveries and strategic acquisitions of prospective precious metals deposits in Mexico. Mexican Gold is exploring the Las Minas Project, which is located in the core of the Las Minas district in the Veracruz State, Mexico. The district is host to one of the largest under-explored skarn systems known in Mexico and has a strong production history that dates back to the Aztec era.
For more information, please contact:
Brian Robertson, President & CEO
Phone: 807-474-4270 or 807-251-1816
Fax: 807-474-4272
E-mail: info@mexicangold.ca
Website: www.mexicangold.ca
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements about the estimation of mineral resources, magnitude or quality of mineral deposits, anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs, future operations, results of exploration, prospects, commodity and precious metals prices, future work programs, anticipated financial and operational results, capital expenditures and objectives and the completion and timing of mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources and the risks identified in the Company's disclosure documents available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based on the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. 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, except as required by law.
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.
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pennine Petroleum Corporation (TSX-V:PNN) (Pennine or the Corporation) is pleased to announce the receipt of final approval of a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for research, development and production of hydrocarbons in Albanias Velca Block.
This final approval from Albanias newly formed Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania means Pennine now has the rights to:
withdraw available geotechnical data from Albanias Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy (MIE) for the Velca Block;
engage geophysical consultants to re-process that data; and
integrate the data with previously collected geological information.
Pennine has already shortlisted potential geophysical firms for these activities, and will select the preferred firm in short order. After re-processing and integration is complete, Pennine will select a drill target in the Velca Block.
Were excited that weve cleared this final hurdle with the Albanian government, and were eager to get moving on the Velca Block, says Pennine CEO N. Desmond Smith. We believe Albania holds great promise for hydrocarbon exploration and production, and we believe this venture will bring prosperity to our shareholders, as well as the Albanian people.
In May 2017, Pennine released the results of an independent resource estimate that offered a best-case recoverable scenario of 26.4 million barrels of light crude for the Velca Block, and a net risked prospective resource for Pennine of 11.2 million barrels of oil, after payout and joint venture interests.
The report compares the potential of the Velca Blocks Ramica Anticline structure to established fields along the so-called String of Pearls faultline. It also cites existing seismic data provided by the Albanian National Agency for Natural Resources (AKBN), which shows an undrilled 7.75-square-kilometer closed structure at the top of the Ramica Anticline.
Authors of the independent report also said the structure appears to have two separate highs (Ramica and Amantia), which may be connected if a hydrocarbon column similar to the other fields on trend is encountered.
In February 2017, Pennine finalized terms of a Velca Block PSA with the Albanian government and Albpetrol Sh. A, the countrys state-owned energy firm, acquiring a 90% working interest. The PSA covers a six-year term, with potential conversion to a 25-year production lease upon discovery of one or more commercial oil or natural gas accumulations.
About Pennine Petroleum Corporation: Pennine Petroleum Corporation is an emerging oil and gas exploration and development company (www.penninecorp.com) currently active in Albania, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For further information, contact:
Pennine Petroleum Corporation
N. Desmond Smith
T: 403.277.4421
F: 403.277.4439
E: des.smith@penninecorp.com
Dean Stuart
T: 403.617.7609
E: dean@boardmarker.net
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.
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: Jupiter Asset Management Ltd (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 Gocompare.com 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 22nd November 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
ZPG Plc
2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
Ordinary 0.02p
Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 12,469,839 2.98 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:
1,369,979 0.32 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL: 13,839,818 3.30
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: None Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: None
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 Ordinary 0.02p Sale 50,000 1.09 Ordinary 0.02p Sale 50,000 1.092788
(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 NONE
(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 None
(ii) Exercise
Class of relevant security Product description
e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit None
(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) None
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: 23rd November 2017 Contact name: Katie Wild Telephone number: 0203 817 1620
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SYSPRO, a global provider of industry-built ERP software, today announced their customer, ATCO Wood Products Ltd., was named a finalist for the 2017 BC Export Awards in the Natural Resources category, recognizing their outstanding achievement delivering superior products manufactured from natural resources. Through innovation, ATCO Wood Products produces custom softwood veneer for plywood and engineered wood products for customers both in Canada and the United States. SYSPRO Canada is proud to be a premier sponsor once again at this years awards.
The BC Export Awards are the provinces most prestigious awards paying tribute to the success, achievements, and innovative approaches of BCs top exporting companies. Created in 1982, the program was initiated by the Ministry of Economic Development to raise the awareness and recognize the contribution that the manufacturing and service sectors were making to the economy of British Columbia. Since that time, the number and categories of the awards have changed and varied to reflect the changes that have taken place in the economy of the province. Business in Vancouver currently organizes the annual event.
The success of this program, which has recognized over 300 companies since its inception, has reflected the growth and diversity of BCs economy over the past 30 years. With substantial markets now in every region of the world, BCs exporting companies have become truly international in their scope as well as their vision, according to Sue Belisle, President & Publisher, Business in Vancouver Media Group.
It is a great honor to be selected as a finalist for the 2017 British Columbia Export Awards, said Scott Weatherford, CEO, ATCO Wood Products. As a leading purveyor of custom softwood veneer wood products, we strive to be innovative in our approach to providing our customers with superior goods, while respecting the companys reforestation record and our commitment to sustainability. We are pleased to be recognized for our success in the marketplace.
This year's finalists exemplify the strength and depth of the BC export community," according to James Weir, Vice President of Sales for SYSPRO Canada. Regardless of the sector they serve, this years finalists have all raised the bar of excellence for their companies and the local BC economy. We are very proud of ATCOs team for their success in persevering with their innovation, and leading the way with their solutions, while maintaining their dedication to cultivating a renewable and sustainable forest industry in the region.
Winners will be announced at the BC Export Awards Luncheon on Friday, November 24th, 2017 from 12:00 2:30 p.m. PT, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
More details about the BC Export Awards can be found at: http://www.bcexportawards.com/
The complete list of finalists for the 2017 BC Export Awards can be found at: http://www.bcexportawards.com/2017-finalists/
About ATCO Wood Products Ltd.
Located in the West Kootenays of British Columbia, ATCO Wood Products is a leading producer of softwood veneers and related by-products. We specialize in producing custom softwood veneer for plywood and engineered wood products customers in both Canada and the United States.
ATCO Wood Products, a third-generation family-owned business, is also one of the largest forestry management companies in the West Kootenays, with licenses and contracts to sustainably manage approximately 315,000 acres (127,000 hectares).
Please visit our website at http://www.atcowoodproducts.com/index.html for further information on our company, our products and services.
About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is a global, independent provider of industry-built ERP software designed to simplify business complexity for manufacturers and distributors. Focused on delivering optimized performance and complete business visibility, the SYSPRO solution is highly scalable, and can be deployed on-premise, in the cloud, or accessed via a mobile device. SYSPROs strengths lie in a simplified approach to technology, expertise in a range of industries, and a commitment to future-proofing customer and partner success.
SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed companies in over 60 countries across six continents.
For more information on SYSPRO Canada visit: https://ca.syspro.com/ or contact SYSPRO Canadas Head Office at Toll Free: +1 (888) 259-6666.
Discover helpful content to help you grow your business for Canadian manufacturers by visiting the SYSPRO Canada Resource Hub: http://resources.syspro.com/h/ and the SYSPRO Canada Blog: http://canadablog.syspro.com.
Follow SYSPRO Canada on social:
Media Contacts:
Melanie Aizer
SYSPRO Canada
1.888.259.6666 Ext: 5228
melanie.aizer@ca.syspro.com
ATCO Wood Products Ltd. Contact:
Scott Weatherford
ATCO Wood Products Ltd.
250-367-2517
Scott.weatherford@atcowoodproducts.com
All company names and products mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia and JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX:PTM) (NYSE American:PLG) (Platinum Group PTM or the Company) announces the completion of due diligence and the execution of binding legal agreements to sell Maseve Investments 11 Proprietary Limited (Maseve) to Royal Bafokeng Platinum Limited (RBPlat) in a transaction valued at approximately US$74.0 million, payable as to US$62.0 million in cash and US$12.0 million in RBPlat common shares. The Company first reported the details of this transaction in a news release dated September 6, 2017. The proceeds of the Maseve sale will be used to pay down a substantial portion of the Companys debt.
RBPlat is to pay Maseve an initial US$58.0 million in cash to acquire the concentrator plant and certain surface assets of the Maseve Mine. A deposit in escrow was paid by RBPlat in the amount of ZAR 41,367,300 (US$3.0 Million equivalent) on October 9, 2017. Closing of this first step is subject to certain conditions, including RBPlat shareholder approval at a meeting scheduled for November 30, 2017 and the approval of the South African Competition Commission. Closing of the second step, to acquire 100% of the issued equity in Maseve by way of a scheme of arrangement for US$4 million in cash and approximately US$12 million in RBPlat ordinary shares, is conditional upon the first step described above being completed, and is subject to certain requirements, including the approval of the South African Department of Mineral Resources and the approval, or confirmed obligation, of Maseves 17.1% minority shareholder.
Looking forward the Company plans to focus on its large-scale Waterberg project, a palladium dominant development asset where the Company has established mineral reserves and resources. The Company recently sold an 8.6% interest in Waterberg to Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. for US$17.2 million as part of a transaction where Impala bought an aggregate 15% interest in Waterberg for US$30.0 million.
About Platinum Group Metals Ltd.
Platinum Group holds significant mineral rights and large-scale reserves of platinum and palladium in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa, which is host to over 70% of the world's primary platinum production. Platinum Group is partnered at Waterberg with the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. and Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd., an empowerment partner.
R. Michael Jones
On behalf of the Board of
Platinum Group Metals Ltd.
For further information contact:
R. Michael Jones, President
or Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development
Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver
Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450
www.platinumgroupmetals.net
Disclosure
The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American LLC have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.
This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the receipt and timing of required government approvals, satisfaction of other conditions precedent and consummation of the Maseve Sale Transaction as described herein; the Companys intended use of proceeds derived from the Maseve Sale Transaction; and the Companys plans following the Maseve Sale Transaction. Statements of mineral resources and mineral reserves also constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they represent estimates of mineralization that will be encountered on a property and/or estimates regarding future costs, revenues and other matters. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including risks related to indebtedness; risks related to the nature of the Maseve Sale Transaction and the uncertainty as to whether the Company can successfully obtain required government approvals, satisfy other closing conditions and consummate the Maseve Sale Transaction; potential delays in the foregoing; the Companys capital requirements may exceed its current expectations; the uncertainty of cost, operational and economic projections; the ability of the Company to negotiate and complete future funding transactions and either settle or restructure its debt as required; variations in market conditions; the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located; metal prices; other prices and costs; currency exchange rates; the Companys ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities and to effect the Maseve Sale Transaction; the Companys ability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; risks related to contractor performance and labor disruptions; and other risk factors described in the Companys Form 40-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively. Proposed changes in the mineral law in South Africa if implemented as proposed would have a material adverse effect on the Company business and potential interest in projects.
Cautionary Note to U.S. and other Investors
Estimates of mineralization and other technical information included or referenced in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The definitions of proven and probable reserves used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical average price is used in any reserve or cash-flow analysis to designate reserves and the primary environmental analysis or the report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. As a result, the reserves reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves; "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Additionally, disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian securities laws; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measurements. Accordingly, information contained or referenced in this press release containing descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Alliance with Congress PAAS-ed, but can reservation to Patidars be implemented?
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
The Congress made a promise to the Hardik Patel led PAAS that it had worked out a formula to give reservation to Patidars. In theory, it may be possible to claim that the 50 percent ceiling would be breached, but the question is whether this is possible in reality.
Let us take a look at some points below:
The capping of reservations in India is governed by a 1992 Supreme Court verdict in the matter. The quota can be reviewed if data shows that the OBC/SC/STs make up the overwhelming majority of the population,: Legal Expert
Quota should not exceed 50 %: Supreme Court
1992, Supreme Court judgment in the Indira Sawhney case (Mandal case) prescribing a 50% ceiling.
"It is theoretically possible to cross the 50% limit, either by showing exceptional circumstances or by amending the Constitution to put the Gujarat reservation law in the 9th Schedule (like the Tamil Nadu law).
However, it is still subject to the Supreme Court's finding as to whether breaching the 50% limit on reservation is a violation of the basic structure of the Constitution or not,"
A law granting reservations to Patels will stand scrutiny in the Courts simply because as it stands, there is no material to show Patels are educationally and socially backward.
Furthermore, reservation on purely economic grounds is not permitted under the Constitution. Unless both these change, Patels will not get reservations in government jobs and education.
The Tamil Nadu story:
Tamil Nadu is the only state in India which has over 50% reservations in Educational Institutions, despite the Supreme Court order.
And they managed it back in 1994 by getting the Central government to amend Schedule 9 of the Constitution. Schedule 9 is a list of laws that State Governments have brought in that are exempt from any judicial review - which means that Tamil Nadu's 69% quota for backward classes cannot be challenged by anyone in any court of law in India.
But unlike Tamil Nadu's case in 1994, Siddaramiah or even Telangana CM KCR who wants to bring 12% reservation for Muslims and STs, do not have an approving government at the Centre.
The Bill on Reservation:
The Tamil Nadu Government requested the Government of India on 22nd July 1994 that the aforementioned Tamil Nadu Act 45 of 1994 be included in the Ninth Schedule to the Constitution of India for the reasons given below:
"The said Act attracts article 31C of the Constitution, as falling within the purview of clauses (b) and (c) of article 39 and articles 38 and 46 of the Constitution-vide section 2 of the Act. The Act has been passed relying on the directive principles of State Policy enshrined in Part IV of the Constitution and in particular, articles 38, 39 (b) and (c) and 46 of the Constitution. As the Act is to give effect to the directive principles of State Policy contained, inter alia, in article 39(b) and (c), the said Act will get the protection of article 31C of the Constitution and therefore, cannot be challenged under articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution, with reference to which article 14, the reservation exceeding 50 percent. has been struck down by the Supreme Court. Now it has been decided to address the Government of India for including the Act in the Ninth Schedule to the Constitution, so that the law cannot be challenged as violative of any of the fundamental rights contained in Part III of the Constitution including articles 15 and 16, and gets protection under article 31B of the Constitution."
The 76th Amendment to the Constitution, 31st August 1994:
An Act further to amend the Constitution of India.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Forty-fifth Year of the Republic of India as follows:-
Short title.-This Act may be called the Constitution (Seventy-sixth Amendment) Act, 1994.
Amendment of the Ninth Schedule.-In the Ninth Schedule to the Constitution, after entry 257 and before the Explanation, the following entry shall be inserted, namely:
"257A. The Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institution and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 (Tamil Nadu Act 45 of 1994)."
OneIndia News
BJPs politics over Padmavati: After MP, the film banned in poll-bound Gujarat
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia
Gandhinagar, Nov 23: Two days after the Madhya Pradesh government decided to ban the controversial Bollywood film, Padmavati, on Wednesday the Gujarat government announced its ruling to stop the screening of the film in the state.
Both the states are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ban on the film, based on the life of queen Padmavati of Chittor, Rajasthan, has been announced in the two states following massive protests against its screening in several parts of the country.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani's decision to ban the film smacks of political opportunism just days ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections to appease the Rajput and Hindu groups. The Hindu and Rajput groups are mainly protesting against Padmavati.
The polls in Gujarat will take place on December 9 and 14. The counting of votes will take place on December 18, as declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) earlier.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Gujarat CM Rupani said the film was against public sentiments and would not be screened in Gujarat until the matter got resolved.
"We can't allow our history to be distorted. We believe in freedom of speech and expression but any foul play with our great culture is not tolerated," the Gujarat CM told PTI. Rupani added the decision was taken keeping in mind the law and order situation in the state during the approaching Assembly polls.
"There are issues with the film, our sympathy is with those who are protesting against the film and that is the reason we will not allow its release in the state till those issues are resolved," Rupani said.
Although the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is yet to review the film, the two BJP-ruled states unilaterally decided to ban the film.
However, Rupani's Haryana counterpart, CM Manohar Lal Khattar, on Wednesday said the decision to allow the screening of the period film would be taken only after the CBFC arrived at a conclusion. Again, Haryana is under the rule of BJP.
In fact, Rupani's decision is in sync with other BJP CMs like Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath and Rajasthan's Vasundhara Raje Scindia who have expressed their reservations against the film after several Rajput and Hindu groups like Shri Rajput Karni Sena in recent times have issued open threats against Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the director of the film, and Deepika Padukone, who is enacting the titular role of Padmavati in the movie.
Shri Rajput Karni Sena, a fringe group at the forefront protesting against the film, has stated clearly that it wants a complete ban on Padmavati.
After MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to ban the film in the state on Monday, former controversial chairperson of the CBFC, Pahlaj Nihalani, said that a movie cannot be banned in a state before receiving a certification from the Censor Board, as the CBFC is popularly known as.
While declaring a ban on the film, Chouhan said that his government won't allow the release of the film in the state unless the objectionable scenes were removed. The film was earlier scheduled to release on December 1.
Recently, the makers of the film decided to postpone its release taking into consideration the constant threats and protests against Padmavati, its director, and actors.
Moreover, the CBFC has recently sent back the film to its makers citing "technical deficiencies". The board has asked the makers to resend the film for revision.
The protest against the Bhansali's film was started by Shri Rajput Karni Sena after it vandalised the sets of the film and slapped the director during the shooting of Padmavati in Jaipur in January.
Thereafter, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena once again destroyed the sets of the film in Maharashtra. After those two incidents, protests against the film almost went silent.
As the makers of the film released the trailer of Padmavati and declared its release date, protests over the film once again started and this time it got ample support from both the Congress and the BJP.
The protesters of the film, including descendants of Rajput rulers, stated that the film hurts the sentiments of the community and the Hindus in general by distorting historical facts.
However, historians are yet to confirm whether queen Padmini actually existed or not and the film has been inspired by a 16th-century poem. In recent times, several political leaders and goons of right-wing groups have announced death threats against Deepika and Bhansali.
Even the Maharashtra (another BJP-ruled state) and UP governments are mulling over imposing a ban on the film which has irked several Hindu groups for allegedly distorting history.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 6:54 [IST]
Gujarat Assembly polls: Saurashtra region, with 48 of 182 seats, is the piece everyone's eyeing
Bomb threat at Ahmedabad railway station
India
oi-Madhuri
Security forces have sprung into action after a bomb threat was discovered at the Ahmedabad railway station.
The bomb detection unit was pressed into action along with sniffer dogs.
This isn't the first time, earlier the state was put on high alert in view of the assembly polls scheduled to take place on December 9 and 14. Modi is also scheduled to address eight rallies in the state on November 27 and November 29.
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 18:02 [IST]
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Centre to re-introduce bill granting constitutional status to NCBC
India
oi-Deepika
By Deepika
The central government is likely to reintroduce a Bill to grant constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) during the winter session, sources said.
The Bill, when enacted, will not only make the NCBC a Constitutional body but will also empower the NCBC to hear complaints of OBCs, protect their interests and safeguard their rights.
The Bill's focus is to address social inequality and protect the rights of OBCs. It was approved by the Union Cabinet and passed by the Lok Sabha in the last monsoon session.
The proposal to introduce the said Bill was stalled during the last Monsoon Session. It was introduced in response to a long felt demand from all categories of Other Backward Classes (OBC) to grant Constitutional status to the NCBC and bring it at par with the National Commissions for Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes.
The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot, on April 5, 2017.
A constitutional amendment requires two-thirds approval of both houses of Parliament and subsequent ratification by 50% of the state assemblies.
During the last Monsoon Session, West Bengal, Odisha, and Karnataka raised red flags over the Bill stating that it would snatch away rights of the states. However, states like the CPI(M)-ruled Tripura had supported the Bill. A Parliamentary panel was asked to submit a report on the Bill in the Monsoon Session.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had, however, asserted that the provisions in the proposed Bill do not interfere with the powers of the state government to notify socially and educationally backward classes or undermine the federal structure or the role of states.
OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
Bihar: Nitish Kumar swears in as CM for 8th time; Tejashwi Yadav to be Dy CM
Yet another setback for Nitish as 15 JDU Panchayat members join BJP in Daman & Diu
Delhi HC dismisses JD (U) petition challenging EC order on party symbol
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed Janata Dal (United) legislator Chhotubhai Vasava's petition challenging the Election Commission order of allocating party symbol 'arrow' to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led faction.
Chottubhai Vasava is the acting president of Sharad Yadav's faction of the JD (U).
The Election Commission had on November 17 ruled that the group led by Nitish Kumar is the real Janata Dal (United) and is entitled to use the 'Arrow' poll symbol of the party.
Vasava had mentioned the matter before a bench headed by the acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal for an urgent hearing on the issue in view of Gujarat Assembly polls. Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Vasava, told the bench also comprising Justice C Hari Shankar, that Election Commission's November 17 order should be quashed as it has "gravely erred" in granting JD(U)'s official symbol, Arrow, to the Nitish Kumar faction.
Kumar and Yadav parted ways after the former decided to join hands with the BJP in July, triggering a battle for the control of the party.
The EC, in its order, had said that the group led by Kumar "has demonstrated overwhelming majority support" in the legislature wing as well as the majority in the national council of the party, which is the apex organisational body of the JD(U).
OneIndia News with PTI inputs
Toronto, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Todays passage of Bill 148 will have severe consequences for the foodservice sector in Ontario according to research and consultation undertaken by Restaurants Canada and other industry organizations.
The estimates of overall impact this will have on the Ontario economy will place more than 185,000 jobs at risk, including at least 17,000 jobs in foodservice. This should have been rolled out with an appropriate timeline to allow operators time to adjust to the costs and the change. said Steve Virtue, interim vice president for Restaurants Canada. In a survey of our members, as many as 25% have suggested they will be forced to close their doors as a result of this legislation.
This is the most sweeping change to labour relations in Ontario in more than 20 years. Research indicates that costs associated with Bill 148s implementation will increase the net burden on the sector by roughly $1.8 billion dollars. Restaurants Canada advocated to have the changes implemented over a longer period of time to help restaurateurs adjust to the new rules and costs.
This has never been about minimum wage. Our members support the thousands of talented staff who help to make this sector as exciting as it is, but the ability of the sector to adjust to these costs in such a short timeframe is going to be extremely difficult, said Virtue. Frankly, a $15/hour job in a restaurant that is closed doesnt do anyone any good.
Data suggests that, of the total cost burden on restaurateurs, roughly 58% will be attributable to wage adjustments. The other 42% of the costs are associated with labour reforms and changes to employment standards. The total increase of minimum wage alone will be 31.6% for operators in an 18-month period.
The Wynne government has failed to see the bigger picture on the true costs of implementation and this will have severe implications for the economy, said Virtue. Proper consultation may have resulted in some different legislation that our industry could have supported. Ultimately, the result is going to see higher costs for consumers, lost jobs and business closures across the province.
Restaurants Canada is a growing community of 30,000 foodservice businesses, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and suppliers. We connect our members from coast to coast, through services, research and advocacy for a strong and vibrant restaurant industry. Canadas restaurant industry directly employs 1.2 million Canadians and serves 18 million customers every day.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9be1ce90-c78f-4fa9-8b86-f3edaf65889d
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Delhi: Two doctors booked for minor girl's death after 6 years
India
oi-Deepika
By Deepika
A father's battle for six long years has finally inched towards justice for his 10-year-old daughter who died due to alleged wrong treatment.
Two doctors from a prominent private hospital were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder following court directions in case of a minor girl's death due to alleged wrong treatment.
The police have registered a case against Dr. Sunil Sareen and Dr. Vivek Kumar of RLKC Hospital and Metro Heart Institute at Shadipur in Delhi on November 17.
What is the case about
In Oct 2011, Pramod Kumar Choudhary, an employee of New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), admitted his 10-year-old-daughter Ritu at the institute as she was suffering from viral fever.
Dr. Sareen, who was treating the young child informed that she was suffering from dengue despite the fact that her platelet count was 2.1 lakh.
However, the girl's condition worsened day by day and she lost the battle of her life after she was allegedly treated with wrong medication for dengue.
The father had filed over 100 Right to Information applications at top hospitals, including Safdarjung Hospital and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences to know about the medicines given to dengue or viral fever patients. He found that medicines given to my daughter by these two doctors were entirely different.
Desperate to get justice for his daughter, Pramod knocked the doors of the judiciary and, six years later, the police finally registered an FIR against the hospital and the two doctors responsible for Ritu's treatment for causing death by negligence.
Chaudhary alleged that the wrong treatment and medicines given by Metro hospital doctors were first pointed out by doctors at RML Hospital.
The New Delhi Municipal Council had stopped payment of the bill charged by the hospital. It also removed the institute from its medical panel.
Chaudhary had filed a criminal case at the city's Tis Hazari Courts and also submitted RTI pleas in several government hospitals such as AIIMS and Safdarjung to ascertain the nature of medicines used in the treatment of dengue and viral fever.
Considering the pieces of evidence, a Delhi court on August 20 this year ordered Delhi Police to file a criminal case against the accused within three months.
OneIndia News
Delhi-Vizag Indigo flight makes emergency landing after smoke detected in cockpit
India
oi-Madhuri
An IndiGo airlines from Delhi-Vizag on Thursday returned to Delhi immediately after smoke was detected midair in the cockpit.
According to a report by ANI, a smoke was detected in the cockpit of Indigo 6E719 after which full emergency was announced. Around 170 passengers were onboard the aircraft. However, the cause of the smoke is not known yet.
Earlier in the month of march, an Air India aircraft, carrying 15 passengers, travelling from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar made an emergency landing in Mumbai after smoke was detected in its cockpit.
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 17:09 [IST]
AIADMK dispute: OPS sits on Dy Oppn Leader's chair as EPS skips first day of TN Assembly Session
EPS-OPS faction wins two leaves symbol, setback to Sasikala camp
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
In a major setback to jailed All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader VK Sasikala, the faction of Chief Minister E Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam has won the two leaves symbol which had been frozen by the Election Commission eight months ago.
Election Commission stated that the group led by E Madhusudhanan (EPS-OPS faction) would be entitled to use the name of the party 'AIADMK' and its reserved symbol 'two leaves'.
V Maitreyan, AIADMK MP, told ANI that "Waiting for the hard copy but got information from EC orally that the two leaves symbol has been allotted to us."
EC has given judgement in our favour, we are very happy. Majority of party workers supported us: Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami on two leaves symbol pic.twitter.com/G8vzLxjE8Z ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami on allegations that judgement was awarded in their favour due to proximity with BJP, said, "It is wrong.We had facts on our side and a majority of MLAs, MPs and party workers were with us.All this was taken into consideration."
Chennai: AIADMK party workers (EPS-OPS faction) celebrate after Election Commission awarded the 'Two-leaves' symbol to their faction pic.twitter.com/TGC1ZEcqsU ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
Both the factions of the AIADMK had submitted to the Election Commission their final arguments in writing laying their claim to the party's symbol.
The EC had concluded hearing the AIADMK symbol case and reserved the order on November 8. At the seventh hearing, the rival E K Palaniswami-O Panneerselvam and the Sasikala Natarajan factions concluded their arguments.
The Sasikala faction wanted to counter certain points raised by the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam faction but was asked by EC to give it in writing.
Initially, two factions led by Panneerselvam and Sasikala had staked claim to the 'two leaves' symbol. The poll panel had frozen it, pending the decision on their pleas.
Later, a large group of legislators led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami revolted against Sasikala, who is in jail in a graft case, and announced the merger with Panneerselvam faction.
Resolutions ousting Sasikala as interim general secretary and her nephew Dhinakaran as her deputy was also adopted at the party's general council meeting held on September 12.
OneIndia News
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GJM chief Bimal Gurung fails to appear in Darjeeling court
India
oi-Amitava
By Amitava
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung failed to appear in court on Thursday. The Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Darjeeling had ordered Gurung to appear in connection with a proclamation order.
Gurung's counsel Anup Mitra appeared on behalf of Gurung. He apprised the court in Darjeeling that Gurung has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against 327 cases that the West Bengal Government had slapped on him including a case invoking the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
The Supreme court on Monday had ordered "Issue notice, returnable in two weeks. In the meantime, no coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioner."
Gurung's counsel submitted a copy of the Supreme court order along with an undertaking to file certified copy of the Supreme Court order at the CJM court, Darjeeling, within the next few days.
December 6 has been decided as the next date of hearing of this case at the CJM Court, Darjeeling.
Incidentally on September 6, the Court had issued warrants against eight GJM leaders in connection with the violence during West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Darjeeling on June 8.
The police had lodged a suo moto FIR and a case had been started at the Darjeeling Sadar Police Station on June 9. The CID is investigating the case.
The persons against who the arrest warrants were issued include Bimal Gurung; his wife Asha Gurung; General Secretary Roshan Giri; Youth leaders Prakash Gurung; Amrit Yonzon and Ashok Chettri; central committee leaders DK Pradhan and Tilak Chand Roka.
On June 8, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters had clashed with the security forces in Darjeeling town. Army was deployed in Darjeeling, Ghoom and Kurseong to control the situation.
On Oct 19, the CJM court in Darjeeling had issued a proclamation order against Gurung and five other leaders in this connection.
The six GJM leaders include Asha Gurung, Roshan Giri, Prakash Gurung and Amrit Yonzon. Under Proclamation and Attachment of Property of Person Absconding, invoking Sections 82 and 83 of the CrPC, a court may order the attachment of any property. Gurung with arrest warrant in his name and a Look-out notice for him is at present on the run.
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 23:39 [IST]
Indian Army takes steps for swift troop movement along China border
India
pti-PTI
New Delhi, November 23: The Army has decided to significantly ramp up road infrastructure along the Sino-India border and tasked its Corps of Engineers to vigorously work on it to ensure swift movement of troops whenever necessary.
Official sources said the Corps of Engineers (CoE) has already initiated a series of steps including placing orders for latest versions of various mountain cutting and road laying machines and equipment besides procuring assault tracks for fast movement of troops.
The sources said the Army headquarters ordered over 1,000 dual track mine detectors to enhance Corps of Engineers' mine detection capability.
Over 100 excavators with latest features are also being procured to increase the existing capability of the engineers to lay operational track along mountainous regions in Northern sector.
The sources said over 50 short span bridges and a sizeable number of assault tracks for quick movement are also being procured to increase their mobility. India and China share a 4,000-km-long border.
The 237-year-old CoE provides key combat engineering support and maintains connectivity in key border regions for speedy movement of troops and artillery.
As per the plan, the Army engineers will initially lay roads in mountaineous terrains and if necessary they will be further strengthened by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
In 2005, the Border Road Organisation was asked to construct 73 roads in the strategically important regions along the Sino-India border but there has been huge delay in implementation of the project which has apparently left the Army unhappy.
They said enhancing infrastructure along the sensitive borders is part of the government's overall strategy to boost combat readiness of the armed forces. The first company of CoE was raised in 1780 and the organisation celebrated its raising day on November 18.
The Army has been focusing on enhancing infrastructure along the Sino-India border following the Dokalam standoff. Soon after the face-off ended, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had expressed serious concern over China's "muscle flexing" and said these conflicts can expand into an all-out war.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.
The face-off ended on August 28. Recently, the Army has also finalised one of its biggest procurement plans for infantry modernisation under which a large number of light machine guns, battle carbines and assault rifles are being purchased at a cost of nearly Rs 40,000 crore.
PTI
Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage
Interrogation reveals pan Indian network of the arrested Bangladeshi terrorists
India
oi-Amitava
By Amitava
Interrogations have revealed the pan Indian network of the terrorists arrested from Kolkata on Tuesday. While an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team has arrived at Kolkata from Hyderabad, a Special Task Force (STF) team from Kolkata will be departing for Karnataka. The STF team is coordinating with various investigating and intelligence agencies in different states including the Central IB.
The arrested include Samsad Mia alias Tanvir alias Saiful alias Tushar Biswas (26 years) is a resident of Katashola, Moinpur, Sunamgunj, Shylet, Bangladesh; Rizaul Islam alias Riyaz alias Sumon (25 years) of Kasimnagar, Kapilmoni Panchayat, Khulna, Bangladesh and Monotosh Dey alias Mona Da (46 years) of Kholapota, Basirhat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
While Samsad Mia (Tanvir) and Rizaul Islam are allegedly Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operatives, Monotesh Dey is an arms dealer.
Interrogation has revealed that Tanvir had worked in a slaughterhouse in Hyderabad. He had undergone a computer course in an Institute in Hyderabad and has a bank account in Hyderabad.
The ATS team from Hyderabad will be interrogating the trio in Kolkata. A fake Adhar card in the name of Tushar Biswas was being used by Tanvir. The bank account in Hyderabad was opened with the help of this.
This fake Adhar card has led to the Karnataka link. Interrogations revealed that the Adhar card was procured from Karnataka against a sum of Rs. 10,000/-.
The duo has revealed that similar fake Adhar cards have been made and already delivered to some other persons and some are awaiting delivery. Each Adhar card would cost Rs. 10,000/- and would be delivered within a week interrogations have revealed.
This has given rise to speculations that the two could be recruiters and opening up Al-Qaeda modules in the country. The fake Adhar card racket information has been shared with the Karnataka police. An STF team will also be visiting Karnataka to follow up leads.
The two Al-Qaeda operatives are supposed to have visited Pune, Delhi, and UP. ATS sleuths have found strong links of the duo in Uttar Pradesh.
The duo has been in India for the past one and a half years and in Kolkata for the past one month. The sleuths are also investigating if some front rung AQUIS operatives are hiding in West Bengal.
The STF has unearthed multiple identities of arms dealer Monotosh Dey. Using different identities and names like Monotesh De, Shyamal De and Zia Ul he has allegedly married thrice in three different areas and set up three families.
He originally hails from Icchapur, North 24 Parganas where he had married and has a son. He was last seen in Icchapur around 10 years ago.
From Icchapur he had shifted base to Kholapota, Basirhat area, North 24 Parganas. He has two wives here and two families using the front of the fish trader.
He has allegedly delivered multiple consignments of arms and ammunition to Bangladesh in the past few months.
The trio had been arrested from Kolkata Railway Station on Tuesday at around 2:30 pm while checking out arms samples. A 7.32 pistol and an improvised single shot were recovered from their possession.
The Bangladeshi duo has been charged under Sections 467/ 468/471/ 120 B of the Indian Penal Code read with 25 (1A) of the Arms Act and 14 Foreigners Act. Monotosh Dey has been charged under similar sections except for the Foreigner's Act.
OneIndia News
Kulbhushan Jadhav's family members must not be "questioned or harassed": India
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
Reiterating that Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother should also be allowed to meet him, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that Islamabad must ensure that former navy officer's family members are not "questioned or harassed" during their stay in Pakistan.
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan must be allowed to accompany Jadhav's family members at all time, including their meeting with him.
"There was a long standing request from mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav to visit Pak and meet her son. Although this request was pending, India has still responded positively to the offer by Pakistan to arrange meeting of Kulbhushan Jadhav with his wife," Kumar said
"In our response, we have conveyed that the wife of Jadhav would like to travel with her mother-in-law for meeting. Also sought sovereign guarantee from Govt of Pak to ensure safety, security of both. Also, during their stay in Pakistan they should not be questioned, harassed," he added.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Friday that Jadhav would be allowed to meet his wife on Pakistani soil. The move came months after New Delhi requested Islamabad to allow Jadhav's mother to meet him on humanitarian grounds.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies. Jadhav has filed an appeal with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to seek clemency, which is still pending.
[India won't send Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife alone to Pakistan]
Last month, the Pakistan Army had said it is close to a decision on the mercy petition of Jadhav. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was abducted from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.
OneIndia News
NHRC raps Yogi govt for openly endorsing encounter killings
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia
Lucknow, Nov 23: The recent controversial comment made by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on encounter killings has come to haunt the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.
In fact, the Yogi government has been issued a notice by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), "asking it to come clear within six weeks on the recent police encounters in the state", reported The New Indian Express.
A few days ago, the priest-turned-politician claimed that the law and order situation was improving in the state and said that criminals will be either jailed or killed in encounters. It is Yogi's open endorsement of encounter killings that caught the attention of the NHRC.
The human rights watchdog has sent a copy of the notice to the UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar seeking a detailed report from the government on encounter killings.
"The NHRC has taken suo moto cognizance of media reports about the government of Uttar Pradesh, allegedly, endorsing killings in encounters by police seeking improvement in law and order situation in the state," the human rights body said.
"The reported statement of the chief minister tantamounts to giving the police department a free hand to deal with the criminals at their will and, possibly, it may result in abuse of power by the public servants," it stated.
The Yogi government has been hogging the limelight for the number of encounter killings that took place since the CM took over the reins of the state early this year.
According to reports, at least 22 "criminals" were gunned down by the police since the BJP came to power in the state on March 18.
The NHRC said that as per official statistics, as reported on the 5th October 2017, 433 encounters had occurred over a period of six months starting from March 2017 when the present government in UP came into existence.
"A total 19 alleged criminals were killed in these encounters and 89 injured. Apart from this, 98 officials were also injured and one died.
Another news story of the 16th September 2017 says that 15 persons had been killed in encounters since the new government came to power in Uttar Pradesh. The State government has, reportedly, described the encounters as an achievement and a proof of improvement in the law and order situation. The Chief Minister was quoted, in a newspaper on the 19th November 2017, saying that 'Criminals will be jailed or killed in encounters'.
The Commission has noted that it has also received intimation about 22 encounter deaths from the State police authorities in the year 2017 till date, as per its standing guidelines," the NHRC said in its statement.
OneIndia News
'Outraged that a proscribed terrorist is allowed to walk free': India on Hafiz Saeed's release
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
Asserting that Hafiz Saeed's release confirms Pakistan's policy of shielding "non-state actors", the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that it reflects Islamabad's "lack of seriousness" to act against "proscribed terrorists".
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that Pakistan's policy of supporting non state actors is now out in the open and its true face visible to all.
"His (Saeed's) release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of Pak Govt, also appears to be an attempt by Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists..India, as indeed the entire International community, is outraged that a self confessed and a UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda," Kumar told the media.
The Lahore Court on Wednesday refused to extend house detention of JuD chief and the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Saeed is all set to be released from house arrest after the expiry of the detention order on Thursday.
The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah head, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, was under detention since January this year.
[Hafiz Saeed free again: What makes him the Pak establishment's darling]
India has maintained that Saeed enjoys the support of the Inter-Services Intelligence and his a free spirit in Pakistan. Looking at how the ISI has handled Saeed, it is evident that he is one man they would not ever give up, as he holds the key to pushing Pakistan's policy against India.
The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 16:50 [IST]
Padmavati cleared by British Censor to release on Dec 1
India
oi-Deepika
By Deepika
While Sanjay Leela Bhansali's troubled epic drama Padmavati continues to face protests in India, British Certification Board has passed the film for its official release on December 1 in the United Kingdom.
According to the company's tweet, 'Padmavati' starring Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Ranveer Singh has been certified 12A, which means it can be viewed by individuals aged 12 or over. The BBFC made it clear that the film contains moderate violence and injury detail.
The final copy of the film submitted to BBFC states that the duration of 'Padmavati' is 164 minutes and is scheduled for release on 1st December 2017.
PADMAVATI (12A) moderate violence, injury detail https://t.co/2S1pF33WVN BBFC (@BBFC) November 22, 2017
However, the CBFC is yet to take a call on the movie. CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi today said the censor board was trying to resolve the controversy over the film "Padmavati" through dialogue and not arguments."
The film Padmavati tells the story of a 14th-Century Hindu queen belonging to the high Rajput caste and the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji. Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh play the lead roles in the movie.
Rumours of a scene in the film of the Muslim king dreaming of getting romantic with the Hindu queen enraged many like the Rajput Karnik Sena, a fringe caste group, who has called for the film to be banned.
From fringe political groups to national parties to royals, various groups have raised the demand for film's ban. Despite Bhansali clarifying that the film respects its titular character and portrayal of Rajputs, protests are raging in over eight states at the moment.
Rajput groups, like the Karni Sena (Karni Army), do not want the film in theatres, alleging the film might distort historical facts about the Rajput community.
OneIndia News
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carl Data Solutions Inc. (CSE:CRL) (FSE:7C5) (OTC:CDTAF) (Carl or the Company), a developer of Big-Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS)-based solutions for data integration, business intelligence, and Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) applications, has completed its custom closed control system as part of its EU Grant funded research for monitoring wastewater infrastructure and refining their machine learning products.
This low-power high-precision system was designed and built by Attila Bene, Head of Hardware and Telemetry at Carl Data. The control system creates a circulating water supply that is monitored by four accelerometers based on the most current technology available. With decades of experience building control systems for industrial environments, such as natural gas pump stations, Benes background allows him to build the detailed hardware environment needed for Carl Datas data scientists to continue developing breakthrough machine learning abilities for their software.
Bene commented, Its great to be able to apply my engineering and design skills to create such a powerful learning and analysis tool. Sensors and control systems are becoming more effective at monitoring infrastructure all the time, and this project will be a great example of how that data can be used.
Carl Datas EU Grant research will explore ways in which machine learning can precisely monitor and analyse the vibration of pipelines for analysis. This predictive maintenance of infrastructure can prevent possible disaster during extreme weather events, saving cities, utilities and businesses millions of dollars. Sensor anomaly detection is another key area of machine learning that will benefit from continued development in a controlled test environment.
Piotr Stepinski, Carl Data CTO, commented, Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence where you train a computer program. With this high-precision testing tool, we will be able to train some of the most powerful machine learning applications for wastewater ever developed.
About Carl Data Solutions Inc.
Carl Data Solutions Inc. is focused on providing next generation information collection, storage and analytics solutions for data-centric companies. Building on its recent acquisitions, Carl helps its clients analyze and understand all forms of environmental data through a powerful platform of data collection, monitoring, analysis and reporting tools.
Carl Data continues to develop applications to work with new cloud-based mass storage services and analytics tools (Big-Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS) to provide scalability for municipalities, utilities and other industrial verticals. These data collection and storage methods allow the company to build smart Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based applications that can collect data from many diverse sources and provide deep insight for decision-making purposes. More information can be found at www.CarlSolutions.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors:
Greg Johnston
President, Chief Executive Officer, Director
Carl Data Solutions Inc.
For further information please contact:
Kimberly Bruce
Corporate Communications
Carl Data Solutions Inc.
Telephone: (778) 379-0275
Email: kimberly@carlsolutions.com
The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as may, should, will, could, intend, estimate, plan, anticipate, expect, believe or continue, or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements that Benes background allows him to build the detailed hardware environment needed for Carl Datas data scientists to continue developing breakthrough machine learning abilities into their software, that the custom closed control system will be a great example of how data for monitoring infrastructure can be used, that the EU Grant research will explore ways in which machine learning can precisely monitor and analyse the vibration of pipelines for analysis and predict maintenance of infrastructure which can save millions and prevent possible disaster during extreme weather events, that sensor anomaly detection is another key area of machine learning that will benefit from continued development in a controlled test environment, and that with the high-precision testing tool of machine learning, the Company will be able to train some of the most powerful machine learning applications for waste water ever developed.
Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, risks with respect to: that Carl Datas data scientists may not be able to continue developing breakthrough machine learning abilities into their software, that machine learning may not achieve the expected results and its accomplishments may be limited, the ability of the Company to establish a market for its services; competitive conditions in the industry; general economic conditions in Canada and globally; the inability to secure additional financing; competition for, among other things, capital and skilled personnel; potential delays or changes in plans with respect to deployment of services or capital expenditures; possibility that government policies or laws may change; technological change; risks related to the Companys competition; the Companys not adequately protecting its intellectual property; interruption or failure of information technology systems; and regulatory risks relating to the Companys business, financings and strategic acquisitions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
PM Modi's one appeal to voters in Himachal today is 'to participate'
India has become center point to world's desires, says PM Modi
Using mobile power or M-power to empower our citizens, says PM Modi
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India gives primacy to the human face of technology and using it to improve "ease of living." He was delivering an inaugural speech at 5th Global Conference on Cyberspace in New Delhi.
PM Modi said, "The senior generation would recall the bulky main-frame computer systems of the 70s and 80s. A lot has changed since then. Email and personal computers brought about a new revolution in the nineties."
"This was followed by the advent of social media and the mobile phone as an important vehicle for data storage and communication," he said.
Speaking on the success of Digital India policy, he said, "Through better targeting of subsidies, the 'JAM trinity' has prevented leakages to the tune of nearly ten billion dollars so far."
"Technology breaks barriers, it validates the Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family," PM said.
He further said that citizens of India are increasingly adopting cashless transactions. "For this, we created the Bharat Interface for Money - or BHIM App. This App is helping the movement towards a less cash and corruption-free society," he said.
Abou the theme of the conference, PM Modi said, "The global community needs to approach the issue of cyber-security with confidence, as much as with resolve. Cyber-space technologies must remain an enabler for our people."
The Prime Minister was equally emphatic that nations must take responsibility to ensure that the digital space does not become a playground for terrorism and radicalisation.
India, he said, is keen to find innovative and scalable solutions in education and healthcare using digital technology.
A two-day Global Conference on Cyberspace is expected to see global policymakers, innovators, industrialists and cybersecurity experts converge on November 23 and 24 in New Delhi to deliberate on issues and challenges for optimally using the cyberspace.
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is on a 4-day visit to India, will attend the opening session of 5th Global Conference.
The plenary sessions have been designed around the themes Cyber4Inclusive growth, cyber4DigitalInclusion, Cyber4Security, and Cyber4Diplomacy.
(With agency inputs)
Prakash Raj campaigns in Bengaluru, says 'I'm fighting for the people, not against any party or lead
'It's a solid slap on my face', says Prakash Raj after electoral drubbing
Prakash Raj sends legal notice to BJP MP Pratap Simha for trolling
India
oi-Deepika
By Deepika
Recommended Video
Prakash Raj sends legal notice to BJP MP for trolling him | Oneindia News
Actor Prakash Raj who has been vocal against the Prime Minister and the BJP has sent a legal notice to Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha for trolling.
In the legal notice sent by Prakash Raj's advocate, a tweet and facebook post by Pratap Simha on October 2 has been mentioned.
''I have sent a legal notice to Pratap Simha (BJP Mysuru MP), as a citizen of this country for the way he has trolled me which has disturbed my personal life. I am asking him to answer legally & if he doesn't, I will be taking criminal action against him,'' the actor said.
On October 2, Simha tweeted "Being sad due to son's death, having left your wife and ran behind a dancer, do you Mr. Raj have any right/legitimacy/worthiness to say anything to Yogi-Modi"
Simha's tweet came a day after it was reported that Prakash Raj had lashed out at the Prime Minister for being silent on journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder.
Saying that Prime Minister Modi is a "bigger actor" than him, he has also threatened to return his five National Awards. Condemning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how unfortunate it has been that certain sections of the society have been celebrating the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh on social media, Prakash Raj had expressed his anger.
Prakash Raj has demanded Pratap Simha to tender an unconditional apology failing which he will take legal action against the MP.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 14:24 [IST]
Chhattisgarh: Home Guard jawans help tribal woman deliver baby on river bank in rain-hit Bijapur
India to set up joint theatre commands of tri-services: Rajnath Singh
Jammu & Kashmir: Two suspected terrorists killed as army foils infiltration bid in Rajouri
Shimla: Colonel held for raping colleague's daughter, sent to police remand till Nov 25
India
oi-Chennabasaveshwar
By Chennabasaveshwar
A serving colonel who allegedly raped daughter of junior colleague posted at Army Training Command in Shimla has been sent on police remand till November 25.
A 56-year-old Army colonel was arrested on Wednesday with the charges of raping the daughter of a lieutenant colonel posted at the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla.
The serving Army officer was produced in court on Thursday and was remanded to police custody until November 25. A friend of his is also accused of raping her.
The victim was allegedly raped at the colonel's residence on Monday. She filed a complaint on the same day, PTI reported.
The Indian Army twitted that will provide all necessary assistance to investigative and legal processes.
FIR lodged against one Colonel for Civil Offence at Sadar Police Station, Shimla #HimachalPradesh on 22 Nov 17. #IndianArmy will provide all necessary assistance to investigative and legal processes. @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) November 23, 2017
(With agency inputs)
Mamata's party has replaced 'Rule of Law' by 'Rule by TMC law': Rijiju
UK university honorary doctorate to Bengal weaver for depicting Ramayana on sari
India
oi-PTI
Krishnagar (WB), November 23: A UK-based university awarded an honorary doctorate to Biren Kumar Basak of Nadia district for his intricate artwork depicting seven episodes of Ramayana on a six-yard sari after two long decades.
Basak, a handloom weaver from Fulia in Nadia, was felicitated with Degree of Doctorate in Record-Breaking (Honouris Causa) by UK s World Records University, an autonomous institute formed by the conglomeration of record books around the world.
He received the honour last week at a function in New Delhi.
The masterpiece, in Basak sword, took one year of planning and two years of weaving. It was completed in 1996.
"This was the first sari with a storyline and was taken to London along with other saris for exhibition when the CM was touring England last year," Basak said.
However, awards and accolades are not new to Basak.
His six-yard wonder had earned him a National Award, National Merit Certificate Award, Sant Kabir Award and also found a mention in Limca Book of Records, Indian Book of Records and World Unique Records.
After getting to know about the sari featured in the Limca Book of Records in 2015, the World Records University had asked for a thesis on his work. "Ananda Modak, a teacher at a Fulia school, helped father translate his research work into English," Abhinaba, Basak s Son, said.
The sari is, however, losing its lustre and they are trying their best to preserve it, Abhinaba said.
Coincidentally, renowned Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, who translated the epic into Bengali, also hailed from Fulia, a sari-making hub of Bengal.
A Mumbai-based company had offered Rs 8 lakh for the nine-yard wonder in 2004 but Basak declined the proposal.
Basak now plans to manufacture another masterpiece with snippets from Rabindranath Thakur s early life on it. "I have been collecting documents and information for a while, but photographs of Tagore's early life are rare to come by," he said.
The Fulia-based weaver has also designed a sari on the state s government s Kanyashree scheme for rural girls and intends to gift it to Didi (chief minister Mamata Banerjee).
"I manufacture Dhakai Jamdani (sari variety) that range between Rs 10,000 and Rs 10 lakh. I plan to set up a museum to exhibit exceptional Jamdani saris," Basak added.
PTI
What is Jaish-e-Mohammad looking for in Bengal: Read on
India
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
After suffering back to back blows in the Kashmir Valley, the Jaish-e-Mohammad has planned to raise its ugly head again. It has got in touch with a person from West Bengal to set up a module and conduct a thorough reconnaissance.
The modus operandi is to target BJP leaders and ministers in Kashmir. This information was shared recently at a meeting of the Intelligence.
During the high-level meet while the intelligence was being assessed it was also found that the Jaish had hired a Bangladesh based cadre to carry out the logistics. The module would, however, operate from Kashmir, the input suggested.
The chatter picked up also suggests that the module would specifically target BJP leaders, Cabinet Ministers, and MLAs. There was also chatter picked up about targeting a Chief Minister with minimal security.
While the analysis of this input is still on, Intelligence Bureau officials say that the motive of the Jaish appears to be clear. It wants to seek revenge killings after it suffered back to back blows in Kashmir. Their top brass has been virtually wiped in the Valley and this module is being planned to seek revenge, the officer also said. We are in the process of analysing and corroborating the input. Directions have been given to step up security in the meantime, the officer also said.
OneIndia News
Why Karni Sena is protesting against Padmavati when none of its members have seen the film
India
oi-Oneindia
By Oneindia
New Delhi, Nov 23: Call it irony or rising intolerance in the country, the fact is that no member belonging to Shri Rajput Karni Sena, the fringe group at the forefront protesting against the Bollywood film Padmavati has seen the movie.
Then what prompted the Rajput group to start such a violent agitation against the period drama based on the life of queen Padmini of Chittor, Rajasthan.
All these days, the protesters were claiming that the film, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, hurts the sentiments of the Rajputs and the Hindus in general by "distorting history".
The director of the film, maverick Sanjay Leela Bhansali, has repeatedly said that the movie in no way show the Rajput community and its women in bad light. He has also denied allegations of "love scenes" between Padmini (Padmavati) and ruler Alauddin Khilji, played by Deepika and Ranveer respectively, in the film.
Then why so much anger against the film when nobody knows (well except for the film's cast and crew and a select few journalists for whom the film was shown at a special screening recently) whether the makers have actually distorted history or not in Padmavati?
When the question was thrown at a press meet in Delhi on Wednesday, chief of Shri Rajput Karni Sena Lokendra Singh Kalvi admitted that he and his outfit members have not seen the film.
According to Kalvi, Bhansali is a "regular offender" when it comes to "distorting" history in cinema, and that he does not have any faith in the director's word that there are no intimate scenes between Allauddin Khilji and Padmavati in the film, stated a report by The Indian Express.
This is not the first time when the Rajput group has opposed a film. Back in 2008, director Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar also faced the ire of Shri Rajput Karni Sena.
Jodhaa Akbar was the first film that the group expressed its opposition to. The members of the group protested against Gowariker's film stating that Akbar had no Rajput queen named Jodhaa Bai.
After continues threats and protests, Shri Rajput Karni Sena now wants a complete ban on Padmavati. In the last few days, three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states--Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat--have decided not to screen the film in their respective territories.
Recently, the makers of the film decided to postpone its release taking into consideration the constant threats and protests against Padmavati, its director, and actors.
Moreover, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has recently sent back the film to the makers citing "technical deficiencies". The board has asked the makers to resend the film for revision.
The protest against Bhansali's film was started by Shri Rajput Karni Sena after its members vandalised the sets of the film and slapped the director during the shooting of Padmavati in Jaipur in January.
Thereafter, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena once again destroyed the sets of the film in Maharashtra. After those two incidents, protests against the film almost went silent.
As the makers of the film released the trailer of Padmavati and declared its release date, protests over the film once again started and this time it got ample support from both the Congress and the BJP.
The protesters of the film, including descendants of Rajput rulers, stated that the film hurts the sentiments of the community and the Hindus in general by distorting historical facts.
However, historians are yet to confirm whether queen Padmini actually existed or not and the film has been inspired by a 16th-century poem.
In recent times, several political leaders and goons of right-wing groups have announced death threats against Deepika and Bhansali. Even the Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh governments are mulling over imposing a ban on the film which has irked several Hindu groups.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 12:17 [IST]
Hafiz Saeed free again: What makes him the Pak establishments darling
International
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
As expected the house arrest of Lashkar-e-Tayiba boss, Hafiz Saeed came to an end. Immediately after a Pakistani review board ordered his release from house arrest, Saeed said that he and his followers will ensure that Kashmir is independent.
Disappointing, but on expected lines said a senior official in New Delhi. We will continue to exert pressure to bring the terrorist to justice, the officer also noted.
India has always maintained that the house arrest was a hogwash. It was more like protective than preventive custody.
What makes Saeed, the man with a $10 million bounty on his head, so powerful and why is Pakistan scared of acting against him? Despite all the proof and the heaps of dossiers handed out to Pakistan on Saeed's role in fuelling terrorism, nothing has been done.
India has maintained that Saeed enjoys the support of the Inter-Services Intelligence and his a free spirit in Pakistan. Looking at how the ISI has handled Saeed it is evident that he is one man they would not ever give up, as he holds the key to pushing Pakistan's policy against India.
Born at Sargodha (Punjab province of Pakistan) in 1950 to a Pakistani-Punjabi family, his hatred towards India started to build up when he lost 38 members of his family during the partition of India. His family was based out of Shimla and while migrating to Lahore his family members were killed in the riots.
He was very outspoken and his fiery speeches against India and the Kashmir issue made the Pakistan establishment sit up and take notice. Former Pakistan president General Zia-ul-Haq was the first to spot his abilities and appointed him as a member of the Council on Islamic Study. He also served as an Islamic teacher at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore.
In the 1980s, he left for Saudi Arabia for higher studies where he made his first contact with jihadis, who discussed the war in Afghanistan with him. Saeed was told to join one Professor Zafar Iqbal and asked to dedicate more time to joining the Warriors in Afghanistan against the Russians. To further this agenda Saeed floated the Markaz Dawa Wal Irshad with another member called Abdullah Azzam and a few youths.
The ISI which realised the potential of this group helped Saeed float the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the 1990s. The primary intention of floating the Lashkar was the carry forward the battle at Kashmir. Saeed had become an inspirational figure, thanks to his oratory skills and this, in turn, helped the Lashkar pick up youth to take up jihad with ease. Saeed's anti-India remarks were an instant hit with the Pakistani youth and the establishment, and over the years, the Lashkar became a force to reckon with.
However, Saeed's war was not restricted to Kashmir alone. He realised that his group required to get more attention, and the best way to do this was to keep hitting key locations in India so that the world took notice.
Saeed probably is the only terrorist in Pakistan who has an unblemished record with the ISI. He is the man who is capable of carrying out the Pakistan agenda against India.
Moreover, he is much loved by the younger recruits who swear by him while taking up the path of Jihad. Indian officials say that the ISI cannot afford to lose him.
Acting tough on Saeed could either weaken the LeT, or the outfit could spin out of control. The ISI would not want something of this sort to happen to it, as it is the only outfit which blindly executes the Pakistan policy against India," says an officer.
Former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, C D Sahay says every group or leader in Pakistan has at least once been on the back burner due to an altercation with the ISI. However, this has not been so in the case of the Lashkar and Saeed.
Saeed had, in fact, helped the Jaish-e-Mohammad carry out the Parliament attack 2001.
After India put pressure on Pakistan, he was placed under house arrest. The next big attack staged by the Lashkar was in July 2006 when they triggered off the train blasts in Mumbai. He was kept under arrest for a month and later released after the Lahore high court cleared him. He was once again arrested, but only to be acquitted.
It was after the 26/11 attack, India made a formal appeal to the United Nations Security Council to put Saeed under the watch list. India, in its appeal, said that Saeed had stage-managed the attack and till date continues to be a key player against India. The appeal also stated that the LeT runs at least 2,500 offices to pursue its agenda against India.
He was placed under house arrest once again. However, the courts in Pakistan, while ordering his release, termed the arrest as unconstitutional. After this episode, there was an Interpol Red Corner alert against him, following which he was once again placed under house arrest. The court however cleared him while stating that one cannot brutalise the law in the name of terrorism.
OneIndia News
Panama papers case: Pak Finance Minister Ishaq Dar granted leave for 3 months
International
pti-PTI
Islamabad/London, Nov 23: Pakistan's Finance Minister and a proclaimed absconder by a court in the Panama Papers case Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties after he requested leave for three months, said reports.
Dar, 67, had arrived in London nearly a month ago and has been seeking treatment at a Harley Street hospital. Dar sent a three-page letter to the Prime Minister's Office on Monday seeking leave of absence. In it, he narrated his health condition, saying that his surgeon had asked him to avoid international air travel.
He said his medical tests in UK showed "diffuse coronary heart disease and possible ischemic heart disease", the Express Tribune reported.
In his letter to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Dar said that he wishes to seek "relief for now from looking after the three divisions" that he has been heading for nearly four years. The government issued two notifications yesterday after Prime Minister Abbasi approved Dar's leave application, Dawn reported.
"The prime minister has been pleased to allow leave of absence to Ishaq Dar... with immediate effect," said one of the notifications issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.
The second communique announced the decision to withdraw the portfolios of Finance and Economic Affairs Division from Dar. Prime Minister Abbasi will look after the finance minister's duties until a replacement is found.
In his letter, Dar said that he had been running the affairs of the ministry via email, WhatsApp etc since October 27, and asked for leave without pay.
Dar was indicted on September 27 in a corruption case linked to the Panama Papers case, but he continued to serve as finance minister amid strong criticism from Opposition parties. An accountability court had on November 14 issued non- bailable arrest warrants for the finance minister because of his repeated failure to appear before it.
On November 21, the accountability court declared him a 'proclaimed absconder'. Dar is accused of amassing assets of an approximate value of Rs 831.7 million disproportionate to his known sources of income. Dar had assumed the responsibilities of Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatisation in the Cabinet of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in June 2013.
He continued as Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs in the Cabinet of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi but the new premier separated Statistics and Privatisation from the Finance Ministry. Dar's son is married to a daughter of Sharif. The National Accountability Bureau had registered three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members, and Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court, weeks after the Supreme Court order ousted Sharif.
Meanwhile, Dawn also reported that Dar had advised the prime minister to constitute an advisory committee to look into economic issues in his absence. The likely members of the economic advisory committee suggested by Dar include Shaukat Tarin, who served as finance minister under the PPP government, and Dr Ishrat Husain, who was governor of the State Bank during the regime of Pervez Musharraf regime.
Two other names being floated include Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Miftah Ismail, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan. Talking to a private TV channel, Minister for Inter- Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada yesterday demanded resignation of Dar. Earlier, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance had also made a similar demand.
PTI
US visa processing time expected to fall by mid-2023, says official
Rohingya crisis: US threatens to impose sanctions against Myanmar over 'ethnic cleansing'
International
oi-Deepika
By Deepika
The US administration has shifted his stance on the Myanmar government's actions against the Rohingya Muslims in the country, terming its actions "ethnic cleansing" in a statement Wednesday.
"The situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.
Tillerson blamed the Burmese military and security forces as well as local vigilantes for what he called "horrendous atrocities" that have caused more than 600,000 Rohingya to flee Burma's western Rakhine state for the safety of neighboring Bangladesh.
"The United States will also pursue accountability through US law, including possible targeted sanctions," he added, suggesting sanctions might be directed against specific Burmese officials.
"These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering. ... After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," he said.
The US continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all facts on the ground to aid in these processes of accountability, he said.
"We have supported constructive action on the Rakhine crisis at the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly?s Third Committee. The United States will also pursue accountability under US law, including possible targeted sanctions," Tillerson said.
"Our first priority is to relieve the intolerable suffering faced by so many. In response to the dire situation," he said.
Last week, Tillerson announced an additional USD 47 million in humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Rakhine State crisis, bringing the total amount spent in response to this crisis to more than USD 87 million since August of this year.
More than 600,000 Rohingya from Myanmar's Rakhine State has fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, creating one of the world?s most dire refugee crisis.
US lawmakers and human rights advocates had called for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to act on the recommendation of the State Department and declare the situation ethnic cleansing.
OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
US Navy aircraft crash: Search for 3 missing sailors underway in Philippine Sea
International
pti-PTI
Tokyo, Nov 23: A day after a US Navy aircraft crashed off Okinawa coast, US and Japanese ships and aircraft continued searching in the Philippine Sea on Thursday for three missing sailors.
Eight people were rescued about 40 minutes after the crash of the C-2 "Greyhound" transport aircraft yesterday, the Navy said. They were taken aboard the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and were in good condition. The C-2A twin-propeller plane came down about 500 nautical miles (925 kilometres) southeast of Okinawa as it was bringing passengers and cargo from Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.
The cause wasn't clear but the crash would be investigated, the Navy said. The Reagan was participating in a joint exercise with Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force when the plane crashed. The aircraft carrier was leading the search and rescue efforts along with Japan's naval forces. The ships and aircraft had searched more than 320 nautical miles as of this morning, the Navy said.
Japan's Defence Ministry said the crash site is about 150 kilometres northwest of Okinotorishima, a Japanese atoll. The Navy said it had notified next of kin that the three sailors were "whereabouts unknown" but it would delay releasing their identities publicly for three days due to policy.
In Washington, the White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the crash. Trump said in a tweet: "We are monitoring the situation. Prayers for all involved."
The November 16-26 joint exercise in waters off Okinawa has been described by the Navy as the "premier training event" between the US and Japanese navies, designed to increase defencive readiness and interoperability in air and sea operations. The Navy's Japan-based 7th Fleet has had two fatal accidents in Asian waters this year, leaving 17 sailors dead and prompting the removal of eight top Navy officers from their posts, including the 7th Fleet commander.
The USS John S McCain and an oil tanker collided near Singapore in August, leaving 10 US sailors dead. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided off Japan. The Navy has concluded that the collisions were avoidable and resulted from widespread failures by the crews and commanders, who didn't quickly recognise and respond to unfolding emergencies. A Navy report recommended numerous changes to address the problems, ranging from improved training to increasing sleep and stress management for sailors.
PTI
Official Entry into Worlds Largest Precious Metal Market with Zhaojin Mining (HK:1818) Chinas Second Largest Gold Mining Company and Government State Owned Enterprise, through Taojinyn Science and Technology Investment
Taojinyn, Chinas first digital gold service and is backed by Zhaojin Mining will manage the local operations for the mandarin version of the Goldmoney web-app out of a new dedicated office in Beijings Chao Yang Technology District
JV Will earn 50% of all revenues generated by clients and will be owned 51% by Taojinyn and 49% by Goldmoney Inc.
TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goldmoney Inc. (TSX:XAU) (Goldmoney) (the Company), a gold based financial service and technology company, today announced that following several months of negotiations and planning, founders Roy Sebag and Josh Crumb have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) in Zhauyuan, Shandong Province, China at the headquarters of Zhaojin Mining (HK:1818), formalizing a joint venture (JV) framework whereby Goldmoney, Taojinyn, and Zhaojin will together jointly launch and operate a local version of Goldmoney in mainland China which will be named Goldmoney China.
The framework agreement outlined in the LOI follows an extensive period of analysis of the local market by Goldmoney, leading to the architecture of a local version of Goldmoney which will comply with all local rules and regulations for the ownership of gold and precious metals, while introducing the Goldmoney brand, software innovation and intellectual property, and thought leadership through Goldmoney Insights to the worlds largest precious metals market. A definitive agreement and official founding of the JV is expected to close by the end of the year.
While further details will be provided at or near the official launch date, which is presently scheduled for February 2018, the Goldmoney China framework agreement calls for the local Goldmoney business to be operated by a 20 person team in a new office in Beijings Chao Yang Technology district adjacent to the Taojinyn offices. Taojinyn, which is Chinas first digital gold service, and its founder Yuming Zhao will run the operation and will own a 51% share of the Joint Venture. Zhaojin Mining is Taojinyns largest shareholder.
The relationship between the JV and Goldmoney Inc. will be similar to that of a localization affiliate, with the JV providing localized marketing and internet-based customer acquisition, client onboarding, and servicing of Chinese clients of the Goldmoney Holding while earning a 50% revenue share for the lifetime of each client. Goldmoney Inc. will operate all payment processing, redemptions, precious metals dealing and vaulting, and managing the continuous development of intellectual property and expertise at the Companys centralized operation offices in Toronto, Canada and St. Helier, Jersey.
The primary function of the JV will be to maintain a local version of the Goldmoney website and mobile-app, translated to Chinese with fully localized customer service and marketing operations. Other key features of the Joint Venture agreement include:
Localized Version of Goldmoney will be launched in Chinese, with local compliance, customer support, funding Options, and marketing team to be run by a 20-person team in Beijing.
Goldmoney China Clients will be able to buy and sell physical allocated precious metals priced in RMB stored in vaults in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Goldmoney China clients will be able to make and receive instant precious metal payments within the Hong Kong and Shanghai vaults.
Goldmoney China to establish physical branch strategy in Mainland China starting with Beijing and Shanghai funded by a $1 million investment from Goldmoney Inc.
Goldmoney China will establish new Credit Card relationships with local card issuers UnionPay to issue local RMB versions of the Goldmoney Metal and Plastic Card.
Goldmoney China clients will only be permitted to deposit and hold RMB as a base currency.
Goldmoney China clients will be able to receive an incoming gold payment at any vault from any Goldmoney Clients, which will be swapped and managed to meet local regulatory requirements.
Precious metals will be purchased from Zhaojin Mining for Shanghai Vault via the Shanghai Exchange
JV owned 51% by Taojinyn (Gold R&D Investment Beijing Co. Ltd.) and 49% by Goldmoney Inc.
The Goldmoney China web-app will be operating on the same global Goldmoney system of vaults and customers offering p2p transfers from any Goldmoney Client to and from any Goldmoney China client.
Goldmoney China will Produce Research and Content for Goldmoney Insights in Chinese.
I have great admiration and respect for China; its people, its culture of excellence, and its deep-rooted passion for gold, said Roy Sebag, Goldmoney CEO. For two years, we have reflected on what we needed to see in order to launch and expand our service in this important market. Of all the Chinese joint venture business cases I have studied, the most successful have been those where a local partner manages the client-facing operation while the parent company establishes the standards and expertise from a centralized location. We are excited to be partnering with a strong group that is also a State-Owned Enterprise providing us with the regulatory confidence to invest our capital and build real connections, continued Sebag. I have personally had prior success investing in Chinese internet ventures and have seen first-hand how quickly these operations can scale when they are well-intended. I can now confidently say that we are for the first time launching correctly in China with a well-intended and long-term vision. I believe that if we are successful, within a few years Goldmoney China may be bigger than all the rest of our operations combined.
From Beijing to Toronto, and from Timmins, Ontario to Zhauyuan, Shandong Province, gold endures as not only the most important wealth-preserving asset accumulated by a newly upward-mobile class, but as an important foundational industry supporting millions of economic livelihoods globally. However, new generations are accessing this asset in different ways, with the global fintech tsunami being realized in China perhaps even more rapidly than anywhere else, said Josh Crumb, Goldmoney CFO. We were excited and humbled to learn how closely our vison is shared by Zhaojin Mining, and by Taojinyn with its entrepreneurial-leader Yuming Zhang. Together, this formidable partnership will move prudently and expeditiously to establish a market leader in real-time, digitally-accessible gold savings and payments.
We are ready to commit substantial resources to support Goldmoney's business development in China, stated Yuming Zhang, adding, Zhaojin Mining has identified FinTech gold as the most important trend for the future of gold demand. We also share the Goldmoney vision for broadening access to gold among the growing middle class, while giving it new velocity and utility in internet commerce.
About Goldmoney Inc.
Goldmoney Inc., a financial service company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:XAU), is a global leader in precious metal investment services and the worlds largest precious metals payment network. Safeguarding nearly $2 billion in assets for clients located in more than 150 countries, Goldmoney is focused on a singular mission to make precious metals-backed savings accessible to all. Powered by Goldmoneys patented technology, the Goldmoney Holding is an online account that enables clients to invest, earn, or spend gold, silver, platinum, palladium and cryptocurrencies that are securely stored in insured vaults in seven countries. All bullion assets are fully allocated and physically redeemable property. Goldmoney Wealth Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) as a Money Services Business. Goldmoney Network is a reporting entity to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), and is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the U.S. For more information about Goldmoney, visit goldmoney.com.
Media and Investor Relations Inquiries:
Jacquelyn Humphrey
Director of Global Communications
Goldmoney Inc.
jac@goldmoney.com
Josh Crumb
Chief Strategy Officer & CFO
Goldmoney Inc.
+1 647-499-6748
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains or refers to certain forward-looking information. Forward-looking information can often be identified by forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, expect, plan, intend, estimate, may, potential and will or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. All information other than information regarding historical fact, which addresses activities, events or developments that the Goldmoney Inc. (the Company) believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, is forward looking information. Forward-looking information does not constitute historical fact but reflects the current expectations the Company regarding future results or events based on information that is currently available. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information will not occur. Such forward-looking information in this release speak only as of the date hereof.
Forward-looking information in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: the ability to enter into a definitive Zhaojin Mining Joint Venture agreement on the terms as provided in the non-binding Letter of Intent or at all, the ability to successfully operate in the jurisdiction and the economic success of any joint venture; service times for transactions on the Goldmoney network; growth of the Companys business, expected results of operations, and the market for the Companys products and services and competitive conditions. This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time it was made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: the inability to enter in a definitive Zhaojin Mining Joint Venture agreement on the terms as provided in the non-binding Letter of Intent or at all, and the inability to commercially operate in the jurisdiction or to develop an economically successful joint venture if such operations proceed; the Companys operating history; history of operating losses; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; fluctuations in the market price of the Companys common shares; the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry; legal and regulatory change and uncertainty; jurisdictional factors associated with international operations; foreign restrictions on the Companys operations; product development and rapid technological change; dependence on technical infrastructure; protection of intellectual property; use and storage of personal information and compliance with privacy laws; network security risks; risk of system failure or inadequacy; the Companys ability to manage rapid growth; competition; effectiveness of the Companys risk management and internal controls; use of the Companys services for improper or illegal purposes; uninsured and underinsured losses; theft & risk of physical harm to personnel; precious metal trading risks; and volatility of precious metals prices & public interest in precious metals investment; and those risks set out in the Companys most recently filed annual information form, available on SEDAR. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by law.
From Truthdig
Two months after the Sept. 20 landfall of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico -- like the nearby Virgin Islands -- is still in a state of horrifying devastation. The help being offered by the Trump administration is thin to the point of being cruel and unusual.
At this point one must ask: Is Trump's astonishing lack of aid part of a larger plan to cleanse the islands of their native populations, drive down real estate values and create a billionaire's luxury hotel-casino-prostitution playground la Cuba before the revolution?
In other words: ethnic cleansing for the superrich.
There is just one piece of good news: Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., has joined Rep. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands in proposing that Puerto Rico's electric grid be rebuilt with wind, solar and a network of micro-grids. More than half the original electric grid is still not functioning, with frequent blackouts occurring in areas where the grid is operational.
Amid a widespread green campaign (more on that later), Lieu and Plaskett have asked the public to cosign their letter to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to "invest in a more resilient energy infrastructure focused on renewable energy technology and distributed generation."
One major wind farm on Puerto Rico's south shore did survive Maria intact, as did the solar array of a local greenhouse business. Elon Musk has revived a children's hospital by shipping in a solar/battery array that is sustaining the few medical facilities in San Juan with reliable power.
But overall, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are in such horrific shape that it's hard to dismiss the idea that the weak recovery effort might be by design. Consider this:
-- Throughout the islands, U.S. citizens are dying due to lack of clean water. Tens of thousands are still without food, clothing, medical care or even basic shelter.
-- A CNN survey of Puerto Rico's burial services found a minimum of 499 deaths in the wake of the storm. That number cannot begin to cover the entire scope of the casualties, as many of the corpses have never made it to funeral homes. The official government death toll is about 65. When Trump visited the island he proudly put it at 16, complimenting FEMA for keeping it so "low."
-- Despite enormous resources available, the Trump administration has failed to deliver even sufficient tarps to cover rooftops that have been shattered or blown away altogether.
-- North Carolina activist Ana Blackburn reported on prn.fm radio's "Green Power & Wellness Show" that her mother, who lives in central Puerto Rico, is feeding more than 100 people per day at a church kitchen that can barely scrap together enough food for everyone.
-- She also confirmed widespread reports that FEMA workers are delivering small quantities of bottled water, but nowhere near enough to prevent desperately thirsty locals from drinking contaminated water from polluted streams and even from designated SuperFund sites (hazardous waste dumps), resulting in widespread sickness and death.
-- FEMA has been responding to requests for help by handing people without phone service or electricity a flier with a phone number to call and a website on which to fill out an application.
-- Many in Puerto Rico have died because most of the island's hospitals have no power and cannot provide surgery, dialysis and other basic life-saving services. Insulin and other medicines have spoiled due to lack of refrigeration.
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Trump's aide told one of the biggest Russian whoppers of the campaign.
Hope Hicks' time in the barrel may come soon. Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly aiming to interview the White House communications director as part of the Trump-Russia investigation. When he and his team of lawyers do so, they presumably will be mindful that the 29-year-old Hicks told one of the biggest whoppers of the 2016 campaign.
Two days after Donald Trump won the election, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Russian government had been in contact with the Trump campaign. "There were contacts," he remarked. "We are doing this and have been doing this during the election campaign." He noted that the Kremlin knew many of Trump's closest allies and was in touch with them. "Obviously, we know most of the people from his [Trump's] entourage." he said. "Those people have always been in the limelight in the United States and have occupied high-ranking positions." Ryabkov added that these contacts would continue.
This comment contradicted Trump's claim -- which he declared repeatedly through the campaign -- that he had nothing to do with Russia. That was often how he responded when asked about Russia's cyberattacks against the Clinton campaign and other Democratic targets. Though the US intelligence community, a month before the election, released an assessment stating that Russia was trying to subvert the presidential contest, Trump and his lieutenants constantly claimed there was no evidence of Moscow involvement.
So with a senior Russian official now stating that the Trump campaign had interacted with Russians, what was the Trump campaign to do? For Hicks, it was easy. Go with a blanket denial. "It never happened," she said. "There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign."
How did Christianity get separated from Judaism, when the two religions have so much in common?
That was the question pondered by three eminent scholars -- two Christian and one Jewish -- at a symposium hosted by the Center for Jewish History in New York City more than a decade ago.
It's an important question and conundrum that persists today, since Christianity is based on Jewish prophesy and lineage -- and the fact that all of Jesus' disciples and followers were Jews. And we should add to that the growing consensus among biblical scholars that Jesus lived and died a dedicated practicing Jew.
The symposium panelists -- Father Donald Senior, president of the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago; Anglican priest Bruce Chilton, author of Rabbi Jesus; and Rabbi Jacob Neusner, author of numerous books on religion and several on early Christianity -- agreed that Jesus lived and died a dedicated Jew, that he never mentioned or heard the word "Christian," and that he never proposed a new religion.
In fact, the word Christian does not appear at all in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) of the New Testament, which cover the three years of Jesus' religious and spiritual mission. Rabbi Neusner added that almost all of Jesus' teachings were drawn from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses).
These forthright statements begged the question that I then posed to Father Senior and Father Chilton during the Q and A: "You have convinced me that Jesus was thoroughly Jewish. So why aren't you Jews or Jewish Christians?"
They squirmed a bit at my provocation, but acknowledged that they had walked into this setup. Then they gave the standard answer to the question of what divides Judaism and Christianity: "Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, who died for the salvation of mankind. With the arrival of Jesus, the new path to God and redemption is through belief in Jesus Christ."
This view asserts Jesus' divinity, further supported, from the Christian perspective, by the virgin birth (Mary, Jesus' mother, was impregnated by the Holy Spirit), the miracles that Jesus performed, and his resurrection after the crucifixion.
So how does Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and third president of the United States, fit into this story?
Jefferson, an avowed deist who loved Jesus and reportedly read portions of the Bible every night, was not a fan of many of the depictions of Jesus in the Gospels. His opposition to those parts of the Jesus story that he rejected was so strong that he deleted them in his personal copy of the Bible.
He wrote: "Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God." Jefferson called the writers of the New Testament "ignorant, unlettered men" who produced "superstitions, fanaticisms, and fabrications."
The Humanist reports that one evening in 1804, while sitting at his desk at the White House, Jefferson "took out two Bibles and opened them to the story of Jesus. Then he grabbed a razor and began cutting. Working methodically, Jefferson sliced out the parts of the Bible that he believed and pasted them onto a folio of blank pages." In cutting and pasting passages from the four Gospels, he created a single narrative.
Thomas Jefferson cut and pasted to create his bible
(Image by Smithsonian Magazine) Details DMCA
In a letter to John Adams, Jefferson wrote: "The worthy parts of the Bible were easily distinguishable from the worthless." In another letter to a friend, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush, Jefferson referred to his Bible as his "wee little book," and added: "To the corruption of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself."
The only copy of this Bible disappeared and has never been found. But in 1820 at age 77, Jefferson created a new copy in English and three others in French, Latin and Greek.
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From Other Words
When a guy who's compared himself to Hitler sings love ballads to the U.S. president, we've got a problem.
"We've had a great relationship," exulted a giddy Donald Trump, following his two-day schmoozefest in Manila with the thuggish Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte, who calls himself a "toughie," brags that he's personally killed many people and likes to compare himself to Hitler. He's been on a murderous rampage since his election last year.
In the name of eliminating the drug trade, Duterte has unleashed a massive military assault across the country, not merely targeting dealers, but also anyone alleged to even use drugs. His onslaught is a human rights atrocity, with untold thousands being executed in what are antiseptically termed "extra judicial killings" -- that is, murders.
Yet the present president of the United States says Duterte is his new buddy. Trump stressed in their official discussions that the Philippine president can count on him and the U.S. (which includes you and me) to be a friend. And, as a friend, Trump didn't bother his authoritarian buddy with any unpleasant talk about those rampant human rights abuses.
Instead, the Duterte-Trump get-together was one of mutual praise and even affection. Indeed, Trump was delighted when Duterte impulsively grabbed the microphone at a gala state dinner and serenaded Trump with a love ballad, crooning: "You are the love I've been waiting for."
In fact, Duterte had earlier demonstrated that love when he named Jose Antonio to be his trade representative to our country. Antonio, a Philippine real estate mogul, happens to be a partner with our president in the luxurious new Trump Tower, now under construction in Manila. Cozy, huh?
Hugging up Duterte might be good business for Trump, but it's a sorry deal for our national interest -- and it's an insult to our people's support of human rights.
Will average household incomes rise if Republican tax cuts become law? Not for long. Average cuts will be small and they won't last. In the House version, the middle fifth of the households may see their after-tax income rise by 1.5% in 2018, but most of that increase will be gone by 2027. The richest 1% of households get a larger increase--2.5%--and they still be getting most of it in 2027. [1]
But won't tax cuts for the rich and the corporations generate many more jobs and higher pay? Probably not. There is no evidence that tax burdens on businesses and investors are the reason that job growth is not faster or that wages are never on the up-escalator for very long.
The purchasing power of an hour's work for average employees increased 53% from 1950 through 1975. But wages took a U-turn in the 70s and they fell or stagnated in the 1980s. The latter occurred despite the fact that rich people were gifted with much more after-tax income in the Reagan era. Between 1980 and 1982 the top marginal tax rate was cut from 70% to 50%; from 1986 to 1988, it fell to 28%, the lowest level since 1931. The corporate tax rate was also slashed. Despite these incentives, average hourly pay fell 4% (1980-1990). [2]
Dropping individual tax rates for rich people does not lift average Americans. Neither does cutting corporate taxes, as long as there is a plentiful supply of jobless workers and few strong unions. Don't expect a big jump in real business investment when many companies already have more money than they know what to do with. How much more stuff can they sell if household incomes don't increase substantially? [3]
But I am engaging in a fact-based discussion of economic policy and social justice. That's not what Republican promises are all about. The new tax cuts may add a little economic boost as government revenues don't grow as fast as spending--it's Keynesian deficit spending, and Republicans do it all the time--but it's unlikely that there will be sustained wage increases. Higher pay for workers has never been a Republican goal, and nor is it for quite a few Democrats. Republicans are in charge and if they really cared about workers, they could raise the federal minimum wage to $15 and start infrastructure programs today. They might actually help unemployed left-behinds in Ohio, West Virginia, Detroit, and Chicago. And they'd win Democratic support on both issues. But most Republicans aren't interested in good-job policies or cooperation across the aisle. Many, especially members of the Tea-Party/Freedom Caucus, have a gimme world-view that elevates the capitalist ethic of greed into a moral code. They're for YOYO (You're On Your Own), not WITT (We're In This Together).
If a right-wing House Republican leader were talking privately to his colleagues in an honest and realistic way, he might sound like this:
"Just among ourselves--doing things to create more jobs and more income for the lower half--that's not important. Talking about it is good, but I haven't thought much about it. We are doing the tax cuts to reward corporations and our big donors; we need their money--that's politics. But we also have idealistic motives--our own moral theory. Affluent and rich Americans deserve everything they can get their hands on, regardless of how they do it and how many jobs they kill. They work hard amassing wealth. Sometimes they create a lot of jobs; sometimes they get rich by destroying jobs. Often they make money by employing lawyers and lobbyists to evade taxes and rig legislation. Hey, that's life; more power to them. It's good that their kids start out way ahead of John and Jane Doe's kids, and the kids will have more of a head start when we get rid of the Estate Tax. And why not? These are obviously people of good stock.
"Think of it this way. We are cutting government to boost Social Darwinism. That's the struggle that lifts everyone"well, everyone who has what it takes. The federal government is 90% burden. We know it never creates jobs. Market competition is what makes America great. American was greater in the 1800s when the Robber Barons and their servants could tell the truth about defective workers and did not have to be dainty about crushing worker rebellions. We need more of that. Selfishness is good. You should all read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. It was published in the 1950s but it is still relevant. However, it's longer than our tax bill. If you are too busy for Atlas, here's a short variation that comes with God's approval. In many public lectures he gave in the late 1800s, a man named Russell Conwell said this: a poor man is one 'whom God has punished for his sins... remember that there is not a poor person in the United States who was not been made poor by his own shortcomings or the shortcomings of someone else. It is all wrong to be poor anyhow.' Invigorating, right? We need more of that today. Here's a motto for us: Selfishness good. My money going to help average Americans bad." By the way, this statement may not be appropriate for all audiences.
[1] On the House bill, Tax Policy Center, "Preliminary Distributional Analysis of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," November 8, 2017, especially Figure 1. On the Senate proposal, check the graphic in David Leonhardt, "The G.O.P. Is Fooling Itself on Taxes," New York Times, SundayReview, November 19, 2017, 3.
[2] Wage information based on The Economic Report of the President, 2016, Table B-15.
From Thom Hartmann Blog
A letter was sent out recently by the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians.
You're not hearing Breitbart News or Common Dreams -- right or left -- organizations or news sites with a point of view other than that they are committed to healing people.
The American Medical Association, they're committed to their doctors making a good income too because it's kind of a Union. The American Hospital Association, they want their hospitals to work. The American Academy of Family Physicians, I'd really doubt they have much of an axe to grind other than, "hey, we'd like families to be able to get health care."
"Repealing the individual mandate without a workable alternative will reduce enrollment, further destabilizing an already fragile individual and small group health insurance market on which more than 10 million Americans rely."
So you know the Republicans -- according to the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Federation of American hospitals, Blue Cross Blue Shield and America's Health Insurance Plans -- the Republicans have a choice: who are you going to help?
Are you going to help people -- Americans -- who might get sick, or are you going to help the billionaires of America who want to be able to pass along all of the money that they made to their children even though their children didn't do anything to earn it, they just were members of the lucky sperm club?
See, I have no problem if Ivanka Trump is taking a paycheck from Trump enterprises for the work that she's doing, or even, for that matter, just for being a Trump. You take a paycheck, you pay taxes on the money, right? If Ivanka Trump or Don jr. or Eric are working for the Trump Organization and are paid a million bucks a year, they're paying taxes on that money. I got no problem with that.
But when daddy croaks, all of a sudden they're going to get a whole pile of billions and billions of dollars -- at least if daddy's not lying about his net worth -- for which they didn't work. They just happened to be members of the lucky sperm club. They were just born children of Donald and Ivana. And that's worth billions?
I get it, in the Republican world it is, but that's only a little tiny piece of it Topher Spiro and Al Franken are tweeting about this. Topher Spiro is with the Center for American Progress' Think Progress blog. He says...
"Based on my twitter mentions, I can report that Republicans have awakened a sleeping giant. This is now a health care bill."
What's he talking about? Well, Al Franken tweets out...
"RED ALERT: Senate GOP just added provision to their tax plan that would gut ACA & kick 13M ppl off insurance. Yes, it's same tax plan that would add $1 trillion+ to deficit while giving majority of benefits to corporations & the rich. We need you to make your voices heard again."
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Even though we're struggling through the darkness of Trump Year One, Americans have much to be thankful for. Here are ten political reasons to give thanks.
1. The Resistance: Trump took office on January 20th and immediately met an active resistance thanks to Indivisible and many similar groups. January 21st saw a massive "Women's March on Washington" with far larger crowds than those at Trump's inauguration.
On January 27th Trump signed his first broad-brush immigration order, the so-called "Muslim Ban." This was immediately met with nationwide protests. Indeed, each of Trump's initiatives have been met with widespread organized resistance. Trump had promised to repeal "Obamacare" immediately but his efforts were thwarted due to prolonged protests.
2. Angry Women: While Trump has dominated each news cycle, a persistent secondary theme has been women taking political power. (At least in California) much of the resistance leadership is composed of women. they've led the efforts to save Obamacare, protect immigrants, and (recently) thwart draconian tax cuts.
In early October, the New York Times published an explosive expose about movie producer Harvey Weinstein; multiple women alleged harassment by Weinstein. This opened the floodgates resulting in a torrent of stories alleging that prominent American men have assaulted women in Hollywood, the halls of Congress, everywhere.
The flood of women talking about sexual abuse is a landmark event. This will likely end with women, en masse, turning away from Trump - who has been accused of sexual abuse by at least 14 women -- and the Republican Party. In 2018, we'll see a female political tsunami.
3. Sanctuary Providers: Trump has not only led a savage crackdown on immigrants but promulgated intolerance and related violence. (There's been an upswing of hate crimes since his election.)
In the face of Trump's politics of white supremacy, there have been many brave Americans who have provided shelter and support for those who are being persecuted for their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or just because they "look different."
4. Environmental Activists: Trump took the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord and, in general, led an assault on climate science. His Administration appears to be controlled by the fossil-fuel energy.
In the face of this unprecedented onslaught, environmental activists have stood up to Trump, and his lackeys, at every turn -- even sending an alternative team to the International Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany.
5. Gun-Control Advocates: It's been a terrible year for gun violence, culminating in the October 1st Las Vegas massacre where 58 were killed and 489 injured. Trump and the Republican Party continually respond that the answer is more guns; they are beholden to the gun lobby.
Meanwhile, commonsense gun-control advocates, such as former Congressman Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, have led a determined push for reasonable gun control.
6. California: Throughout 2017, I've continually given thanks for being fortunate enough to live in California. It's not just that the Golden State is a great place to live, overwhelmingly blue, and has a booming economy. Californians actually care about the environment and the creation of a fair economy.
7. Robert Mueller: Like many in the resistance, I've held out hope that the day would come when Donald Trump would stand in open court and be revealed as a mendacious thug. Since May, this hope has rested on the broad shoulders of Robert Mueller, the Department of Justice special counsel charged with investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. So far there have been three indictments -- of the low-hanging fruit, as it were -- that indicate Mueller's investigation is on track.
8. Tom Steyer: During the past year there has been a lot of cocktail party conversation about impeaching Trump but only one prominent liberal has "put his money where his mouth is," Tom Steyer. Steyer is running a $10 million ad campaign calling for impeachment (click here ): "This president has met the basis for impeachment through already obstructing justice in the emoluments clause."
9. Republican who stood up to Trump: One of the biggest disgraces of the year has been the unwillingness of Republican members of Congress to stand up to Donald Trump. No matter how outrageous Trump's behavior, the Washington Republican orthodoxy looks away. Except for Senators Corker and Flake who have called Trump out. (By the way, neither Senator is running for reelection in 2018.) And, when it appeared the battle to save Obamacare was loss, Republican Senators Collins, McCain, and Murkowski stepped up.
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By Edward Curtin
If he had lived, President John F. Kennedy would have been 100 years old this year. At Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, his family would be raising a glass in his honor.
But as we all know, he was murdered in Dallas, Texas on this date -- November 22nd -- in 1963. A true war hero twice over, he risked his life to save his men in World War II, and then, after a radical turn toward peace-making in the last year of his life, he died in his own country at the hands of his domestic enemies as a soldier in a non-violent struggle for peace and reconciliation for all people across the world.
But we can still celebrate, mourn, and offer thanksgiving for his courageous witness. When we gather tomorrow to give thanks, we should remember today -- the profound significance of the date -- and the absent presence of a man whose death, dark and bloody as it was, is a sign of hope in these dark times. For if John Kennedy had not had the spiritual conscience to secretly carry-on a back channel letter correspondence with Nikita Khrushchev, facilitated by Pope John XXIII, we very well might not be here, having been incinerated in a nuclear holocaust.
Hope? Not because he was assassinated, but why he was assassinated.
While there is much media focus on the release of more of the JFK files, they are beside the point. They were withheld all these years to dribble out the clock on an endless pseudo-debate about who killed President Kennedy. We know who killed him: the national security state, led by the CIA, killed him, not Lee Harvey Oswald. It was a coup d'e'tat purposely conducted in plain sight to send a message that every president since has heeded: Your job is to make war and threaten nuclear annihilation for the Deep State elites. Follow orders or else. They have followed.
If you find my assertion about the CIA audacious and absurd, first read James Douglass's JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, a book widely regarded as the best book on the assassination and its meaning. Read it very closely and slowly. Check all his sources, read his endnotes, and analyze his logic. Approach his meticulous research as if you agreed with Gandhi's saying that truth is God and God is truth. Try to refute Douglass. You will be stymied. Then read David Talbot's The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government for further clarification. You will come away from these two books profoundly shaken to your core. Be a truth-seeker, if you are not one already.
Or if you prefer, call me a "conspiracy theorist," as the CIA wants, since it was the Agency that produced CIA Dispatch # 1035-960. "Most Americans," writes Professor Lance deHaven-Smith of Florida State University, "will be shocked to learn that the conspiracy theory label was popularized as a pejorative term by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a propaganda campaign initiated in 1967." This program was aimed at critics of the Warren Commission. The CIA requested that its own people and corporate media accomplices, including all its journalist assets, besmirch the good names of anyone who dared to point out the absurdities in the government claim that Lee Harvey Oswald, a man working for the CIA as a fall guy, could have killed Kennedy. Critics were branded as communists. "In the shadow of McCarthyism and the Cold War," deHaven-Smith continues, "this warning about communist influence was delivered simultaneously to hundreds of well-positioned members of the press in a global CIA propaganda network, infusing the conspiracy-theory label with powerfully negative associations."
So be careful how you use the term, if you don't want to be working with the assassins to silence their critics.
But my intention here is not to debate the obvious. In a season of thanksgiving and hope, I want to remind you to remember and honor JFK. Because he knew the horror of war and grasped the systemic evil of its proponents within his own government, John Kennedy grew out of the war machine -- in James Douglass's words in JFK and the Unspeakable, when he was assassinated, JFK "was turning, Teshuvah, 'turning,' the rabbinic word for repentance," against war and toward peace as his actions in the last year of his life make crystal clear. As a result, the unspeakable deep-state forces murdered him. He knew they would, but as a man of great courage, he knew he must follow the words of Abraham Lincoln dear to his heart: "I know there is a God -- and I see a storm coming. If he has a place for me, I believe that I am ready."
Hope comes from facing the truth, not from fleeing from it. The Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, called our denial of the truth about JFK and his turn toward peace that led to his murder by forces within his own government, the "unspeakable": "the void that gets into the language of public and official declarations at the very moment when they are pronounced, and makes them ring dead with the hollowness of the abyss." We are living in that abyss today. But we can still speak; we can refuse to be silenced. And in speaking up we will find hope.
Jim Douglass asks: "How can we take hope from a peacemaking president's assassination by his own national security state?"
He answers: "The story of why John Kennedy died encircles the earth. Because JFK chose peace on earth at the height of the Cold War, he was executed. But he turned toward peace, in spite of the consequences to himself, humanity is still alive and struggling. That is hopeful, especially if we understand what he went through and what he has given us as his vision."
His life's story is the story of the courage to change radically and turn toward truth and peace-making no matter what the cost.
We should all raise our glasses in a Thanksgiving toast to John Kennedy. In his story is ours; the hope he bequeathed to us through his courageous death is one of hope for life. Our gratitude to JFK must follow with our commitment to oppose the killers in our own government who want to silence us all, now and forevermore.
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If the title of this article seems to you to be a little exaggerated, think again. It's hard to find more than a handful of Republicans these days who don't consider the Democrats' true agenda an ultimate pathway to socialism and anarchy. The religious right looks back at a time that never existed, that is, some sort of moral religious epoch, replete with God in His Heaven, peace on earth, led by ethical church fathers and benign business leaders. The "Great Epoch," of course, lasted only a few years between World War II and the Korean War, carrying over, to a lesser degree, into the 1950's. In shock from the horrors of religious and social persecution and murder of millions of innocent Eastern Europeans and Asians, the Western countries' heretofore imperialist governments deigned to actually publicly consider that people of various races, religions, nationalities and genders might all have the right to be treated, if not equally, at least with a modicum of respect!
This unique concept, dating back to the time of Jesus' original sayings, ironically, had rarely, if ever, been tested by the leaders of the religions which had usurped his name, all the while ignoring his most important messages. Even in the United States, despite valiant efforts by our imperfect but optimistic founding fathers, discrimination against Blacks, Native Americans, Asians, non-Christians and women of all races persists to this day as does the deliberate shunning of the actual "Christian" duty to support "the poor." Indeed, the current pseudo Christian Right's tax plan, in supporting increased taxes for the poor as well as low and middle class taxpayers, while saving the very wealthiest literally trillions in permanent tax cuts is not only unfair, but unsustainable.
The last tax fiasco, George W. Bush's massive tax cuts and carpetbagger incursion into Iraq cost us millions of homes, jobs, raped and pillaged the Social Security Trust Fund to the tune of almost two trillion dollars, leaving a few worthless IOU's in place of the surplus left in the fund by the previous administration. Meanwhile, one by one the empty promises of the current Republican House and Senate are being exposed to the public for what they are a truly massive redistribution of wealth to filthy rich corporations who are already wealthier than they have ever been, even wealthier than the nefarious robber barons of the 19th and early 20th centuries! Obviously, the miscreants don't need more money, these American Oligarchs controlling far more than half the world's wealth already. What they are after is "power," "control," and the obvious return to a feudal society. Their pseudo Christian veneer needs to be peeled off, layer by layer until the current Republican administration is exposed for what it is really trying to do. Between the dangerous and deranged beast in the White House and the corporate lackeys running the House and Senate under threat by their masters to withhold political donations, the once proud Republican Party is gradually transforming itself into "The Banana Republican Party."
As repeated time and again by Fareed Zakaria, Robert Reich, and countless others, the handwriting is on the wall. First muzzle the free press, take control of the courts, arrest and prosecute your political rivals, militarize your cabinet, fill key positions with unqualified corporate cronies and manipulate the vote with a phony election committee comprised of the sleaziest members of the corporate swamp. Give away our national parks to corporate interests; proudly reverse any regulations restricting corporations from polluting air water or soil even if it results in more dead children. Even give in to the craven interests of rich depraved hunters like your sons so they can murder elephants and hasten the animal's extinction. As the pseudo Christian Right looks on and worries about abortion in the first trimester, gay marriage, transgenders in the military, and how to keep their favorite candidates from ending up in the bowels of hell, what will "Democratic Socialists" do? Will they be baited into arguing the same nonsense and waste political capital campaigning for free college for partying college students instead of affordable loans, "Medicare for all" without bothering to fumigate the program, late term abortions because of a" bad hair day" instead of for legitimate reasons? Or, will they start putting ads on television now , exposing the hubris of Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and now Orrin Hatch revealing a "Banana Republican Party" totally in the pocket of their corporate donors, blatantly stealing from the less affluent to further fill the greedy pockets of the new breed of robber barons?
It's time for the slumbering Democratic National committee to arouse itself from its state of Hillary and Bernie induced suspended animation and start attacking the real monsters in our society. When inveterate liars, Donald trump and Mike Pence are finally outed, it is Paul Ryan who may find himself as the leader of the (once) free world. Do you want to wait that long to find out if he is simply the economic and cowardly fool he appears to be or if he is as craven and uncaring as the majority of his "Banana Republican" colleagues?
French English
Paris, 23 November 2017 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today held the Scientific Council of "Atos Quantum", the first industrial quantum computing program in Europe.
Marking the first anniversary of the launch of the program, the members of the Scientific Council - assembled under the chairmanship of Thierry Breton - reviewed the first commercial successes of the Atos Quantum Learning Machine (Atos QLM) as well as the new technological horizons of Atos Quantum.
A transatlantic commercial success for the Atos QLM, less than six months after launch
After having presented the Atos QLM, the world's most powerful quantum simulator, in Brussels last July, Atos delivered less than six months later - on November 13 2017 - a copy of its machine to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, the Department of Energy's largest multi-program science and energy laboratory. Installed on-site, the Atos QLM offers US researchers and engineers the opportunity to develop and test the quantum applications and algorithms of today on the computer of tomorrow.
Since its launch, the machine - capable of simulating up to 40 quantum bits (Qubits) - has been the subject of permanent innovations by Atos quantum teams.
A simulation of physical Qubits made even more efficient by integrating "quantum noise"
Among these innovations, researchers at the Atos Quantum laboratory work in particular on the integration of "quantum noise" models, a particularly useful improvement for researchers working on Qubit architectures.
New "Quantum-safe" algorithm standards to anticipate future critical needs in cyber security
In parallel with its quantum simulation work, the Atos Group also participates in the development of new standards of so-called "quantum-safe" algorithms, i.e. those capable of withstanding quantum attacks in order to make current applications (the Internet, e-commerce, personal data) inviolable by quantum methods. As such, the Atos Group has responded to a recent call for proposals launched in the United States by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Ile-de-France region supports the Atos Quantum laboratory located in Clayes-sous-Bois (Yvelines)
The highly innovative nature of the Atos Quantum program is recognized not only at an international level but also at a regional level. For example, at the presentation of the Smart Region Initiative Plan (2018-2021) on November 21, which is aimed at making the Ile-de-France the first smart region in Europe, Valerie Pecresse, president of the Ile-de-France Regional Council, stressed the immense technological and industrial contribution that quantum computing embodies. It is within this framework that the Ile-de-France region will donate up to 5 million euros in research and development to the Atos Quantum laboratory located in the clays-sous-Bois in Yvelines.
Following the meeting of the Atos Quantum Scientific Council, Thierry Breton, President and CEO of Atos, said:
"We are delighted of the tremendous progress that the Atos Quantum program has made as of today. In only 12 months, our teams have been able to translate the advances of our research laboratory to industrial use. The first commercial successes of the Atos QLM demonstrate the need to advance the quantum computer and exceed the current limits of physics. Thanks to their work in R&D, the Atos Quantum teams, supported by a unanimously recognized scientific Council, and sustained in particular by the Ile-de-France region, enable researchers worldwide to test today the specific algorithms that will give future quantum computers their power, especially in applications related to artificial intelligence."
Quantum computing should make it possible, in the years to come, to deal with the explosion of data, which Big Data and the Internet of Things bring about. With its targeted and unprecedented compute acceleration capabilities, notably based on the exascale class supercomputer Bull Sequana, quantum computing should also promote advances in deep learning, algorithmics and artificial intelligence for areas as varied as pharmaceuticals or new materials. To make progress on these topics, Atos intends to also put in place several partnerships with research centers and universities around the world.
Atos Quantum Programme in 3 dates
November 2016: Atos launches "Atos Quantum", 1st Industrial Quantum Computing program in Europe
On November 6, 2016, Atos launches "Atos Quantum", the first quantum computing industry program in Europe, which aims to develop quantum computing solutions, offering unprecedented computational powers, as well as algorithms and applications Quantum, especially for Big Data, artificial Intelligence and cyber security.
July 2017: Launch of the Atos QLM, the world's most powerful quantum simulator
On 4 July 2017, Atos launched the Atos Quantum Learning Machine, the world's first commercially available machine-system capable of simulating up to 40 quantum bits (Qubits). Combined with a universal quantum programming language, the Atos QLM enables researchers, students and engineers to develop and test today the quantum applications and algorithms of tomorrow.
November 2017: Delivery of the Atos QLM to the US Department of Energy
Less than six months after the launch of the Atos QLM, Atos delivers a copy of its machine to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, the Department of Energy's largest multi-program science and energy laboratory.
***
About Atos
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 72 countries and annual revenue of around 12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.
Press contact:
Terence Zakka | terence.zakka@atos.net | +33 1 73 26 40 76 | @Mr_Zakka
NYC 1920
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He was born and raised in a little town just outside of Licata, Sicily. By the time he was 18, the young man was accepted into university in Tunisia, a far more scholastically advanced place than the Sicily of the early 1900s. Upon graduating, he decided to do what many young Italians chose to do, and he immigrated to the United States.
He met and married a pretty young Neapolitan girl in New York City, and they settled down to raise a family. She could only bear one child, a son, born in 1915. Meanwhile, her husband could not get his Tunisian university degree to count for anything here, and so he found whatever work he could. They even saved and opened a small neighborhood candy store on Avenue "S" in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. The depression hit, and the business failed. Their son, a gifted student, had just been accepted at Brooklyn College, a very difficult school to get into at that time. By the end of his second semester, as the depression worsened, he had to drop out and seek employment to help the family. They all worked: mother in a factory, the son as a messenger and dad secured a skilled job as a machinist. Yet, the pay was low for all concerned, and many nights they would eat broccoli rabe sandwiches for dinner.
The 1930s were a rough time for all who labored.... Or sought any work. The ranks of the unemployed were so great that companies offered wages as low as possible to prospective employees. The smell of strife filled the factories and warehouses and offices throughout NYC. Strikes were as common as a rain shower. Many picket lines became battlegrounds as violent as the battle charges of WW1. The police and the companies' hired thugs took few prisoners.... And the strikers gave back as good as they got.
Tough times. The Sicilian went out on strike with his co- workers, and he battled on those picket lines with his powerfully built body. One day, during a vicious exchange with the police and hired goons, the Sicilian was arrested for assault. He called home to his wife: "I need to make bail!", but she didn't have the money in their savings drawer to get him out. So, she and her son went throughout the neighborhood begging for any sort of handout to get her husband, the only man she ever loved, back home to her.
Finally, after a day of humbling and humiliating pleas, she raised the money. Her husband was free.... For now. When he returned to his job at the machine shop, the foreman told him the bad news: You're fired, and you will never work in this trade again. You're blacklisted!
By the turn of the new decade, the Sicilian had spent three years doing odd jobs for lousy per diem pay. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to get on Home Relief (welfare) and the waiting list was very long. His wife and son were working full time to keep them in their apartment. He became more and more despondent each day.
On December 1, 1940, bitter cold and cloudy, the wife had just returned home from a long shift of factory work. She was tired, and her legs were rubbery from standing for ten hours. She needed a nice warm bath to take the chill out of her, and perhaps cheer up her tired face. As she opened the bathroom door, she could sense something was not right. The shower curtains were pushed outside of the tub. When she walked closer, she saw what no human being should have to see. The gun had fallen outside the tub. He had made sure that no blood would spill onto the bathroom floor. He was always so tidy that way. My grandfather, Pietro Farruggio, was dead!
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Ajit Pai, Enemy of 99% of Humanity
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Let's be clear. The plan to end net neutrality is not about the just the net. The internet is the biggest power leveling factor in modern western industrial world history. The attack on net neutrality is an attempt to claw back all the power that the Bottom up nature of the internet has given to individuals, groups and non-state actors.
Eliminating net neutrality is a massive assault, perhaps the biggest in modern history, on the empowerment of people to voice their ideas.
Ajit Pai, the FCC appointee who is leading the way to end net neutrality talks about a "light touch."
I'm sure that when people started talking about legislating to protect children that there were voices like Pai's who argued against legislation because the market would resolve the problem.
RT @AjitPaiFCC: Today, Im proposing to repeal the heavy-handed Internet regulations imposed by the Obama Administration and to return to t at Rhonda Stroud (@RhondaStroud10) November 23, 2017
I'm sure that there have been dishonest voices like Pai's who cited words like liberty and freedom to argue against women's rights to vote and equal treatment for people of all color. Ajit Pai is an enemy of freedom for 99% of humanity. He is leading the assault to take away the power that the internet has given to the people. He, by his attack on net neutrality, is helping every dictator, every authoritarian despot, every crooked corporate executive, every propagandist who wants to shut down opposing voices.
The attack on net neutrality is an attack on the future of freedom, an attack on the hopes of billions that there will be a better world. It is an attack on the very structure of power that has evolved in the past twenty years.
We need to make it clear to companies that plan to benefit from the ending of net neutrality that they will become the targets of boycotts.
We need to make it clear to the mainstream media networks that if they do not get behind defending net neutrality, one hundred percent, that they are, in reality allies of net neutrality attackers.
Email, call, write, tweet your messages to your legislators and to the mainstream media. Shame the POSPOTUS (piece of sh*t President of the United States) into turning this around.
Alpha Destination Management Wins the Best DMC Worldwide Award From Virgin Holidays at WTM London 2017
http://www.alphatoursdubai.com
http://www.mpj-pr.com
Alpha Destination Management, the leading destination management company in the Arabian Gulf, was declared the winner of the Best DMC Worldwide Award by Virgin Holidays at a glittering ceremony held on the eve of World Travel Market (WTM) 2017 in London. Virgin Holidays is a leading UK Tour operator and its annual awards programme has been running for over a decade. Alpha Destination Management was presented the coveted trophy by Mr. Joe Thompson, Managing Director of Virgin Holidays, based on the companys outstanding customer service scores worldwide and its innovative products.Receiving the award, Mr Samir Hamadeh, General Manager of Alpha Destination Management, said, We are absolutely thrilled to win this prestigious award for the 03rd year in a row and truly grateful to Virgin Holidays for this great honour. It is a tremendous achievement given the massive competition in the market. The Virgin Holidays awards celebrate the best in the travel industry worldwide and are voted for by customers as well as industry professionals. It is clear that our customers, some of whom are the most well-travelled people globally, continue to be satisfied by our distinctive service and products. We are very proud of all of our team and associates who are dedicated to providing the best possible experience to travellers and are delighted with this fantastic recognition of our hard work.Alpha Destination Management has witnessed a strong momentum this year. Mr Hamadeh stressed, 2017 is truly a breakthrough year for us in comparison to the years before. With our investment in technology and larger portfolio of distinctive products having a focus on certain niche markets, we now provide travelers greater access, unprecedented choices and unparalleled benefits on their travels whether for business or leisure which has resulted in better business conversion.About Alpha Destination ManagementFounded in 1996, by Mr. Ghassan Aridi and his partners, Alpha Destination Management is the leading destination management company and a pioneer in the tourism sector in the Arabian Gulf. Over the last two decades, the company has established itself as one of the most credible and reputed brands not only in the Gulf region but also in the international tourism industry. Controlling a significant market share of the lucrative tourism sector in the GCC, Alpha Destination Management is a market leader in the region with the largest annual turnover and wide network of international partners offering the highest levels of service and innovative and exciting experiences. Our extensive global and local knowledge and network, outstanding expertise and sound reputation is the key to success for us and all our partners.For more information about Alpha Destination Management visitFor media contact:Hina BakhtVice PresidentMPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction)Mob: +971 50 697 5146Email: h.bakht@mpj-pr.comMPJ - Marketing Pro-Junction is a reputed marketing and communications agency in Dubai offering world-class services. We provide businesses with the most comprehensive and innovative marketing solutions and strategies. We understand the power of integrated marketing and offer our clients holistic up-to-date marketing & communications solutions that are aligned across multiple channels. Technology forms the core of our agency merging digital engineering and analytics with marketing. Advancements in digital technology are reshaping the world and transforming all aspects of business and we optimize it to give you an edge in terms of real-time speed, connectivity and reach.MPJ - Marketing Pro-Junction1110, Yes Business CenterAl Barsha, Dubai, UAEMailing Address:P.O.BOX : 213443Dubai, UAE
Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA showcases clean label solutions, new flavour creations and taste concepts at FiE Frankfurt
www.bell-europe.com
Being one of the leading suppliers of flavours, botanical extracts and ingredient specialties, Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA once again presents successful taste concepts and innovative flavour ideas as well as extracts for clean label solutions at this year's Food ingredients Europe in Frankfurt. From the 28th to the 30th of November 2017, the world's leading food and beverage ingredients show will connect more than 1,500 suppliers with a record number of experts of the F&B industry. On a stand space of 100 rn 2 Bell Flavors & Fragrances presents its latest developments and trends for beverages, sweet and dairy or savoury applications. Visitors at Bell booth 08.0L 7 in hall 8 will have the opportunity to get inspired by a wide variety of innovations and to meet up with Bell's top flavorists, marketing and sales experts to discuss ideas for new product developments.FiE Special: Botanical extracts for inspiring clean label productsConsumers continue to push boundaries for clean label products, driven by the ongoing health and wellness megatrend and the search for authenticity in food and beverage products. Therefore, innovations with regard to clean, natural ingredients, such as botanical extracts, are a key focus for Bell Flavors & Fragrances.The usage of botanical extracts in food and beverage products offers great taste as well as natural flavour, together with enhanced organoleptic characteristics and improved nutritional value underlining its growing presence on the global market (10% of global food and drink launches are currently listing herbal extracts on pack).With its new concept "Feel nature's variety" Bell is proud to underline its extensive expertise in botanical extracts and showcases a completely new range of natural extracts especially designed to fulfil the unique requirements of products like wellness drinks, dairy products or various savoury applications. The highquality product range allows for clean labelling and is fully in line with today's high consumer expectations! Whether fruit and vegetable extracts, floral notes or herb and spice extracts - Bell once again proves, that healthy ingredients and innovative taste creations are not mutually exclusive. Highlights of the brand-new range include fragrant rosemary extract and earthy mushroom extract for savoury applications, rose blossom extract and curly mint extract for dairy applications such as yogurt, as well as ginseng root extract and aromatic basil extract for wellness drinks.Successful taste concepts and trend-driven noveltiesThrough years of experience and intensive research, Bell has created a wide range of products to reflect the taste preferences of different consumer groups and markets - constantly striving to meet the challenges caused by sensory characteristics in order to provide manifold possibilities to round off or differentiate the final taste of a product. Recognising consumer behaviour is yet another key element for successful product creation at Bell. Spotting each year's market and consumer trends, evaluating them with regard to future developments and creating new ideas out of it leads Bell to create innovative and future-oriented novelties and product concepts.Among others, Bell therefore presents a wide variety of new product developments at this year's FiE, including sophisticated natural flavour profiles for craft lemonades and cider, as well as natural flavours for vegan protein shakes, combining both, the ongoing fitness-hype and the vegan movement. Bell also will pay special attention to the trends within bakery and chocolate confectionary, with an assortment of indulgent profiles such as red velvet or matcha. Intriguing taste experiences in savoury applications will not fall short of expectations, either - Bell will give an exclusive insight into the snack seasoning trends for 2018 and present its highly successful portfolio of umami flavours providing an effective solution for clean labelling in savoury products. With its broad product portfolio, once again Bell will provide a great novelty of taste solutions for every category.Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA at Food Ingredients Europe 2017: Booth 08.01-1, Hall 8Get in touch with taste and meet Bell's top flavorists, marketing and sales experts and get inspired by highquality flavour and botanical extract solutions for innovative product developments.About Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA:Bell Flavors & Fragrances is a leading supplier of flavours, fragrances, botanical extracts and ingredient specialities to the beverage and food industries, as well as the household care and personal care industries. As a private enterprise with an effective corporate structure, we are in the position to render excellent service and to supply our extensive product portfolio. Bell's affiliated companies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China and Singapore give us greater flexibility in the world market place and enable us to bring new trends quickly to customer's attention. Our goal is to help our customers to place successful products on the market.Bell Flavors & Fragrances - get in touch with taste!Agneta HoffmannMarketing SpecialistBell Flavors & FragrancesSchimmelstrasse 104205 Leipzig, GermanyTel: +49.341.9457.1053E-mail: a.hoffmann@bell-europe.comWebsite:
CUSTOMIZED LASER SYSTEMS AND MACHINES FOR MEDICAL ENGINEERING / MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS
www.md-innovationtech.com
MARKING - ENGRAVING - WELDING - CUTTING - DRILLING - CLADDING- BRAZING - MICROMACHININGMD INNOVATION TECH GmbH / INDUSTRIAL LASER SYSTEMS ILS are specialized in the realization of individual laser system solutions for medical device manufacturers. As a recognized partner, we supply well-known companies in the medical industry.Regardless of whether it concerns the marking or engraving of surgical instruments or the marking of various implants or demanding welding, cutting (eg cutting of small thin parts with controlled thermal impact), drilling tasks, our engineering team will be happy to help you create a tailored concept according to your specific requirements.MD INNOVATION TECH GmbH distributes high-end laser diode modules, laser sources, hyperspectral imaging / microscopy, IR cameras as well as special laser machine construction (marking laser systems, engraving laser systems, welding, cutting and drilling laser systems, cladding and brazing laser systems). All our products have unique features. The MD INNOVATION TECH sales territories cover Germany, Austria, Switzerland, BeNeLux, Scandinavia and parts of Southern and Eastern Europe.MD INNOVATION TECH GmbHcontact person: Christine DressKlingelbrunnenstr. 39D-95659 Arzberg / GermanyPhone: + 49 9233 7157745info@md-innovationtech.com
Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) Market 2000-2025
LCP Market Overview
Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) are aromatic polyesters by composition that exist in liquid crystal state. They exhibit a partially crystalline structure and their molecules are largely aligned. They have remarkable physical properties and chemical inertness by the virtue of which are capable of replacing metals, ceramics and several other engineering plastics in high-end applications. LCPs find use in electronic components like printed circuit boards and surface mounted devices.Electrical & Electronics and Consumer Electronics are so far the largest consumers of LCP and will continue being the major consumers in the long term forecast. Other applications for LCPs include: Automotive (power trains of hybrid cars), Industrial, Medical and other applications like Aerospace and Bake ware.LCPs were first commercialised in 1980s. Currently, the major players into manufacturing of neat LCP resins are: Polyplastics, Ticona, Toray, Solvay, Sumitomo and Ueno. Polyplastics is identified to be the largest producer with a manufacturing facility in Fuji, Japan. LCP resins manufacturing facilities are largely restricted to Japan, China and USA. The global capacities for LCP resins are around 60,000 tons with demand slightly over 35,000 tons. The global demand is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0 5.2% in the next 5-6 years.In 2016, Asia-Pacific was estimated to be the largest consumer of LCPs accounting for over 75% of the global demand. China accounted for the major demand with strong demand from its electrical & electronics industry. Other Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan, India, Singapore and South Korea account for a descent share of the global demand.Miniaturization of electronic parts owing to the need of ultra-thin components and lead free soldering techniques are the major growth driving factor for LCPs in the electronics industry. Growing population, increasing disposable income, and per capita consumption of plastics are some of the key factors supporting the growth in demand of plastics in the electronics industry. Its high prices compared to other commodity plastics put it to some disadvantage. However, its outstanding properties outweigh this and the market for LCP is likely to expand over the years.For market information on Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) and other Engineering Plastics write to sales@prismaneconsulting.comPrismane Consulting is a unique global boutique consulting firm with an Indian origin. We present ourselves to the world outside providing management, economic and technical expertise to improve customer engagement, boost operational efficiency, reduce costs and achieve superior business results. Prismane Consulting serves leading businesses in the field of Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Polymers, Materials, Environment and Energy. We have been advising clients on their key strategic issues solving their toughest and most critical business problems.Prismane ConsultingOffice #519, Amanora Chambers, Amanora Park Town,Hadapsar-Magarpatta Road,Pune 411028India
Non Invasive Prenatal Testing Market Report 2017
http://www.dpiresearch.com/report-details.php?P_ID=93
www.dpiresearch.com
The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industryvalidated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, country wise actual and potential market, NIPT test analysis with volume and market revenue and competitive landscape. The report also covers market growth drivers, challenges, current and upcoming trends of the NIPT test marketGLOBAL NON-INVASIVE PRENATAL TESTING (NIPT) MARKET SEGMENTATIONGlobal Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market By Test Type1. MaterniT21 PLUS2. Harmony3. NIFTY4. Verifi5. Panorama6. PrenaTest7. BambniTest8. informaSeq9. VisibiliT10. Veracity11. IONA TestTo know more about the report, visit atGlobal Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market By Country1. United States2. United Kingdom3. Germany4. Italy5. Spain6. France7. Switzerland8. Sweden9. Belgium10. Australia11. New Zealand12. Japan13. China14. India15. BrazilDPI Research is a business solutions firm which offer bespoke market research reports, custom research solutions and consulting across multi geographies and industry verticals. We deliver wide range of cutting-edge research solutions that helps organizations in making better decisions of the business to business needs.Maria RaiTel :+91 -7289949987Email: sales@dpiresearch.comWebsite:
Lucy Electric at Future Energy East Africa: The electricity industry in this region is one of the fastest developing on the continent"
1800+ power professionals expected at Nairobi expo
http://www.future-energy-eastafrica.com
The electricity industry in this region is one of the fastest developing on the continent and Future Energy East Africa presents the perfect opportunity to showcase our products, services and leading expertise to one of our key growth markets this is according to Connie Ochola, Regional Marketing Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa at Lucy Electric, experts in secondary distribution solutions, with more than 100 years experience in the electrical industry.Lucy Electric is the returning platinum sponsor at the long-running conference and exhibition that is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya from 29-30 November.Our company has a great heritage and strong history in East Africa says Ms Ochola, our engineers work with electrical utilities and distribution companies across Africa, designing and implementing cutting edge automation projects, from concept to deployment.She adds: an exciting development for us in 2017 is the launch of our first 36kV ring main unit (RMU). The Aegis36 is designed to meet the growing demand for a quality switchgear solution for 36kV networks and support the increasing number of renewable power connections, particularly important across the African continent. The new Aegis36 means that customers in Africa and around the world are able to select Lucy Electric ring main products across the full secondary distribution voltage range.Exciting projects by Lucy Electric in the regionNetwork automation projects are the key focus for utilities in East Africa says the Lucy Electric Regional Marketing Manager. She explains: we have recently completed a project for Kenya Power to automate the network in the Mombasa region, across 1,661 square kilometres, reducing average fault response time from 1 -2 hours to just 30 seconds.She continues: we are also currently working with UMEME to automate the overhead network in Kampala and the surrounding area. The project focuses on optimisation of the network to improve quality of supply and will enable UMEME to better manage generation shortfalls, improve fault resolution and allow reconfiguration of the network to ensure essential services are maintained during any power outages. Now in its final stages, the project has the potential to be extended on both the overhead and underground network.To read the complete interview with Lucy Electrics Connie Ochala, go to the event website.East Africas energy journeyFormerly known as the East African Power Industry Convention or EAPIC, which was a firm, favourite fixture on the regions power calendar for the last 19 years, Future Energy East Africa, with the official support of the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, will once again host many of the regions leading energy decision makers from 29 30 November 2017.The event is recognised as being a distinctive gathering of stakeholders within the power value chain which includes governments, power generation companies, transmission and distribution companies, off takers, developers, investors, equipment manufacturers and providers, technology providers, EPCs, legal and consulting firms all with a shared goal of supporting the on-going implementation of finding lasting solutions to East Africas energy challenges.Future Energy East Africa dates and location:Strategic conference and expo: 29-30 November 2017Venue: Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, KenyaFuture Energy East Africa is organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), Future Energy Uganda, Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.Senior Communications Manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.comWebsite:Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa
Bubbletone to Showcase Global Blockchain for Affordable Roaming at Blockchain Expo North America 2017
Bubbletone, the Blockchain for Telecom
www.clementvale.com
Dublin, November 22. Bubbletone to showcase a global blockchain platform for affordable mobile network roaming at Blockchain Expo North America 2017 in Santa Clara, CA.Bubbletone has created a global blockchain-based marketplace that directly connects end users and mobile network operators. This solution effectively eliminates the operator's costs for entering and running international roaming programs.These expenses now amount to tens of millions of dollars in fees, including payments to intermediaries. That is why according to research around 70% of roamers worldwide stay silent, with just 1% of subscribers consuming 80% of traffic in roaming.With Bubbletone, operators will offer their price quotes for packages of mobile services with their great local rates. Customers then choose exactly the amount of voice, text and data they need in specific country and buy directly from the provider. The purchase is made inside the app with a smart contract transaction and takes effect immediately.In addition to great rates and LTE quality, subscribers get peace of mind retaining their home mobile number while roaming, and can seamlessly stay in touch with family and friends.Speaking of presenting at blockchain Expo North America, founder Yury Morozov says:"This is an exciting opportunity to provide an early glimpse at our disruptive solution to the telecom community. We have already had positive feedback in talks with major operators like Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Hutchinson Telecommunications and Telefonica. And of course small and medium-sized operators are starting to see Bubbletone blockchain as a robust and convenient tool for increasing their revenue".Technically, the Bubbletone roaming platform which is fully operational by now uploads mobile profiles with selected services on subscribers SIM cards. This platform features solutions certified by worlds largest SIM card manufacturers.On transaction side, smart contracts ensure incontestable agreements between two operators and the subscriber and are enforced automatically. All data is securely encrypted and is safely stored on the nodes within our blockchain.In this new economy operators easily start launching roaming offers, stop losing revenue from silent roamers and unlock a whole new sales channel with a range of value-added services to subscribers on our blockchain. All with quick launch and zero capital expenditure.About Bubbletone: Bubbletone is a brand of Clementvale Ltd, Ireland, member of Crypto Valley Association established to build the worlds leading blockchain and cryptographic technologies. Clementvale Ltd is a team of telecom professionals with 20 years of experience running multiple successful telecom and software development businesses.Clementvale LtdThe Black Church, St. Marys PlaceDublin 7 Dublin Dublin 7 IrelandMedia contact: Kirill Maskaev kirill.maskaev@clementvale.com
Nov 23, 2017: EMI Feedthrough Filters Market Forecast 2023 Kemet, MARUWA, Schaffner, Syfer
EMI Feedthrough Filters
https://goo.gl/mPhJ9Y
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-emi-feedthrough-filters-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global EMI Feedthrough Filters Market examines the performance of the EMI Feedthrough Filters market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the EMI Feedthrough Filters market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of EMI Feedthrough Filters market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global EMI Feedthrough Filters Market 2017 report includes EMI Feedthrough Filters market Size, Revenue, market Share, EMI Feedthrough Filters industry volume, market Trends, EMI Feedthrough Filters Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, EMI Feedthrough Filters Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global EMI Feedthrough Filters Market Forecast 2017:1. Kemet2. AVX3. LCR Electronics4. TE Connectivity5. MARUWA6. API Technologies7. EPCOS/TDK8. Schaffner9. Tusonix/CTS10. Syfer11. Swatee Electronics12. WESTEK Electronics13. ShieldTechnic14. Changzhou Pioneer Electronic15. Oxley GroupFirstly, the report covers the top EMI Feedthrough Filters manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the EMI Feedthrough Filters report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of EMI Feedthrough Filters industry, EMI Feedthrough Filters industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. EMI Feedthrough Filters Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The EMI Feedthrough Filters research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the EMI Feedthrough Filters market revenue worldwide.Finally, EMI Feedthrough Filters market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia and LONDON, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BTL GROUP LTD. (TSX Venture:BTL) ("BTL" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, on November 23, 2017, it closed the previously announced brokered private placement (the "Brokered Offering") of 2,184,000 equity units of the Company ("Units") at an issue price of C$4.90 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$10.7 million. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of C$7.00 per Common Share until November 23, 2018.
In connection with the Brokered Offering, BTL entered into an agency agreement with GMP Securities L.P. (the "Agent"), whereby BTL agreed to pay the Agent a fee equal to 6.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds received under the Brokered Offering.
BTL is also pleased to announce it has closed its previously announced concurrent non-brokered private placement (the "Non-Brokered Offering" and together with the Brokered Offering, the "Offerings") of 938,774 Units at an issue price of C$4.90 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$4.6 million. In connection with the Non-Brokered Offering, the Company has paid a finder's fee to Smaller Capital Company Ltd. of C$276,000.
In connection with the Offerings, BTL issued an aggregate of 3,122,774 Common Shares and 1,561,387 Warrants, for gross proceeds of approximately C$15.3 million.
We are delighted to have completed this funding round, where we saw significantly increased investor demand given the recent progress and exciting news from the Company. The capital will be used to rapidly expedite our go to market strategy for our third generation blockchain platform, InterbitTM. As we have proven throughout this year in our customer journeys, InterbitTM meets the requirements of industry via its scalability and privacy, with the platform using its multiple connected blockchains, aiming to handle hundreds of thousands of transactions per second. Our plan is to deliver a product that will be relevant in many years to come, as we envisage widespread enterprise adoption of blockchain technology, said Dominic McCann, CEO of BTL.
The Common Shares, Warrants and Common Shares underlying the Warrants are subject to statutory hold periods which expire on March 24, 2018.
BTL intends to use the proceeds from the Offerings in connection with final development of InterbitTM and towards general and administrative expenses.
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 unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
ABOUT BTLTM AND INTERBITTM
Listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX Venture:BTL) and operating from both Canada and the UK, BTL is an enterprise technology platform provider that is developing InterbitTM, a proprietary third generation blockchain platform. Via InterbitTM, BTL can help companies greatly reduce risks and costs by securely streamlining existing IT infrastructures. BTL has successfully demonstrated how InterbitTM can innovate and transform existing business processes for leading companies in the finance, energy and gaming sectors.
InterbitTM is a fast, private, and scalable inter-connected blockchain platform. Via its suite of APIs and smart contracts, InterbitTM allows businesses around the world to improve efficiency in trading and operations, accelerate development of internal systems, and embrace new revenue generating opportunities, while providing the high levels of security, resilience and auditability required in regulated enterprise environments.
With offices in Vancouver and Calgary, Canada and London, UK, BTL is positioning itself as a front-runner in the blockchain ecosystem, partnering with and enabling enterprises on InterbitTM in order to improve their existing IT systems.
Website: www.btl.co
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blockchainltd
For further information please contact:
Angus Campbell, Inquiries
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7100 0850
Email: Angus.Campbell@staturepr.com Dominic McCann, CEO
Phone: +1 855 256 5246
Email: dominic@btl.co
Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which include the anticipated use of proceeds and success of BTLs technologies and products. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, the development of competitive technologies, the marketplace acceptance of BTLs technologies and products, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in BTL's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2016 available at www.sedar.com, many of which are beyond the control of BTL. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, BTL disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, BTL undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.
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.
Nov 23, 2017: Electronic Vacuum Regulators Market Forecast 2023 SMC, Equilibar, Norgren, Emerson
Electronic Vacuum Regulators
https://goo.gl/e5jgFg
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-electronic-vacuum-regulators-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global Electronic Vacuum Regulators Market examines the performance of the Electronic Vacuum Regulators market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electronic Vacuum Regulators market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electronic Vacuum Regulators market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Electronic Vacuum Regulators Market 2017 report includes Electronic Vacuum Regulators market Size, Revenue, market Share, Electronic Vacuum Regulators industry volume, market Trends, Electronic Vacuum Regulators Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Electronic Vacuum Regulators Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Electronic Vacuum Regulators Market Forecast 2017:1. SMC2. Equilibar3. Kelly Pneumatics4. Norgren5. Fairchild Industrial Products6. Emerson7. Crpress EngineeringFirstly, the report covers the top Electronic Vacuum Regulators manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Electronic Vacuum Regulators report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electronic Vacuum Regulators industry, Electronic Vacuum Regulators industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electronic Vacuum Regulators Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Electronic Vacuum Regulators research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Electronic Vacuum Regulators market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electronic Vacuum Regulators market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Nov 23, 2017: Floating Solar Panels Market Forecast 2023 Kyocera, Sharp, Canadian Solar, SunPower, REC Solar
Floating Solar Panels
https://goo.gl/8ghwaB
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-floating-solar-panels-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global Floating Solar Panels Market examines the performance of the Floating Solar Panels market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Floating Solar Panels market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Floating Solar Panels market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Floating Solar Panels Market 2017 report includes Floating Solar Panels market Size, Revenue, market Share, Floating Solar Panels industry volume, market Trends, Floating Solar Panels Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Floating Solar Panels Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Floating Solar Panels Market Forecast 2017:1. Kyocera2. Hanwha Solar One3. Sharp4. Canadian Solar5. SunPower6. REC Solar7. Solarworld8. Panasonic/Sanyo9. Renesola10. JA Solar11. Motech12. Gintech13. LDK Solar14. GCL Poly15. Suntech16. Yingli Solar17. Trina SolarFloating Solar Panels Market : By Application Monocrystalline Solar Panel Polycrystalline Solar Panel Standard Non-Crystal Solar PanelFloating Solar Panels Market : By Type Residential CommercialFirstly, the report covers the top Floating Solar Panels manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Floating Solar Panels report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Floating Solar Panels industry, Floating Solar Panels industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Floating Solar Panels Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Floating Solar Panels research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Floating Solar Panels market revenue worldwide.Finally, Floating Solar Panels market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Nov 23, 2017: Electromagnetic Speed Motors Market Forecast 2023 Panasonic, Schaeffler, Ogura
Electromagnetic Speed Motors
https://goo.gl/RHLXZz
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-electromagnetic-speed-motors-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global Electromagnetic Speed Motors Market examines the performance of the Electromagnetic Speed Motors market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electromagnetic Speed Motors market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electromagnetic Speed Motors market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Electromagnetic Speed Motors Market 2017 report includes Electromagnetic Speed Motors market Size, Revenue, market Share, Electromagnetic Speed Motors industry volume, market Trends, Electromagnetic Speed Motors Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Electromagnetic Speed Motors Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Electromagnetic Speed Motors Market Forecast 2017:1. Panasonic2. Mitsubishi Electric3. Schaeffler4. Nikon Corporation5. Warner Electric6. Ogura7. RT Patent Company8. Oriental Motor9. Hical Technologies10. Magneti Marell11. ZF Friedrichshafen12. KYB Corporation13. Mando CorporationFirstly, the report covers the top Electromagnetic Speed Motors manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Electromagnetic Speed Motors report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electromagnetic Speed Motors industry, Electromagnetic Speed Motors industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electromagnetic Speed Motors Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Electromagnetic Speed Motors research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Electromagnetic Speed Motors market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electromagnetic Speed Motors market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Nov 23, 2017: Electrohydraulic Actuator Market Forecast 2023 Parker Hannifin, Eaton, Moog Inc
Electrohydraulic Actuator
https://goo.gl/jZHjrF
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-electrohydraulic-actuator-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global Electrohydraulic Actuator Market examines the performance of the Electrohydraulic Actuator market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electrohydraulic Actuator market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electrohydraulic Actuator market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Electrohydraulic Actuator Market 2017 report includes Electrohydraulic Actuator market Size, Revenue, market Share, Electrohydraulic Actuator industry volume, market Trends, Electrohydraulic Actuator Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Electrohydraulic Actuator Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Electrohydraulic Actuator Market Forecast 2017:1. United Technologies Corporation2. Parker Hannifin Corp3. Eaton4. Honeywell International5. Rockwell Collins6. Moog IncFirstly, the report covers the top Electrohydraulic Actuator manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Electrohydraulic Actuator report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electrohydraulic Actuator industry, Electrohydraulic Actuator industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electrohydraulic Actuator Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Electrohydraulic Actuator research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Electrohydraulic Actuator market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electrohydraulic Actuator market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Nov 23, 2017: Electric Valve Positioner Market Forecast 2023 Pentair Ltd, Rotork, Metso Corp, Woodward
Electric Valve Positioner
https://goo.gl/JcFcvR
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-electric-valve-positioner-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
A market study Global Electric Valve Positioner Market examines the performance of the Electric Valve Positioner market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electric Valve Positioner market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electric Valve Positioner market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Electric Valve Positioner Market 2017 report includes Electric Valve Positioner market Size, Revenue, market Share, Electric Valve Positioner industry volume, market Trends, Electric Valve Positioner Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Electric Valve Positioner Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Electric Valve Positioner Market Forecast 2017:1. manufacturer, covering2. Pentair Ltd3. Emerson Electric Company4. Rotork5. General Electric6. Cameron International Corporation7. Auma Riester Gmbh8. Flowserve Corporation9. Curtiss-Wright Corporation10. Moog Inc11. Metso Corp12. Woodward13. Crane Company14. Automation Technology Inc15. Storm Industries Inc16. Unitorq Actuators- Controls17. A-T Controls18. Kinetrol Ltd19. Nihon Koso Co20. Apollo ValvesFirstly, the report covers the top Electric Valve Positioner manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Electric Valve Positioner report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electric Valve Positioner industry, Electric Valve Positioner industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electric Valve Positioner Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Electric Valve Positioner research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Electric Valve Positioner market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electric Valve Positioner market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Nov 23, 2017: Recuperator Market Forecast 2023 Hisaka Works, Kelvion, Sondex A/S
Recuperator Market
http://bit.ly/2zZ9IMY
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-recuperator-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
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Recuperator Market Research 2017A market study Global Recuperator Market examines the performance of the Recuperator market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Recuperator market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Recuperator market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Recuperator Market 2017 report includes Recuperator market Revenue, market Share, Recuperator industry volume, market Trends, Recuperator Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Recuperator Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Recuperator Market 2017 : Hisaka Works Kelvion Sondex A/S SmartHeat SPX Corporation Balcke-Durr GmbH SPX Cooling Technologies API Heat Transfer Vahterus OyFirstly, the report covers the top Recuperator manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Recuperator report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Recuperator industry, Recuperator industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Recuperator Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Recuperator research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Recuperator market revenue worldwide.Finally, Recuperator market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: Refrigeration Compressor Market Forecast 2023 GEA Bock, Bitzer, Dorin
Refrigeration Compressor Market
http://bit.ly/2jfQEQj
http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-refrigeration-compressor-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
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Refrigeration Compressor Market Research 2017A market study Global Refrigeration Compressor Market examines the performance of the Refrigeration Compressor market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Refrigeration Compressor market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Refrigeration Compressor market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Refrigeration Compressor Market 2017 report includes Refrigeration Compressor market Revenue, market Share, Refrigeration Compressor industry volume, market Trends, Refrigeration Compressor Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Refrigeration Compressor Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Refrigeration Compressor Market 2017 : GEA Bock Bitzer Dorin Frascold Sanyo/Panasonic Kobelco Copeland/Emerson Carlyle/UTC Climate Snowkey Tecumseh GMCC Hitachi Kirloskar Kulthorn Kirby Mayekawa TECO Daikin Danfoss Johnson Controls DONPER LG Mitsubishi Yantai Moon Embraco Huayi Compressor Xueying Xuemei Beifeng Jingwei VockFirstly, the report covers the top Refrigeration Compressor manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Refrigeration Compressor report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Refrigeration Compressor industry, Refrigeration Compressor industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Refrigeration Compressor Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Refrigeration Compressor research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Refrigeration Compressor market revenue worldwide.Finally, Refrigeration Compressor market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: Refrigeration Oil Market Forecast 2023 Shell, Dehon Group, Idemitsu Kosan
Refrigeration Oil Market
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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-refrigeration-oil-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
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Refrigeration Oil Market Research 2017A market study Global Refrigeration Oil Market examines the performance of the Refrigeration Oil market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Refrigeration Oil market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Refrigeration Oil market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Refrigeration Oil Market 2017 report includes Refrigeration Oil market Revenue, market Share, Refrigeration Oil industry volume, market Trends, Refrigeration Oil Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Refrigeration Oil Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Refrigeration Oil Market 2017 : Shell Dehon Group Idemitsu Kosan Dupont Summit Industrial Products Supercool (Australia) Pty Ltd Sonneborn Refined Products Dashing Hang Exxon Mobil FUCHS Lubricants Co. Danfoss Group Global Chevron Corporation Japan Sun Oil Company BASF Behr Hella Service Klueber Lubrication Australia CITGO Petroleum Corporation Chemtura Corporation Camco Clean Energy I.S.E.L TOTALFirstly, the report covers the top Refrigeration Oil manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Refrigeration Oil report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Refrigeration Oil industry, Refrigeration Oil industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Refrigeration Oil Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Refrigeration Oil research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Refrigeration Oil market revenue worldwide.Finally, Refrigeration Oil market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market Forecast 2023 TE Connectivity, Gore
RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market
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RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market Research 2017A market study Global RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market examines the performance of the RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market 2017 report includes RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market Revenue, market Share, RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies industry volume, market Trends, RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market 2017 : TE Connectivity Gore Radiall Pasternack Enterprises Meridian Cable RF Industries Times Microwave Micro-Coax Carlisle San-tron Molex TRU HUBER+SUHNER L-com Volex Crystek MegaPhaseFirstly, the report covers the top RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies industry, RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market revenue worldwide.Finally, RF Coaxial Cable Assemblies market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: Rigid Cystoscopes Market Forecast 2023 Stryker, Timesco, Olympus
Rigid Cystoscopes Market
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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-rigid-cystoscopes-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022
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Rigid Cystoscopes Market Research 2017A market study Global Rigid Cystoscopes Market examines the performance of the Rigid Cystoscopes market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Rigid Cystoscopes market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Rigid Cystoscopes market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Rigid Cystoscopes Market 2017 report includes Rigid Cystoscopes market Revenue, market Share, Rigid Cystoscopes industry volume, market Trends, Rigid Cystoscopes Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Rigid Cystoscopes Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Rigid Cystoscopes Market 2017 : Stryker Timesco Olympus WOLF Scholly Fiberoptic Maxer Endoscopy Karl Srorz Henke Sass ILO electronic Asap AED Cabot Medical DAVIS & GECK DYONICS SOLOS V. MUELLER ACMI LINVATECFirstly, the report covers the top Rigid Cystoscopes manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Rigid Cystoscopes report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Rigid Cystoscopes industry, Rigid Cystoscopes industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Rigid Cystoscopes Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Rigid Cystoscopes research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Rigid Cystoscopes market revenue worldwide.Finally, Rigid Cystoscopes market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
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: Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP (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 22 November, 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, Vantiv Inc and Vantiv UK Limited
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:
94,794,764
4.7397
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL: 94,794,764 4.7397
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 1,850,000 4.1200 GBP
(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: 23 November 2017 Contact name: James Gange Telephone number: 212-446-4029
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.
v
PVC Yoga Mat Market
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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-pvc-yoga-mat-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
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PVC Yoga Mat Market Research 2017A market study Global PVC Yoga Mat Market examines the performance of the PVC Yoga Mat market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the PVC Yoga Mat market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of PVC Yoga Mat market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global PVC Yoga Mat Market 2017 report includes PVC Yoga Mat market Revenue, market Share, PVC Yoga Mat industry volume, market Trends, PVC Yoga Mat Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, PVC Yoga Mat Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global PVC Yoga Mat Market 2017 : Lululemon Manduka PROlite Jade Yoga Hugger Mugger Para Rubber PrAna Revolutionary Gaiam Easyoga HATHAYOGA Kharma Khare Hosa Group Yogabum Aerolite Aurorae Barefoot Yoga Keep well KhatalandFirstly, the report covers the top PVC Yoga Mat manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the PVC Yoga Mat report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of PVC Yoga Mat industry, PVC Yoga Mat industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. PVC Yoga Mat Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The PVC Yoga Mat research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the PVC Yoga Mat market revenue worldwide.Finally, PVC Yoga Mat market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: Quarter-Turn Valve Market Forecast 2023 Robert Bosch GmbH, Hilti Corporation
Quarter-Turn Valve Market
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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-quarter-turn-valve-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/
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Quarter-Turn Valve Market Research 2017A market study Global Quarter-Turn Valve Market examines the performance of the Quarter-Turn Valve market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Quarter-Turn Valve market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Quarter-Turn Valve market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Quarter-Turn Valve Market 2017 report includes Quarter-Turn Valve market Revenue, market Share, Quarter-Turn Valve industry volume, market Trends, Quarter-Turn Valve Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Quarter-Turn Valve Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Quarter-Turn Valve Market 2017 : Robert Bosch GmbH Hilti Corporation Stanley Black&Decker Makita Corporation Actuant Corporation Techtronic Industries Danaher Corporation Hitachi Koki Ltd SKF Emerson Electric Mindman SiemensFirstly, the report covers the top Quarter-Turn Valve manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Quarter-Turn Valve report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Quarter-Turn Valve industry, Quarter-Turn Valve industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Quarter-Turn Valve Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Quarter-Turn Valve research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Quarter-Turn Valve market revenue worldwide.Finally, Quarter-Turn Valve market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 23, 2017: Rear Axle Market Forecast 2023 Dana Holding Corporation, Daimler Trucks
Rear Axle Market
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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-rear-axle-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022
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Rear Axle Market Research 2017A market study Global Rear Axle Market examines the performance of the Rear Axle market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Rear Axle market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Rear Axle market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Rear Axle Market 2017 report includes Rear Axle market Revenue, market Share, Rear Axle industry volume, market Trends, Rear Axle Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Rear Axle Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Rear Axle Market 2017 : American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Dana Holding Corporation Daimler Trucks GNA Axles Hema Endustri Meritor ROC Spicer Talbros Engineering ZF Friedrichshafen GKNFirstly, the report covers the top Rear Axle manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Rear Axle report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Rear Axle industry, Rear Axle industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Rear Axle Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Rear Axle research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Rear Axle market revenue worldwide.Finally, Rear Axle market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Potato Starch Market Segment by Type (Industrial Grade, Food Grade), Key Players (Avebe (NL), Emsland Group (DE), Roquette (FR)) - Global SWOT Analysis
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http://www.reportsweb.com/global-potato-starch-market-forecast-to-2022
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Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains (leucoplasts). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. The starch is then washed out and dried to powder. Potato starch products are essential in the food, paper, adhesives and building and textile industries.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Potato Starch in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversAvebe (NL)Emsland Group (DE)Roquette (FR)KMC (DK)Sudst-rke (DE)Aloja Starkelsen (LV)Pepees (PL)Penford (Ingredion) (US)Vimal (UA)Novidon Starch (NL)Lyckeby (SE)PPZ Niechlow (PL)Western Polymer Corporation (US)Agrana (AT)AKV Langholt (DK)WPPZ (PL)Manitoba Starch Products (CA)Nailun Group (CN)Beidahuang Potato Group (CN)Weston (CN)Lantian Starch (CN)Guyuan Yaxue Starch (CN)Qilianxue Starch (CN)Yunnan Starch (CN)Huaou Starch (CN)Qingji Potato (CN)Request for Sample @Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversIndustrial GradeFood GradeOther GradeMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFood IndustryPaper IndustryChemical IndustryTexitile IndustryOther IndustryVisit for more Information @Table of Contents1 Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Avebe (NL)2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Potato Starch Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Avebe (NL) Potato Starch Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Emsland Group (DE)2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Potato Starch Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Emsland Group (DE) Potato Starch Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Roquette (FR)2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Potato Starch Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Roquette (FR) Potato Starch Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)Inquire for Discount @3 Global Potato Starch Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Potato Starch Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Potato Starch Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Potato Starch Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Potato Starch Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition Trend4 Global Potato Starch Market Analysis by Regions4.1 Global Potato Starch Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 Global Potato Starch Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 Global Potato Starch Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Asia-Pacific Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.5 South America Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.6 Middle East and Africa Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5 North America Potato Starch by Countries6 Europe Potato Starch by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Potato Starch by Countries8 South America Potato Starch by Countries8.1 South America Potato Starch Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries8.1.1 South America Potato Starch Sales by Countries (2012-2017)8.1.2 South America Potato Starch Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)8.2 Brazil Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.3 Argentina Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.4 Columbia Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)Middle East and Africa Potato Starch by Countries9.1 Middle East and Africa Potato Starch Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries9.1.1 Middle East and Africa Potato Starch Sales by Countries (2012-2017)9.1.2 Middle East and Africa Potato Starch Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)9.2 Saudi Arabia Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.3 UAE Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.4 Egypt Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.5 Nigeria Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.6 South Africa Potato Starch Sales and Growth (2012-2017)10 Global Potato Starch Market Segment by Type11 Global Potato Starch Market Segment by Application12 Potato Starch Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers13.1 Sales Channel13.1.1 Direct Marketing13.1.2 Indirect Marketing13.1.3 Marketing Channel Future Trend13.2 Distributors, Traders and Dealers14 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase this Report @About UsWe provide best in classcustomer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries. 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Yeast Market Segment by Applications (Bakery, Wine, Feed), Manufacturers (Lesaffe, AB Mauri, AngelYeast) and Future Development Trends
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Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The Yeast lineage originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and 1,500 species are currently identified. The useful physiological properties of Yeast have led to their use in the field of biotechnology. Fermentation of sugars by Yeast is the oldest and largest application of this technology. Many types of Yeasts are used for making many foods: baker's Yeast in bread production, brewer's Yeast in beer fermentation, and Yeast in wine fermentation and for xylitol production. So-called red rice Yeast is actually a mold, Monascus purpureus. Yeasts include some of the most widely used model organisms for genetics and cell biology.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Yeast in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversLesaffeAB MauriAngelYeastLallemand IncLeiberAlltechJiuding YeastXinghe YeastSunkeenJiangmen BiotechRequest for Sample @Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversFood GradeFeed GradeMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoBakeryWineFeedOthersVisit for more Information @Table of Contents1 Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles 142.1 Lesaffe 142.1.1 Business Overview 142.1.2 Yeast Product Picture and Specifications 152.1.3 Lesaffe Yeast Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin 162.2 AB Mauri 172.2.1 Business Overview 172.2.2 Yeast Product Picture and Specifications 192.2.3 AB Mauri Yeast Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin 192.3 Angel Yeast 202.3.1 Business Overview 202.3.2 Yeast Product Picture and Specifications 222.3.3 AngelYeast Yeast Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin 252.4 Lallemand Inc 262.4.1 Business Overview 262.4.2 Yeast Product Picture and Specifications 272.4.3 Lallemand Inc Yeast Sales, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin 28Inquire for Discount @3 Global Yeast Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Yeast Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Yeast Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Yeast Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Yeast Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition Trend4 Global Yeast Market Analysis by Regions4.1 Global Yeast Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 Global Yeast Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 Global Yeast Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Asia-Pacific Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.5 South America Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.6 Middle East and Africa Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)5 North America Yeast by Countries6 Europe Yeast by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Yeast by Countries8 South America Yeast by Countries8.1 South America Yeast Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries8.1.1 South America Yeast Sales by Countries (2012-2017)8.1.2 South America Yeast Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)8.2 Brazil Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.3 Argentina Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.4 Columbia Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)Middle East and Africa Yeast by Countries9.1 Middle East and Africa Yeast Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries9.1.1 Middle East and Africa Yeast Sales by Countries (2012-2017)9.1.2 Middle East and Africa Yeast Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)9.2 Saudi Arabia Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.3 UAE Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.4 Egypt Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.5 Nigeria Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.6 South Africa Yeast Sales and Growth (2012-2017)10 Global Yeast Market Segment by Type11 Global Yeast Market Segment by Application12 Yeast Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers13.1 Sales Channel13.1.1 Direct Marketing13.1.2 Indirect Marketing13.1.3 Marketing Channel Future Trend13.2 Distributors, Traders and Dealers14 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase this Report @About UsWe provide best in classcustomer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries. Our commitment to customer service is best exemplified by free analyst support that we offer to our clients which sets us apart from any other provider. We also offer enterprise subscriptions which provide significant cost savings to our clients.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.com533, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Market by Technology, Application and Region - Global Forecasts to 2022
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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 The report classifies the global Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Market in a precise manner to offer detailed insights about the aspects responsible for augmenting as well as restraining market growth.This report studies the global Voice over LTE (VoLTE) market, analyzes and researches the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeAT&TMetroPCS/T-Mobile USASK TelecomNTT DocomoSingTelEricssonHuaweiNSNAlcatel-LucentNokiaGet Sample Copy of this report atMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) can be split intoVoice Over IP Multimedia Subsystem (VoIMS)Circuit Switched Fall Back (CSFB)Dual Radio/Simultaneous Voice and LTE (SVLTE)Voice Over LTE Via Generic Access Network (VOLGA)Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC)Market segment by Application, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) can be split intoApplication 1Application 2Application 3Browse complete Report atTable of Content1 Industry Overview of Voice over LTE (VoLTE)2 Global Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 AT&T3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 MetroPCS/T-Mobile USA3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 SK Telecom3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 NTT Docomo3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 SingTel3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments4 Global Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)5 United States Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook6 EU Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook7 Japan Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook8 China Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook9 India Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)12 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors AnalysisPurchase complete report atContact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Cloud Computing Market 2017 by Manufacturers Analysis, Technical Data, Insights, Segmentation & Forecast to 2022
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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Cloud Computing Industry 2017 Market Report The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification.Cloud Computing Market Report by Material, Application, and Geography-Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).Get a SAMPLE Request @The report firstly introduced the Cloud Computing basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand, and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Cloud Computing Market;3.) the North American Cloud Computing Market;4.) the European Cloud Computing Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report concludes.Complete report is available @Table of contentsPart I Cloud Computing Industry OverviewChapter One Cloud Computing Industry OverviewChapter Two Cloud Computing Up and Down Stream Industry AnalysisPart II Asia Cloud Computing Industry (The Report Company Including The Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Cloud Computing Market AnalysisChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Cloud Computing Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Five Asia Cloud Computing Key Manufacturers Analysis5.1 Company A5.1.1 Company Profile5.1.2 Product Picture and Specification5.1.3 Product Application Analysis5.1.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.1.5 Contact Information5.2 Company B5.2.1 Company Profile5.2.2 Product Picture and Specification5.2.3 Product Application Analysis5.2.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.2.5 Contact Information5.3 Company C5.3.1 Company Profile5.3.2 Product Picture and Specification5.3.3 Product Application Analysis5.3.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.3.5 Contact Information5.4 Company D5.4.1 Company Profile5.4.2 Product Picture and Specification5.4.3 Product Application Analysis5.4.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.4.5 Contact InformationChapter Six Asia Cloud Computing Industry Development TrenPart III North American Cloud Computing Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Seven North American Cloud Computing Market AnalysisChapter Eight 2012-2017 North American Cloud Computing Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Nine North American Cloud Computing Key Manufacturers AnalysisChapter Ten North American Cloud Computing Industry Development TrendPart V Cloud Computing Marketing Channels and Investment FeasibilityChapter Fifteen Cloud Computing Marketing Channels Development Proposals AnalysisChapter Sixteen Development Environmental AnalysisChapter Seventeen Cloud Computing New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisPart VI Global Cloud Computing Industry ConclusionsChapter Eighteen 2012-2017 Global Cloud Computing Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Nineteen Global Cloud Computing Industry Development TrendChapter Twenty Global Cloud Computing Industry Research ConclusionsPlace a DIRECT Purchase order of complete report @Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Coffee Machine Market Growth, Opportunities, Key Manufacturers and Forecast to 2025
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Global Coffee Machine Market Report 2017-2025 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe report firstly introduced the Coffee Machine basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis. Global Coffee Machine Market competition by top manufacturers with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturers.Global Coffee Machine Market Top Players1. Panasonic Corporation2. Melitta Bentz GmbH & Co. KG3. Braun GmbH4. Oster5. AB Electrolux6. Morphy Richards7. Robert Bosch GmbH8. DeLonghi Appliances S.r.l.9. illycaffe S.p.A.10. GROUPE SEB (Krups)Inquire about this Report atObjectives of Coffee Machine Market Report To provide overview of the global Coffee Machine market To analyze and forecast the global Coffee Machine market on the basis of components, application, size and technology To provide market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Coffee Machine market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and South America (SAM), which are later sub-segmented across respective major countries To evaluate market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend To provide exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions To profiles key Coffee Machine players influencing the market along with their SWOT analysis and market strategiesKey Insight of Coffee Machine Market- Historical and Future Market- Supply and Demand- Price and Cost- Drivers and Challenges- Key Vendors- Market Strategies- Industry Value Chain- RegionsComplete Report is Available atContact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.comAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Mobile Payment Transaction Market Recent Advancements & Outlook by 2020
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The mobile payment is an integrated system linked by various components of value chain which typically includes the merchant, the consumer, the financial institution involved and not to forget the payment gateway and the telecom network.In terms of revenue, the global mobile payment transaction market revenues valued at US$ 549,917.7 Mn in 2015 will possibly reach US$ 2,849,231.4 Mn in the year 2020.Mobile payment transaction volume will grow by a massive 41.7% during the forecast period 2015-2020. In terms of volume, the global mobile payment transaction market volume was 18,969.8 million transactions in the year 2015 and this is projected to increase by 106,001.5 million transactions by the year 2020.Persistence Market Research forecasts the global mobile payment transaction market to register a CAGR of 39.1% through 2020 and reach US$ 2.89 trillion in revenues.Request Sample:Market dynamicsEven though there will be tremendous growth in mobile payment transactions market, there are many challenges that are obstructing the growth of this market. A major challenge is the slow adoption of smartphone compatible POS systems by the retailers. If taken at face value, a 41.7% volume growth looks amazing, but there is something to be concerned about. One of the major concerns is that apart from few countries, consumers havent fully accepted the concept of mobile payments, even though the facility is much more secure. However, given the inherent nature of the product, it wouldnt be long before consumers all over the world use the facilities provided by mobile payments, as per the research report of Persistence Market Research.Market forecastBy technology, SMS and WAP/WEB will continue to account for most of the transactions conducted worldwide. Mobile payments conducted through SMS will witness a robust CAGR of 24.5% over the forecast period. In the year 2015, the revenue from the SMS segment was US$ 238,884.3 Mn and this is going to be at the value of US$ 678,117.1 Mn by 2020 end.Mobile payments conducted through WAP/WEB will witness a CAGR of 48.0% during the forecast period. In the year 2015, the revenue from the WAP/WEB segment was US$ 164,386.1 Mn and this is going to be valued at US$ 1,725,209.6 at the end of the forecast period in the year 2020.Money transfer and merchandise purchases account for over 90% revenue share of the global mobile payment transaction market on the basis of end-use purpose. Mobile payments made for merchandise purchases will be worth US$ 323.73 Bn in 2016, up from US$ 228.32 Bn in 2015. Money transfer, the largest end-use purpose in the mobile payment transaction market, will grow by over 38% to surpass US$ 381 Bn in revenues.Download TOC:The market for mobile payments will continue to be robust in APEJ and Africa, as majority of people there dont own a credit card, in contrast of the situation in Europe and United States. So, consumers in APEJ and Africa are making a direct shift from using cash to using mobile payments. Growth in the mobile payments market will be particularly strong in China. This is due to the entry of major market players like Apple and Samsung in the Chinese market, making the competition more fierce and interesting.Due to a strong showing in China, the market for mobile payment will continue to grow in the Asia Pacific region and this region will be the leading market in the world in terms of volume. However, in terms of value, it is Africa that will maintain its number one position in the mobile payment transaction market. This is due to the spectacular success of M-Pesa in Kenya and this has influenced consumers and businesses in other regions of Africa to adopt the technology of mobile payments. This has boosted the market of mobile payment transaction market in Africa. Currently, Africa has nearly 32% revenue share of the global mobile payment market, and boasts of a subscriber base of over 100 million. Other than Asia Pacific and Africa, Western Europe and United States are other lucrative regions for mobile payment transaction market the world over.Latest Report:Airborne Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance MarketMobile Advertising MarketManaged File Transfer Service MarketPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United States+1-646-568-7751+1 800-961-0353 (USA-Canada Toll free)Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Retort Pouches Market: Recent Study including Growth Factors, Applications, Regional Analysis, Key Players and Forecasts
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Global Retort Pouches Market: SnapshotThe global retort pouch market is choc-o-bloc with keen players trying to stay ahead of the curve through cost-reductions and improved products. This makes the competition stiff in the market. Serving to boost the market is the busy lifestyle of people worldwide, which has upped the demand for ready-to-eat food products for which the most preferred packages are retort pouches.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Various keen companies efforts to churn out more sophisticated and eye-catching products is also catalyzing growth in the global retort pouches market. Retort pouches are supplanting cans in the food packaging industry because of their ability to prolong the shelf life to the product. Recyclability issues of retort pouches, on account of the multi-layer materials used in them, however, is posing a challenge to the market.According to Transparency Market Research, the global retort pouch market will likely rise at a steady CAGR of 6.5% from 2017 to 2025, to pull in a revenue of US$7.51 bn by 2025 from US$4.29 bn in 2016.Aluminum Material Sees Considerable Application in Developing CountriesThe global retort pouch market can be segmented based on different parameters. Depending upon material type, for example, the market can be classified into aluminum foil, polypropylene (PP), food cast PP, polyamide, and polyethylene. The polyethylene can be further segmented into HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE. At present, the segment of aluminum foil is highly popular in developing countries, while polyamide is seeing substantial uptake in developed continents of Europe and North America. The TMR report predicts the aluminum foil segment to register a CAGR of 6.7% from 2016 to 2025. The PP and food cast PP materials are also expected to gain considerable market share in developed pockets in Asia Pacific and Europe. Polyamide and polyethylene materials, on the other hand, will see slower uptake for making retort pouches due to health hazards posed by them.Obtain Report Details @Rising Sales of Ready-to-eat Meals Propels Market in Asia PacificFrom a geographic standpoint, Asia Pacific leads the market in terms of growth rate. By rising at a 7.5% CAGR in the forecast period, the market in the region is projected account for a dominant share in revenue about US$2.54 bn by 2025. The annual consumption of retort pouches is expected to touch 12,176 million units by 2025-end in the region, which currently holds 31.3 % share in the market. Asia Pacifics dominant position is mainly a result of soaring demand for safe and hygienic ready-to-eat meals and pet foods in the region.Europe, again, is a key market which currently holds a dominant share in the overall revenue. By clocking a 5.9% CAGR in the forecast period, the market in the region will likely lose some of its share in revenue to become worth US$2.30 bn by 2025. Vis-a-vis volume, the market in the region will likely register a CAGR of 5.5%. The Middle East and Africa is predicted to be a fast expanding market too along with South America. The market in North America is expected to register a healthy CAGR of 5.9%, over the forecast period to reach US$ 1,829.5, by the end of 2025.Some of the key players operating in the global retort pouch market are Sealed Air Corporation, Huhtamaki Group, Amcor Ltd., Mondi Group, Bemis Company, Inc., Clifton Packaging Group Ltd., Foshan Nanhai LD Packaging Co., Ltd., Sonoco Products Company, Constantia Flexibles International GmbH, ProAmpac, Alliedflex Technologies Ltd., Flexi-Pack Ltd., Flair Flexible Packaging, Tong Yuan Packaging Co. Ltd., Purity Flexipack Ltd., MST Packaging Co., Ltd., and Avonflex.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN) (OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP:65704T 108) (the "Company") is pleased to report that assays have been received from drill holes completed to test the P-058 sulphide zone at the Fossilik area on the Companys 100% owned Maniitsoq nickel-copper-cobalt-PGM sulphide project in southwest Greenland. Hole MQ-17-146 intersected the extension of the P-058 zone comprised of high grade massive nickel sulphide veins.
Highlights include:
MQ-17-146:
10.70m @ 2.53% Ni, 1.26% Cu, 0.07% Co and 0.11 g/t Pt+Pd+Au including
3.50m @ 4.97% Ni, 2.30% Cu, 0.13% Co and 0.20 g/t Pt+Pd+Au and
2.20m @ 3.35% Ni, 1.31% Cu, 0.10% Co and 0.16 g/t Pt+Pd+Au
Mineralization is characterized by high nickel tenors and elevated copper and cobalt values.
Drilling and borehole electromagnetic (BHEM) surveys have extended the P-058 mineralized system from surface to a vertical depth of 650 metres where it remains open down-dip and down plunge.
An increased volume of norite has been intersected at depth and represents a possible source of the remobilized sulphides.
NAN CEO, Keith Morrison, commented: This exceptional result is consistent with the Companys 2016 drilling assays at P-058 (see News Release dated October 12, 2016). Drilling and borehole EM data now indicate that this well mineralized zone extends to a vertical depth of 650 metres. Fossilik is the largest known mineralized norite intrusion within the Greenland Norite Belt. These results, combined with previous drilling results at P-004 and P-059 as well as additional nickel sulphide occurrences in the immediate area, demonstrate and prioritize the overall prospectivity of the Fossilik area.
Six holes totalling 2,621 metres were completed at the P-058 target located in the Fossilik area in the central portion of the Greenland Norite Belt (Figure 1). This release summarizes the results for four holes totalling 2,384 metres that were completed to target depth. Two additional holes were abandoned and did not reach target depth. Drill collar information and a summary of assays are provided in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. A drill plan map is provided in Figure 2 and an inclined longitudinal section is shown in Figure 3. Figures may be viewed using the link provided at the end of this release.
Further details of the drilling completed at P-058 are given below.
Table 1: Drill Collar Information, P-058
Hole Number UTM East UTM North Elevation
(m) Length
(m) Azimuth Dip MQ-17-144* 473658 7248706 630 528.00 126 -64 MQ-17-145 474023 7248406 569 7.50 320 -51 MQ-17-146 474022 7248408 569 512.00 321 -53 MQ-17-148 474017 7248471 580 658.00 309 -62 MQ-17-151** 474022 7248410 569 229.80 317 -63 MQ-17-152 474021 7248412 569 686.00 344 -57
Note: Collar coordinates in UTM WGS84 Zone 22N
Abandoned Holes: * Hole lost in casing at 7.5m ** Hole terminated at 229.8m
Table 2: Assay Results, P-058
Hole
Number From
(m) To
(m) Core
Length
(m) Ni
% Cu
% Co
% S
% Pt
g/t Pd
g/t Au
g/t MQ-17-144 NSA MQ-17-146 408.30 410.20 1.90 2.51 0.15 0.08 14.94 0.00 0.02 0.01 incl. 408.30 408.90 0.60 4.70 0.40 0.18 30.89 0.00 0.03 0.03 and 409.80 410.20 0.40 4.73 0.07 0.12 23.67 0.01 0.04 0.01 451.50 462.20 10.70 2.53 1.26 0.07 14.63 0.06 0.02 0.03 incl. 452.50 456.00 3.50 4.97 2.30 0.13 28.26 0.09 0.04 0.07 and 458.00 460.20 2.20 3.35 1.31 0.10 19.16 0.13 0.02 0.01 MQ-17-148 NSA MQ-17-152 NSA
Note: Intervals represent core lengths, not necessarily true widths.
NSA No Significant Assays
The P-058 sulphide zone is located near the southwest end of the large Fossilik intrusion within a northeast striking and steeply northwest dipping structural panel consisting of mineralized norite, orthogneiss and parallel to sub-parallel mylonite zones. The mineralization consists mainly of high grade remobilized semi-massive to massive stringer, vein and breccia sulphides with nickel tenors (percent nickel re-calculated to 100% sulphides) of between 5.5 and 8.0%.
Near surface drilling completed prior to 2016 intersected narrow, near surface remobilized sulphide veins and stringers which were correlated with small, moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies. In 2016, deeper follow-up drilling intersected wider zones of remobilized sulphides associated with larger moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies. Main and footwall zones were defined, grading up 3.41% nickel, 0.28% copper and 0.10% cobalt over 10.20 metres (see News Release dated October 12, 2016) and the mineralization was extended to a vertical depth of 350 metres.
The goal of the 2017 drilling was to test for continuity and potential expansion of the P-058 mineralization at depth as a means of vectoring to the ultimate source of the remobilized sulphides. Four of six holes (MQ-17-144, 146, 148 and 152) were completed to target depth and two holes (MQ-17-145 and 151) were abandoned (see Figures 2 and 3).
Hole MQ-17-146 intersected two intervals of remobilized massive sulphide veins hosted in orthogneiss country rocks which returned the following grades:
Footwall zone: 2.51% nickel, 0.15% copper and 0.08 cobalt over 1.90 metres from 408.30 to 410.20 metres downhole including: 4.70% nickel, 0.40% copper and 0.18% cobalt over 0.60 metres and 4.73% nickel, 0.07% copper and 0.12% cobalt over 0.40m
Main zone: 2.53% nickel, 1.26% copper and 0.07% cobalt over 10.70 metres from 451.50 to 462.20 metres downhole including: (see Figure 4) 4.97% nickel, 2.30% copper and 0.13% cobalt over 3.50 metres and 3.35% nickel, 1.31% copper and 0.10% cobalt over 2.20 metres
Holes MQ-17-144, 148 and 152 intersected the expected norite-orthogneiss-mylonite stratigraphy but did not intersect any significant mineralization. All three holes are interpreted to have passed close to the mineralized corridor as indicated by the trend of moderate to high conductance BHEM anomalies detected from borehole surveys of the holes (see Figure 3). The gap in the trend of BHEM responses immediately above the elevation of holes MQ-17-148 and 152 indicates either a gap in the mineralization or an area of poorly conductive sulphides.
The P-058 mineralization strikes northeast, dips steeply to the northwest and plunges moderately to the NNE. New drilling has extended the main zone to a vertical depth of 435 metres and the main and footwall zones are interpreted to be open down dip and down plunge. The overall footprint of the mineralization is interpreted to extend from surface to a vertical depth of 650 metres based on BHEM results.
The P-058 norite intrusion appears to be either widening or merging with a larger norite body at depth to the NNE in the direction of the Fossilik intrusion. This larger volume of norite represents a potential source for P-058 mineralization.
Quality Control
The drilling was completed by Cabo Drilling Corp (Canada) utilizing two Atlas Copco S2 diamond drill rigs. Additionally, drilling completed in September included a Heli 1500 Marcotte drill rig sourced from Arctic Core Drilling A/S (Greenland) and manned by a drill crew from Forage-M3 Drilling (Canada). Drill core samples (36.5 mm BQ and 47.6 mm NQ) are cut in half by a diamond saw on site. Half of the core is retained for reference purposes. Samples are generally 1.0 to 1.5 metre intervals or less at the discretion of the site geologists. Sample preparation is completed at the GeoLAB Greenland ApS preparation lab in Nuuk, Greenland. Sample pulps are sent by air to the MS Analytical laboratory in Langley, BC, Canada. Blank samples and commercially prepared and certified Ni sulphide analytical control standards with a range of grades are inserted in every batch of 20 samples or a minimum of one per sample batch. Analyses for Ni, Cu and Co are completed using a sodium peroxide fusion preparation and ICP-ES finish (PER-700). Analyses for Pt, Pd, and Au are by fire assay (30 grams nominal sample weight) with an ICP-AES finish (FAS-113).
Technical Information; Qualified Person
The Company is not aware of any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the project other than those set out in its annual information form filed on www.sedar.com. Please see below under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" for further details regarding risks facing the Company.
All technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Patricia Tirschmann, P.Geo, who is the Qualified Person for the Company and Vice President Exploration, North American Nickel Inc.
About North American Nickel
North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario.
The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all year round shipping season and abundant hydro-electric potential.
The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of the Company. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the success of exploration activities; impact of mineralogy, estimation of mineral resources at mineral projects of the Company; the future economics of minerals including nickel and copper; synergies and financial impact facilities; the benefits of the development potential of the properties of the Company and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.
Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include variations in metal grades, changes in market conditions, variations in recovery rates, risks relating to international operations, fluctuating metal prices and currency exchange rates, and other risks of the mining industry, including but not limited to the failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed.
Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results. For further information on the project, please see National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) technical report prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (SRK) dated effective March 17th, 2017, titled Updated Independent Technical Report for the Maniitsoq Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-PGM Project, Greenland, available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com or at www.northamericannickel.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Fedikow
President
North American Nickel Inc.
For more information contact:
North American Nickel Inc.
Jaclyn Ruptash
Corporate Communications
(604) 770-4334
Toll free: 1-866-816-0118
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at:
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ESD Foam Packaging Market: Trends and Opportunities for the Industry by 2022
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Global ESD Foam Packaging Market: SnapshotThe global electrostatic discharge (ESD) foam packaging market is prognosticated to attract favorable growth prospects while riding on the growing adoption of internet of things (IoT) across different regions of the world. ESD foam packaging could up its demand in the foreseeable future due to the engagement of integrated circuits for the launch of novel technological products in consumer markets and implementation of IoT in consumer offerings.Higher dimensional stability of ESD foam compared to other packaging materials for electronic equipment could be a key marker for the rising demand in the global ESD foam packaging market. Furthermore, the ability of ESD foam to be cut into any shape to seamlessly sync with that of electronic equipment is foreseen to be another factor driving the growth of the market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:The global ESD foam packaging market is envisioned to rise at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast timeframe 20172022 to reach a valuation of US$233.8 mn by the closing forecast year. In 2017, the market held a valuation of US$172.5 mn.Electrical and Electronic Component Outpaces Other Applications with Aggressive GrowthThe world ESD foam packaging market is anticipated to be classified according to three categories, viz. application, material and additive, and end-use industry. On the basis of application, the market could be segmented into electrical and electronic component and others. As per the report, the star performer among the application segments could be electrical and electronic component with a US$217.8 mn revenue predicted to be earned by 2022 end. The annual absolute growth exhibited by this segment could be larger than that of any other in the application category.Obtain Report Details @In terms of material and additive type, the world ESD foam packaging market is projected to be segmented into conductive and dissipative polymer, metal, and additive. By end-use industry, there could be crucial segments taking shape in the market, such as aerospace, manufacturing, defense and military, automobile, electrical and electronics, and other end-use industries.APEJ Ranks Higher and Continues Dominance with Larger Revenue EarningWith respect to regional segmentation, the international ESD foam packaging market is prophesied to observe the domination of Asia Pacific except Japan (APEJ), which could be valued at a US$105.8 mn by the end of the forecast period. This region could also be counted among the most attractive ones for years to come. North America and Europe are also forecast to showcase a strong revenue growth in the near future. The former could expand at a CAGR of 6.7% while the latter is expected to gain 47 basis points (BPS) between 2017 and 2022.However, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan could embrace a slower growth pace during the course of the forecast period. The MEA is envisaged to create an absolute revenue prospect of US$3.9 mn by 2022 over 2017. Japan could be valued at an only US$17.4 mn by the end of 2022.Some of the important companies operating in the worldwide ESD foam packaging market could be Statclean Technology (S) Pte Ltd., Electrotek Static Controls Pvt. Ltd., Helios Packaging, Conductive Containers, Inc., Botron Company, Inc., GWP Group Limited, Elcom U.K. Ltd., Tekins Limited, and Nefab AB.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Painting Masking Tapes Market: Evolving Industry Trends and key Insights by 2022
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Global Painting Masking Tapes Market: SnapshotThe global painting masking tapes market is foretold to expect high growth prospects while riding on the rise of attractive end-use sectors such as automotive and building and construction. Even though general purpose painting masking tapes may not find the same demand in the real estate sector, specialized products such as those used for abrasive blasting could significantly up the growth of the market in the near future. The rise of automotive manufacturing and metal production could concurrently increase the demand for painting masking tapes. The surge in the sales of automobiles due to rising disposable income is expected to make some contribution to the market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:According to experienced researchers, the global painting masking tapes market is foreseen to rise at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 20172022. The market could obtain a revenue valuation of US$3.3 bn by the end of 2022 after progressing from a US$2.5 bn achieved in 2017.Paper Backing Material Stands Out with Colossal Expected Revenue GrowthThe world painting masking tapes market is anticipated to be classified into foam, plastic, paper, and others, according to type of backing material. Out of these markets for painting masking tapes, paper is prognosticated to garner a lions share by the end of the forecast period. As per the analysts, the paper market could be valued at a US$2.7 bn by the completion of 2022. The annual absolute growth attained by this segment could surpass that of any other in the same segmentation class. Between 2017 and 2022, paper could grow at a US$0.1 bn annually.With respect to end use, the segmentation of the world painting masking tapes market is predicted to include automotive, building and construction, aerospace, and general industrial and do-it-yourself (DIY) activities. In terms of type of adhesive, there could be crucial segments such as silicon-based, acrylic-based, and rubber-based adhesives contributing to the market.Obtain Report Details @North America Dominates with Market Attractiveness and APEJ with Faster CAGROn the basis of geographical classification, the international painting masking tapes market is envisaged to witness the faster growth of Asia Pacific except Japan (APEJ) on the back of its 7.8% expected CAGR. However, North America showcased its dominance in the market in 2017 and is envisioned to be counted among the most attractive regions until the final forecast year while expanding at a 4.0% CAGR. Next on the list of lucrative regions could be Europe projected to be valued at a US$0.7 bn by 2022 end.However, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan could grow at a lethargic pace, where the former is forecasted to create an absolute revenue opportunity of US$0.07 bn and the latter to lose 8 basis points (BPS) by 2022 over 2017.Some of the most prominent players operating in the worldwide painting masking tapes market could be 3M Company, Berry Global, Inc., Nitto Denko Corp, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation, Scapa Group PLC, Intertape Polymer Group, Inc., Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft, Shurtape Technologies LLC, Bolex (Shenzhen) Adhesive Products Co. Ltd., and Advance Tapes International Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Mobile Phone Accessories Market - Key factors and trends impacting the market
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The Africa mobile phone accessories market offers great opportunities to manufacturers owing to a large number of mobile device users and a substantial growth in the adoption of smartphones and tablets. Revenue generated by the Africa mobile phone accessories market is estimated to reach US$ 4,060.2 Mn by 2026, registering a CAGR of 5.8% over the forecast period.Rapid urbanisation and increasing popularity of music, videos, and games are factors that will drive the demand for mobile phone accessories in Africa. Demand for mobile phone accessories in Africa is strongly associated with a rapid growth of the smartphones market. Chinese manufacturers have established a strong base in many parts of Africa to meet the demand for low cost mobile phone accessories. As these low cost accessories are of poor quality and come with a short life, consumers seek better alternatives. This is expected to drive growth of the Africa mobile phone accessories market over the forecast period.Get an exclusive sample of this report @High demand for low-priced accessories and poor economic conditions in Africa are the main challenges faced by mobile phone accessories providers. Major opportunities for growth in the Africa mobile phone accessories market lie in an increase in brand awareness among consumers coupled with a rising disposable income. Prominent market players are focusing on entering regional markets by localising their products. Over the past few years, companies such as Case-Mate, Muvit, Mozo Accessories, and Energizer have significantly increased their footprint in the Africa mobile phone accessories market.Market forecastThe Africa mobile phone accessories market is segmented on the basis of Type (Power banks, Batteries, Chargers, Protective Cases, Headphones & Earphones, Portable Speakers, Memory Cards, Other Accessories); Price (Low, Mid, Premium); and Distribution Channel (Multi-brand store, Single brand store, Online store). The Batteries segment type was valued at US$ 228.8 Mn in 2015 and is expected to register a CAGR of 5.7% to reach US$ 418.2 Mn by 2026. The Multi-brand store segment dominates the distribution channel segment owing to the fact that consumers are offered a variety of options and brands under one roof.Browse Research Report @Among the different types of mobile phone accessories, the protective cases segment is estimated to account for a maximum market revenue share by 2026, owing to the fact that it helps protect the phone and is also a style statement. Demand for power banks is estimated to witness the highest growth rate by 2016, owing to the frequent power cuts that take place in some parts of Africa. In the price segment, the mid-priced accessories segment is estimated to increase at the highest growth rate during the forecast period, followed by low-priced accessories. Mid-priced accessories are affordable and are of a better quality with a longer life, hence consumers are likely to spend on mid-priced accessories than low-priced ones.Of the chief regions in Africa (East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, and Rest of Africa), the Rest of Africa region is expected to be the largest revenue generator for mobile phone accessories by 2016, accounting for a revenue share of 44.1% by the end of 2016. The South Africa market segment in the Africa mobile phone accessories market was valued at US$ 595.5 Mn in 2015 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.3% to reach US$ 1,157.2 Mn by 2026.africa mobile phone accessories market_Image for preview analysisSome popular vendors such as Case-Mate, Muvit, and Mozo Accessories are focusing on innovative ways to expand their customer base and thereby consolidate their position in the Africa mobile phone accessories market. Mobile phone accessories vendors are introducing different varieties of mobile phone accessories that reflect the culture of consumers in Africa in order to increase the popularity of their products.About FMIFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact FMI3rd Floor, 207 Regent Street,London W1B 3HHUnited KingdomT: + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790D: +44 (0) 20 3287 4268Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com
2017 Coffee Makers Market by Leading Players (Panasonic, Nestle Nespresso, Jarden, Delonghi, Melitta) in Worldwide Major Regions
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Latest report on "Global Coffee Makers Market Research Report 2017" published by ReportsWeb which covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. It also includes a discussion of the key players operating in this market.Global Coffee Makers market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Keurig Green Mountain Panasonic Nestle Nespresso Jarden Delonghi Electrolux Melitta Morphy Richards Philips Hamilton Beach Illy Bosch Tsann Kuen Krups Jura La Cimbali Fashion Zojirushi Bear SchaererRequest a Sample on Coffee Makers market atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Drip Coffee Makers Steam Coffee Makers Capsule Coffee Makers OthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales) , market share and growth rate of Coffee Makers for each application, including Commercial Coffee Makers Office Coffee Makers Household Coffee Makers OthesGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Coffee Makers in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaOrder a copy of Global Coffee Makers Market atKey Point from Table of Contents:1 Coffee Makers Market Overview2 Global Coffee Makers Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Coffee Makers Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Coffee Makers Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Coffee Makers Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Coffee Makers Market Analysis by Application7 Global Coffee Makers Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Coffee Makers Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Coffee Makers Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionComplete report on Coffee Makers Market is now available atContact Information:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Ginger Market- Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights 2017 - 2022
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Global Ginger Market: SnapshotIn the recent times, the global market for ginger has observed a strong surge in its valuation, thanks to the increasing popularity of ginger as a spice and as a flavoring agent across the world. The rising awareness about the medical benefits of ginger is also attracting consumers substantially, and this factor is expected to act as a long-term promoter of this market, leading it to high growth over the next few years.Download exclusive Sample of this report:In addition to this, the widening application base of ginger, from medicines to alcoholic beverages, is anticipated to boost the global ginger market in the years to come. The market is projected to gain US$3.06 bn by 2017 in revenues. The opportunities in this market is predicted to proliferate at a CAGR of 6.50% between 2017 and 2022, reaching a value of US$4.18 bn by the end of 2022.APEJ to Retain Leadership in Global Ginger MarketNorth America, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Europe, Latin America, and Japan have emerged as the key regional markets for ginger across the world. Of these, the APEJ region has surfaced as the most attractive regional market for ginger and acquired the leading position in the global market. Progressing at a CAGR of 7.10% during the period from 2017 to 2022, the APEJ market for ginger is predicted to experience a high rise over the near future, thereby retaining its leadership on the overall market.Obtain Report Details @The tremendous rise in medical tourism in Asian countries, such as India and China, has influenced the production of medicinal spices, of which ginger is a significant segment and, consequently, the market for ginger in APEJ is being heavily boosted. Researchers anticipate the scenario to remain the same over the next few years.Amongst other regional markets for ginger, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and North America are expected to register a steady rise in their respective ginger markets over the forthcoming years. While the Middle East and Africa market will gain from the increasing production of spices; the North America and Europe markets will benefit from the rising awareness of the medicinal qualities of ginger among consumers, together with augmenting preference for organic and bio-based remedies for ailments.Fresh Ginger Enjoys Greater Demand than Other FormsCommonly, ginger is found in fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, crystallized, and powdered forms across the world. The demand for fresh ginger is much higher than its other forms. Expanding at a CAGR of 7.30% between 2017 and 2022, this segment is anticipated to remain the most prominent one in the years to come.Ginger finds extensive application in culinary, snacks and convenience food, soups and sauces, bakery products, non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, and chocolate and confectionery. The culinary segment has surfaced as the main application area of ginger and is projected to remain so over the next few years. Traditional grocery retail, modern grocery retail, and non-grocery retail are the prime distribution channels of ginger across the world.At the forefront of the global market for ginger are Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Yummy Food Industrial Group, Monterey Bay Spice Co. Inc., Sun Impex International Foods L.L.C., Indian Organic Farmers Producer Co. Ltd., Sino-Nature International Co. Ltd., Atmiya International, Buderim Group Ltd., Food Market Management Inc., and SA Rawther Spices Pvt. Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Calcium Propionate Market - Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry
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Global Calcium Propionate Market: SnapshotThe primary driver for the global calcium propionate market is the growing demand for convenience foods and ready-to-eat foods across the world, a factor attributed to the increasingly work-oriented and busy lifestyles of consumers. Additionally, consumers from a lot of diverse economic regions are becoming aware of the various food-borne diseases and what they can do to avoid them. The use of anti-microbial additives is one of the foremost methods to provide germ-free food that lasts longer on the shelf. In fact, the anti-microbial properties of calcium propionate have created a high demand for it in bakery products. A large number of bakeries use calcium propionate to prevent their bread-based products from growing molds. Calcium propionate is also more cost-effective than other preservatives such as sulfites or sorbates, which will further enhance its position and demand, especially in emerging economies.Download exclusive Sample of this report:There is, however, a parallel growth in the demand for fresh foods and organic foods in the world, owing to the concerns of consuming chemicals and additives in food. More and more people are concerned over the consumption of chemicals that are linked to several long-term illnesses and are therefore demanding foods that are devoid of any additives.All in all, the global market for calcium propionate is expected to reach US$343.6 mn by the end of 2016 and US$480.3 mn by 2023, after this revenue being projected at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2015 to 2023.Europe Leads Consumption of Calcium PropionateBy the end of 2023, Europe is expected to generate a revenue of US$175.9 mn in calcium propionate manufacture and distributions. Europe has consistently been the leading consumer of calcium propionate in the world and is expected to continue being in the lead till 2023. A large demand for calcium propionate comes from the nations of Italy, France, and the U.K., owing to their great consumption rate of convenience foods on a daily basis by the working class. Manufacturers of bakery products, dairy products, and animal feed products are all using calcium propionate in large quantities due to its preservative and anti-microbial nature. The demand for calcium propionate in Europe is also high due to the ban on antibiotics in multiple applications where calcium propionate can fill in.Obtain Report Details @North America holds a large demand for calcium propionate, but is expected to show a very slow growth in demand over the coming years, due to market saturation and a growing demand for fresh foods and organic foods. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific is showing a massive surge in its demand for calcium propionate due to its cost-effective nature.Bakery Applications of Calcium Propionate SurgeCalcium propionate is currently one of the leading additives used to improve the shelf-life of foods. It finds key applications in the production of bakery foods, animal feed, meat processing, packaged foods, and specific beverages. The bakery industry leads the consumption of calcium propionate among all its applications. By the end of 2023, bakery applications of calcium propionate are expected to generate a revenue of US$270.0 mn for it. It is largely used to store grains and preparation foods such as pastas, noodles, and ready-to-eat foods such as breakfast cereals.The list of top players in the global calcium propionate market currently includes Niacet Corporation, Kemira, Macco Organiques Inc., Perstorp Holding AB, AB Mauri, Addcon GmbH, A.M. Food Chemical Co. Ltd., Cargill Incorporated, Chr. Hansen A/S, and BASF SE.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Processed Meat Market - Competitive Landscape and Regional Analysis by 2016-2024
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GCC Processed Meat Market: SnapshotThe processed meat market in the GCC is primarily driven by the busy lifestyles of consumer in the region over the years. This has caused people to opt for ready-to-consume food items or those that can be served in a short span of time.Aggressive marketing strategies by manufacturers and increased investments in advertising are also responsible for the growing demand for processed meat in the GCC. Other factors driving the processed meat market are the growing popularity of processed meat-based fast foods among the younger generation, a rise in the number of working women across different countries in the GCC region, and product innovation by leading processed meat manufacturers.Download exclusive Sample of this report:The GCC processed meat market was valued at US$760.7 mn in 2015 and is estimated to reach US$1.5 bn by 2024, expanding at an 8.4% CAGR therein.Sales of Frozen Processed Meat Continue to Rise owing to ConvenienceIn terms of product type, frozen processed meat held the leading share in the GCC processed meat market in 2015, both in terms of revenue as well as volume. Sales of processed meat are expected to be driven by frozen variants across all the countries in the GCC and the market for the same will continue to grow during the forecast period due to the increasing demand for convenient and packaged food products among consumers across all age groups. Chilled processed meat, on the other hand, does not enjoy the same variety and these products have a shorter life. Frozen processed meat products such as hot dogs and salamis are very popular among the younger generation across the GCC.Obtain Report Details @The others segment, which comprises shelf-stable meat, is projected to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period in terms of revenue as well as volume. Shelf-stable meat has the lowest unit price; it is consumed for its convenience since it requires no preparation; and it offers numerous marketing options for retail and convenience stores. These advantages are mainly responsible for the growth of this segment.Poultry Emerges as Leading Meat Type thanks to Health Benefits and Lower PricesIn terms of meat type, poultry accounts for the leading share across the GCC processed meat market. It is also projected to be the most attractive segment during the course of the forecast period owing to rising health awareness among consumers. Across the GCC, consumers are shifting from the consumption of red meat to white meat owing to the lower cholesterol content in the latter. Furthermore, poultry meat is inexpensive compared to beef and lamb and does not contain trans fats that result in coronary heart diseases. This is expected to increase the demand for poultry meat during the forecast period.In terms of packaging, the processed meat market in the GCC has been segregated into retail packaging and bulk packaging. Retail packaging is the most widely used method for processed meat due to its low price and its ability to enhance the shelf life of processed meat products. Rising retail sales are also propelling the retail packaging segment.By country, the process meat market has been segmented into Qatar and Rest of GCC. Qatar is expected to witness significant growth from 2016 to 2024, expanding at a value-based CAGR of 8.8%. The UAE is also a major market for process meat, as identified by TMR.Key players in the GCC processed meat market include National Food Co. (Americana Meat), Al Islami Foods, Sunbulah Group, BRF S.A., Tyson Foods, Cargill Inc., Gulf Food Industries, and Almunajem.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Silo Bags Market - Key Growth Factors and Industry Analysis 2016-2026
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The need for a cost-efficient solution for storage of grains and animal fodder has led to extensive preference for silo bags among farmers in the U.S. and Canada. The North America silo bags market is expected to witness healthy growth rate owing to small farmers demanding silo bags for short-term and affordable packaging and storage purposes. Silo bags, also known as harvest grain bags are used as an alternative storage system for grains such as wheat, corn, maize, sorghum, etc. in order to fulfil shortage of cattle fodder during dry seasons. The North America silo bags market is expected to create good opportunities for suppliers, distributors and manufacturers operating in the market.Revenue generated from the North America silo bags market is estimated to touch nearly US$ 34 Mn in 2017 and is forecast to reach nearly US$ 51 Mn in 2024, registering a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. In terms of volume, the North America silo bags market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.4% to reach 62,700 units by 2026.Get an exclusive sample of this report @Factors fuelling the demand for silo bags in the North America regionRising demand for convenience packaging among new generation farmers has compelled the manufacturers of silo bags to innovate in terms of optimum space requirements, storage efficiency, high performance and flexible plastic sheets. A growing trend among manufacturers and suppliers of silo bags in North America is to leverage the changing demographics of farmer size. Manufacturers are increasingly addressing the demand from small farmers who prefer silo bags over capital intensive silo systems for storage purposes. Farmers with very short-term storage requirements prefer renting or leasing silo bags as silo bags have good reusability and longer product life.The North America silo bags market is characterised by substantial consolidation among market players. In order to expand their market presence and strengthen order fulfilling capacity, large players are strategically acquiring smaller manufacturers to serve a broader customer base.Browse Research Report @Restraints limiting the growth of the North America silo bags marketStringent guidelines issued by regulating authorities concerning food and environment have consequential implications on the silo bags market in North America. Stringent FDA regulations regarding the use of harmful chemical substances, and also various regulations for specific thickness, length and breadth for manufacturing of silo bags has led to market preference for alternative environment friendly products.North America Silo Bags Market Forecast, by Application, 20162026Among all applications of silo bags, grains is predicted to be an attractive segment for investment during the forecast periodBy application, the North America silo bags market can be segmented into grains, forages, fertilisers, dried fruits and others. The demand for silo bags is prominently for storage of grains, which is estimated to constitute over 60% of the North America silo bags market.Grains storage is expected to be a highly attractive packaging type among silo bags manufacturers due to its wide usage by farmers. The Forages segment is likely to maintain its market share with a steady rise in CAGR over the forecast period.Increasing production of crops likely to lead to the adoption of silo bags in the North America regional marketThe silo bags market, which saw evolution and growth in the Latin America market, is now gaining substantial footprint in the North America market. With boom in crop production across the North America region, farmers in the U.S and Canada will invest in on-farm storage means, such as silo bags, for temporary and affordable storage of forage, grains and other produce. The North America market for silo bags will witness healthy growth of 1.6X owing to convenient packaging solutions demanded by small farmers as an alternative to large silo systems. The market will also witness additional growth prospects due to affordable silo bags being made available through lease and rentals.About FMIFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact FMI3rd Floor, 207 Regent Street,London W1B 3HHUnited KingdomT: + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790D: +44 (0) 20 3287 4268Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com
Nutricosmetics Market 2017: Production, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2025
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Global Nutricosmetics Market: SnapshotThe global nutricosmetics market is expected to unveil substantial growth in the forthcoming years, especially due to the growing elderly population globally. Furthermore, factors such as increasing demand for natural products for health and beauty due to fewer side effects and rising healthcare costs are stirring growth of the global nutricosmetics market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Nutricosmetics are orally consumed natural health products that contain target nutrients and antioxidants for the treatment of skin, hair, and nails. They are available in the form of beverages, beauty supplements, or functional foods, or that contain active ingredients along with ingredients such as proteins, enzymes, minerals, botanical leaves, lycopene, etc. that are developed and marketed mainly as beauty aids. Nutricosmetics are available as tablets, pills, jellies, capsules, and drinks.The drift toward a healthier lifestyle and the positive effects of ingredients such as green tea, roots, and barks that supports Beauty from within is increasing the demand for nutricosmetics at the global level.Obtain Report Details @However, lack of awareness among consumers about the benefits of nutricosmetics is acting as a bottleneck to the growth of this market. The relatively new availability of these products has been a reason for their low credibility among consumers. Furthermore, longer time for nutricosmetics to show results is challenging the growth of nutricosmetics market.The global nutricosmetics market pegged an opportunity of US$5.13 bn in 2016 and is poised to reach US$7.93 bn by 2025, progressing at a CAGR of 5.0% between 2017 and 2025.Skin Care to Remain Dominant Segment Based on Primary FunctionIn terms of product type, the nutricosmetics market is segmented into supplements and beauty beverages/drinks. In 2016, supplements stood as the leading product type segment and is estimated to retain its position with 54.1% of the market by the end of 2025. Among supplements, tablets held the leading market share in 2016 and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period.By primary function, the global nutricosmetics market is segmented into skin care, weight management, hair and nail care, and multi-functional. Skin care comprises sun care, radiance and glow, anti-ageing, and anti-acne pimple. Skin care held the leading market share amongst other segments in 2017 and is expected to lead until 2025, albeit with a declined market share. However, sun care is expected to display the leading growth rate between 2017 and 2025.On the basis of distribution channel, the global nutricosmetics market is segmented into modern trade, specialty stores, health and beauty stores, pharmacy stores, and e-commerce. Amongst these, pharmacy stores stood as the leading distribution channel and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. On the other hand, health and beauty stores is gaining momentum and is anticipated to display the leading growth rate until the end of 2025.Asia Pacific to Surpass other Regional Segments by 2025On the basis of geography, the global market for nutricosmetics is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. While North America displayed the leading growth in 2016, Europe captured the leading market share due to high penetration of nutricosmetics combined with high adoption rate among consumers as well as high awareness about products benefits. Product manufacturers in Europe are strategizing for acquisitions and joint ventures in order to grab opportunities in the global market. While Asia Pacific held the second-leading share in the global market in 2016, the region is expected to surpass all regional segments in terms of market share by 2025.Some of the key players in the global nutricosmetics market include Cargill Incorporated, E.l.Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Nestle S.A., The Coca-Cola Company, and LOreal SA.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Garbage Bag Market - Drivers & Restraints, Market Segmentation, Region-wise Outlook and Key Players 2026
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High-performance characteristics and excellent tensile strength are anticipated to increase the market share of HDPE garbage bags. This segment accounted for a revenue share of close to 30% in the garbage bag market in Europe in 2016 and is likely to gain more than 100 basis points by 2026. Revenue contribution of the HDPE segment is projected to register a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. The HDPE segment is a relatively cost-effective option and therefore likely to experience a rapid Y-o-Y growth rate during the forecast period. Its cost-effectiveness and ability to hold a significant weight is anticipated to propel the market for HDPE garbage bags over the period of assessment. HDPE garbage bags are relatively inexpensive and can hold considerable weight compared to other material types. The segment is projected to expand 1.7x during the forecast period. By value, the segment is likely to create an incremental opportunity of more than US$ 300 Mn between 2016 and 2026.Get an exclusive sample of this report @The biodegradable quality of HDPE garbage bags is likely to drive its demand across the European regionThe waste management policies in Europe aim to reduce the environmental and health impacts of waste and improve the regions resource efficiency. The policy also strives to enhance the use of oxo-biodegradable or oxo-degradable garbage bags, to collect waste generated in households, industries, and institutions. This is expected to fuel the demand for HDPE garbage bags over the forecast period. Disposable income and purchasing power of consumers is leading to increasing demand for convenient and cost-effective garbage bags for collecting waste. These macroeconomic factors are anticipated to positively impact the demand for HDPE garbage bags in Europe. Furthermore, improvement in Europes economic performance and the rising standards of living of the middle income population group is expected to strengthen the sale of HDPE garbage bags.Biodegradable plastic garbage bags such as HDPE bags are made up of domestic biomass materials, which reduce dependency on oil and provide a domestic solution to plastic resin or film manufacturers. They are also easier to recycle and can be used more frequently. Moreover, with the mounting pressure of consumers and legislators to address the environmental issues caused by harmful garbage bags, the demand for HDPE garbage bags is anticipated to grow significantly over the assessed period. Demand for premium garbage bags is likely to gain traction particularly in the advanced economies of Germany and the U.K. Two major trends fuelling their sales are their stretchable strength and odour control nature. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for these features. This particular factor is creating robust development in the HDPE garbage bag segment.Browse Research Report @Increasing taxation and stringent government policies pertaining to the ban of HDPE plastic bags is anticipated to hinder its growth during the projected periodThe government of Europe is actively imposing regulations in order to restrict sales of lightweight bags, with various countries such as France and Italy enforcing a complete ban on single-use HDPE plastic bags. These bans on plastic bags can help mitigate harmful impacts on the environment particularly oceans, rivers, lakes, and the wildlife inhabiting them. This is one of the major restraints faced by HDPE plastic garbage bags, which is influencing manufacturers to shift to the production of eco-friendly and green plastic garbage bags. Governments across Europe are increasing taxation and imposing extra charges on the use of plastic garbage bags. Customers at large retail outlets and convenience stores are charged extra for plastic garbage bags. Such initiatives play a major role in reducing consumption of HDPE garbage bags and compel manufacturers to shift production towards more eco-friendly and biodegradable garbage bags.About FMIFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact FMI3rd Floor, 207 Regent Street,London W1B 3HHUnited KingdomT: + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790D: +44 (0) 20 3287 4268Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com
NAKUSP, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CUPE 2450 members have overwhelmingly rejected the Village of Nakusps last offer in a vote administered this morning by the Labour Relations Board at the request of the Village.
Nineteen of 23 eligible voters participated, voting 89 percent in favour of rejection.
CUPE 2450 President Andy Cruden says that the union is disappointed that the Village would choose to force a last offer vote instead of continuing with negotiations.
Today our members clearly said that they are only willing to accept a fair and reasonable collective agreement. We hope that given this result both the Village and City Council will reconsider their position at the bargaining table, says Cruden. There are only a few outstanding issues left to be negotiated and we believe we are extremely close to reaching an agreement.
Key outstanding issues include wages, market adjustments for select positions and retroactive pay for all members (both active and non-active).
We want the community to know that the union is prepared to resume negotiations as soon as possible and that we have already reached out to the Village and offered further dates for negotiations, adds Cruden.
Negotiations between the Village and CUPE 2450 started 28 months ago.
CUPE 2450 represents approximately 20 members who provide vital community services for residents and businesses in Nakusp.
Gas Separation Membranes Market Industry Leaders & New Revenue Pockets
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New product launches, mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions, expansions, agreements, and collaborations are the key strategies adopted by industry players to achieve growth in the gas separation membranes market. Increasing industrial developments, technological advancements, and demand for gas processing have led to the high demand for gas separation membranes from various applications. Companies, therefore, focus on new product launches, expansions, mergers & acquisitions, and agreements. Ube Industries Ltd. (Japan), Air Liquide Advanced Separation LLC (US), Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (US), Generon IGS, Inc. (US), and Honeywell UOP LLC (US) are some of the key players who have adopted these strategies to develop their businesses, globally. These strategies also accounted for a significant share of the overall growth strategies adopted by the players in the gas separation membranes market between 2012 and 2017.Download PDF Brochure of this Report atBrowse 62 Market Data Tables and 37 Figures spread through 122 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Gas Separation Membranes Market"Air Liquide Advanced Separation LLC is a major manufacturer and leading player in the global gas separation membranes market. The company aims to expand its market share and become one of the most innovative companies in the world. As part of its growth strategy, in 2015, the company acquired PoroGen Corporation (US), which is a leading polymeric membrane manufacturer for industries, such as oil & gas, refining & petrochemicals, energy & power, and aerospace. This acquisition enhanced the companys product portfolio and market presence.Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is one of the largest gas separation membranes manufacturers in the US. As part of its business strategy, the company focuses on new product development and research. In 2016, the company launched two new products under the brand name PRISM, for biogas separation. The company also launched a new polymeric hollow fiber membrane for biogas application to target European market in 2015. These developments strengthened the companys product portfolio.Ube Industries Ltd. (Japan), Air Liquide Advanced Separation LLC (US), Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (US), Generon IGS, Inc. (US), and Honeywell UOP LLC (US) are the most active players in the global gas separation membranes market.Gas separation membranes find increasing acceptance in various applications, such as nitrogen generation & oxygen enrichment, hydrogen recovery, carbon dioxide removal, vapor/gas separation, vapor/vapor separation, air dehydration, and others. The growth of the gas separation membranes market is expected to be fueled by the rising demand from applications due to increasing adoptability of the membrane technology over conventional technologies.This report segments the gas separation membranes market based on material, application, and region. The gas separation membranes market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2017 to 2022, in terms of value. The demand for gas separation membranes is increasing due to their cost effective and energy efficient characteristics over other technologies, such as cryogenic and adsorption.Based on material, the polyimide & polyaramide segment is estimated to account for the largest market share in 2017. Polyimide & polyaramide are preferred in a wide range of applications, such as hydrogen recovery, carbon dioxide removal, and oxygen enrichment, due to their high selectivity and excellent thermal & chemical resistant properties.The carbon dioxide removal segment was the largest application segment of the market in 2016. However, the vapor/vapor separation segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increasing use of gas separation membranes in refining, chemical, and petrochemical applications.Asia Pacific led the gas separation membranes market in 2016, in terms of value, followed by the European and North American regions. There is a growth opportunity for the gas separation membranes market in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific due to upcoming gas processing projects in these regions. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest rate from 2017 to 2022. The demand for gas separation membranes is growing in this region due to increasing industrialization and growing demand for gas based energy over petroleum products. In the Asia Pacific region, the market in India is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Although China is an export-oriented country, the growing domestic demand is expected to increase the domestic consumption of gas separation membranes.MarketsandMarketss flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.630 Dundee Road, Suite 430, Northbrook, IL 60062 - United States
Global Active Electronic Components Market Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2023
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There are three types of electronic components namely: active Electronic Components, passive electronic components, and electromechanical components. Active electronic components rely on a source of energy (DC) and inject power into a circuit. Active electronic components include semiconductor devices, display devices, and others. During the last few years, technological advancements in electronics and semiconductor industry have enhanced the array of applications for active electronic components. Active electronic components include semiconductor devices and display devices. Various semiconductor devices include diodes, transistors, integrated circuits, and optoelectronic components. Further, display devices comprise of microwave tubes, cathode-ray tubes, x-ray tubes, photoelectric tubes, triodes and others.Click here for Free Sample Report @This research study, titled Active Electronic Components Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2015 2023, provides strategic analysis of the global active electronic components market, along with the market size in US$ Bn and growth forecast for the period 2015 to 2023. The report includes an in-depth analysis of the market drivers, restraints, and industry trends. It also highlights the significant growth opportunities for active electronic component manufacturers in the next few years.The research report provides a comprehensive assessment of stakeholder strategies, and the imperatives for succeeding in the active electronic components market. The report includes competitive analysis of various market segments based on types of active electronic components, and in-depth cross-sectional scrutiny across different geography segments of the active electronic components market. In order to aid in strategic decision-making, the report also includes the winning strategies adopted by key players operating in the active electronic components market. The report segregates the active electronic components market based on different geographies into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.Browse Full Report with TOC @For detailed understanding of the active electronic components market, all these segments have also been estimated in terms of revenue (US$ Bn) for the geographies mentioned above. The market research study analyzes the active electronic components market worldwide, and provides revenue estimates in terms of US$ Bn for the years 2013 and 2014, along with the market forecast for the period 2015 to 2023. Market forecasts have been analyzed considering the impact of various economic, political, social, legal, and technological factors influencing market growth. Key players profiles in this study include Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc, STMicroelectronics, Analog Devices, Inc., ON Semiconductor, Diotec Semiconductor AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Texas Instruments, Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd., Panasonic Corporation and Renesas Electronics Corporation.The active electronic component market is segmented as follows:Active Electronic Components Market, by Product TypesSemiconductor DevicesDiodesTransistorsIntegrated CircuitsOptoelectronic ComponentsDisplay DevicesMicrowave TubesCathode-Ray TubesX-ray TubesPhotoelectric TubesTriodesOthersActive Electronic Components Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaS.Rest of North AmericaEuropeEU7CISRest of EuropeAsia-PacificJapanChinaAustralasiaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and Africa (MEA)GCC CountriesNorth AfricaSouth AfricaRest of MEALatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaFor any further queries and concerns you can refer the following link @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Global Household Insecticide Market to grow at a CAGR of 5.47% during 2017-2021 - Godrej Consumer Products, Reckitt Benckiser, SC Johnson & Son, Spectrum Brands, Sumitomo Chemical
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An insecticide is a substance that is used to kill insects. Household insecticide products are used to kill household insects. These products include insect sprays that are used in the kitchen, weed killers for the lawn, and mosquito repellents for indoor or outdoor use. A key factor that drives the market is an increase in consumer awareness on the use of household insecticides. People are increasingly aware of the deadly diseases that are caused by household insects. Many vendors are trying to spread awareness by investing in multiple marketing initiatives.The global household insecticide market to grow at a CAGR of 5.47% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global household insecticide market for 2017-2021 . To calculate the market size, the report considers the retail sales of household insecticide products.Click to get Sample PDF:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEATechnavio's report, Global Household Insecticide Market 2017-2021 , has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key vendors- Godrej Consumer Products- Reckitt Benckiser- SC Johnson & Son- Spectrum Brands- Sumitomo ChemicalOther prominent vendors- Coghlan's- Dabur- Enesis Group- GLOBE-Janakantha- Goodluck Syndicate- Herbal Strategi- HOVEX- Jyothy Laboratories- Kapi- DAINIHON JOCHUGIKU- PIC- Quantum HealthKey questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Global Animal Health Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market will reach at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2017 to 2025
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The global animal health active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) market is projected to register an impressive expansion at 7.3% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 to 2025, according to a recent study by Persistence Market Research (PMR). PMRs study estimates the market to increase from revenues worth US$ 5,216.1 Mn in 2017 to reach US$ 9,162.2 Mn by 2025-end.Limited Insurance or Government Intervention Provides Smooth Flow to the Market Growth in APACAsia Pacific (APAC) will continue to be the most lucrative region in the global animal health active pharmaceutical ingredient market, with sales exhibiting the second highest CAGR through 2025. APAC has remained one of the largest API suppliers, at affordable costs. Governments across APAC have been making investments and focusing on local manufacturing facilities of APIs. Favorable policies offered by these governments have been shifting the focus of API manufacturers in moving their production bases to APAC countries, such as India and China. In addition, limited insurance or government intervention provides smooth flow to market growth in these regions.Request for Report Sample @However, animal health API products manufactured in APAC countries do not meet regulatory standards, and there has been increasing concerns pertaining to the quality of APIs, especially those produced in China and India. Western regulatory bodies are becoming stricter in the inspection of APIs produced in these regions. Manufacturers are further facing challenges in bridging the gap between the cost and quality of APIs. These factors will inhibit growth of the market in APAC.Europe to Remain the Second Largest Market for Animal Health APIsEurope will remain the second largest market for animal health active pharmaceutical ingredients. Leading healthcare companies are located in the Europe, which in turn has boosted requirement for veterinary APIs in the region. Consumption of veterinary drugs in Europe has surged substantially over the past few years. Spain has been witnessed to be the largest consumer of veterinary antimicrobial APIs in the EU. In addition, rising improvements in the animal productivity has driven growth of the animal health industry in this region. These incidences are expected to augment growth of the animal health API market in Europe.Request for Report TOC @However, the pharmaceutical industry in Europe has been concerned with potential short-term impacts of REACH regulations. This is likely to result in decreased supply of materials, or reagents, which are not preregistered by EU suppliers. In addition, dynamic changes in Europes macro-economic environment, such as the Brexit, has been impacting the intra-European trade and overall pharmaceutical sector. These factors might curb growth of the animal health API market in Europe.Antiparasitics to Remain the Largest Adopted APIs in the MarketAntiparasitics will continue to be the largest adopted API in the market, followed by anti-infectives. Sales of Antiparasitics are expected to register the fastest expansion, to account for the largest revenues by 2025-end. In contrast, revenues from sales of anesthetics and NSAIDs will remain comparatively lower than antiparasitics and anti-infectives.Buy Global Animal Health Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market Report @Key market players profiled in PMRs report include Glenmark Pharmaceutical Limited., Zoetis, Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., Sanofi Winthrop Industrie (CEPiA), Indukern, S.A., Ofichem BV, P&R S.p.A (Olon S.p.A), Lonza Group AG, Huvepharma AD, Ourofino Saude Animal, Blanver Farmoquimica E Farmaceutica S.A., Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Changzhou Yabang-Qh Pharmachem Co., Ltd., Shanghai Pharmtech Co., Ltd., Ningxia Tairui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shaanxi Hanjiang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Sequent Scientific Ltd., NGL Fine-Chem Ltd., Omkar Speciality Chemicals Ltd., Excel Industries Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Middle East and North Africa Corrosion Protective Coatings & Acid Proof Lining Market Surge Growth During 2016-2026
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Demand for corrosion protective coatings and acid proof linings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is estimated to increase at 3.2% Y-o-Y by 2016 end. Saudi Arabia is expected to remain the largest consumer of corrosion protective coatings and acid proof linings in MENA, accounting for revenue share of 32.5% by 2016 end. Strategic government initiatives to diversify the countrys economy as well as growing public and private sector investments in various end-use industries are factors expected to drive market growth in the near future.Robust growth of marine industry as well as increasing maritime activities, such as shipping, offshore repair and shipbuilding are factors anticipated to drive growth of the corrosion protective coatings and acid proof linings market. However, the ongoing oil-crisis in the Middle East can negatively impact market growth.Request for Table of Contents @By product type, polymer coatings will remain the preferred material in MENA corrosion protective coatings market, accounting for a revenue share of 64.6% by 2016 end. Epoxy and polyurethane will remain the sought-after polymer coatings, owing to their technical superiority and multi-functionality. Thermoplastic lining will remain the highest selling acid proof lining product, ramping up US$ 155.8 Mn in revenues by 2016 end.Major market participants such as Cape RB Hilton Saudi Arabia Ltd., Hertel OTC, StonCor Middle East LLC, Kaefer LLC. REMA TIP TOP AG, KCC Corrosion Control Co., StonCor Middle East LLC, Anticorrosion Protective Systems L.L.C., Al Gurg Paints LLC., Ineco Limited, Global Suhaimi and Ocean Rubber Factory LLC are actively focussing on capacity expansion as well as industry-specific new product development in the region. Furthermore, mid-level market participants are focussing on strengthening distribution and geographical expansion in order to capitalise on growth potential of the MENA corrosion protective caoatings and acid proof linings market.Request for Sample @Long-term Outlook: Revenue from the corrosion protective coatings and acid proof linings in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to reach US$ 3,163.8 Mn by 2026 end, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period 20162024. Saudi Arabia is anticipated to dominate the corrosion protective coatings and acid proof linings market over the forecast period, with market share of 32.5% in overall sales by the end of 2026.Buy Middle East and North Africa Corrosion Protective Coatings & Acid Proof Lining Market Report @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Smart Railways Market @ Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2025
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Smart Railways comprise solutions (software), devices & components (hardware) and services (professional, cloud and integration), which redefine and make intelligent use of rail assets and rail network communication by combining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with smart transportation systems that facilitate connected, rapid, efficient and safer mode of travelling for commuters. In an era of digital communication, the gap between the physical and digital world is fading swiftly and being replaced with an entirely new mode in which the smart rail functions.Click here for Free Sample Report Format @Report SynopsisIn this report, Future Market Insights presents a 10-year forecast of the global smart railways market between 2015 and 2025. The report considers 2014 as the base year and provides data for the following 12 months. In terms of revenue, the smart railways market is expected to register a CAGR of 22.3% during the forecast period.Report DescriptionThis research report provides a detailed market analysis, identifying all the primary forces driving the rapid growth of the smart railways market across the concerned regions. This study delivers insights about market dynamics across the seven key regions, which are expected to influence the current nature and future status of the smart railways market during the forecast period (2015-2025).Introduction of metro and high speed rail projects, smart cities and smart transportation across the globe and increasing government support for railways are among the major factors driving growth of the global smart railways market. Furthermore, growing urbanisation & population worldwide and increasing safety and security concerns among travellers are some of the major factors contributing to growth of the global smart railways market.The report includes FMIs analysis of key trends, drivers and restraints influencing growth of the global smart railways market. A weighted average model is leveraged to identify the impact of the key growth drivers and restraints across the concerned regions in the market, in order to help clients in framing accurate business strategies.The global smart railways market is segmented on the basis of offering type and region. On the basis of offering type, the smart railways market is segmented into devices and components, solutions and services. The report offers a detailed analysis of each of these segments in terms of market size (US$ Bn). Key regions assessed in the report are North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East & Africa.Given the ever-fluctuating global economy, the report not only forecasts the market on the basis of CAGR, but also analyses the impact of key parameters during each year of the forecast period. This helps the clients to understand the predictability of the market and to identify the right opportunities in the global market during the forecast period. Also, a noteworthy feature of this report is the analysis of all vital segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, which is critical for assessing the level of revenue opportunity in the market.In the final section of the report, a competitive landscape of the market is included in order to present the clients with a dashboard view, based on core business segments, revenue share and key growth strategy. This section is important for gleaning insights about participants in the markets ecosystem. Additionally, it enables identification and evaluation of key competitors based on the in-depth assessment of their capabilities and successes in the marketplace. The report offers comprehensive profiles of the providers in order to evaluate their long and short-term strategies related to products across various regions, key offerings, and recent developments in the smart railways space. Key competitors covered in this report include Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., ABB Group, Indra Sistemas, S.A., Bombardier Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., Cisco Systems, Inc., Alstom S.A., Siemens AG, IBM Corporation, General Electric Co., Alcatel-Lucent S.A. and Ansaldo STS.Browse Full Report with TOC @Research MethodologyIn order to evaluate the smart railways market size, revenue generated by smart railways manufacturers and providers has been taken into consideration. Market estimates have been analysed keeping in mind various factors, such as technological, environmental, economical, legal and social. In order to provide accurate market forecast statistics, the current market was sized as it forms the basis of how the smart railways market would perform during the forecast period. Given the characteristics of the market, we triangulated the outcome on the basis of three different types of processes, namely secondary research, primary research and data from paid database. Primary research represents the bulk of our research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Secondary research includes product literature of key players, annual reports, press releases and relevant documents, recent trade journals, related technical write-ups, Internet sources, trade associations, agencies and statistical data from government websites. This collated data from primary and secondary sources is then analysed by the in-house research panel using market research statistical tools, which equates to the most appropriate methodology to provide a quality market research report.Key Segments CoveredBy Offering TypeDevices & ComponentsRail SensorsVideo Surveillance CamerasSmart CardsNetworking & Connectivity Devices (Router, Wi-Fi, Switches, etc.)Others (Multimedia Displays)ServicesProfessional ServicesCloud ServicesIntegration ServicesSolutionsPassenger Information System (PIS)Railway Traffic Management System (RTMS)Advanced Security Management SystemSmart Ticketing System (STS)Rail Operations Management SystemRail Communication & Networking SystemsOthers (Rail Analytics System and Freight Information System)Key Regions/Countries CoveredNorth AmericaS.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaWestern EuropeGermanyItalyFranceK.SpainNordicBENELUXRest of Western EuropeEastern EuropeRussiaPolandRest of Eastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ)ChinaIndiaAustralia & New ZealandRest of APEJJapanMiddle East & AfricaGCCNorth AfricaSouth AfricaRest of MEAKey CompaniesHuawei Technologies Co. Ltd.ABB GroupIndra Sistemas, S.A.Bombardier Inc.Hitachi, Ltd.Cisco Systems, Inc.Alstom S.A.Siemens AGIBM CorporationGeneral Electric Co.Alcatel-Lucent S.A.Ansaldo STSFor any further queries and concerns you can refer the following link @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Baby Bath Products Market Opportunities and Forecast Assessment, 2017 - 2025
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Skin cleaning is essential for good health especially for a baby as they need special care since birth. The function of the skin remains the same at all phases of life and maintaining the health of the skin is important. Establishing a good practice of taking care of the skin after birth is considered to be the foundation for a healthy skin. Skin absorbs sixty percent of what is applied to it. Traditional personal care products were made up of numerous chemicals thus resulting in cumulative effects upon the skin of the babies. Rising consciousness among parents regarding proper care of their babies is triggering the growth rate of the global baby bath products market. Infants, when they are born, face several problems in their skins such as rashes, acrocyanosis, mottling, cradle cap, milia, and stork bite marks. The tender skin of the infants reacts when it comes in touch with the new environment.Infants are born with developing the epidermal barrier that is considered to be more permeable and is reactive with the environment in the first two years of life. Consumers are inclined towards products which are gentle, non-irritating, soothing and moisturizing. Water alone is not considered to be sufficient for the babys skin from the buildup of the dirt and bacteria. Skin of the babies requires proper cleansing everyday especially in the skin folds and nappy areas making it more prone towards problems such as nappy rashes. The rise in demands for baby bath products has prompted the manufacturers to engage in continuous research and development in order to have a continuous up gradation of the products. Such innovation include Hipp Baby which is based in Austria offers different shaped products such as the form of a duck or a toy which are more appealing for the babies.Request Report Brochure @The global baby bath products market is mainly driven by the rise in demand for organic baby bath soaps and shampoos coupled with the initiatives taken by the government to increase awareness among the parents regarding skin hygiene of the babies. However, risks of exposure to harmful chemicals present in the baby bath soaps and shampoos are restraining the global baby bath products market.The global baby bath products market is segmented on the basis of different product types and distribution channel. By different product types, the market has been segmented into shampoos, soaps, conditioners and bath accessories. Soaps and shampoos are anticipated to capture a significant market share due to rise in consciousness towards basic cleanliness and hygiene. The market has been further segmented on the basis of the distribution channel namely online distribution channel and offline distribution channel. Offline distribution channel has been further segmented into supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores and departmental stores. The online distribution channel is anticipated to capture a significant growth rate due to the presence of different brands and the wide range of discounts.In the region wise study, the global baby bath products market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. North America which includes U.S., Canada is anticipated to capture a significant part of the market share over the years. Rising trends of maintaining proper hygiene and cleanliness among the parents have resulted in the rise in demand for baby bath products in U.S. and Canada. Europe which includes Germany, France, U.K. Italy also is anticipated to capture a significant market share due to the rising demand for premium baby soaps and shampoos among the consumers. Asia Pacific region which includes China, India, Japan is also anticipated to show the fastest growth rate during the forecast period due to rise in the emergence of different private brands in these regions.Visit For TOC@Global key participants in the industry include Beiersdorf AG, Chicco, Johnson and Johnson, Mamas and Papas, 4moms, Baby Trends, Unilever plc, Himalaya Drug Company, Mothercare plc, California Baby Noodle and Boo among others.About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others.Contact Us:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Drum Brake Market: Future market projections for forthcoming years
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Drum brakes are radial brakes which make use of friction caused by two brake shoes pressing outward against a spinning friction surface called drum. While disc brakes are capable of offering better braking performance and are more common in modern automobiles, drum brakes are still used for quite a few applications. These brakes are often found on the real wheel of entry level cars to achieve cost savings. Some automobiles use a braking system which partially comprises drum brakes. They make use of the friction applied to metal drums which are attached to the car wheels for stopping or slowing the vehicle.High cost of disc brakes and the increasing sales of commercial vehicles are the primary growth drivers of the global automotive drum brakes market. Though there are several advantages associated with disc brakes, the high cost involved in manufacturing and installing these brakes are pushing the original equipment manufacturers to equip automobiles in lower variants with drum brakes. Additionally, overall improvements in the manufacturing techniques and design of drum brakes are also fueling the market growth. A growing trend has been observed in the market of adding electric parking brakes to compact vehicles with drum brakes. For instance: Continental AG has developed a new braking system by combining drum brakes and electric parking brakes, which can be equipped easily in compact cars.Request For Report Sample:The global automotive drum brake market has been segmented on the basis of vehicle type and region. The global market has been trifurcated on the basis of vehicle type into passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs). Passenger vehicles held the highest share of the global market in 2016. The growing demand of automotive drum brakes in passenger cars can be primarily attributed to rising income levels in the emerging economies and growing demand for compact cars. However, the penetration of drum brakes in commercial vehicles is high, owing to which light and heavy commercial vehicles held substantial shares of the market. The global automotive drum brake market has been further classified geographically into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa. Among all the regions, Asia Pacific acquired the largest share of the global market in 2016 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. The steady growth of the drum brake market in this region can be primarily attributed to the growing production of automobiles in countries such as Japan, India and China coupled with the steadily increasing demand for the mid-segment vehicles. Moreover, the smart cities initiatives taken by the governments in different countries in this region and a rise in construction activities is set to bolster the demand for light commercial and heavy commercial vehicles, thereby boosting the demand for automotive drum brakes.The global automotive drum brake market report is inclusive of the market share analysis of the key industry players and the report also offers a strategic overview of their market positioning, product offerings, financials, business strategies and recent developments. The global market is characterized by the presence of few established players and the vendors in this market are strongly focusing on increasing their investments in research and development activities to improve stopping capability of drum brakes and enhance customer experience. Competition among the key players in the global market is set to intensify in the coming years with advancements in government regulations concerning road safety. Some of the major players operating in the global automotive drum brake market include, Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd, Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Continental AG, Brembo S.p.A., Federal-Mogul Corporation, TRW Automotive, Haldex Group, EBC Brakes and Halla Mando among others.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Expansion of Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery Market to Remain Consistent During 2016-2026
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Robotics is a science branch that includes electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science. It is concerned with the design, manufacturing, operation and use of the robots, along with the computer systems required to control them and process information. This technology is slowly but surely moving from fiction to fact thanks to current research in the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market. We will eventually reach a point when medical robots will be able to think, act independently or even take critical decisions without any assistance from doctors or medical professionals. Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery first came onto the scene in the first decade of the 21st century. These robots have already proved their mettle in assisting surgeons who perform hysterectomies or prostate cancer. Constant design improvements mean that the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market will become increasingly vital in the days to come.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery Market DriversA preference for minimally invasive procedures is anticipated to drive the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market. Robots provide improved visualisation, greater dexterity and high precision & accuracy. Minimally invasive surgeries are very popular with surgeons, patients and also their insurance companies since incisions made are smaller, infection risk is less, hospital stays are much shorter and convalescence is greatly reduced. However, human limitations like hand-eye coordination and limited dexterity stifle treatments. The desire to overcome the challenges of current laparoscopic technologies and improve the scope of minimally invasive surgeries will benefit the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market. An ageing and growing population will boost the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market and growing acceptance of telesurgery is also going to help Robotics. A surgery can take several hours and be physically exhausting for surgeons and they could even experience hand tremors as a result. A surgical robot would be able to operate on several patients without any drop in precision or efficiency which would help medical professionals to serve a larger number of people in the long run.Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery Market RestraintsCost is a very critical challenge in the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market. A top of the line robotics-assisted surgery system can easily cost somewhere in the region of Euro 1.5 million. The initial investment itself can make it difficult for underfunded medical institutions in developing countries to adopt it. That is also not the only expense incurred as thousands more need to be spent on medicines required to complete the surgery. Hence, there is ongoing research to make the medical assistant robots of the future not only smart but affordable too. The second constraint in the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market is the lack of funding. In spite of dramatic innovations by scientists in robotics technology, investors are somewhat hesitant to invest in the industry until they are assured of a ready market for the devices. However, both patients & medical healthcare organisations are showing an increased readiness to pay for Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery equipment which will boost investor confidence and subsequently drive down development cost. The third restraint of the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market is human resistance to change. Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery is still a relatively new concept which has had almost no long-term follow-up studies. These systems also have very large footprints and massive robotic arms. It might be difficult for medical organisations to accommodate them when they are already space constrained, to begin with.Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery Market Key RegionsThe largest Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery markets are North America, the European Union, Asia Pacific and then the rest of the world. China, Japan and South Korea are expected to lead the world in future growth rate. This is on account of their rapidly ageing population, strong government focus on both healthcare and manufacturing expertise, and providing training to their surgeons to adopt and perform Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery. Companies would be well advised to cater to the specific needs of the Asian Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market for their long term benefit.A sample of this report is available upon request @Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery Market Key Market PlayersSome of the companies operating in the Robotics-Assisted Telesurgery market are Intuitive Surgical, Hansen Medical, Stryker Corp, IRobot Corporation and MAZOR Robotics.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Home Decor Market Information, Figures and Analytical Insights 2017 - 2025
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Home decor is a way that a house or apartment is decorated with various furnishings and accessories that make it look more appealing. Home decor has recently gained importance in the global market where the generalists are learning various ways in which they can keep their home looking brilliant and peaceful. The western countries have long ago started the trend of home decor with shaping and designing their home in a fashionable way that will allure the residents and other visitors. It also talks about the taste of the people and the aura in which they believe to stay.Home decor has been a popular consumer interest market for a decade now. The growth of the home decor market is increasing significantly, including the emerging economies where home accessories and other related products are gaining high acceptance in the home decor market. The impact of this factor in home decor market is expected to increase during the forecast period due to the growth of the real estate industry in the large cities and transformation from traditional to urban living. Consumers in the developing economies are learning to renovate and redesign their homes with the help of home decor in order to make it more attractive and a better place to live in. therefore the market of home decor is gaining popularity globally. Consumers are connecting the idea of home decor with that of spirituality and aesthetic pleasures and the branded stores are offering their ideas and products in the similar manner. However, the home decor products are costly and it becomes slightly difficult for the whole world to grab the best home decor at a stupendous price. It is certainly a matter of fact that the urbanization in countries of the Asia Pacific, Latin America are increasing where the purchasing power of individuals are also increasing to afford such luxuries in life.Request Report Brochure @For the purpose of providing and extensive analysis of the home decor market, the global home decor market has been segmented on the basis of product and distribution channel. Based on product, the home decor market is broadly classified into home textile, floor covering and furniture. The furniture category of home decor has witnessed an increased adoption among consumers, owing to the increased disposable income along with the influence of western culture, especially growing adoption of modular kitchen and lighting. The furniture segment of home decor market is further encompasses the ones used in kitchen, living and bedroom, bathroom, outdoor and lighting. Furniture is used for domestic as well commercial purposes therefore various materials such as metal, wood, plastic, glass and leather are used solely or in combination with other materials to manufacture parts of furniture. Shape and structure with reference to design are important factors in the furniture industry as it directly influences the consumers decision to buy a particular home decor product. Multifunctional furniture is gaining popularity among urban consumers in the home decor market globally. Furthermore, based on various channels via which home decor are majorly sold across various region, the home decor market can be categorized into specialty stores, boutique stores, departmental stores as well as the online platform. The online platform of home decor sale is well equipped with good door-to-door delivery and fitting services.For the purpose of providing information related to demand of home decor across different regions, the home decor market has been classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America. Geographically, home decor is expected to be a leading market across the globe. North America held the largest market share in the home decor market in 2016 and is expected to maintain a dominant position through the forecast period in terms of sale of home decor across different regions. The regions like North America and Europe are the largest consumers of home decor market and the same is being propagated in to the developing regions like Asia- Pacific and Latin America. Recently the developing regions have been in great demand by the home decor producers and the trend of such consumption is passing on to the developing countries. Therefore, Asia Pacific home decor market is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period majorly due to urbanization compounded by lifestyle changes in the developing countries.Visit For TOC@Due to the presence of few home decor manufacturers across the globe, the global market for home decor is highly consolidated in nature. The prominent vendors in the home decor market includes Kimball International, Herman Miller, Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., Costco Wholesale, Herman Miller, Home24, J.C. Penney, Otto, Sears Holdings, Target and IKEA.About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others.Contact Us:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premier David Burt will join more than two-dozen Bermuda executives in a multi-industry forum being held in London next week to showcase the breadth of expertise and advantages offered by the islands global business market.
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Organised by the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA), the one-day event Tuesday, November 28 at ME London has attracted over 200 registrants. It will feature top regulatory and industry leaders in moderated discussion panels covering re/insurance, captive insurance, insurance-linked securities, asset management, family offices, and trust and private-client business. A networking reception will wrap the event in the evening.
The government supports the Bermuda Business Development Agency in this awareness-raising event that offers such great prospects for business executives to engage with our markets regulatory and industry leaders, said the Premier. Bermuda is an excellent place to do business, with a respected record on transparency. That is our message as we seek to grow our economy and build careers for the Bermudian people.
Premier Burt will officially open the forum that will see morning panels debate risk-industry topicsfrom insurance trends and the outlook for 2018 to why Bermuda remains the Worlds Risk Capital. Afternoon sessions will focus on the rapidly-growing convergence of re/insurance and asset management, then move to examine high-net-worth services, family governance and charitable trust structuring.
This forum is an educational opportunity that demonstrates the strength of Bermuda as a centre of excellence across industry sectors, said BDA CEO Ross Webber, who will moderate the opening panel on Brexit and Solvency II. The support we have received from our industry partners is impressive, and were confident the event will help promote and differentiate Bermuda well in the key London market.
The days line-up features 25 Bermuda executives, including Bermuda Monetary Authority CEO Jeremy Cox; Bermuda Stock Exchange CEO Greg Wojciechowski; Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers President Brad Kading; Grainne Richmond, President of the Bermuda Insurance Management Association (BIMA); and Keith Robinson, Chairman of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) Bermuda. Deputy Chair of Lloyds and Hiscox Chair Robert Childs is the events keynote speaker.
Other Bermuda-based executive participants include Mark Allitt of KPMG Bermuda; Sarah Demerling of Estera; BDA former chair and Hiscox Director Caroline Foulger; David Gibbons of PwC Bermuda; Ed Granski for Meritus Trust; Randall Krebs of Harbour International Trust Company; BDA Board member Jessel Mendes, of EY Bermuda; Michael Neff of Butterfield Bank; Michael Parrish of Marsh Bermuda; Peter Pearman of Conyers Dill & Pearman; Brian Quinn of Granite Management; Fozeia Rana-Fahy of MJM; Aon CEO Joe Rego; Andrew Smith of Qatar Re; Ariane West of Taylors in association with Walkers; Arthur Wightman of PwC Bermuda; Kim Willey of ASW Law; and Akilah Wilson of the BMA.
Overseas presenters include Richard Hay of Stikeman Elliott, London; Sian Hill of KPMG UK; and Samantha Morgan of RMW Law.
The timing of our event, following the recent Paradise Papers coverage and leading up to European Union code-of-conduct decisions next month, provides a great opportunity for Bermuda to tell our story, noted Webber. Our top-tier regulation, our markets substantive global companies, our robust legislation, our respected record on international compliance, cooperation and tax transparencyall these advantages set Bermuda apart. Highlighting those facts through our world-class industry experts can only have a positive impact.
The following day, the ILS Bermuda group is hosting a complementary morning session at the same venue focused solely on insurance-linked securities. Beyond Convergence will provide a more detailed look at Bermudas success in attracting capital, expertise and clients to the ILS sphere, as well as the rapid evolution of alternative reinsurance and the management of risk capital. Two sessions, moderated by ILS Bermuda Chair Greg Wojciechowski, will feature some of the same industry experts, including the BMAs Cox, ABIRs Kading, and BDAs Webber.
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Polymer Dispersion Market Research Report Forecast to 2025
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Polymer dispersions are water-borne emulsion polymers with colloidal particles in a stabilized state. Polymer dispersions are used in various applications in different industry verticals such as inks, adhesives, paints, coatings, papers, adhesives, sealants, and decorative and protective coating. The type of polymer dispersion can be selected based on the particle size and presence of solid content. Film-forming polymer dispersions are primarily employed to provide protection from water, water vapor, grease, oil, and other substances.Demand for polymer dispersions is expected to increase in the near future due to the expansion in the leather industry. Polymer dispersions are primarily used in the manufacture of leather products and adhesives. Manufacture of interior decorating items is also expected to provide significant boost to the polymer dispersion market in the next few years. Rise in disposable income has led to increase in consumer interest in modification of old interior furnishings. This is driving the polymer dispersion market.Implementation of stringent environmental regulations on the reduction of high volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions is also anticipated to fuel the polymer dispersion market during the forecast period. Developed and developing economies are striving to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Furthermore, water-based polymer dispersions are used in food packaging and flexible packaging applications as they are eco-friendly.Request For Report Sample:Demand for water-based dispersions is increasing, due to the enactment of stringent environmental regulations against solvent-based dispersion applications. This water-based dispersions segment is predicted to provide immense opportunities to new entrants with eco-friendly innovations, as the demand for low-VOC dispersion products is increasing. It is easier for new players to enter the polymer dispersion market in developing economies such as China and India, as the government regulations are quite favorable to set up new manufacturing units.In terms of resin type, the polymer dispersion market can be segmented into acrylic, polyurethane (PU), vinyl, and styrene-butadiene (SB). The acrylic segment is expected to account for major share of the market in the near future. This is ascribed to the wide-range of applications of acrylic resins in the manufacture of water-based dispersions. The low cost of acrylic resins is also one of the factors driving the segment.In terms of application, the polymer dispersion market can be divided into decorative coatings, protective coatings, automotive coatings, printing inks, leather, adhesives, and others. The decorative coatings segment is expected to constitute high share of the market during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for high-quality and esthetic interior furnishings. Growth in trend of updating interior decorations is projected to drive the segment in the near future.Based on end-user industry, the polymer dispersion market can be classified into automotive, consumer goods, packaging, paints, and construction. The paints segment is estimated to account for key share of the polymer dispersion market by the end of the forecast period. The segment is likely to expand owing to the development of different varnishes such as anti-corrosion and flexographic. Furthermore, the non-toxic nature of polymer dispersions is expected to drive the segment.North America accounted for significant share of the polymer dispersion market in 2016. This trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Increase in usage of polymer dispersions in decorative and furniture coating applications is boosting the polymer dispersion market in North America. Growth in disposable income in the region is augmenting the home and automobile decoration applications. Increase in concern about environmental conservation has resulted in the usage of eco-friendly products. This is further anticipated to fuel this market. Rise in usage of packaged food due to the increase in working hours is also fueling the polymer dispersion market in North America.Europe is projected to constitute moderate share of the polymer dispersion market during the forecast period. The EPDLA also stated that polymer dispersions are being used safely and successfully since the last few years, leading to significant reduction in the release of organic solvents into the environment. These factors are driving the usage of polymer dispersions in Europe. This trend is likely to continue in the near future. Major players operating in the polymer dispersion market include The Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Synthomer, Polymerics, Inc., Solvay Group, Michelman, Vinavil S.p.A., IKERLAT Polymers S.L., and Covestro AG.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Drones Market Estimated to Flourish by 2025
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Drones have transformed aerial surveys and inspection services. Development in battery technology and sensors has vastly transformed the operations of drones. Drones are flying devices which carry cameras to areas that are difficult to access. The difficulty sometimes is likely to be physical or economical. The energy industry that includes oil & gas, renewable industry, and power & utility can employ drones primarily for inspection and real-time observation from remote locations. Until recently, engineers around the world would manually monitor oil wells, wind turbines, and oil and gas pipelines for any kind of inspections.In terms of industry type, the drones market for the energy industry can be segmented into oil & gas, power & utility, and renewable energy. Operators of the energy industry are finding drone technology cost-effective, accurate, quick, and easy due to improved efficiency, powerful computers, and affordable drone technology. Drones can be used for inspection and surveillance of drilling rigs in onshore and offshore operations in the oil & gas industry. Drones can also be used for integrity check of crude oil pipelines, running for thousands of kilometers on land. Identification of pipe failure, leakage identification, identification of crude oil stealing from pipeline are some operations that are highly time consuming and expensive if carried out manually.Request For Report Sample:Drones can be employed for the inspection of cables, integrity check of cables and towers, and site surveillance in the power & utility industry. In the renewable energy industry, solar power plants, wind turbine farms are spread over very large areas. Surveillance, management, and quality check can be done with drones, which saves cost as well as the time involved in these regular operations. Drones are available in the market with various specifications and type. However, a few existing players provide customized drones in accordance with the specific demand. Fixed winged drones, rotary blade drones, nano drones, and hybrid drones are commonly employed for inspection and surveillance operations.Ease of operation itself is the driver for the drones market for energy industry. Drones are becoming a primary choice for inspection and surveillance applications due to the advancement of technology in drone manufacturing and high definition camera technology. Cost-effectiveness is another driver for the drones market for the energy industry. Oil companies are finding ways to cut cost incurred in exploration and inspection activities amidst low oil and gas prices. Drones are increasingly seen as smart technology for saving costs. Ease of accessing remote and difficult locations is the biggest advantage of drones. The only restraint to the drones market for energy industry is the norms and regulation for UAV usage. Drones can be employed for any undesirable terror activity by unsocial elements since they are easy to operate.The global drones market for energy industry is estimated to expand. North America is anticipated to lead the market due to its vast number of energy projects in oil and gas, and renewable energy (solar & wind). Asia Pacific, with its emerging economies such as India and China, is lucrative region for the drones market for energy industry. Asia Pacific has the highest population in the world, and increased development activities the region is projected to boost the demand for energy in the near future. Middle East & Africa is estimated be another lucrative region due to the vast number of oil and gas projects in the region. Key players operating in the drones market for energy industry include Aerovel, Altavian, Precision Hawk, Sky-Future, Skylark Drones Pvt Ltd, Leonardo Societa per azioni, Intel Deutschland GmbH, BAE Systems, AERODYNE GEOSPATIAL, and Airware.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Alcohol Based Cream Bases Products Market Size, Share : Industry Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025
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"The Report Alcohol Based Cream Bases Products Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Market Introduction:The alcohol-based cream base is a type of cream in which some amount of alcoholic ingredient is mixed such as whiskey, rum etc. The alcohol-based cream contains almost 40% fat and also contains sodium caseinate which is an effective emulsifier. Companies producing alcohol based cream bases and offers as an ingredient to the company who blend these to a cream liqueur. Alcohol-based cream bases are mostly utilized by the food and beverage industry.View Report @Market Segmentation:The alcohol-based cream bases product market is segmented on the basis of type, end use, and region. On the basis of a type, the market is segmented into a milk protein free cream, whiskey cream, butterscotch cream, regular cream, and others. Among this segment, the whiskey cream is the most popular alcohol-based cream base, whereas the butterscotch cream is expected to grow at a high CAGR. The regular cream base can further be segmented into a low-fat cream base, medium fat cream base, and low-fat cream base. On the basis of end use the alcohol-based cream bases market is segmented into bakery industry, chocolate industry, food and beverage industry and others.Market Regional Outlook:A regional segment for the market of alcohol-based cream bases is divided into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. Among these segment, Europe is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is the largest producer and consumer of alcohol-based cream bases. In Asia-Pacific region, the countries like China, India, and Australia are generating the major revenue. Moreover, the Asia Pacific region is estimated to account for the highest CAGR, owing to a larger consumer base, combined with a higher number of retail outlets than any other region. The North America market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period but is anticipated to account for a lower growth rate than the APEJ region, owing to a greater number of emerging economies in Asia Pacific.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Drivers:Increasing number of individuals in developed as well as in developing regions are increasing consuming alcohol and alcohol-based products. Owing to growing demand for various alcohol-based products, manufacturers are focused on the launching of alcoholic drinks with different flavors in order to attract consumers and increase their sales over time. Curiosity among individuals to try new alcoholic flavors is anticipated to increase demand for flavored alcoholic drinks over the forecast period. Demand for alcoholic drinks is also actuated by increasing urban population, disposable income, modernization, and growing preference for alcohol. Increasing number of clubs, lounges, and bars along with the popularity of individuals, who are attracted towards night parties and club culture are factors expected to drive the growth of the market for alcohol-based ingredients. In 2014, Carlsberg A/S, which is a beer manufacturer, launched Seth & Riley's Garage, which is an alcoholic lemon drink in Russia. The market also has few restraints such as, the restrictions on advertisements and brand publicity has left a void in alcohol-based food industry owing to which sales could affect adversely over the forecast period. The government in various regions has imposed the ban on alcohol-based food products and beverages, along with the advertisements of alcohol brands on national as well as private television channels. Owing to ban imposed, newly launched alcohol-based products do not reach the consumer, which is expected to adversely affect the growth of the market over the forecast period. According to WHO, France has implemented restrictions on advertising and sponsorship in favor of alcoholic beverages with certain flexibilities and conditions. In many regions, in spite of having licenses to serve alcohol, selling ice-cream with alcohol or alcohol-flavored food is not allowed. This is the reason some manufacturers and producers are choosing not to sell their products to minors so that the government could eliminate restrictions on the alcohol-based products. Hence, restrictions and bans by the government bodies are restraining the growth of the alcohol-based ingredient market.Market Key Players:Some of the key players in alcohol based flavors Market are Dohler GmbH, Koninklijke FrieslandCampina NV, Kerry Group plc, Firmenich International SA, Symrise AG, Sensient Flavors International, Inc., and Frutarom Industries Ltd. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Send An Enquiry Request @The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
IoT Sensor Market Technology, Development, Growth Rate, Opportunities and Company Profiles 2017-2025
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Global IoT Sensor Market Report 2017-2025 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe report firstly introduced the IoT Sensor basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis. Global IoT Sensor Market competition by top manufacturers with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturers.Global IoT Sensor Market Top Players1. Texas Instruments Incorporated.2. NXP Semiconductors N.V.3. Broadcom Limited (Avago)4. Robert Bosch GmbH5. Infineon Technologies AG6. Analog Devices, Inc.7. OMRON Corporation8. Sensirion AG9. SmartThings Inc.10. Honeywell International Inc.Inquire about this Report atObjectives of IoT Sensor Market Report To provide overview of the global IoT Sensor market To analyze and forecast the global IoT Sensor market on the basis of components, application, size and technology To provide market size and forecast till 2025 for overall IoT Sensor market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and South America (SAM), which are later sub-segmented across respective major countries To evaluate market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend To provide exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions To profiles key IoT Sensor players influencing the market along with their SWOT analysis and market strategiesKey Insight of IoT Sensor Market- Historical and Future Market- Supply and Demand- Price and Cost- Drivers and Challenges- Key Vendors- Market Strategies- Industry Value Chain- RegionsComplete Report is Available atContact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.comAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Motorcycle Accessories Market to Record an Exponential CAGR by 2026
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Improved economic outlook across the globe resulted into substantial increase in purchasing power of consumers over the past few years. Consequently, several industry verticals reported an increase in overall demand for respective products, and automotive industry is no different. However, different trends in sales reported across sub-segments within the automotive sector, but motorcycle sales has always remained impressive, particularly in high potential markets. Growth in global motorcycle market ascertained the growth of allied industries such as motorcycle component and accessories. Motorcycle accessories, apart from increasing aesthetic appeal, also ensure better performance, safety and security. Global motorcycle accessories market is projected to register a CAGR higher than 5% by 2020 and decline a bit on long term projections till 2026. A variation in CAGR is evident across geographies and clusters, subjected to penetration of products launched by established motorcycle accessories suppliers and cyclicity of product launched by local and regional player in respective geography.Request For Report Sample:Motorcycle Accessories Market: Drivers and RestraintsPerpetual growth in motor cycle sales coupled with new variants of motor cycle introduced by manufacturers catalyzed the growth of motorcycle accessories market, which grew at a CAGR of over 4% in past five years. Expansion of European and American motorcycle manufacturers in emerging markets also contributed to the demand for motorcycle accessories. Technology advancement led to wider adoption of accessories across target customer base.Increasing consumers demand for motorcycle is one of the factor fuelling the demand for motorcycle accessories. Furthermore, development of cost effective combustible engines along with increasing popularity of motorcycles among youths is expected to boost overall sales of motorcycle accessories worldwide. Worldwide sales of motorcycle in the developed as well as developing countries is projected to augment the demand for motorcycle accessories over the forecast period. With more manufactures focusing on technology and product development, the demand for motorcycle accessories is expected to showcase a promising future throughout the forecast period. Consumers preference for aftermarket can hinder the sales for OEM (Original Equipment Market), as is one of the big challenge for the growth of the motorcycle accessories market.Motorcycle Accessories Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global motorcycle accessories market is segmented into,Protective GearFrames and FittingsLightingHeadlightsFlashersBags & LuggageBatteriesOthersOn the basis of motorcycle type, the global motorcycle accessories market is segmented into,StandardCruiserSport bikesTouringDual-purposeScooters, mopedsOn the basis of distributional channel, the global motorcycle accessories market is segmented into,Multi brand RetailOrganized Retail OutletIndependent OutletsSingle Brand Retaile-RetailOn the basis of market type, the global motorcycle accessories market is segmented into,Original Equipment Market (OEM)AftermarketOn the basis of geography, the global motorcycle accessories market is segmented into,North AmericaLatin AmericaWest EuropeEastern EuropeMiddle East & AfricaAsia Pacific excluding JapanJapanMotorcycle Accessories Market: Region-wise outlookBy region wise, the global motorcycle accessories market has been divided in to seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. The global motorcycle accessories market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Asia pacific is expected to dominate motorcycle accessories market throughout the forecast period. Significant presence of accessories along with substantial rise in overall consumer spending is expected to drive the demand for motorcycle accessories market in the region. Next, North America and Europe are expected to create substantial demand for motorcycle accessories market. In Latin America and Middle East & Africa is expected to grow at a subdued rate owing to low consumer spending.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Motorcycle Accessories Market: Key PlayersSome of the Key players operating into the global motorcycle accessories market are Akropovic, Bajaj Auto Limited, Suzuki, Honda Motor Company Limited, KTM Company, Loncin Motorcycle, Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A, Hero Motocorp Limited, Chongqing Lifan Industry (Group) Company Limited.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Healthcare BI Platform Market: Government Regulations in Developed Economies Compel Adoption
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In the increasingly competitive vendor landscape for the global healthcare BI platform market, the rising number of solutions and service providers are focusing on expansion across emerging regional markets and the leveraging their capabilities to exploit opportunities offered by the cloud platform, observes Transparency Market Research in a recent report. The number of strategic collaborations with peers and healthcare organizations have increased in the market in the past few years as companies seek to expand their product portfolios and consumer bases. In the near future, the market is expected to witness the emergence of companies offering pure cloud-based services and a number of old vendors are expected to actively move towards strengthening their cloud-based services.Some of the leading companies in the market presently are Microsoft Corporation, OpenText Corporation, Oracle Corporation, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, SAS Institute, Inc., and Information Builders.Obtain Report Details @Transparency Market Research estimates that global market for healthcare BI platform will exhibit an impressive CAGR of 11.7% over the period between 2015 and 2023, rising form a net worth of US$1.5 bn in 2014 to an opportunity of US$3.9 bn by 2023.North America Market to Lead the WayFrom a geographical standpoint, the market for healthcare BI platform in North America held the dominant 47.8% of the global market in 2014. The rising healthcare expenditure, pressure to reduce costs, and the well-established and digitized healthcare infrastructure are the key factors attributed to the strong demand for BI platforms in the region. The region is also expected to retain its top spot over the reports forecast period.In terms of deployment, the segment of on-premise deployment accounted for the dominant share in the overall market in 2014 in terms of revenue contribution. While the segment will continue to account for a significant share of the market owing to demand from consumers concerned about the safety of business- and patient-critical data, the cloud segment will see the most promising growth owing to its benefits such as low cost, high speed of deployment, and ease of use.Government Regulations in Developed Economies Compel AdoptionOne of the key factors fueling the uptake of BI platforms in the healthcare industry is the massive volumes of data generated by healthcare establishments, whether they are fully or partly digitized. Although the data is vast, ways of generating business critical information, which could have a massive impact on the decision-making process and outcomes in the form of clinical performance, disease management, patient management, and cost and waste reduction, are not implemented to their full potential. As healthcare establishments realize that business intelligence plays a key role in realizing all these benefits of drawing information from raw business data, an increasing number are adopting BI platforms.The market for healthcare BI platforms is also fueled owing to several government regulations, including the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. (2010). As such regulations require the healthcare industry to replace outdated healthcare platforms with advanced ones, healthcare organizations are compelled to give into the reformative changes, pushing up the uptake of BI platforms, especially in developed economies. While the market has witnessed a slow pace of growth in emerging economies and less-developed countries so far, encouraging government policies and actions aimed at the improvement of healthcare infrastructure could lead to promising growth opportunities in these regions in the near future.Make an Enquiry @This review of the global healthcare business intelligence (BI) platform market is based on a recent market research report by Transparency Market Research, titled Healthcare BI Platform Market (By Function - Clinical Analytics, Financial Analytics, Operational Analytics, and Others; By Deployment Type - On-premise and Cloud; By Model Type -Self-service BI and Corporate BI) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Alcohol Based Flavors Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 2025
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"The Report Alcohol Based Flavors Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Market Introduction:Alcohol-based flavors are those type of flavor which contains alcohol in some amount. In alcohol-based flavor, alcohol acts as a carrier where another flavor is blended in it. Mostly, the alcohol-based flavors are used in the bakery & dessert products such as cakes, biscuits, rum balls etc. The alcohol-based flavors and concentrates are predominantly used in chocolate pralines and are used to flavor chocolates, cakes and in the fine bakery. The alcohol-based flavors are also known as spirits and distillates and are less viscose than alcohol-based concentrates.Market Segmentation:The alcohol-based flavors product market is segmented on the basis of flavor, end user, and region. On the basis of flavor the market is segmented into the classic flavor, fruit flavor, spice, and herbs flavor and others. Among all these segment fruit flavors is expected to grow enormously in the coming future, followed by the classic flavor segment. Moreover, the classic flavor can be sub-segmented into the coffee flavor, chocolate flavor and vanilla flavor, whereas the fruit flavor can be sub-segmented into the lemon flavor, orange flavor, and berry flavor. On the basis of end use the alcohol-based flavors market is segmented into the chocolate industry, bakery industry, food, and beverage industry and others.View Report @Market Regional Outlook:A regional segment for the market of alcohol-based flavors is divided into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and MEA. Among these segment, Europe is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is the largest producer and consumer of alcohol-based flavors products. In Asia-Pacific region, the countries like China and Australia are generating the major revenue. While Asia-Pacific region is estimated to account the highest CAGR, owing to a larger consumer base, combined with a higher number of retail outlets than any other region. The Latin America market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period, but are anticipated to account for a lower growth rate than the Asia-Pacific region, owing to a greater number of emerging economies in Asia-Pacific.Market Drivers:According to the recent past activities in various regions in the world, it can be concluded that consumption of alcohol or alcohol-based products has become an accompaniment for a number of reasons such as celebrations, commiserations, the end of the working day, and others. In many developed regions such as Europe, Canada, the U.S., alcohol is a socially accepted part of their daily life. Younger population of the world is influenced by their peer group or peer thinking, which is a factor driving the growth of the alcohol-based market. Changing lifestyles, an influence of social media and Internet, increasing social parties, adolescents with high social network influence, greater family incomes, and others have easier access to alcoholic drinks and alcoholic products, which is also driving demand for alcohol. Moreover, globally, the gender gap in terms of alcohol consumption is closing as there is increasing acceptance of female drinking in the societal norms. Because of all these factors, people are attracted towards alcohol and alcohol-based products, which is driving the growth of the alcohol-based flavor market and this is expected to continue over the forecast period. According to WHO, in 2015, the worldwide consumption of alcoholic beverages was around 8.13 liters of pure alcohol per person, who were above 15 years of age. The highest consumption level was mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere and also in the areas of Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Spending on R&D is increasing, as global alcohol products manufacturers are now facing competition from the regional players. The pace at which new technologies are impacting the food and beverage sector is high, and it has become necessary for manufacturers to increase the speed and scale of their R&D efforts. Many flavor manufacturing companies are shifting their R&D activities away from their headquarters. It is expected that focus on R&D will increase over the forecast period, as companies are expected to offer products that are better than its rivals. Manufacturers of alcohol-based products are also focused on the positioning their brands better, to improve its sales. As manufacturers are focusing towards the research and development of their products, they are innovating new flavors and alcohol-based beverages for consumers.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Key Players:Some of the key players in alcohol based flavors Market are Givaudan SA, Dohler GmbH, Kerry Group plc, Firmenich International SA, Symrise AG, Sensient Flavors International, Inc., and Frutarom Industries Ltd. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Send An Enquiry Request @The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Wireless Security System Market to Set Phenomenal Growth by 2023 and Key Players: Cisco, FLIR Systems, Bosch Security, ADT, Brocade Communications, Honeywell, Symantec
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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Wireless Security System Market Research Report- Forecast 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market HighlightsThe study reveals that wireless security system is trending in North America region. The wireless security system market is driven by the innovation and advancements in security systems to make more advanced and cost effective security systems. A recent trend in IoT and smart technologies is boosting the wireless security system market.The study indicates that the increasing security concerns against the illegal activities is a key driver for wireless security system market. The study indicates a trend of high adoption of wireless technology boosting the wireless security system market. The study reveals that the high costs results as a limitation to the wireless security system market.The Wireless Security System Market is growing rapidly over 11% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD ~140 billion by the end of forecast period.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the wireless security system market are Cisco Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Assa Abloy (Sweden), FLIR Systems (U.S.), Bosch Security Systems, Inc. (Germany), ADT Corporation (U.S.), Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (U.S.), Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.), Fluke Corporation (U.S.), Symantec Corporation (U.S.), Fortinet (U.S.), among othersGet Sample of Report @Wireless Security System Market SegmentationThe wireless security system market has been segmented on the basis of type, end-user and region. Looking through the end-user segment it has been observed that commercial sector has shown a substantial increase in wireless security system market and holds the largest market share. The study indicates that the other sectors like residential and government would show a positive growth in the wireless security system market.Market Research Analysis:On geographic basis, wireless security system market is studied in different regions as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. It has been observed that North America region is leading in the wireless security system market. North America is expected to grow with a high rate as well as hold the largest market share in the wireless security system market. In the North America region there has been a major focus onto the security concerns against the illegal activities, terrorist activities. Many technological advancements in wireless technology and high adoption of wireless technology is observed in the North America region. The study shows that European region has a positive growth in the wireless security system market. The developing economies in Asia-pacific regions like China, Japan and others are showing high adoption in the wireless security system systems.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Software investors Security solution vendors Wireless security system service providers Value-added Resellers Distributers Investors and Venture Capitalist Security Management Service Provider Security Equipment Providers Security Agencies System Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Emergency Room Equipment Market To Grow Owing To Rising Usage In Hospitals And Other Medical Applications Till 2021 | Million Insights
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Global emergency room equipment market is segmented into Application and Geographical region and is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR in the forecast period. An emergency department, better known as emergency room (ER), is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, comprising the acute care of patients by their own means or by that of an ambulance. The emergency department is usually found in a hospital or the other primary care center. Due to the unexpected nature of patients attendance, the department must supply original handling for a board spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and necessitate instant attention in some countries.Full Research Report On Global Emergency Room Equipment Market Analysis available at:The emergency rooms have become significant entry points for those devoid of the other means of access to medical care. The emergency room of most hospitals operates 24 hours in day, even although recruitment levels may be diverse in an exertion to reflect patient volume. Global Emergency Room Equipment Market is segmented By Product Type into Monitor, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Device. The latter one is cardiopulmonary resuscitation normally known as CPR. It is an emergency procedure that combines chest compression often with artificial ventilation in an attempt to physically protect intact brain function until additional measures are taken to restore impulsive blood circulation and breathing in a person who is under cardiac arrest.It is indicated in those who are unresponsive with no breathing or uncharacteristic breathing, for example agonal respirations. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation involves chest compressions for adults between 5 cm and 6 cm deep and at least 100 to 120 per minute. The champion may also make available artificial ventilation by moreover exhaling air into the mouth or nose or using a device that pushes air into subjects lungs the place emphasis on high quality chest compressions over artificial ventilation a simplified CPR method connecting cheats compressions only is recommended for untrained rescuers.Cardiac Pacemaker is the contraction of cardiac muscle in all animals is initiated by electrical impulses known as action potentials. The rate at which these impulses control the rate of cardiac contraction that is the heart rate. The cells that create these rhythmic impulses, setting the peace for blood pumping, are called pacemaker cells and they directly control the heart rate.ECG Machine is a process of recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes detect the tiny electrical changes on the skin that arise from the heart muscles electrophysiological pattern of depolarizing during each heartbeat. It is a very commonly performed cardiology test. There are critical conditions handled in the emergency rooms. For instance, patient under cardiac arrest may be transported by ambulance to the emergency room. This is an instantaneously life-threatening condition which requires immediate action in salvageable cases.Request for Free Sample Copy:The patient arriving in the emergency room with a myocardial infarction is likely to be triaged to the resuscitation area. They will receive oxygen and monitoring and have a premature ECG. An ECG that revels the ST segment elevation or new left bundle branch block suggests complete blockage of one of the main coronary arteries. The patients with multiple injuries often from a road traffic accident or a major fall are initially handled in the emergency room. However, the trauma is a disconnect specialty from emergency medicine. Asthma and COPD is an acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases, mainly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are assessed as emergencies and treated with oxygen therapy, bronchodilators, steroids or the ophlline, have an urgent chest X-Ray and arterial blood gases and are referred for intensive care if necessary.Emergency Room Equipment Market is segmented by Application into Hospital and Other. Emergency Room Equipment Market geographically spans North America, Europe, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, India. The key Players in emergency room equipment market include Covidien, Eithicon, GE Healthcare, Zoll, Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical and Spectranetics.Related Reports of this Category available at Million Insights:Million Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.Office No. 302, 3rd Floor, Manikchand Galleria,Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH, 411016 IndiaPhone: 91-20-65300184Email: sales@millioninsights.com
Cloud Access Security Brokers Market is expected to reach US$ 13,218.5 Mn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 16.7% from 2016 to 2024
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According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research entitled Cloud Access Security Brokers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024, the cloud access security brokers (CASB) market was worth US$ 3,371.4 Mn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$ 13,218.5 Mn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 16.7% from 2016 to 2024. North America was the largest market for cloud access security brokers in 2015. The growth in this region is being driven by the presence of a large number of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), start-ups, and large corporate enterprises.Browse the full Cloud Access Security Brokers Market (Cloud Deployment Type: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS; Software Type: Cloud-based, On-premise; Software Solution: Control & Monitoring, Risk & Compliance Management, Cloud Data Encryption, Data Leakage Prevention, Tokenization; Services: Consulting, System Integration, Operation & Maintenance) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024Browse The Report:CASB services provide a security platform for cloud silos. A large number of SMBs and large corporates currently rely on cloud computing technologies to store their information and extract it whenever required. Security over the cloud is one of the major concerns facilitating the growth of cloud security solutions. CASB services play a significant role in providing solutions encompassing control & monitoring, risk & compliance management, tokenization, data leakage prevention, and cloud data encryption. These solutions are capable enough to provide complete cloud security, avoiding data leakage and the risk of security breaches at access points and nodes.The report provides cross-segment analysis of the CASB market, based on cloud deployment type and components comprising software and services. Segmentation on the basis of deployment type includes SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. IaaS platforms are expected to emerge as the fastest-growing platforms, owing to their augmented IT delivery capabilities, increased scalability, and flexibility. However, the SaaS platform held the dominant position in terms of CASB cloud deployment type in 2015.Software solutions that are particularly used for data leakage prevention and control & monitoring held the largest market shares in 2015. Furthermore, these segments are growing at a significant pace owing to rising threat of security breaches. Frequently changing cloud regulations by governing bodies are making it difficult for cloud storage vendors to ensure compliance. This has enabled cloud storage vendors to outsource the security platform to the CASB providers, empowering the CASB risk & management compliance market to expand at an expected CAGR of 18% from 2016 to 2024. However, cloud data encryption is expected to be the fastest-growing software solution segment, expected to advance at the rate of 20.2% over the forecast period from 2016 to 2024.Request a PDF Sample for this Research Report @Geographically, North America is the largest market for CASBs and the region is anticipated to dominate the global CASB market over the forecast period. In 2015, North America accounted for approximately 30% of the global CASB markets revenue. Key players in the market include NetSkope Inc., Skyhigh Networks, CloudLock Inc., Zscaler, Inc., Adallom, Inc., Bitglass, Inc., CipherCloud Inc., and Protegrity USA, Inc.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by Pan Global Resources Inc. (TSX Venture Exchange:PGZ) please note that in the Incentive Stock Options paragraph of the release, the price per option share should be $0.20, not $0.10 as previously stated.
Pan Global Resources Inc. (Pan Global or the "Company") (TSX Venture Exchange:PGZ) herein provides a progress update on the Aguilas Copper Project in Spain.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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Highlights:
Assay results were received for an additional 370 soil samples on the Torrubia Copper Trend, for a total of approximately 890 soil samples.
In-fill soil sampling results have enhanced the copper anomaly at the Torrechuela target in the North of the Torrubia Trend and shows good continuity over 2.8 km of strike and up to 320 m width.
The first soil sampling results were received over the Aguilas target area in the South of the Torrubia Trend. A strong copper anomaly is evident in soils and rocks over approximately 700 m of strike and up to 300 m width.
Additional potential for polymetallic (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag) mineralisation has been identified along a further 6 km of strike on the southeast extension of the Zumajo structure. This includes several historical Pb-Ag mine workings with associated Cu mineralisation with little or no exploration since mining ceased nearly 70 years ago.
The Las Aguilas I and Las Aguilas II mineral rights have been granted and Aguilas III is in the process of being granted and fully permitted.
Two new mineral rights applications were submitted, expanding the Aguilas Project to approximately 14,949 hectares.
Background
The company manages the Aguilas Project through its agreement to acquire 100% interest in Minera Aguila SLU and the Las Aguilas mineral rights, together referred to as the Aguilas Project. The Las Aguilas mineral rights, including new applications, now cover approximately 14,940 hectares over the Pedroches Batholith, in southern Spain (Figure 1). The Company also has a Letter of Intent, providing exclusive rights to acquire the Escacena mineral rights in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, in southern Spain.
Soil sample results Torrubia Trend
New assay results have been received for approximately 370 soil samples, including in-fill samples in the north of the Torrubia Copper Trend and the first sampling on the Aguilas target area more than 3 km to the south. This brings the total soil samples collected along the Torrubia Copper Trend to approximately 890. Samples were collected every 20 m along lines spaced 100m, 200m and 400m apart. The results to-date show two large Cu ( elevated Fe, Co, Ag, Au) anomalies on the Torrubia Trend at Torrechuela and Aguilas in the South (Figure 2).
A strong copper anomaly has been defined at the Torrechela target in the north of the Torrubia Trend over approximately 2.8 km of strike and up to 320 m width with values >40 ppm Cu to 0.68% Cu-in-soils. The new in-fill soil sampling results have enhanced and confirmed continuity of the Cu geochemistry. Previous rock sampling from the same area includes numerous samples with >1% Cu and up to 8.43% Cu, 15.2g/t Ag, 1.7g/t Au, 0.12% Co, plus a boulder of gossanous semi-massive sulphide with 28% Cu and 17.5g/t Ag.
Soil and rock sample results over the Aguilas target area, in the south of the Torrubia Copper Trend, shows a copper anomaly over approximately 700 m of strike and up to 320 m width. Soil sample values range from >40 ppm to 1470 ppm Cu. Previously reported rock sample results in the same area includes several samples with >1% Cu up to 11.7% Cu, and up to 0.13% Co and 4.3 g/t Ag.
Zumajo Trend extension
The Zumajo Trend comprises a series structures and mine workings containing polymetallic (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag) in veins, breccia and stock work style mineralisation over a total strike length of approximately 20 km. Additional exploration potential for Pb-Ag Cu has been identified over 6 km of strike on the southeast extension of the Zumajo Trend. Historical reports show this section of the Trend contains a number of old Pb-Ag mines with associated Cu that were last in production in the late 1940s. This includes the San Antonio mine workings where reconnaissance has revealed a series of continuous small pits and at least two galleries over >600 m strike and continuing to the northwest and southeast. There is no historical exploration information to confirm grades across the structure and no drilling or geophysics.
Expansion of the Aguilas Project area
The Las Aguilas I and Las Aguilas II mineral rights have been granted and fully permitted. The Las Aguilas III mineral right application is in the final stages of granting and permitting. Two new Investigation Permit applications have been submitted, expanding the Aguilas Project area, including mineral rights granted and under application, to approximately 14,949 hectares.
Incentive Stock Options
The Company also announces the grant of an aggregate of 2,775,000 incentive stock options to directors, officers and consultants. The options are exercisable for a period of 10 years for $0.20 per option share.
Analytical methods and Quality Control
All samples were submitted to ALS Laboratories in Seville, Spain. Rock samples were crushed, split and pulverized and then analyzed with a 36 element Mass spectrometry and ICP-AES analysis following a 4-acid digestion. Au was determined by 30g Fire Assay with ICP-AES finish. Rocks returning above detection for Cu, Pb and Zn were re-assayed using an ore grade analysis by conventional ICP-AES with a 4-acid digestion. All soil samples were dried and sieved to -180um in the laboratory and subject to aqua regia and/or 4-acid digest and assayed by Super Trace ICP for a large multi-element suite (up to 53 elements, including Au) and a selection of samples assayed for comparison by 30g Fire Assay with ICP-AES finish for gold. Quality Control procedures included review of ALS duplicates and checks, field duplicates, non-sequential sample numbering and results compared for a large selection of samples using aqua regia digestion versus mixed acid digestion, and Fire Assay versus ICP for Au. All samples were collected and transported under close supervision by experienced Geologists.
Qualified Person
Robert Baxter (FAusIMM), a Director of Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Baxter is not independent of the Company.
About Pan Global Resources
Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain, and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
www.panglobalresources.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
MICHELLE BORROMEO
Investor Relations
E-mail: mborromeo@panglobalresources.com
Phone: +1 604-715-6845
TIM MOODY
President & CEO
E-mail: tmoody@panglobalresources.com
Statements 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 Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.
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.
Bleaching clay Market to Record an Exponential CAGR by 2025
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Bleaching clay refers to a category of clay which has relatively high adsorption power for decolorizing and refining oils and fats. The primary source material for bleaching clay is montmorillonite which can also be referred as hydrated aluminum silicates, which imparts indispensable adsorption characteristics to bleaching clays. Since the early 19th century, natural bleaching clays have been used for the refining of edible oils and fats, however, the activation process further enhances its properties which include its adsorptive, acid, catalytic and ion exchange capacities. Vegetable and Mineral oil contains a variegated range of impurities like carotenes, chlorophylls, coupled with other complex impurities such as soaps, oxidation products and metals. Activated bleaching clay can effectively remove these impurities, and imparts improved appearance and flavours to these oils. The global bleaching clay competitive landscape also includes companies which are indulged in mining activities to ensure complete control over supply chain. The rising demand for edible and mineral oil has led these companies to increase their capacity in recent years.The global bleaching clay market is expected to expand in proportion to demand for edible and mineral oil, and is anticipated to expand with a decent CAGR over the forecast period.Request For Report Sample:Global Bleaching Clay Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe prime factor driving demand for bleaching clay is the increasing demand for refined vegetable oil, as bleaching clay plays an integral role in its manufacturing process. Moreover, advancement in optimizing the yield of oilseeds is expected to drive more production of variegated oil seeds, thus translating into more demand for bleaching clay for its refining purposes. Apart from this, demand for fully refined oils with FFA content of less than 0.1% is driving further demand for highly activated bleaching clays. Bleaching clay often finds application in industrial sector particularly in the production of Industrial triglycerides, linseed oil, castor oil, biodiesel, fatty acids, etc., many of which are an integral part of manufacturing of paints, vanishes, soaps, etc.. Due to rising living standards across the globe, demand for these products are bound to increase, thus fuelling more revenues in the global bleaching clay market. Apart from this, rising consumption of mineral oil due to its broad adoption in cosmetics, lubricants, and grease, is also expected to further boost consumption of bleaching clay for mineral oil refining and processing.Global Bleaching Clay Market: SegmentationOn the basis of Product type,Fullers EarthActivated ClaysActivated BauxiteOn the basis of application area,Vegetable Oil and Animal FatsMineral Oil and WaxesIndustrial OilOn the basis of end use industry,Nutrition (Food and Beverage)Chemical ProcessingCosmeticsOthersGlobal Bleaching clay Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global bleaching clay market is segmented into the seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America and Asia Pacific are anticipated to dominate the global bleaching clay market throughout the forecast period. This can be attributed to rising production of edible oil in major Asian countries such as China and India. Moreover, rising government incentives for production of biofuels and various agricultural benefits being offered in North America, the region is expected to maintain its dominance for the demand of bleaching clay over the next decade. Western Europe and Latin America are expected to be the next prime markets for the consumption of bleaching clay, amid increasing inclination towards low cholesterol oils, thus fuelling more demand for bleaching clay from the region. Along with, increasing production of oil seeds from prime Latin American countries is expected to drive the growth in the region at an even faster rate. Contrary, MEA and Japan is anticipated to account for a smaller market share in the global bleaching clay market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Global Bleaching clay Market: Key PlayersTaiko Group of CompaniesClariant International AGOil-Dri Corporation of AmericaBASF SEMusim Mas Holdings, W Clay IndustriesAshapura Group of CompaniesAMC (UK) Ltd.Refoil Earth Pvt. Ltd.HRP IndustriesAMCOL Specialty MineralsAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Micro Irrigation Systems Market - Water Scarcity Provides Ground for Growth to Micro Irrigation Systems
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The presence of a large pool of participants characterizes the competitive landscape of the global micro irrigation systems market. As the market faces intense competition, major players are focusing on innovations as well as the integration of latest technologies into their existent offerings in order to retain their position, finds Transparency Market Research.In the recent times, a number of leading companies have introduced advanced micro irrigation systems. For instance, Netafim launched its next-generation low-flow drippers and Toro introduced Aqua-Traxx Flow Control drip tape in 0.13 GPH emitter flow rate. However, over the coming years, manufacturers will undertake strategic partnerships to expand their product portfolios as well as to increase their sales, notes TMR.Obtain Report Details @Water Scarcity Provides Ground for Growth to Micro Irrigation SystemsMicro irrigation systems are widely recognized as one of the fast-emerging segments in the worldwide agriculture industry. The immense rise in the adoption of these systems is mainly attributed to the encouragement by various governments across the world.With water scarcity being a looming concern, micro irrigation can prove beneficial as it is capable of saving 50 to 60% of the ground water compared to other conventional irrigation practices. Consequently, governments in Asian and African countries, where water scarcity is severe, are offering subsidies over the installation costs of micro irrigation systems, prompting farmers to adopt these systems. Besides, farmers are also preferring micro irrigation systems over traditional ones as the former allow them to water plants evenly and when required, optimizing crop yields and improving their quality.Considering these factors, the future of the global micro irrigation systems market looks teeming with opportunities. However, the high cost associated with the installation and maintenance of these irrigation systems may limit their application to large-scale and corporate farming in the coming years.Sprinklers to Remain Dominant among Micro Irrigation Products, Europe to Lose Ground to Asia PacificAnalysts at TMR estimate the global opportunity in micro irrigation systems, which stood at US$2.6 bn in 2014, to expand at a CAGR of 15.10% during the period from 2015 to 2023 and possibly worth US$9.1 bn by the end of the forecast period.Currently, sprinklers dominate the market with a majority share and are expected to remain dominant in the near future. However, drip irrigation systems are poised to report their adoption at the fastest rate over the forecast period. While the demand for pumping units is the highest in the sprinkler segment, filters draw the maximum demand in the drip irrigation systems segment.Make an Enquiry @Regionally, Europe led the global market with a revenue share of 32% in 2014. The region, however, will lose its ground to Asia Pacific in the coming years, thanks to the increasing involvement of technology in agriculture in countries such as Australia, China, India, and Japan.The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled Micro Irrigation Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Banasthalis Daughters in Hollywood to News Channels to Music are indeed Alumni with a Difference
Banasthali Daughters in Hollywood to News Channels to Music are indeed Alumni with a Difference
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To quote Ashwin Fernandes, regional director, Quacquarelli Symonds QS-India Banasthali Vidyapith has been imparting education to women since a long time. It is beyond writing and above any ranking.One among the top ranking Institution in India today which is also the largest fully residential womens university in the world, Banasthali alumni can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes in all walks of life across the globe. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council NAAC has accredited Banasthali with CGPA of 3.02 on a four point scale and the highest possible A grade. In the NIRF MHRD Govt of India overall ranking, Banasthali is the only Womens University to feature among the top 100 universities.In the Best Universities 2017 Survey released by India Today which considered 500 universities, Banasthali Vidyapith features in 17th position and is the only womens University in the top 30. It is indeed a matter of pride that Banasthali also is in 4th position in this survey among nongovernmental universities. Banasthali also ranked among the top ten best colleges of India by The India Today-Nielsen Survey- 2017.Anuradha Singh known for her Editorial work on Hollywood Film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) and Million Dollar Arm (2014) is indeed a Proud alumnus of Banasthali. Ms Shweta Tiwari Deputy Executive Producer Focus News also happens to be Banasthali alumnus. Proud to be Banasthalite Dr. Venus Tarkaswar works as a music director and Recording artist (vocals) at Harmony Audio Recording Studio that is run by her husband Umesh. She produces music for different projects of creative media with Umesh Tarkaswar with the name 'Umesh Venus'. Venus has also composed and sung for projects related to literary, historical and patriotic poetries for Stage Shows, Television channels and FM programs. She has also recorded her voice for commercials, advertisements, jingles, title tracks, signatures, background music for telefilms, documentaries, TV serials and programs etc. She is trained in Indian Classical music under maestro Swami Siddharam Korwar, light music under the guidance of Umesh Tarkaswar and (under SPIC MACAY scholarships) from Dhrupad maestro Pt. Abhay Narayan Malik.The alumni of Banasthali indeed take pride in their Alma mater for many indicators which include Panchmukhi Shiksha, Academic Reputation, Faculty Student Ratio, All round personality Development, Quality of academic input, most Staff with PhD from highly ranked institutions like IIT, IISc, BITS Pilani, NIT etc, Research Publications & Projects, Student care, Infrastructure, Innovation and Governance, Admission Procedure, Placement prospects, International exposure and students security.Above three featured as distinguished alumni for the month November in the special edition of Banasthali 2017 year calendar. Beyond doubt, every educational institution in India today has a name but only very few like Banasthali have a legacy.For more details about Banasthali seeAbout Banasthali: The Institution which is also the largest fully residential womens university in the world has played a big role in revolutionizing womens education in the country for the last eight decades with a belief that there is a tremendous role of higher education in empowering the women. Banasthali has scripted numerous success stories in a wide range of fields, and stands tall among the citadels of learning in India today. Team Banasthali with Vice Chancellor J C Bose Memorial Award for eminent scientist recipient Prof Aditya Shastri a highly acclaimed alumnus of BITS Pilani, SUNY State University of New York Stony Brook and MIT USA is indeed racing forward to be the very best among global women universities. Proud to be Banasthali alumni who call themselves as Banasthalites can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes in all walks of life across the globe.Banasthali UniversityP.O. Banasthali VidyapithRajasthan 304022Phone 91 1438 228456 / 228341Email: info@banasthali.ac.inWebsite:Facebook:
Global Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market 2017 - Nashville Wire Products, McNICHOLS Company, WireCrafters, Tree Island Steel
Global Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market
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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh industry, and estimates the future trend of Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportVan Merksteijn InternationalBadische StahlwerkeGerard Daniel WorldwideRiverdale Mills CorporationNashville Wire ProductsMcNICHOLS CompanyWireCraftersTree Island SteelHebei Hengshi Wire Mesh TradeThe market research report explores the Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh production volume, data pertaining to demand and Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Mesh across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Physical Security Market 2017 with Focus on Future Scope and Key Players: Cisco, Anixter, Bosch Security, ADT, Genetec, Honeywell, Stanley Security. Senstar
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Market Scenario:Physical security describes the security measures that are designed to protect the property from any attacks and to cease unauthorized access. Physical security is a broad term which includes CCTV surveillance, security guards, protective barriers, locks, access control protocols, security scanning, metal detection and many other techniques.The study indicates that the Physical Security Market is boosted by the increasing demand for security measures against terrorist attacks and for controlling the business assets. The study indicates that apart from these factors, increasing usage of IoT and development of smart transportation systems to track the location of automobiles is also driving the physical security market. The technological advancements are contributing to development of cost effective security systems which boosts the physical security market. The study indicates that the combination of logical and physical components of security is a challenge faced by the physical security market.The global physical security market is expected to grow at USD ~120 Billion by 2022, at ~10% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Get Sample of Report @Key Players Cisco Systems, Inc. (U.S.) Anixter International Inc. (U.S.) Tyco International Plc (Ireland) Bosch Security Systems, Inc. (Germany) ADT Corporation (U.S.) Genetec Inc. (Canada) Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.) Pelco (U.S.) Stanley Security (U.S.) Senstar Corporation (Canada)Segments:The global physical security market has been segmented on the basis of type, industry and region.Physical Security Market by Type:System Access Control protocols Biometrics systems Locks Video Surveillance Physical Security Information Management Security Scanning Metal Detection Fire & Life SafetyService Maintenance & Support Designing & Consulting System integrationPhysical Security Market by Industry: Defense & Public Sector Government Transportation & Logistics IT & Telecom BFSI Education Retail Oil, Gas & Energy Hospitality OthersGet complete Report @Intended Audience Software investors Security solution vendors Physical Security service providers Value-added Resellers Distributers Investors and Venture Capitalist Security Management Service Provider Security Equipment Providers Security Agencies System Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Hadoop Market: Rising Popularity of Big Data Analytics to Present Long-term Growth Opportunities
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In the consolidated global Hadoop market, the top three vendors, Cloudera, Inc., Hortonworks, Inc., and MapR Technologies, Inc., held a collective share of over 50% in 2014, with small- and medium-sized companies accounting for a nearly 41% share in the global market in the same year. With demand for Hadoop solutions rising at a rapid pace from companies overwhelmed with the persistently mounting volumes of digital data, an increased number of companies will venture in the market in the next few years, states TMR in a recent report.The largest contributor to the market in 2014 was Cloudera, Inc., which held over 20% of the market. Technology giants such as IBM Corporation and EMC Corporation presently account for relatively smaller share in the market but are steadily contributing towards the further development of this market with innovative Hadoop solutions. IBM Corporation has adopted the course of mergers and acquisitions to bolster its position in the global Hadoop market and could report a greater share in the pie in the coming years, notes TMR.Obtain Report Details @Rising Popularity of Big Data Analytics to Present Long-term Growth OpportunitiesBetter cost effectiveness and faster processing of voluminous quantities of data compared to conventional data processing solutions such as RDBMS are two of the most encouraging factors boosting the global adoption of Hadoop. Other major drivers of the market include the exponentially rising unstructured data volumes, the increased demand for big data analytics, and Hadoops potential in bridging the operational gap between managers and database management.Cost effectiveness and high speed of data processing are expected to have high impact on the global Hadoop markets growth over the entire period of 2015 through 2023. However, the impact of the increased demand for big data analytics will be nominal in the short term but strengthen as the time passes, quoted a TMR analyst.Emerging Markets to Deliver Most Profitable ReturnsNorth America is presently the largest regional market for Hadoop, accounting for a share of over 53% in the global hadoop market in 2014. The demand for Hadoop in North America is expected to expand at a steady rate from 2015 to 2023 as well, and the region will continue to be the dominant regional market for Hadoop over the period.However, the Hadoop market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the fastest pace of 30.2 % CAGR over the said period. The Asia Pacific market will present lucrative growth opportunities owing to the rising penetration of the Internet in the region, technologically and digitally improving industrial infrastructures, and the exponentially rising numbers of mobile device users. The global Hadoop market is also expected to see major traction in Europe in the next few years owing to the rising big data management capabilities across sectors such as government, retail, and BFSI in the region.Owing to the vast growth potential, leading Hadoop vendors are aligning their expansion strategies towards these regions. Cloudera, Inc. has recently opened a new branch in Londdon. MapR has also ventured in the European market via its new subsidiary in Paris.Request a PDF Sample for this Research Report @These factors will allow the market to tread along a momentous growth path in the next few years. TMR analysts suggest that the market will expand at an exponential 26.3% CAGR over the period between 2015 and 2023. With such excellent growth prospects, the market, which had a valuation of US$308.1 mn in 2014, is expected to rise to US$2,429.0 mn by 2023.This review of the market is based on a recent market research report published by Transparency Market Research, titled Hadoop Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Online Project Management Software Global Market, By Product & Data Validation, Analysis and Forecast 2020
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The use of on-premises project management software in enterprises became a standard practice from early 2000s. After 2005, the demand for online project management software among SMEs and large enterprises began to increase because of its benefits such as low cost, improved scalability, agility, and efficiency. However, selecting the right solution that matches the requirements of the enterprise remained a challenge for the adoption of the software because of the presence of many vendors in the market providing proven capabilities such as shortened product development cycle as well as low deployment costs.Publisher's analysts forecast the global online project management software market to generate revenue of $1.52 billion during the period 2016-2020.Request Sample Copy atCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global online project management software market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of online project management software.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:-Americas-APAC-EMEAPublisher's report, Global Online Project Management Software Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors-Asana-Atlassian-Basecamp-Citrix Systems-Mavenlink-Microsoft-Smartsheet-Workfront-WrikeInquire before Buying atOther prominent vendors-Active Collab-Clarizen-Fog Creek Software-iMeet Central-LiquidPlanner-Planbox-Project Manager-Redbooth-Targetprocess-TeamGantt-Teamwork-Zoho CorporationMarket driver-Increasing automation of project management process.-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge-Increasing interoperability issues and lack of comprehensive integration strategy.-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend-Increasing need for visibility and transparency.-For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report-What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?-What are the key market trends?-What is driving this market?-What are the challenges to market growth?-Who are the key vendors in this market space?-What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?-What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?For more information about this report:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Cookies Market Share, Size, Growth & Forecast 2025- Worldwide Analysis
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The presence of established players, such as Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A, Campbell Soup Co., Arcor U.S.A. Inc., Mondelez International Inc., United Biscuits Ltd., Nestle SA, PepsiCo Inc., Britannia Industries Ltd., M. Dias Branco SA, and Kellogg Co., points towards a highly fragmented and competitive business landscape in the global cookies market, states a new research report by Persistence Market Research (PMR). Due to the intensive rivalry between the leading players, the degree of competition within this market is significantly high and the scenario is likely to remain so over the forthcoming years, thanks to innovations, cookie vendors are making in terms of flavor, ingredients, and packaging, notes the research study.Request to view Sample Report:According to the research report, the global market for cookies is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.80% over the period from 2017 to 2022 and increase to US$38 bn by the end of the period of the forecast. Currently, chocolate cookies are witnessing the most prominent demand among consumers, especially the younger ones. Researchers at PMR predict this trend to continue in the years to come, thanks to the augmenting popularity of chocolates across the world, and result into the rise of the chocolate cookies segment at a CAGR of more than 6% between 2017 and 2022. North America and APEJ have surfaced as the prime regional markets for cookies. With the extensively widening consumer base, both the regional markets are likely to retain their spots over the next few years, reports the research study.Innovation in Products to Drive Markets GrowthPrimarily, the worldwide market for cookies is driven by the continual introduction of novel and innovative products in the global marketplace. The taste, flavor, shape, nutrients, and packaging are the main areas of innovation among cookie vendors across the world. The increasing urbanization and the rise in disposable income of consumers across the world are also important factors behind the growth of this market.Over the forthcoming years, the market is expected to benefit from the advent of healthy cookies, which means cooking made up with oatmeal. The augmenting concerns over the adverse effect of cookies, which is high in carbohydrate, on health and fitness and the rising awareness about the advantages of oatmeal are projected to stimulate this market in the years to come, states the research report.Request to download and view full ToC @Demand for Bar Cookies to Remain HighAmong the type of cookies, bar cookies acquire the leading position. Analysts expect the bar cookie segment to maintain its dominance over the next few years thanks to the high demand for bar cookies in North America and Asia Pacific excluding Japan. The APEJ and North America bar cookie markets, collectively, are likely to surpass US$2 bn in revenues by the end of the forecast period.Among other types of cookies, drop cookies, which currently have a relatively smaller market presence, is gaining considerable impetus across the world, converting into one of the most promising cookie type segment with potential that cannot be overlooked. Companies, which are looking to enter the drop cookies segment are advised to formulate unique strategies, which can help them gain a competitive edge over their rivals in this market, states the research report.View Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Ad Blue Market - Global Industry Analysis, Growth and Forecast 2027
Ad Blue Market
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Market Overview:Growing consumer demand for better fuel efficiency is encouraging automobile buyers to do more investment in diesel engine vehicles. Unlike petrol engines where normal catalyst reduces CO, NOx and Hydrocarbon can be reduced by a SCR catalyst which involves usage of Ad Blue.Ad Blue is a kind of Urea having high quality solution and thus is easy to use and manufactured according to ISO 22241. It is used with Selective Catalytic Reduction system (SCR) to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide from the exhaust of vehicles. It is a colorless clear liquid which has no harmful effect on environment as well as on health. Ad Blue is the composition of more than 30% of Urea and rest 60 % of deionized water. It is available in various forms such as drums, pumps, Cans and other forms.The average usage of Ad Blue is depends on the type of vehicle a consumer is using. The time duration of the journey through vehicle also drives how much quantity of Ad Blue is required by the Vehicle. Some characteristics of Ad Blue include suspensions, corrosiveness, crystallization and Not ADR classified.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Ad Blue Market: Shell BASF Bosch Daimler AG Fiat Group Automobiles Nissan Chemical Komatsu Kruse Automotive Alchem AG Mitsui Chemical YaraMarket Segmentation:Global Ad Blue Market by Types: Packaging (Packets, containers, Cans and Drums) Equipment (Filling equipment, Tanks, Pumps, Pistols, and Adaptors) OthersGlobal Ad Blue Market by Usage Method: Pre combustion (Inter cooling, Swirl and reduction of oil consumption) Post combustion (SCR, Particulates filters, EGR) OthersGlobal Ad Blue Market by Applications: Commercial vehicles Non-road mobile machines Cars and passenger vehicles Railways OthersGlobal Ad Blue Market Report: ApplicationIt is widely used for applications such as Commercial vehicle, cars, and passenger vehicles. For instance, if a commercial vehicle is equipped with SCR technology, Ad blue is needed. In SCR technology Ad Blue is injected into the exhaust system which releases ammonia and the SCR catalytic converter reduces harmful nitrous oxides into harmless nitrogen and water. It is also used in heavy vehicles such as trucks, busses and Railways.Brief TOC for Ad Blue Market:1 Report Excerpts2 Market Definition2.1 Scope of the study2.2.1 Research Objectives2.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations2.2 Market Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Forecast3.5 Forecast Model4 Forecast Indicators4.1 Drivers4.2 Restraints4.3 Opportunity4.4 Trends4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators5 Market Analysis5.1 Value Chain/Supply Chain Analysis5.2 Porters' Five Forces Analysis5.3 Pricing Analysis in (2014-2027)5.4 Historical Market Analyses (2011-2015)ContinueAccess Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Market Comprehensive Analysis 2017 and Key Players: AT&T, NTT Data, Telenor Group, Intel, Texas, Vodafone, Telit, Verizon
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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market Research Report- Forecast 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market Synopsis of Machine-to-Machine MarketMarket Scenario:Global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market are transforming industries and creating tremendous opportunities for M2M module vendors around the world. Along with the M2M, IoT is making huge growth in the M2M market, globally. However, the Internet of Things will consist primarily of machines talking to one another, with computer-connected humans observing, analyzing and acting upon the resulting the big data explosion, will shaping up the growth of machine to machine connections.The study indicates that the short range technology is dominating M2M connections. In 2017, it has been observed that about 73% of M2M devices is connected by short-range technologies, mostly WiFi. The wireless wide area network connections will grow from 750 million at the end of 2017 to 2.6 billion in 2023. The most important WWAN sector is automotive including pay-as-you-drive insurance, eCall and security and tracking. At the end of 2017, the M2M accounted for 15% of cellular connections and by 2023, this will reach 22%.The global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market is expected to grow at USD ~$ 27.05 Billion by 2023, at ~9.9 % of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market are AT&T Inc. (U.S), Deutsche Telekom A G (Germany), NTT Data (Japan), Telenor Group (Norway), Intel Corporation (US), Texas Instruments Incorporated (US), Gemalto N.V. (Netherlands), Vodafone Group PLC (UK), Telit Communications (UK), U-blox Holding AG (Switzerland), and Verizon Communications, Inc. (U.S) among others.Get Sample of Report @Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of Machine-to-Machine connections market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. In North America, it has been estimates that 65% of M2M service revenue is accounted for by the service wrap and 35% by the provision of connectivity. While, the majority of the revenue comes from service enablement with the remainder coming from the provision of basic short range connectivity. While in Europe, the operators such as Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom are already seeing modest success in the connected health market, is anticipated to be the leading region.Segments:The global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections market has been segmented on the basis of technology, product, end users and region.Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market by Technology: Wired Technologies Ethernet Industrial Wireless Technologies Cellular Network Short Range OthersMachine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market by Product: IoT & M2M Modems Routers Modules Mobile point of sale Wireless beacons OthersMachine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market by End-User: Government and defense Automotive & Transportation Consumer Electronics Security & Surveillance Retail Utilities Healthcare OthersMachine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Market by Region: North America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) Rest of the World (ROW)Get Complete Report @Intended Audience Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections device manufacturers Technology Providers of Machine-to-Machine Systems Technical Universities Research Institutes and Organizations Component Suppliers Machine-to-Machine Equipment Manufacturers Suppliers and Distributors of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connections Standardization and Testing Firms Raw material and manufacturing equipment suppliers Semiconductor wafer vendors Telecom operators Application providers Safety equipment manufacturers Distributers InvestorsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northern Graphite Corporation (Northern or the Company) (TSXV:NGC)(OTCQX:NGPHF) announces that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement and has issued 4,582,644 units at a price of $0.45 per unit for gross proceeds of $2,062,190. Each unit consists of one common share and one half of one common share purchase warrant, with each full warrant entitling the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.60 per share for a period of two years. The securities are subject to a four month hold period from the date of closing. The placement is also subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement (i) to finalize operational permitting for the Bissett Creek graphite project; (ii) to update the bankable feasibility study for the project to reflect a substantial decline in the CDN/US exchange rate, lower oil prices and more competitive equipment pricing, and to integrate some capital cost reduction modifications into the flow sheet; (iii) to conduct a pilot plant test of the Companys proprietary purification process which has the potential to provide a substantial competitive advantage in the manufacture of anode material for lithium ion batteries; and (v) for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Gregory Bowes, Chief Executive Officer, commented that, the financing was oversubscribed which I believe is a reflection of the quality of the Companys asset and the outlook for the graphite market. The financing provides the means to continue moving forward with preparations for full project financing, construction and production.
The Company paid finders fees on part of the private placement which consisted of $131,119.15 in cash and 291,370 broker warrants, with each broker warrant exercisable to acquire one common share at a price of $0.60 for a period of one year.
The securities issued under the private placement, including the broker warrants and common shares underlying the warrants and broker warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period lasting until March 23, 2018.
A director and officer of the Company participated in the private placement and acquired 100,000 units. Such participation constitutes a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The issuance to this insider is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the units issued to, or consideration paid by such person, did not exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization.
This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not be constituted as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the units nor shall there be any sale of the units in any jurisdiction in which such sale would be unlawful.
About Northern Graphite
Northern is a Canadian company that has a 100% interest in the Bissett Creek graphite deposit located in southern Canada, relatively close to all required infrastructure. Bissett Creek is an advanced stage project with a Full Feasibility Study and its major environmental permit. Subject to the completion of operational and species at risk permitting, which are well advanced, Northern could commence construction in 2018 pending financing. The Company believes Bissett Creek has the highest margin, best flake size distribution and lowest marketing risk of any new graphite project, and has the added advantages of low capital costs and realistic production levels relative to the size of the market.
Gregory Bowes, B.Sc. MBA, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information in this press release.
For additional information, please contact:
Gregory Bowes
CEO (613) 241-9959
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "could", "potential", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "likely", "will" or other similar words or phrases. These statements are only current predictions and are subject to 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 those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
At a CAGR of 8.27%, Global Wireless Antenna Market to grow over 2017-2021 - Fractus Antennas, Pulse Electronics, Taoglas, YAGEO
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An antenna is a metallic device that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves. It transforms a radio frequency (RF) signal into an electromagnetic wave, which is transmitted into space. Antennae have a property known as reciprocity. This means that an antenna will maintain the same characteristics irrespective of whether it is transmitting or receiving signals. An antenna is an important part of any radio equipment.The global wireless antenna market to grow at a CAGR of 8.27% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global wireless antenna market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.Click to get Sample PDF:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEATechnavio's report, Global Wireless Antenna Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key vendors- Fractus Antennas- Pulse Electronics- Taoglas- YAGEOOther prominent vendors- Johanson Technology- Linx Technologies- AirNet CommunicationsMarket driver- Emergence of connectivity in vehicles- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- High associated cost- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Deployment of next-generation LTE wireless networks- For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Global CFRTP Market Worth CAGR 9.3% till 2024 | Major Players are: Solvay, Koninklijke Ten Cate Bv., TEIJIN LIMITED, TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
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The Global CFRTP Market accounted for USD 820.1 million in 2016 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.For In depth Information Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@Global CFRTP Market By Resin Type (Polyamide, Polyetheretherketone, Polyphenylene Sulfide, Polycarbonate); Product (Continuous Carbon Fiber, Long Carbon Fiber, Short Carbon Fiber); Application (Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer Durable); Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Complete report on Global CFRTP Market Research Report 2017-2024 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figuresMarket Definition: Global CFRTP MarketCFRTP or carbon fiber reinforced polymer is the composite material. It is a strong material having light fibred plastic. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer has its application in automotive and aerospace, and other sectors. Need to reduce weight to optimize efficiency in automotive applications, and excellent performance properties at very high temperatures may act as the major driver in the growth of Carbon fiber reinforced polymer market. On the other side, high customization requirement for end-use applications may hamper the market.Avail 10% Instant Discount on Purchase of this report Mail us on: sales@databridgemarketresearch.comKey Questions Answered in Global CFRTP Market Report:-Our Report offers:- What will the market growth rate, Overview and Analysis by Type of Global CFRTP Market in 2024? What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global CFRTP Market? What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Vendors Profiles of Global CFRTP Market? Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Global CFRTP Market? Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Global CFRTP Market? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share What are the Global CFRTP Market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Market?Request for Detailed TOC:Top Key Players: Solvay Koninklijke Ten Cate Bv. TEIJIN LIMITED TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC. SGL Group Celanese Corporation Covestro AG POLYONE CORPORATION Plasti Comp, Inc. AEROSUD and others.Major Market Drivers: Need to reduce weight to optimize efficiency in automotive applications Growing demand for CFRTP in the aerospace & defense and energy & power industries Excellent performance properties at very high temperatures Higher costs compared to other metals and alloys High customization requirement for end-use applicationsFor more insightful information visit@Customize report of "Global CFRTP Market" as per customers requirement also available.Market Segmentations:Global CFRTP Market is segmented on the basis of Resin Type Product Application GeographyMarket Segmentations in Details:On the basis of Resin Type, global CFRTP market is segmented into Polyamide (PA), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS), Polycarbonate (PC), and Others.On the basis of Product, global CFRTP market is segmented into continuous carbon fiber, long carbon fiber, and short carbon fiber.On the basis of Application, the global CFRTP market is segmented into aerospace. The aerospace segment is further sub segmented into interior components, and exterior components.On the basis of Geography, North America South America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaCompetitive Landscape: Global CFRTP MarketThe global CFRTP market is consolidated due to the presence of limited number of players concentrated in few countries. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.Speak to Author of the report @Other ReportGlobal Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring Market, By Geography; Offering (Hardware, Software, Services); Structure (Tunnels Bridges, Buildings Utilities, Dams); Technology (Wired Networking Technology, Wireless Technology); Application (Pore Water Pressure, Soil Stresses, Lateral Deformation, Vertical Deformation), End-Users (Building, Infrastructure, Energy, Power, Oil, Gas, Mining) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
Liquid Biopsy Global Market Key Developments, Outlook, 2016 Analysis & Forecast to 2022
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According to Publisher, the Global Liquid Biopsy market is expected to grow from $0.63 billion in 2015 to reach $2.93 billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 24.6%. Increasing research & developments and clinical trials for diagnostics, and technological developments are some of the factors driving the market growth. Moreover, growing prevalence of cancer, increasing awareness about liquid biopsy are the factors fostering the market growth. On the other hand, higher costs and complex regulations are restraining the market growth.For more information about this report:The circulating tumor cells leads the market globally with the biggest market share and is expected to grow with a high CAGR during the forecast period. By cancer type, lung cancer segment is expected to witness high growth rate during the forecast period. North America emerged as the major revenue generating region in the global market due to innovative technological developments, and increasing incidence of cancer rates in the Canada and U.S. Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to witness high growth rate during the forecast period.Some of the key players in global liquid biopsy market include Adaptive Biotechnologies, Biocept, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Guardant Health Inc., Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Epic Sciences, Cynvenio, Illumina Inc., Qiagen, Personal Genome Diagnostics, NeoGenomics Laboratories, Myriad Genetics, Trovagene Inc., RainDance Technologies, MDX Health SA, and Janssen Diagnostics, LLC.Sample Types Covered:- Urine- Blood- OthersCSFPlasmaSalivaCancer Types Covered:- Gastrointestinal Cancer- Colorectal Cancer- Breast Cancer- Leukemia- Prostate Cancer- Lung Cancer- Liver Cancer- Other CancersOvarian CancerMelanomaBladder CancerCirculating Biomarkers Covered:- Extracellular Vesicles (EVs)- Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA)- Exosomes- Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)- Other BiomarkersCirculating RNA and ProteinProducts and Services Covered:- Services and Software- Reagents- InstrumentsEnd Users Covered:- Hospital and Physician Laboratories- Diagnostic Centers- Academic & Research Centers- Others End UserSmall Molecular LaboratoriesPublic Health LaboratoriesPathology LaboratoriesRequest Sample Copy atRegions Covered:- North AmericaUSCanadaMexico- EuropeGermanyFranceItalyUKSpainRest of Europe- Asia PacificJapanChinaIndiaAustraliaNew ZealandRest of Asia Pacific- Rest of the WorldMiddle EastBrazilArgentinaSouth AfricaEgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsCompany Profiling12.1 Adaptive Biotechnologies12.2 Biocept, Inc.12.3 Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.12.4 Guardant Health Inc.12.5 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft12.6 F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG12.7 Epic Sciences12.8 Cynvenio12.9 Illumina Inc.12.10 Qiagen12.11 Personal Genome Diagnostics12.12 NeoGenomics Laboratories12.13 Myriad Genetics12.14 Trovagene Inc.12.15 RainDance Technologies12.16 MDX Health SA12.17 Janssen Diagnostics, LLC.Inquire before Buying atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Fed Microbial Market Share, Size, Growth & Forecast 2025- Worldwide Analysis
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Persistence Market Research presents a detailed forecast of the global fed microbial market in a new publication titled Fed Microbial Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012 2016) and Forecast (2017 2025). In this report, Persistence Market Research tracks the performance of the global fed microbial market across five key geographies and highlights the segmental performance of the global market based on a detailed market taxonomy. According to the forecast, the global market for fed microbial is estimated to be valued at US$ 1,163.6 Mn by the end of 2017 and this is anticipated to increase to US$ 1,715.4 Mn by the end of the forecast period in 2025. This reflects a CAGR of 5.0% in terms of value over the forecast period 2017 2025. In terms of volume, the global fed microbial market is estimated to be pegged at 82,629 Mn units by the end of 2017 and this is expected to increase to 116,722 Mn units by the end of 2025, witnessing a CAGR of 4.4% in terms of volume over the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report:Global Fed Microbial Market: Segmentation & ForecastThe global fed microbial market is segmented on the basis of Form into Powders, Liquids / Gels, Tablets; on the basis of Type into Bacteria (Lactobacillus, Other Bacteria), Yeast; on the basis of Livestock into Poultry, Ruminants, Swine, Aquatic Animals, Others (Equine & Pets); and on the basis of Region into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.Bacteria is anticipated to dominate the global market by Type, with an estimated revenue share of more than 60% during the forecast period. The Bacteria segment is expected to reach a market valuation of US$ 1,110.6 Mn by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of 5.3%. In terms of volume, the Bacteria segment is anticipated to be pegged at 79,463 Mn units by 2025 end. The Yeast segment is expected to represent absolute $ opportunity of US$ 17.3 Mn in 2017 over 2016 and an incremental $ opportunity of US$ 174.0 Mn between 2017 and 2025.The Powder segment by Form is the largest segment in the global fed microbial market, with a market share of more than 45% during the forecast period. The Powder segment is expected to represent absolute $ opportunity of US$ 23.6 Mn in 2017 over 2016 and an incremental $ opportunity of US$ 273.8 Mn between 2017 and 2025.Among the Livestock segments, the Poultry segment is expected to dominate the global market with a value share in excess of 40% during the forecast period. The Poultry segment is expected to represent absolute $ opportunity of US$ 22.4 Mn in 2017 over 2016 and an incremental $ opportunity of US$ 265.5 Mn between 2017 and 2025.The North America Region is currently the leading regional market for fed microbial, with an estimated market valuation of US$ 366.9 Mn by the end of 2017. In the coming years however, Europe and Asia Pacific are expected to drive the global fed microbial market. The Asia Pacific regional market is slated to witness relatively high growth in terms of value over the forecast period.Request to download and view full ToC @Global Fed Microbial Market: Vendor InsightsThe report profiles the leading companies operating in the global fed microbial market such as Biovet S.A., Neospark Drugs and Chemicals Private Limited, Synbio Tech Inc., PERFORMANCE PROBIOTICS, LLC, Novoartis (Biocamp), Sci-Tech Premixes, Inc., Golden link, Tangerine Group Ltd, Archer Daniels Midland Company, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, DSM (PureGro), Novozymes, Lallemand Inc., A/B Technologies International, Diamond Mills inc., ASAHI CALPIS WELLNESS CO., LTD, ProbioFerm, American Biosystems, Fertrell, Hiland Naturals.View Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global 3D Printing Metal Market Analysis and Research Report by Experts 2017
3D Printing Metal Market
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A complete overview of the 3D Printing Metal MarketGlobal 3D Printing Metal Market report provides key statistics on the market status of the 3D Printing Metal Market and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the 3D Printing Metal Market.This report studies 3D Printing Metal in Global market, especially in Europe, Middle East, Africa with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions and forecast to 2022.Developed regions are anticipated to witness progress in the global 3D Printing Metal Market. This market reports also offers dynamic key features of the opportunities that can gear up the demand in the market.Ask for Sample Copy of 3D Printing Metal Market Report @A competitive analysis of this global market has also been presented, wherein key market players have been thoroughly reviewed to determine the markets grading. The major players upgrading the global 3D Printing Metal market for the growth of consumers is mentioned in this study.3D Printing Metal Market Report focuses on top leading players:3D Systems Corporation, Arcam AB, EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, Voxeljet AG, GKN Plc, Sandvik AB, Carpenter Technology Corporation, Renishaw Plc, Hoganas AB, LPW Technology, Optomec Inc., Argen Corp, Boeing, Concept Laser, Nanosteel, Norsk Titanium, Legor Group, QuesTEK, Markforged3D Printing Metal Market Report On the basis of product:Powder, Filament, By Material, Titanium, Nickel, Stainless Steel, Aluminum3D Printing Metal Market Report by Application:Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Medical & DentalThe examination research overall 3D Printing Metal grandstand covers key cash related view points, thing portfolios, association graph, SWOT examination, key headways and improvements, frameworks of key players drew in with the market. The information on the level associations is mined with the help of a strong research process took after at Reports Monitor Market Research which covers the entire demand and supply condition identifying with the assorted areas analyzed already.Table of ContentsGlobal 3D Printing Metal Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of 3D Printing Metal2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of 3D Printing Metal3 Global 3D Printing Metal Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global 3D Printing Metal Overall Market Overview5 3D Printing Metal Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E 3D Printing Metal Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2012-2017E 3D Printing Metal Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of 3D Printing MetalContinuedBrowse Full Report of 3D Printing Metal with Table of Contents @We at Reports Monitor provide an in-depth analysis and key data on the specific 3D Printing Metal Market you are looking for. Our Reports are thoroughly researched and a valuable source of guidance for companies and individuals looking for information for the same.About UsReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact UsJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Luxury Pens Market Analysis, Forecast, and Assessment 2016 - 2022
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The growing e-communication among the corporates and other social class people around the world has become a threat for written communication. Due to the increasing brand awareness and high disposable income of people (especially among young adults), the luxury pens market is witnessing a decent growth. Likewise, luxury pens key players which are having brands such as Lamy, Aurora, Mont Blanc, Grayson and Parker are trying to encash the opportunities in this growing luxury pens market. The major players are opting to make their luxury pens more royal by making it diamond studded and gold plated, to grab the maximum market share. One of the key trend in the market is that the manufacturers are strategically investing in product development by modifying the luxury pen nib with platinum and other expensive metals. In spite of the sluggish market and curtailed discretionary spending, the luxury pens market is growing at a good rate. Hence, the global luxury pens market has got a great potential in the forecast period. The global luxury pens market is anticipated to witness a moderate single digit growth in the upcoming years.The growing global luxury pens market can be attributed to the growing disposable income and brand awareness amongst people. Growing population coupled with the changing lifestyle of people in the developed countries is anticipated to drive the demand for global luxury pens market. Moreover, possessing a luxury pen has become a status symbol these days and hence, high class society people are opting for luxury pens. Likewise, the attractiveness of luxury pens again plays a great role for boosting its market.Request For Report Sample@The luxury pens market is a niche market, and also there are not much retailers available in the market, which can hamper the luxury pens market. Likewise, the import duty of such luxury pens is high enough to impact its market. Due to its high range the inventory cost of the dealers increases, hence it requires more working capital management which can decline the luxury pens market. Moreover, there is an increase in e-communication among people which would further decline the luxury pens market.Global Luxury Pens Market: SegmentationThe global luxury pens market can be segmented on the basis on product type, raw material and application.Global Luxury Pens Market by Product TypeBall Point PensConverter PensFountain PensRoller Ball PensFine Liner PensStylus PensMultifunctional PensBrush PensDie PensGlobal Luxury Pens Market By Material Used:-Precious gold metalsPrecious resinRubberStainless SteelSterling SilverPorcelain/ CeramicCarbonLacquerGlobal Luxury Pens Market by Application:-CalligraphyScreen WritingDocument MarkingGlobal Luxury Pens Market by Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaAsia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global luxury pens market. Countries such as India and China are the upcoming countries where demand for such luxury items are at peak because of the increase in disposable income of people. Even, North America is a flourishing luxury pens market due to the improving brand awareness of luxury pens amongst people.Visit For TOC@Global Luxury Pens Market: - Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the global luxury pens market are Paradise Pen Company, Montblanc International GmbH, C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Grayson Tighe, Parker Pen Company, A.T.Cross Company, Sanford L.P.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Ourresearch model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and marketresearch methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Contact USPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Web:Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Growth Opportunities in Food Traceability Technology Market: New Research Report 2016 - 2022
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Owing to globalization and integration, food production and distribution system are becoming more interdependent. In order to reduce the wastage of food, and maintain a proper value chain ranging from production to consumption, a technologically advanced traceability is required. Traceability helps to manage the possible risk in the supply chain. Currently, by law in Japan, European Union (EU), and the United States, specific standards for food traceability are mandated internationally.There are two type of traceability system namely internal traceability and chain traceability. Internal traceability refers to recording of data within the organization or any separate geographic location. Chain traceability refers to recording data and transferring it through a supply chain among intra and inter organisations. Depending on the type of business, traceability data can be both static and dynamic. Static data is fixed, whereas dynamic data changes over the time. In order to capture, record, store, and share traceability data efficiently, use of softwares such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and database management solutions, cloud computing and SaaS (software as a service) solutions are anticipated to lead towards reduced cost and cost-effective operations.Request For Report Sample@Food traceability technology market is primarily driving by the technologically advanced countries, for instance, U.S., Japan, U.K. and others. The technologies are being adopted by the end-users from developing countries due to awareness. Moreover, presently, companies maintain a proper framework of business for optimum level of inventory and smooth operation; hence demand for food traceability technology increasing worldwide.Some of the restraining factors for food traceability technology market include additional cost for traceability technology and privacy issue for data security, since data management, data tracking and security of data is cost-oriented. Moreover, the technologies are product specific; hence different technologies are used for different applications of products, for instance data management and tracking is different in manufacturing to wholesale to retail, also it is different in terms of countable and non-countable food products.There is a huge opportunity for players in countries such as ASEAN countries, Gulf countries to expand their market share in food traceability technology market. Moreover, new smart technology for easy and universal accessibility can bring a new opportunity for the food traceability technology players.Visit For TOC@Global Food Traceability market is segmented by: technology type, hardware, application, end-user and regionAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Ourresearch model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and marketresearch methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Contact USPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Web:Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Aerospace Fasteners Market: Challenges and Opportunities Report 2016 - 2026
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Fasteners are the hardware components which are used to mechanically join two or more objects together. In the same context, aerospace fasteners are special grade hardware devices, used to connect parts of aircraft during original equipment manufacturing and aftermarket servicing. Aerospace fasteners are broadly used in commercial aircraft, military aircraft, ballistic missiles, rockets and satellites. Aerospace fasteners are made under strict regulations and standards so as to withstand high fatigue loading and drastic temperature changes. Manufacturers are focused to introduce aerospace fasteners with light weight and high strength metallurgical structure in order to provide increased life and reliability rate along with enhanced fuel efficiency of the aircraft.The number of fasteners required in a typical aircraft could reach to millions in the form of nuts, bolts, pins, rivets, washers, etc. Growing defense and space exploration activities are contributing significantly to the growth of aerospace fasteners market. Commercial civil aviation industry, owing to increase in number of passengers travelling by air route, is growing at an unprecedented annual rate, creating significant demand for commercial aircrafts. This, in turn, is expected to push market growth of global aerospace fasteners market over the forecast period of 2016-2024.Request For Report Sample:Aerospace Fasteners Market: DynamicsThe civil aviation industry is on the rise and competition among major airline companies has intensified. Unlike during the past, air traveling has no longer remained a luxury and more people are preferring air mode of transportation. Governments across the world are solidifying their air defense and strong demand for aircrafts exists both in commercial and military aircraft segments. With growing overall aircraft demand, market for aerospace fasteners is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Upgraded technology and invention of more sophisticated and reliable materials are further anticipated to boost up the aerospace fasteners market from supply side. Moreover, replacement of aging aircrafts with Next-Gen aircrafts is another factor fueling up aerospace fasteners market globally. Whereas, high production cost, less availability of high grade materials and unexpected failure of fasteners are some of the major challenges existing in global aerospace fasteners market.Major aerospace fastener companies are involved in business development strategies like merger & acquisition in order to spread their reach in targeted nations. Providing high quality and cost effective aerospace fasteners in stipulated time is another key strategy followed by key manufacturers to gain market position.Aerospace Fasteners Market: SegmentationThe global aerospace fasteners market is segmented on the basis of aerospace application, type of fixing, product type, materials and head type. On the basis of application, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as commercial aerospace and military aerospace. On the basis of product type, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as pins, bolts, studs, screw and rivets. On the basis of material, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as aluminum, steel, super alloys and titanium. On the basis of head type aerospace fasteners can be segmented as 12 points (Double Hex), 6 lobe recess, Dee, Rectangular, Screw, and others. Based on type of fixing, the market can be segmented as permanent fixing and temporary fixing.Aerospace Fasteners Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global aerospace fasteners market is segmented into five key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Europe and United States with developed aerospace industry represent leading regional markets, capturing a substantial share in the global aerospace fasteners market. Developing infrastructure and generous strategies of governments in Asia-Pacific is expected to gain high market growth over the coming years.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Aerospace Fasteners Market: Key PlayersMajor players in the global aerospace fasteners market include 3V Fasteners Company Inc., Alcoa Fastening Systems, TriMas Corporation (Allfast), B&B Specialties Inc., B/E Aerospace, Stanley Engineered Fasteners (Emhart Teknologies LLC), LISI Aerospace, National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation, Precision Castparts Corp., TFI Aerospace Corporation, TPS Aviation Inc., etc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market InsightsAbhishek Bhudoliya616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Cookie Butter Spread Market Size, Share 2025 | MarketResearchReports.biz
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"The Report Cookie Butter Spread Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Introduction:Cookie Butter also called as speculoos butter is a food paste which is made primarily from speculoos cookies crumbs. Speculoos is a type of crunchy, shortbread spice biscuits, traditionally baked for consumption during St Nicholas' day in the Netherlands and Belgium and during Christmas in Germany. These biscuits are mixed along with other ingredients including vegetable oil, flour, and sugar along with added flavor in order to produce a spread with the similar consistency as peanut butter. Cookie butter spread is a great alternative to currently available spreads such as peanut butter, hazelnut butter, chocolate spread and are used for various applications across the food industry including, bakery, dairy and ice-cream, spreads and dips and others. The cookie butter spread market is expected to witness significant growth in value terms over the forecast period mainly attributed to its growing application as an alternative to other products in the market due to its low sugar content.View Report @Cookie Butter Spread Market SegmentationGlobal cookie butter spread market is segmented on the basis of application, flavor, sales channels and region. On the basis of application the global cookie butter spread market is segment in to industrial, household and commercial application segments. The industrial segment is further sub-segmented into, bakery products, dairy and ice-cream, spreads and dips, desserts and other segments. Cookie butter spread is widely used as a spread on toast, bagels, pancakes and baffles. Apart from this cookie butter spread is also used in several cookie recipes. Increasing application of cookie butter spread in bakery and desserts application segment is expected to result in significant revenue generation in the overall market for cookie butter spread over the forecast period. The commercial segment is sub-segmented into, hotels, restaurants & cafes (HoReCa) and institutional foods. By flavor the global cookie butter spread market is segment into, chocolate, vanilla and others. Kids demand for food products with unique taste which is creating immense popularity of flavored cookie butter spreads among consumers especially kids. Furthermore, cookie butter spreads are also available in the form of creamy and crunchy texture which can be used for specific needs across several food applications as per desired by food manufacturers.On the basis of sales channel the global cookie spread market is segmented into, direct and indirect sales channels. Indirect sales channels are further sub-segmented into hypermarkets/supermarkets, convenience stores, specialty stores, e-commerce and other retail formats.On the basis of region the global cookie butter spread market is segmented into, north America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe are the largest markets for cookie butter spread globally attributable to increasing demand for several food products across the regions. Cookie butter spread are derived from cookies native to European region which is contributing towards its overall market share in the region. Also, popularity of cookie butter spread is also attributed to its reasonable price and expanded applications across several food domains.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Cookie Butter Spread Market Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:The growth of cookie butter spread market across the globe is expected to depict significant growth in the overall market owing to increasing demand for convenience food products. Consumers across globe are demanding for food products without any artificial flavors, which is pushing manufacturers of food products to offering organic food products. This is expected to fuel the consumption of cookie butter spread among consumers across the globe. The global cookie butter spread market is expected to witness limited growth potential across regions such as Asia Pacific and MEA due to less awareness regarding nutritional benefits of cookie butter spread as compared to other spreads.Cookie Butter Spread Market Key Players:Variety of Cookie Butter Spread have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the global market players manufacturing cookie butter spread market include; Natural Nectar, Trader Joe's, Lotus Bakeries, Tumbador Chocolate, American Roland Food Corp., Kruger GmbH & Co. KG and others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Send An Enquiry Request @The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) Market - Complexity and Compatibility Still hampering DPaaS Proliferation
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The three leading providers of data protection as a service models in 2015 were EMC Corporation, HP Development Company, L.P., and Amazon Web Services, Inc. They held leading shares in DPaaS consistently till now and are additionally showing a high rate of growth over the coming years. The data protection as a service models provided by IBM Corporation are considered to hold strong potential.As per a new publication by Transparency Market Research, the global market for data protection as a service is in a state of intense competition, due to the high proliferation of cloud computing in multiple industries and sectors around the world. With data recovery and disaster management of data fast becoming the top priorities of both large enterprises and SMEs, the providers of data protection as a service are situated in a highly promising position of growth till 2024.Obtain Report Details @The global market for data protection as a service is expected to show an astronomical CAGR of 30.1% within the forecast period from 2016 to 2024, with respect to its revenue. The revenue is expected to be US$5.66 bn by the end of 2016 and is projected to reach US$46.40 bn by the end of 2024.North America Leads Demand for DPaaSNorth America, with its massive IT industry and the growing scope of cloud computing in the public sector, is expected to retain its dominant share in the global market for data protection as a service. By the end of 2024, North America is expected to generate as much as US$14.07 bn in DPaaS revenue.Asia Pacific on the other hand is expected to be the faster region in terms of demand for data protection as a service. This regions DPaaS market is projected at a CAGR of 33.6% from 2016 to 2024.Globally, the private cloud has been the more preferred deployment model for data protection as a service. This segment is expected to generate US$20.123 bn by the end of 2024. Meanwhile, hybrid clouds are expected to show the faster growth in demand as far as the deployment of DPaaS is concerned. It is projected at a CAGR of 31.1% from 2016 to 2024.In terms of the types of services offered in DPaaS, DRaaS is expected to overtake BaaS by 2024, reaching a revenue of US$19.73 bn.DPaaS Need Increases With Growing Cloud Computing WorkloadsOne of the key drivers for the global data protection as a service market is the staggering volumes of workload taken up by the cloud computing application markets. There is a very high degree of virtualization today, with SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS being pushed across multiple industry verticals. The overall workload is rapidly migrating from conventional data centers to cloud-based platforms.With greater cloud-based workloads will come a greater need for data protection. This is where the providers of data protection as a service come in, supplying the needful, states a TMR analyst.Complexity and Compatibility Still hampering DPaaS ProliferationDPaaS solutions can be extremely complicated in nature when it comes to deployment. This has to do with the current IT systems and infrastructure already in place. This system can be quite complex and detailed, and to replicate the same on a cloud platform can become very difficult and time consuming. There is a relative lack of redundancy solutions being offered by DPaaS providers, further increasing the restraining factor on the markets growth.Make an Enquiry @There is also the issue of compatibility when it comes to the cloud applications and their use in multiple industry verticals. Most data protection as a service solutions are high-transaction and critical in nature, thereby allowing little scope of creating archetypes that can be applied across different vertical, thereby restraining the markets growth.The analyst adds, There is still an immense scope of growth left for data protection as a service providers in emerging economies, especially the Asia Pacific region. India, China, and Southeast Asia are expected to become key regions in the utility of cloud computing, thus becoming key sources of finding users for data protection as a service solutions.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Feed Probiotics Market size and Key Trends in terms of volume and value 2015-2025
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Probiotics are microorganisms that possess health benefits when consumed in required quantity and also improves the immune system of the livestock. The feed probiotics market is growing owing to the increasing awareness among consumers about animal health coupled with the increasing demand for quality produce from animals. Consumption of probiotics in animal have various benefits such as it supports the digestive and immune system of the animals and also reduce the considerable dependence of animals on the antibiotics.Request For Report Sample:Feed Probiotics Market SegmentationGlobal feed probiotics market is segmented on the basis of bacteria, livestock and region. Based on the bacteria present feed probiotics market is segmented into includes lactobacillus, thermophiles, streptococcus, bifidobacteria and others. Of which, lactobacillus is the largest market followed by the other segments and is expected to exhibit significant growth during the forecast period. On the basis of livestock feed probiotics market segmentation includes cattle feed, swine feed, poultry feed and pet feed. Among all the segments of the feed probiotics market pet feed segment is anticipated to exhibit the robust growth in the next four to five years due to the rising demand for meat and meat products across the globe. Based on the region global feed probiotics market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan.Feed Probiotics Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global feed probiotics market is expected to witness remarkable growth during the forecast period owing to the ban on the usage of antibiotics that promotes the growth in animal. Globally, among all regions, Asia Pacific is expected to contribute the highest market share in the overall feed probiotics market followed by Europe during the forecast period due to the presence of comparatively large number of consumers in the region. Global feed probiotics market is expected to exhibit fastest growth in Asia Pacific due the rising number of upper middle class population that can afford the expenditure on feed that contain additional ingredients such as probiotics. In Asia Pacific, China and Japan are dominating countries that contributes the maximum revenue to the overall feed probiotics market due to the rising number of upper middle class population in these countries. Europe is also expected to show vigorous growth in the next four to five years due to the ban on the usage of antibiotics that promote the growth in animal, which in turn increases the demand for the feed probiotics market.Feed Probiotics Market: DriversMajor factors that fuel the growth of feed probiotics market includes increasing health awareness among consumers related to consumption of probiotics in animals, growing demand for meat and meat related products. Other factor that is expected to further promote the growth feed probiotics market is increasing concerns among livestock owners related to the animal health. Probiotic added to the animal feed does not provide the necessary nutrients to the feed which is expected to restraint the market growth of the overall feed probiotic market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Feed Probiotics Market: Key PlayersMajor companies operating in feed probiotics market are Koninklijke DSM N.V., DuPont, Nebraska Cultures, Calpis Co. Ltd. Lactosan GmbH & Co. KG Provita Eurotech Limited Major companies operating in the feed probiotics market are primarily launching new products and also expanding their facilities in order to further strength their position in the global animal feed market. There is rising trend of backward integration and consolidation of poultry processors which is expected to drive the demand of feed additives such as probiotics.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Luxury Furniture Market Forecast Report Offers Actionable Insights 2016 - 2024
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The global luxury market consist of nine segments including personal cars, personal luxury goods, luxury hospitality, luxury cruises, fine food, fine wine and spirits, luxury furniture, private jet and yachts. Out of these segments, luxury furniture has showcased boom all over the world. Luxury furniture enhances the artistic value of homes, offices, restaurants and hotels in addition to various outdoor and indoor spaces. Over the past few years, the significant growth in real estate industry fostered the growth of luxury furniture market. Movement of people from rural to urban areas, globalization and inclination in the personal disposable income is strengthening the growth of the global luxury furniture market. Rising environmental consciousness among people will lead to rising demand for eco-friendly luxury furniture all over the world till 2025. Besides this, rising penetration of online retailing all across the world is expected to further stimulate the global luxury furniture market. Change in the lifestyle along with rising disposable income would provide substantial opportunities in the global luxury furniture market over the period 2016-2024.The global Luxury Furniture market is segmented on the basis of type of materials which include wood, metal, plastic, glass, leather and others. Wooden furniture segment contributed the highest share in the overall global luxury furniture market in 2014. Over the past few years, furniture manufacturers are introducing products including materials such as leather, metal, leather, glass in order to replace wood. The global luxury furniture market is also divided on the basis of end use which include commercial and domestic use. The commercial segment is further sub-segmented on the basis of hospitality, office and others. Whereas the domestic segment is sub-segmented by living and bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, lighting, outdoor and others. In 2014, the domestic luxury furniture segment contributed the highest share in the overall revenue of global luxury furniture market. Bedroom and living room segment marked substantial share in the global luxury furniture market in 2014. The global luxury furniture market is also segmented on the basis of unorganized and organized sector.Request For Report Sample@Inclination in the online retailing and higher media penetration are some of the major factors driving the growth of global luxury furniture market. Apart from that, rising impact of globalization, organized retailing, and robust growth in real estate sector is anticipated to foster the growth of global luxury furniture market. Rising demand of eco-friendly luxury segment is also expected to bolster the growth of global luxury furniture market. Apart from this, rising trend of modular kitchen is also strengthening the demand for global luxury furniture market and will impel the market from the period 2016-2024.Geographically, the Global Luxury Furniture industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Amongst all the regions, Europe captured the highest share in the global luxury furniture market in 2014. China is expected to be the biggest and rapidly growing furniture market in future which will drive the overall Asia luxury furniture market. Latin American region is also anticipated to showcase fast growth over the next few years till 2024. The requirement of luxury furniture especially in the hospitality sector in Middle East region and African region is expected to drive the market of this region in future.The major players identified across the value chain of global Luxury Furniture market include Muebles Pico, Valderamobili, Scavolini, Laura Ashley Folding Plc, Nella Vetrina, Henredon Furniture Industries Inc., and others. It has been noticed that furniture manufacturers are concerned about reduction in carbon footprints and initiated offering eco-friendly furniture. The global luxury furniture market is highly competitive with large number of players (both small and big) dominating the industry. In the next few years, various furniture manufacturers are anticipated to enter in this market.Visit For TOC@The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, and applications.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Ourresearch model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and marketresearch methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Contact USPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Web:Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Industrial Filtration Market: Analysis and Forecast by Future Market Insights 2016 - 2026
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An industrial floor is an enclosed space where numerous manufacturing processes and similar operations take place simultaneously round the clock. This continuous operation generates dust, minute airborne particles, chemicals and other allergens within the industrial space. Therefore, the unwanted airborne particles must be kept in check so as not to be released and harm the external environment. This is achieved through filtration. Industrial filtration serves the purpose of continuously filtering out the unwanted effluents by means of heavy duty filter media and capturing them within a filter bag. In similar circumstances, chemicals and raw materials utilized in the industry that are in the liquid state such as water, etc. and industrial gases must also be filtered from unwanted impurities to improve the quality of the products manufactured thereafter. Hence, industrial filtration is an essential part of any industrial floor.Another point to be noted is that the personnel working in the industrial workspace though they equip themselves with body protection and air filters, it is imperative that the industrial environment be equipped with robust and heavy duty industrial filtration system in order to improve the quality of air within the workspace. This in turn improve the lifespan of the machinery, improve the production output and most importantly prevent air-borne diseases among the workers. Increased adoption of such filtration systems in the industries due to the above factors will improve the pace in the growth of the market in the near future. Industrial filtration systems are especially important in the industries which mainly deal with cement production, pharmaceuticals, paper production and petroleum industry.Request For Report Sample:The industrial revolution has caused a widespread setting up of industries for every product in several domains. This ever improving growth of industrialization around the globe is expected to favour the improvement of industrial filtration market, thereby steadily driving its growth. Government and environmental agencies regulations to reduce the emission of pollution causing particles both in the air and water have also contributed favourably to the growth of the industrial filtration market.Industrial filtration performs at its optimum level when they are provided with top of the line filter media. These filter media are manufactured by using high quality raw materials. Erratic supply of the required raw materials to the filter media manufacturers as well as fluctuating prices can sometimes come as a restraint to the growth of industrial filtration market albeit with a low level impact. Another low level impact restraining the industrial filtration market is the growing adoption of renewable sources of energy in power plants to produce electricity. Since, very little to no fossil fuel is burnt in these power plants, the application of industrial filtration here would be very less or zero, since the power plants generate only a very little amount of unwanted particles.Industrial Filtration Market:SegmentationOn the basis of product type,Industrial Filtration Market can be segmented as:Air filtersBag FiltersHEPAULPAPTFE MembraneElectrostatic PrecipitatorOthersLiquid FiltersStrainersCartridgeDepth FilterOthersOthers (Gas Filters etc.)On the basis of end use, the industrial filtration market can be segmented as:Automotive IndustryFood and Beverage IndustryMining IndustryPower Generation PlantsChemical IndustryPetroleum IndustryPharmaceutical IndustryOthersIndustrial Filtration Market:Regional OutlookThe global industrial filtration market can be segmented into seven geographical locations such as Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Western Europe, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Booming industrialization in the Asia Pacific region especially China is expected to drive the growth of the industrial filtration market, while the slower but steady pace of industrialization growth in the North America, Western Europe and other countries in the Asia Pacific region are also anticipated to cause the growth of the market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Industrial Filtration Market:ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants engaged in the manufacture of Industrial Filtration are;Eaton Corporation PlcIndustrial Filtration, Inc.Pentair PlcClarcor Inc.Mann+Hummel GroupFiltration Group Company3M CompanyCummins FiltrationFreudenberg Filtration TechnologiesFil-Trek CorporationAlfa Laval ABParker Hannifin CorporationW. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.Donaldson Company, Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market InsightsAbhishek Bhudoliya616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
LED Lighting Market Volume Forecast and Value Chain Analysis 2015-2025
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LED light is a light-emitting diode product which is accumulated into the utilization in lighting fixtures. It is basically a semiconductor lighting source operate in different applications such as automotive lighting, general as well as backlighting. It has been noticed that LEDs are smaller and have a lengthier operating life as well as lower cost of ownership as compared to previous technologies in the similar area. The prices of LEDs have reduced to a point where such type of lighting is becoming the economic choice in every application. The acceptance of LED lighting is escalating in almost all major end uses such as industrial buildings, residential and commercial buildings, as well as outdoor application areas. The LED lighting systems provide more energy efficiency and longer life span. The LED light provides a lifetime of nearly 50,000 hours of brightness and work effectively by using only a fraction of energy as is utilized by traditional bulbs and CFLs. The LED lights compete with old and traditional bulbs on various parameters which include longer lifetime, energy efficiency, enhanced environmental friendliness, better durability, lower heat and smaller size. The Global LED lighting market has showcased rapid growth over the past few years. The Global LED lighting market is anticipated to grow at a stupendous CAGR over the period 2015-2025 with a substantial revenue in 2025. Thus, the revolution in LED is gaining traction in terms of market dynamics.Request For Report Sample:Global LED Lighting: Market SegmentationThe Global LED lighting market is segmented on the basis of organizational structure such as organized and unorganized. The Global LED lighting market is further bifurcated by application areas such as automotive, general and backlighting. The LED lighting market in automobile industry is rising as LEDs are initiating to be used in mass market automobiles. The Global LED lighting market is also divided on the basis of end-user segment such as commercial, general, residential, industrial, outdoor and architectural. The Global LED lighting market is further segmented by technology which includes ultraviolet LEDs, basic LEDs, high brightness LEDs, polymer LEDs and organic LEDs.Global LED Lighting Market: Growth DriversThe global LED lighting market is influenced by various factors such as macroeconomic conditions which is impacting the new construction and subsequently new lighting installations. Less replacement, less heat as well as the lower price are fostering the demand for LED lights across the globe and strengthening the market of global LEDs. Such factors along with inclining demand for cost efficient lighting systems from communities and buildings will intensify the market for global LED lighting from 2015-2025. Besides this, innovation and change in technology along with different product designs by LED light manufacturers are anticipated to bolster the global LED lighting market. The rising government initiatives for conservation of energy is also fostering the growth of global LED lighting market.Global LED Lighting Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the Global LED Lighting industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. In 2014, Asia Pacific captured the highest share in the global LED lighting market due to significant population growth, huge private sector LED lighting projects as well as the suitable government policies. The LED lighting has become popular in Japans educational institutions, retail stores and hospitals. Followed by it, Europe stood at second position in the revenue of global LED lighting market as the demand for LED lights are gaining traction especially for architectural and commercial lighting functions. Apart from this, U.S. holds third position in the global LED lighting market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Global LED Lighting Market: PlayersSome of the top vendors identified across the value chain of the global LED lighting market include Cree Corporation, International Light technologies, American Bright Optoelectronics Corporation, Philips Lumileds Lighting company, Samsung Electronics Limited and OSRAM Licht AG. It has been noticed that new companies from consumer electronics as well as from semiconductor segments are entering the LED lighting. Thus, the LEDs showcases a higher opportunity for service providerABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Current Trends and Future Growth of 3D Laser Scanning Market
3D Laser Scanning Market
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The Global 3D Laser Scanning Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the 3D Laser Scanning Industry on a global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.The report on Global 3D Laser Scanning Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the 3D Laser Scanning industry a propos classification, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The potential of this industry segment has been rigorously investigated in conjunction with primary market challenges. The present market condition and future prospects of the segment has also been examined. Moreover, key strategies in the market that includes product developments, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, etc., are discussed. Besides, upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also conducted.Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of 3D Laser Scanning Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain. The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of 3D Laser Scanning Market.Global 3D Laser Scanning market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingFaroTrimble NavigationTopconHexagonNikon MetrologyCreaform (AMETEK)Teledyne OptechZ+F GmbHMaptekThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the 3D Laser Scanning industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies. Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations. The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner. The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the 3D Laser Scanning industry in the global markets.Browse full report with Table of Content @Every regions market has been studied thoroughly in this report which deals with the precise information pertaining to the Marketing Channels and novel project investments so that the new entrants as well as the established market players conduct intricate research of trends and analysis in these regional markets. Acknowledging the status of the environment and products up gradation, the market report foretells each and every detail.So as to fabricate this report, complete key details, strategies and variables are examined so that entire useful information is amalgamated together for the understanding and studying the key facts pertaining the global 3D Laser Scanning Industry. The production value and market share in conjunction with the SWOT analysis everything is integrated in this report.Some points from TOC:-Global 3D Laser Scanning Market Research Report 20171 3D Laser Scanning Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of 3D Laser Scanning1.2 3D Laser Scanning Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global 3D Laser Scanning Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global 3D Laser Scanning Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Handheld1.2.4 Tripod Mounted1.3 Global 3D Laser Scanning Segment by Application1.3.1 3D Laser Scanning Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Aerospace and Defense1.3.3 Medical and Healthcare1.3.4 Architecture and Engineering1.4 Global 3D Laser Scanning Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global 3D Laser Scanning Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of 3D Laser Scanning (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global 3D Laser Scanning Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global 3D Laser Scanning Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Download PDF Report:About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWebsite-
Alginate Market: Challenges and Opportunities Report 2016 - 2024
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Introduction:Alginates are type of hydrocolloids which are extracted from brown seaweed. It has different functional properties such as thickening agent, ability to form gel and its usage to form films of sodium and calcium. Alginate has varieties of application in food, textile, printing, dyeing, pharmaceutical and in cosmetic industry. Apart from this, it also has application as binding agent for welding rods and in preparing animal feed. Europe and Asia Pacific dominates the alginate market over the forecast period in terms of volume.Market Drivers: Alginate MarketKey market drivers which influence the demand of alginate in market is from the food and beverage manufacturers due to its functional properties such as thickening agent, gelling agent, stabilizer, emulsifier and film-forming property. Reason behind its increasing demand in food industry is due to its extraction from natural seaweeds, one of safest food additive in food industry and also certified by FAO/WHO. Food and beverage manufacturers primarily used alginate as thickening agent and texture-improver. On the other side, it is also gaining its demand from textile industry as it is primarily used for printing, designing and dyeing on cotton and jute fabrics.Request For Report Sample@Market Segment: Alginate MarketMarket of Alginate is segmented in two different basis including on the basis of form and on the basis of application. As per the market segment by form, it is segmented in three different form of alginate which are sodium alginate, calcium alginate and potassium alginate. Sodium alginate has varieties of application in food and textile printing industry and due to which it is expected that it fuels the market growth of alginate over the forecast period. Further, market segment of alginate is segmented on the basis of its application which includes food and beverage, paper, textile, pharmaceutical and other (welding, pet food and cosmetic). Primary demand of alginate in global market accounts from food and beverage, paper and textile industry. In food and beverage industry, demand of alginate is increasing due its higher demand in preparing products such as ice cream, jellies, salads, alcoholic drinks, lactic drinks etc. and in many other products. Key reason behind the increasing demand of alginate in food and beverage industry is also due to its multifunctional properties as it plays significant role as thickening and gelling agent, emulsifier, stabilizer and used to enhance the texture of food recipes. In context to its demand in paper and textile industry, it is used for dying and printing purpose and to control the viscosity in processing of final product. Further, alginate is also gaining its demand form pharmaceutical industry where it has application in manufacturing of tablets, liquid medicines and for making dental impression materials. On the basis of market share, results of alginate market on pie chart shows that, food and beverage industry and textile industry dominates the alginate market over the forecast period.Regional Segment: Alginate MarketOn the basis of regional segment, market of alginate is segmented into five regions namely: North America, Latin America, Europe and Middle East and Africa. As per the alginate production, major producing regions are Europe and Asia Pacific and contributes majority of market share in global level market. In terms of value, it is expected that Europe and North America accounted to major share in terms of value and also as a lucrative market in near future.Visit For TOC@Key players: Alginate MarketSome of the key players which are operating in alginate market are: DuPont, KIMICA Corporation, Qingdao Rongde Seaweed Co., Ltd., Prestige Brands, Inc., Cargill, Incorporated, Qingdao Liyang Seaweed Industrial Co.,Ltd, Shandong Jiejing Group Corporation, Prinova Europe Limited, Compania Espanola de Algas Marinas S.A. and A2 Trading GmbH.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Ourresearch model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and marketresearch methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Contact USPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Web:Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Industrial Air Compressor Market: Opportunity Assessment Research Study 2017 - 2027
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Rapidly growing industrialization, particularly in developing nations, and significant emphasis on energy conservation has led to noteworthy advancements in compressor technology. Industrial air compressors are designed to compress large volumes of air to a high pressure and harness this as a potential energy source. Compressed air finds a large field of applications in various end use industries, such as power generation, automobile, food & beverage, chemical, oil & gas and other manufacturing. Various applications or end uses of industrial air compressors include supplying clean air to fill gas cylinders, drive pneumatic HVAC systems, and drive pneumatic tools. Industrial air compressors are generally positive displacement compressors or dynamic compressors. The positive displacement type compressor is expected to hold a relatively high market share in the overall industrial air compressor market. Reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors are common types of positive displacement compressors and find applications in various end use industries. Rotary compressor, is mainly classified into centrifugal and axial flow air compressors. Over the past few years, remote sensing technology has gained significant attraction in the industrial compressor market, as it is highly reliable and energy efficient. Flexibility, low operational cost, low maintenance cost, high safety and reduced weight remain the prime focus of key manufacturers in the market.Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market DynamicsTechnological innovation remains one of the prominent driving market forces in the global industrial air compressor market, which results in significant replacement demand for the industrial air compressor. Moreover, over the past few years, the market has witnessed a considerable upsurge in demand for energy efficient products. Rapid industrialization of developing countries in Asia Pacific, such as China and India, and countries in Middle East & Africa, such as South Africa, is expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, upcoming investments are expected in new oil and gas projects, which in turn will create demand for industrial air compressors.Request For Report Sample:On the other hand, factors such as noise pollution from industrial compressors pose a challenge to market growth. Performance of various end use industries will also significantly affect the growth of the global industrial air compressor market over the forecast period.Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Positive displacement industrial air compressorReciprocating compressorRotary compressorDynamic industrial air compressorCentrifugal compressorAxial flow compressorOn the basis of seal type, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Lubricated industrial air compressorOil free industrial air compressorOn the basis of power range, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Up to 50 kW50 kW250 kW251 kW500 kW500 kW and AboveOn the basis of end use industry, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Power generationOil & GasAutomotiveChemicalsFood & BeverageOthersGlobal Industrial Air Compressor Market: Region-wise OutlookBy region, the performance of the industrial air compressor market in North America is anticipated to remain weak owing to the sluggish performance of some of the major end use industries. The market is expected to witness moderate growth in Europe, due to existing economic uncertainty in some of the countries, which are prominent markets for industrial air compressors. Asia pacific is expected to witness fast CAGR growth over the forecast period. The major driver of the market growth in Asia Pacific is the robust ongoing industrialization in developing countries, particularly India and China. The market in Middle East & Africa is also expected to witness moderate growth, GCC countries and South Africa are anticipated to remain major contributors to the growth of the market in the region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified in the global industrial air compressor market are:Atlas Copco ABHitachi Ltd.Siemens AGSulzer AGDoosan Infracore Co. Ltd.Ingersoll-Rand PLC.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Boge KompressorenGE Oil & GasHowden Group Ltd.Kirloskar Pneumatics Co. Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market InsightsAbhishek Bhudoliya616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Current Trends and Future Growth of Acetyltributylcitrate Market
Acetyltributylcitrate Market
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The Global Acetyltributylcitrate Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Acetyltributylcitrate Industry on a global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.The report on Global Acetyltributylcitrate Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the Acetyltributylcitrate industry a propos classification, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The potential of this industry segment has been rigorously investigated in conjunction with primary market challenges. The present market condition and future prospects of the segment has also been examined. Moreover, key strategies in the market that includes product developments, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, etc., are discussed. Besides, upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also conducted.Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Acetyltributylcitrate Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain. The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Acetyltributylcitrate Market.Global Acetyltributylcitrate market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingJungbunzlauerVertellusKLJ GroupJiangsu LemonShandong Kexing ChemicalJiangsu Licheng ChemicalWuxi Kailai BiotechnologyTaizhou Mingguang ChemicalYangzhou Feiyang ChemicalNanjing Duoleng AuxiliaryAnhui AitebayThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the Acetyltributylcitrate industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies. Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations. The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner. The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the Acetyltributylcitrate industry in the global markets.Browse full report with Table of Content @Every regions market has been studied thoroughly in this report which deals with the precise information pertaining to the Marketing Channels and novel project investments so that the new entrants as well as the established market players conduct intricate research of trends and analysis in these regional markets. Acknowledging the status of the environment and products up gradation, the market report foretells each and every detail.So as to fabricate this report, complete key details, strategies and variables are examined so that entire useful information is amalgamated together for the understanding and studying the key facts pertaining the global Acetyltributylcitrate Industry. The production value and market share in conjunction with the SWOT analysis everything is integrated in this report.Some points from TOC:-Global Acetyltributylcitrate Market Research Report 20171 Acetyltributylcitrate Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Acetyltributylcitrate1.2 Acetyltributylcitrate Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Excellent Grade1.2.4 First Grade1.3 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Segment by Application1.3.1 Acetyltributylcitrate Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Children Toys1.3.3 Daily Chemical & Food Package1.3.4 Medical Devices & Package1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Acetyltributylcitrate (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Acetyltributylcitrate Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Download PDF Report:About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWebsite-
Global Well Intervention Services Market to grow at a CAGR of 4.26% during 2017-2021 - Baker Hughes, Halliburton, National Oilwell Varco, Schlumberger, Weatherford
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Well intervention is a part of the upstream segment. After the drilling of the well is done, the well has to be readied for production. All the activities that prepare the well for production come under well intervention services. Moreover, after the production starts, activities such as coring and fishing may also be carried out if required. Workover operations in a well are also a part of well intervention services. A well intervention is performed on an oil or gas well during or at the end of its productive life.The global well intervention services market to grow at a CAGR of 4.26% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global well intervention services market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.Click to get Sample PDF:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEATechnavio's report, Global Well Intervention Services Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key vendors- Baker Hughes- Halliburton- National Oilwell Varco- Schlumberger- WeatherfordOther prominent vendors- EQT (previously Aker Solutions)- AKOFS OFFSHORE- ALTUS INTERVENTION- Archer- Axis Well Technology- BlueSparkEnergy- Danum Well Services- DeepWell- Expro Group- Gulf Intervention Services DMCC- Hunting- Kinetic Services- Nabors Industries- Nordic Well Services- Oceaneering International- TechnipFMC- Wild Well Control- WISE Intervention ServicesKey questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Micro Turbines Market share research by applications and regions for 2017 - 2025
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Global Micro Turbines Market: OverviewMicro turbines are small ignition turbines similar to the size of a fridge with yields of 25 kW to 500 kW. They advanced from car and truck turbochargers, helper control units for planes, and little fly motors and are involved a combustor, compressor, alternator, turbine, generator, and recuperator. Micro turbines offer various potential points of interest contrasted with different inn compressor, combustor, turbine, alternator, recuperator, and generator ovations for little scale power generation. These preferences incorporate compact size, greater efficiency, moving parts, light-weight, lower electricity costs, opportunities to utilize waste fuels, and lower emissions. They can possibly be situated on destinations with space constraints for the creation of energy. Waste heat recovery can be utilized with these frameworks to accomplish efficiencies more than 80%.Global Micro Turbines Market: Trends and ProspectsAs the demand and uses of energy is rising, the requirement for more number of sources supporting low outflow power generation is ascending too. This assumes a key part in fuelling the interest for micro turbines. In addition, control age plants and shoppers are progressively searching for savvy operation keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish beneficial power age and supply. A standout amongst the most significant drivers of the market incorporates the capacity of micro turbine frameworks to work on numerous powers. Utilization of materials, including thermal barrier coatings and earthenware production enhances the effectiveness of micro turbine frameworks, in the long run expanding the resultant motor operating temperature. Such innovative headways in micro turbines are evaluated to additionally reinforce the market. Cross breed electric vehicles raise the most extreme interest for low power rating micro turbines. As major OEMs are progressively putting resources into R&D exercises for upgraded micro turbines effectiveness, the market is anticipated to pick up footing sooner rather than later.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Global Micro Turbines Market: Market PotentialAccording to a recent news, the SIX clean-vitality speculations secured as of late in Singapore will make 400 expert level occupations and result in S$500 million in combined business spending throughout the following five years. These speculations - in the fields of sun based, small scale matrices, vitality stockpiling and computerized advances - point to Singapore remaining a decision area for organizations to advance and popularize advances, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon on Tuesday.Request TOC of the Report @Global Micro Turbines Market: Regional OverviewNorth America is right now the biggest market for micro turbines. Contributing around half to the aggregate worldwide market incomes, the North American market is driven by the U.S. Awareness about expanding carbon impression is probably going to help the market development in the U.S. all through the conjecture time frame. Also, strict administrative intercession by different natural associations, including CAA is evaluated to drive the market in North America. While N. America is relied upon to hold the best market position, the U.S. will remain the unmistakable pioneer through to 2020. Apart this, the second biggest market for micro turbines is Europe.Get Discount @Global Micro Turbines Market: Vendor LandscapeFlexEnergy (US), MTT (Netherlands), Capstone Turbine (US), Ansaldo Energia (Italy), and Toyota Turbine and Systems (Japan) are some of the major players in the global micro turbines market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
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Balloon Catheters Market Expansion Projected to Gain an Uptick During 2017 - 2025
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Balloon catheter is a delicate catheter device with an inflatable balloon at its tip which may be introduced into a duct or vessel and then blown up to clear the blockage. The balloon catheter is primarily used to treat heart related diseases, specifically coronary heart disease, caused due to diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol level in blood. Utilization of these catheters has been consistently increasing in the health care industry and these devices have become an essential part of medical diagnostics and treatment.Rise in prevalence of various chronic heart diseases due to high cholesterol or diabetes have increased demand for catheters in the health care industry. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases accounted for over 17.7 million deaths in 2015; of these coronary heart disease accounted for around 7.4 million deaths. Furthermore, majority of the deaths occurred in emerging economies due to high prevalence rate and lack of health care services in rural areas. According to the United Nations Population Fund (2015), around 12.3% of the global population comprised people aged 60 years and above and this figure is projected to increase to 22% by 2050. Therefore, rise in geriatric population and demand for minimally invasive procedures are factors fueling the growth of the balloon catheters market in developed as well as in emerging economies. Recent advancements in cardiac procedures such as development of advanced cardiovascular catheter devices has fuelled the growth of the market. However, rise in incidence of catheter-associated infections restrains the market.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global balloon catheters market can be segmented based on product type, type of material, disease indication, and end-user. In terms of product type, the market can be classified into normal balloon catheter, scoring balloon catheter, cutting balloon catheter, stent graft balloon catheter, and drug eluting balloon catheter. Based on type of material, the balloon catheters market can be segmented into polyurethane, nylon, and other type of materials such as pebax. The polyurethane segment is expected to dominate the balloon catheters market in the near future. In terms of disease indication, the market can be segmented into coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. Based on end-user, the balloon catheters market can be segmented into ambulatory surgical centers, hospitals, and cardiac catherization laboratories.Geographically, the global balloon catheters market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is a leading market for balloon catheters and is expected to dominate the global market during the forecast period. Increased patient awareness, availability of advanced health care facilities and infrastructure, and health care expenditure are the major factors fueling the growth of the balloon catheters market in the region. Asia Pacific is also a major market for balloon catheters and is anticipated to expand at a high growth rate in the next few years. Ongoing improvements in health care infrastructure and growth of medical tourism across several developing economies contribute to the growth of the market in the region.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Major players in the global balloon catheters market are Abbott Laboratories, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic plc, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Jotech GmbH, Teleflex Incorporated, and Vascular Solutions, Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USAbhishek BudholiyaState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Gene Editing Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023
Gene Editing Market
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Gene editing or Genome editing is the type of genetic editing where DNA is inserted, replaced or deleted in the genome of an organism in order to treat a specific disease by using a molecular scissors or engineered nuclease. These nucleases create site-specific double-stranded breaks in desired locations in genome. The induced double-stranded breaks are repaired through nonhomologous end joining or homologous recombination resulting in targeted mutations (edits).Rise in the prevalence rate of cancer & other genetic disorders, increasing preference in the personalized medicine, companies investments towards R&D, and growth of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, increase in private and public sector funding, rapid advancements in sequencing and gene editing technologies, applications in various drug discovery processes are some of the factors propelling the growth of the genome editing market. However, global gene editing market is hindered by stringent government regulations to approve gene mutation projects, ethical issues, unavailability of gene editing based therapeutics in the market and lack of awareness among people regarding the safety of genetic interventions.A sample of this report is available upon request @The gene editing market segmented based upon applications, technology, end-user, products, and region.On the basis of technology, global genome editing market is segmented as: Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) OthersOn the basis of application, global genome editing market is segmented as: Cell Line Editing Targeted gene mutation Animal Genome Editing Plant Genome EditingOn the basis of product type, global genome editing market is segmented as: Consumables Instruments and SoftwareOn the basis of end-user, Global Genome Editing Market is segmented as: Pharmaceutical companies Biotechnology Companies Academics Clinical Research OrganizationsTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors dominate gene editing market due to its applications in drug discovery and therapeutics. Rise in usage of CRISPR and ZFN, companies are investing on innovative research for development of novel gene editing techniques. Many players are adopting various strategies which include collaborations for R&D outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, strategic or manufacturing activities are driving the growth of genome editing market. For instance, in 2014, Thermo Fisher acquired Life technologies, to create unbeatable leadership in life sciences, research, specialty diagnostics and applied markets.In 2014, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (U.S.) entered into an agreement with Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (U.S.) to use CRISPR technology. High growth potential in emerging regions provides lucrative opportunities to industry players.On the basis of Geographical regions, the genome editing market categorized into five regions:, Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The gene editing market is dominated by North America due to the strong growth trend in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries. Emerging economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to show significant growth in the gene editing market due to an increase in the number of laboratories in these regions and development of existing ones for automation of various instrumentation systems, the expansion of leading genome editing companies and increased R&D spending.Some of the players in genome editing market are Cellectis S.A. (France), Applied Stemcell, Inc. (U.S.), Genscript (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), Horizon Discovery Group plc,(U.K.), Origene Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), System Biosciences, Inc. (U.S.), Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.(U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S), and Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.(U.S.).Need more information about this report @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152 160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @
5G infrastructure Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2025
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Global 5G infrastructure Market: OverviewWhile ubiquity of smartphones has radically increased the demand for high speed internet, persistent technologies have also resulted in the development of other electronic goods that can make use of improved data transfer connections. Collectively, these two factors have escalated the need for 5G infrastructure, which not only promises enhanced performance, the future of mobile networks is revolutionizing. Constructed on the concept of network slicing, 5G enables the slicing of network infrastructure into smaller fragments that can individually operate and serve specific purposes. Driven by the fresh concept of programmability and virtualization, the modern 5G networks are expected to be highly reliable and will be cost effective too, and hence, the demand in the global 5G infrastructure market will increment at a robust double-digit CAGR during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.Global 5G infrastructure Market: Key TrendsEscalating demand from mobile data services, growing dependency of various industries on machine-to-machine communication in order to increase production and ensure safety, and increasing importance of implementing software in communication network are some of the key factors augmenting the demand in the global 5G infrastructure market. Over a 5G network, cloud computing services such as network as a service (NaaS), data as a service (DaaS), Machine as a service (MaaS), and Knowledge as a service (KaaS) can be delivered without the requirement of independent software or hardware and even the cognitive objects themselves.Request Sample Copy of the Report@On the other hand, delays in proper standardization of spectrum allocations and challenges pertaining to designing including MIMO and inter-cell interference are a few obstructions hindering the prosperity of the global 5G infrastructure market. Nevertheless, the vendors of this market are expected to gain new opportunities from increasing demand from diverse end-use industries and growth of the Internet of Things technology.Global 5G infrastructure Market: Market PotentialThe tremendous growth that 5G infrastructure market is showcasing is a result of rapid technological development by a number of major players of the market. Chinese technology giants such as Huawei and ZTE as well as Nokia in Finland have poured in investments to manufacture equipment required for the network and have initiated prototyping with several leading mobile service carriers such as China Mobile, AT&T, China Unicom, and SoftBank. Moreover, vendors are focused particularly on automation technologies such as robotics, internet of things (IoT), and machine to machine learning. For all these new advancements, robust network connections as essential and 5G network is adequate to tackle them.Request TOC of the Report @Global 5G infrastructure Market: Regional OutlookAmong all important regions such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa, North America is expected to sustain its position as the leading region with maximum demand. This can be attributed to increasing demand of automation from various industries in the country of the U.S., growing number of mobile subscribers, prosperity of video on demand services, escalations in autonomous cars, and increase in cellular machine to machine connections are a few factors aiding the North America 5G infrastructure market. Europe is another lucrative region, although vastly populated region of Asia Pacific is lagging behind owing to delays in spectrum distribution.Global 5G infrastructure Market: Competitive AnalysisIntel, Qualcomm, Ericsson, NEC, Samsung, Qorvo, MediaTek, Huawei, Nokia, AT&T, Cavium, Cisco, Analog Devices, SK Telecom, Verizon Communications, T-Mobile, Korea Telecom, ZTE, China Mobile, and MACOM Technology Solutions are some of the key companies currently holding a position of strength in the global 5G infrastructure market. Entrance of new players is limited in this market owing to the requirement of strong capital investments.Get Discount @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clientsContact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Market Estimated to Flourish by 2017 2025
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Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: OverviewThe constant rise in the semiconductor industry is reflecting greatly on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market. Despite facing severe competition from the silicon carbide semiconductor devices industry over the past few years, this market is likely to benefit from the expanding application base of gallium nitride in a number of areas in the near future.The continual progress in novel technologies and the widening application scope of gallium nitride are projected to drive this market further in the years to come. The advent of electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to offer excellent opportunities for the growth of this market over the forthcoming years.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Key TrendsThe significant growth in the RF semiconductor devices industry has surfaced as the main trend in the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices. Since, the RF semiconductor industry is actively interconnected to the information and communication industry, creating a need for electronic devices to operate at broad frequency ranges on the basis of the applications, gallium nitride semiconductor devices are witnessing strong demand, which is reflecting positively on the markets growth. However, the high cost incurred in industrial processes may restrict this market from growing smoothly in the years to come.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Market PotentialBlue laser diodes and Blu-ray disc players are creating significant opportunity from the application of gallium nitride semiconductor devices. The ongoing rise in the demand for these products is likely to have a positive impact on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market in the near future. The increasing penetration of gallium nitride semiconductor devices in LED-based lightings and displays is also expected to translate into significant growth of this market over the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices is spread across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America and Europe have emerged as the leading contributors to this market, thanks to the constant innovation and technological development in the products. The rising investments on research and development are likely to maintain the dominance of both the regional markets in the years to come.With the advent of Japan as one of the key domestic market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices, thanks to the upsurge in the semiconductor industry in the country, Asia Pacific is also projected to report a steady rise in the near future.Get Discount @Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Competitive AnalysisWith a number of key players, the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor displays a competitive and fragmented market. NTT Advanced Technology Corp., Toshiba Corp., International Quantum Epitaxy Plc, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., Cree Inc., Texas Instruments, EPIGEAN NV, RF Micro Devices Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., AZZURRO Semiconductors AG, and Aixtron SE are some of the leading vendors of gallium nitride semiconductor devices. These companies mostly rely on technological advancements to maintain their position in this market. However, a shift in their focus towards strategic alliances can be observed in the near future.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Orthostatic Hypotension Market to Discern Steadfast Expansion During 2017 - 2025
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Orthostatic hypotension is also called postural hypotension. It occurs when a patients blood pressure decreases while standing up or sitting down. Orthostatic hypotension can be defined as fall in systolic blood pressure by at least 20mm Hg or fall in diastolic blood pressure by at least 10mm Hg while standing up or lying down. Postural hypotension can make a person feel light headed, dizzy, and even faint. Orthostatic hypotension is caused due to various reasons such as dehydration, heart problems, endocrine problems, and nervous systems disorders. The person suffering from this disorder can be at risk of fainting, stroke, or cardiovascular diseases.The global orthostatic hypotension market is expect to expand at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Orthostatic hypotension is considered one of the common cardiovascular diseases, underlying neurodegenerative disorders. According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, prevalence of orthostatic hypotension is between 5% and 30%, globally. This is one key factor driving the global orthostatic hypotension market. Rise in geriatric population and unhealthy lifestyle such as alcoholism are attributed to the growth of the global market. Furthermore, prevalence of certain chronic diseases such as diabetes, medication such as antipsychotics, and relaxants that increase the risk of orthostatic hypotension are factors likely to propel the global market during the forecast period. Side effects of the treatment and lack of awareness among the people toward the disorder in developing countries are factors restraining the global orthostatic hypotension market.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global orthostatic hypotension market can be segmented based on drug class, diagnostic test, end-user, and region. In terms of drug class, the global orthostatic hypotension market can be divided Fludrocortisone, midodrine, indomethacin, NSAIDs, oxilofrine, and others. Based on diagnostic test, the global market can be categorized into blood tests, stress tests, ECG, and others. In terms of end-user, the global orthostatic market can be segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and others. The hospitals segment is expected to register significant growth due to increase in number of hospitals and health care expenditure.Geographically, the global orthostatic hypotension market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to dominate the market, accounting for the largest share. Increase in prevalence of obesity in young adults and children leading to orthostatic hypotension is one of the major factors driving the market in the region. Furthermore, advanced technology, rise in awareness among people toward diagnosis of the disorders, high health care expenditure, and availability of the drugs are some of the factors attributed to the growth of the orthostatic hypotension market in North America. Europe is also anticipated to account for a significant share of the global market. Factors attributed to the growth of the market in the region are increase in geriatric population and rise in health care expenditure. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register faster growth rate during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is the most lucrative market due to rising geriatric population, adoption of health care solutions for better standard of life, rise in awareness about health, prevalence of lifestyle related diseases, and high investment in health care sector.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Key players in the global orthostatic hypotension market have adopted strategies such as mergers, acquisitions, cost effective and efficient drugs, and collaborative partnerships to gain leadership position. Major players operating in the global orthostatic hypotension market are H. Lundbeck A/S, Amgen, Inc., Shire plc, and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USAbhishek BudholiyaState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Oral Contraceptive Pills Market: Increasing Maternal Age and Late Pregnancies to Drive Demand
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https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=8323nAgeasNFU MutualInsure4retirement.co.ukJohn LewisHiscoxCo-op InsuranceThe Military MutualTesco BankAsdaFor more information about this report@About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
Armenian soldiers found the body of an Azerbaijani army captain today near a military position along the southwestern border with Azerbaijan, reports Armenias Ministry of Defense.
The site was described as a strip of no man's land straddling the border.
The ministry claims the dead man had committed crimes at the base he was serving at and had taken flight.
The International Red Cross has been notified.
Global Electric Fan Market Is Set to Boom in 2017 And Coming Years
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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Electric Fan Market Professional Survey Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The report Electric Fan Market is a comprehensive industry study featuring qualitative and quantitative analysis. In todays complex business environment, players in the global Electric Fan market need to remain updated about the latest trends. The latest intelligence on the Electric Fan market can help companies form more informed business decisions. Furthermore, knowing the latest market trends will also help companies avoid any unnecessary business risks in the changing landscape of the global Electric Fan market. The research report on the global Electric Fan market presents to readers recent news, key deals, and other trends that are shaping the market. Furthermore, the valuable recommendations provided in the global Electric Fan market report will help companies form a more effective strategy, whether to penetrate a new market or expand their portfolio.The research report begins with a brief industry overview. In this section, the report offers definition, specifications, classifications, and applications of Electric Fan. Further to this, key data on the latest industry news and major deals is covered. This will update readers regarding the key events that are shaping the global Electric Fan market. Moreover, the report also provides the latest news and details regarding the regulatory framework of the global Electric Fan market.Get Research Summary Of The Report:This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringPanasonicEmersonAlfa ElectricChuan-Fan ElectricJohnson ElectricGlobe MotorsLEESON ElectricSystemairLastly, the research report delivers a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape of the global Electric Fan market. This section covers the analysis of key companies operating in the global Electric Fan market with their portfolio, production data, company profile, price, revenue, and cost. In addition to this, this section also enlists the contact information of these major firms.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Electric Fan1.1 Definition and Specifications of Electric Fan1.1.1 Definition of Electric Fan1.1.2 Specifications of Electric Fan1.2 Classification of Electric Fan1.3 Applications of Electric Fan1.4 Market Segment by Regions2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electric Fan2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electric Fan2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Electric Fan2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Electric FanView TOC (Table of Content) of the Report:8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Electric Fan8.1 Panasonic8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.3 Panasonic 2016 Electric Fan Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Panasonic 2016 Electric Fan Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Emerson8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.3 Emerson 2016 Electric Fan Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Emerson 2016 Electric Fan Business Region Distribution AnalysisList of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Electric FanTable Product Specifications of Electric FanTable Classification of Electric FanFigure Global Production Market Share of Electric Fan by Type in 2016Figure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Electric Fan by Application in 2016Table Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Electric Fan Major Manufacturers in 2016Table Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Electric Fan Major Manufacturers in 2016Table R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Electric Fan Major Manufacturers in 2016About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Wahing Machine Market Expected To Witness The Highest Growth
Wahing Machine Market
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The Global Wahing Machine Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Wahing Machine Industry on a global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.The report on Global Wahing Machine Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the Wahing Machine industry a propos classification, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The potential of this industry segment has been rigorously investigated in conjunction with primary market challenges. The present market condition and future prospects of the segment has also been examined. Moreover, key strategies in the market that includes product developments, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, etc., are discussed. Besides, upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also conducted.Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Wahing Machine Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain.The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Wahing Machine Market.Global Wahing Machine market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Wahing Machine sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including Haier LG Panasonic Samsung Sanyo Simense TCL Philips Bosch MideaThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the Wahing Machine industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies. Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations.The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner. The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the Wahing Machine industry in the global markets.Browse full report with Table of Content @Every regions market has been studied thoroughly in this report which deals with the precise information pertaining to the Marketing Channels and novel project investments so that the new entrants as well as the established market players conduct intricate research of trends and analysis in these regional markets. Acknowledging the status of the environment and products up gradation, the market report foretells each and every detail.So as to fabricate this report, complete key details, strategies and variables are examined so that entire useful information is amalgamated together for the understanding and studying the key facts pertaining the global Wahing Machine Industry. The production value and market share in conjunction with the SWOT analysis everything is integrated in this report.Some points from TOC:-Global Wahing Machine Sales Market Report 20171 Wahing Machine Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wahing Machine1.2 Classification of Wahing Machine by Product Category1.2.1 Global Wahing Machine Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Wahing Machine Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Pulsator Wahing Machine1.2.4 Drum Wahing Machine1.2.5 Agitator Wahing Machine1.2.6 Jet Flow Wahing Machine1.2.7 Other1.3 Global Wahing Machine Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Wahing Machine Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Home1.3.3 Commercial1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Wahing Machine Market by Region1.4.1 Global Wahing Machine Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Wahing Machine Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Wahing Machine (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Wahing Machine Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Wahing Machine Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Check For Discount @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. 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Telecommunication Services Global Group of Eight (G8) Industry Guide 2017
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The G8 countries contributed $626,531.0 million in 2016 to the global telecommunication services industry, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -4.3% between 2012 and 2016. The G8 countries are expected to reach a value of $691,278.2 million in 2021, with a CAGR of 2% over the 2016-21 period.Among the G8 nations, the US is the leading country in the telecommunication services industry, with market revenues of $308,426.0 million in 2016. This was followed by Japan and the UK, with a value of $120,485.4 and $46,369.6 million, respectively.The US is expected to lead the telecommunication services industry in the G8 nations with a value of $335,922.4 million in 2016, followed by Japan and the UK with expected values of $133,544.0 and $51,195.4 million, respectively.Get Sample Copy of Report@The G8 Telecommunication Services industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-16, and forecast to 2021). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market.Essential resource for top-line data and analysis covering the G8 telecommunication services market. Includes market size and segmentation data, textual and graphical analysis of market growth trends and leading companies.Read More Information and TOC of the Report@- Save time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the size, growth, major segments, and leading players in the G8 telecommunication services market- Use the Five Forces analysis to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the G8 telecommunication services market- Leading company profiles reveal details of key telecommunication services market players' G8 operations and financial performance- Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the G8 telecommunication services market with five year forecasts by both value and volume- Compares data from the US, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia and Japan, alongside individual chapters on each countryBuy This Report@Table of ContentsIntroductionWhat is this report about?Who is the target reader?How to use this reportDefinitionsGroup of Eight (G) Telecommunication ServicesIndustry OutlookTelecommunication Services in CanadaMarket OverviewMarket DataMarket SegmentationMarket outlookFive forces analysisMacroeconomic indicatorsTelecommunication Services in FranceMarket OverviewMarket DataMarket SegmentationMarket outlookFive forces analysisMacroeconomic indicatorsTelecommunication Services in GermanyMarket OverviewMarket DataMarket SegmentationMarket outlookAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.com
Laboratory Water Purifier Market: Popular Trends & Technological Advancements to Watch Out for Near Future
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The global Laboratory Water Purifier Market is fragmented in nature with a host of small and large players competing against one another. This makes the competitive environment quite cutthroat. In order to outsell their rivals, key manufacturers are focusing hard on product differentiation through innovative technologies. Some of the prominent names operating in the market are Merck KGaA, Elga Labwater, Pall Corporation, Sartorious AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Aqua Solutions, Inc., Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, Purite Ltd., and Chengdu Ultrapure Technology Co. Ltd.A noticeable trend in the global laboratory water purifier market is the smaller players entering into partnerships with distributors and service providers to grow their market shares. Acquisitions are another means by which companies are growing their shares, especially the large ones. The well-entrenched manufacturers, with their robust distribution networks and strong after-sales service, are constantly striving to expand their outreach and retain their existing consumer base.Sample With Latest Advancements @A report by Transparency Market Research forecasts the global laboratory water purifier market to rise at a robust 11.6% CAGR between 2017 and 2022 to reach a value of US$19.259 bn by 2022 from US$10.060 bn in 2016.Technological Investments in China and Japan Propel Asia Pacific Market to the Top SlotDepending upon the end-use industry, the global laboratory water purifier market can be segmented into food, environment, oil and gas, academic and government, and healthcare. Among them, healthcare is again divided into hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and clinical diagnostics and OEM. At present the segment of healthcare dominates the market for laboratory water purifier. In 2016, the segments share in the market was a substantial 39%.Browse Our Press Releases For More Information @Geographically, the key segments of the global laboratory water purifier market are North America, South America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Of them, Asia Pacific is a key region that accounts of maximum share in the market. In 2016 the regions share was about 41.0%. In the upcoming years, the region is also expected to clock maximum growth on the back of significant technological investment in the countries of China and Japan.Growing Application Areas Stokes Uptake of Laboratory Water Purification SystemsLatest technologies are helping to develop more advanced laboratory water purification systems with improved functionalities. Technological investments, particularly in the emerging economies of Asia Pacific, are providing a major boost to the global laboratory water purifier market. Another factor helping to catalyze growth in the market is the growing use of the systems in different applications. The expanding application areas of laboratory water purifiers in various laboratories activities is also generating high demand for laboratory water purifiers specifically in Asia-Pacific region, explains the lead analyst of the report.View Report @Besides the exploding ecommerce sector, the robust demand from the healthcare sector and the advent of industry specific laboratory water purifier systems in the developed countries of Europe and North America are also underpinning the growth momentum in the market.Lack of Awareness of Customers about Various Applications Crimps DemandOn the flip side, the growth in the global laboratory water purifier market is hampered by the dearth of awareness among customers as regards to which type of purification will be required for their application. However, continuous improvement technology is anticipated to present several growth opportunities over the forecast period, adds the lead analyst of the report.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Anti-Drone Market: Popular Trends & Technological Advancements to Watch Out for Near Future
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The presence of a significant pool of big and small players in the global anti-drone market indicates a highly dynamic and competitive vendor landscape, as per a new study by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Keen players in the market are relying upon innovation to be progressive in this market that is competitive yet opportunity-laden, notes the study. Further, the emergence of start-ups with their bandwagon of ideas for innovation is expected to alter the current dynamics and intensify competition among manufacturers of anti-drones in the upcoming years.Some prominent players operating in the global anti-drone market include Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd., Dedrone Detect Inc., DRONESHIELD, Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corporation, SAAB A.B., and Theiss UAV Solutions LLC.Sample With Latest Advancements @A report by Transparency Market Research evaluated the global anti-drone market to be worth US$214.7 mn in 2016. Expanding at an impressive 19.9% CAGR between 2017 and 2025, the market is expected to attain a value of US$1,204.9 mn by 2025.North America to Display Notable Growth through 2025Amongst end users, government and military dominate with the segments holding the leading share of the anti-drone market in 2016. The military is also predicted to display rapid growth amongst all end-use segments over the forecast period followed by the government.In terms of anti-drone types, the segment of neutralizing system held the leading share in the market vis-a-vis revenue in 2016.Region-wise, the global anti-drone market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and South America. North America is expected to display the leading growth, amongst all key regions, at a CAGR of 21.6% over the forecast period between 2017 and 2025.Browse Our Press Releases For More Information @Reduced Prices of Anti-Drone Systems lead to Increasing Uptake for Commercial ApplicationsAcross the world, need to counter security threat posed by unwanted intrusion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned aerial systems (UASs) is the prime factor driving the anti-drone market. Several governments and law enforcement agencies in parts of the world have started to recognize the potential of security threats from UAVs and UASs. Anti-drone systems have the ability of tracking, locating, and detecting UAVs from a certain distance and thwart unlawful activities that may cause harm to civilian life.In recent years, rapid technological advancements for the manufacture of UAVs and UASs have led to significant drop in their prices. This, in turn, has increased their affordability among several end users. Although UAVs were originally developed for military applications, which has grown manifold in terms of size, payload, and capabilities in recent years; their use for unlawful activities such as piracy, unauthorized surveillance, and spying is also on the rise. This has necessitated the deployment of anti-drone systems to counter such activities, especially in war-prone countries such as Iraq, Syria, and other African countries.View Report @The commercialization of technologies for the development of anti-drone systems has also been stoking growth of this market. Local companies are coming up with their own versions of commercial anti-drone technologies, although they are not as lethal as those used by the military sector.However, factors such as strict government regulations for deployment of anti-drone systems and high initial investments for the setup of the anti-drone manufacturing facility are acting as restraints to the growth of this market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Application Development and Deployment Software Market: Emergence of Advanced Technologies and Global Industry Analysis
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A recent business and commerce study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has detected that the global Application Development And Deployment Software Market is neither consolidated nor fragmented, owing to the presence of several players while a few of them holding dominant positions. The TMR report identifies IBM, Salesforce.com, Inc., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., SAP SE, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Alphabet Inc., ServiceNow, Inc., CA Technology Inc., and Compuware Corp. as some of the key players who are currently ahead of the curve in the competitive landscape of the global application development and deployment software market.Application Development & Deployment Software Market Projected for CAGR 25.6%As per the estimations of the report, the demand in the application development and deployment software market, across the globe, will increment at a phenomenal CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022. The report has projected the revenue in this market to reach US$346,434.0 mn by the end of the forecast period, exponentially up from its evaluated worth of US$110,650.7 mn at the start of the forecast period, which is 2017. In the near future, most of the key players are expected to develop customized applications as per the requirements of the clients and gain ground over the intense competition.Sample With Latest Advancements @Based on type, the global application development and deployment software market gains maximum demand for structured data management software, which accounted for 37.7% of the overall demand in 2017 and is expected to push-up to 47.4% of the total demand by 2022. By the end of the forecast period, structured data management software segment of the application development and deployment software market is projected to produce a demand worth of US$164.196.1 mn. The other type segments of this market are: application development software, application server middleware, data access, analysis and delivery, integration and process automation middleware, and quality and life cycle tools. Geographically, the TMR report picks out North America as most lucrative region. By 2022, the North America application development and deployment software market is estimated to reach a valuation of US$96,213.1 mn. The region is exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.9% during the said forecast period.Compatibility to Any Business Environment and Improve Efficiency Driving DemandThe multi-billion software market has been flourishing for past couple of decades and application development and deployment software market is feeding off it. These software are model-driven and translate various domain specific models into workable business application. The application development and deployment software has the ability to radically reduce, if not completely eliminate, the need for computer code. Providing a solution with which focus can be entirely on business requirements rather than the technical details, the market for application development and deployment software can also adapt to changing market dynamics, and hence is gaining uptake.Browse Our Press Releases For More Information @Application development and deployment software provides the architecture and tools to rapidly test, customize, deploy, and manage business applications in virtually any existing environment. Domain specific models such as security, work-flow, data design, processes, and integration can all be integrated into a single application model, which can be executed in real time. As the awareness regarding the apparent benefits spreads, the demand in the global application development and deployment software market is expected to escalate. Application development and deployment software is turning into a boon for various verticals including IT and telecommunications, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), transportation and logistics, energy and utilities, manufacturing, and retail and consumer goods.Cost of the Software Obstructing Markets ProsperityWhile the market for application development and deployment software is doing pretty well in the developed countries, various business enterprises in emerging economies are either unaware of these new tools or are resisting adoptability owing to cost factors. However, these two factors are now expected to pose too many hindrances to the prosperity of the market.Browse Our Table of Content @The global application development and deployment software market is moderately consolidated with a few players holding strong positions. Some of those prominent companies are: Microsoft Corp., IBM, Salesforce.com, Inc., Oracle Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, SAP SE, Alphabet Inc., CA Technology Inc., Compuware Corp., and ServiceNow, Inc. However, newer players are creating a niche for themselves by catering to domestic requirements and are expected to eat out good chunk of shares from the market leaders. Product innovation and acquisitions of promising players are the two most common strategies of the established players.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
PRESS RELEASE: Deviate Cycles, 23/11/17 1200GMT
Deviate Guide Details
Full high modulus carbon fiber construction
Wheel size: 27.5
160mm of rear wheel travel
Supplied with Cane Creek DBAir CS or DBAir Inline shock
Metric shock (210*55mm)
Pinion C-Line 12spd Gearbox Drivetrain
Integrated chain tensioning system
Integrated bash guard
Full internal cable routing
31.6mm seatpost with internal cable routing
Enduro double row, angular contact, max fill bearings on all pivots
Twin lip wiper seals for all suspension pivots
Bonded rubber protection from rock strikes and chain slap
2.7 tire clearance
M, L frame sizes (S coming soon)
Delivery: February 2018.
Price: 3399 including UK VAT Frame Only (inc. Pinion and frame accessories) / $4027 USD (approx.)
Gearbox Drive
Huge Gear Range
No Derailleur
Shift while Stationary
Fully Sealed Drive System
Superb Handling
Improved Ground Clearance
Unrivalled Suspension Performance
High Pivot Point
Zero Pedal Kickback
Anti-Squat Optimised
Low Un-sprung Mass
Efficient Suspension
Fully Sealed Bearings
UK Build
We like this build for mainly 1:1 (climb:descend) riding - but also works great in the Alps.
Cane Creek DBAir Inline shock
Cane Creek Helm forks
ZTR Arch MK3 wheelset
Cane Creek 110 headset
9point8 150mm dropper post
Shimano XT Brakes 180mm rotors
Renthal 35m 800mm bar and 33mm stem
Maxxis HR2 Exo 3C TR tires
Fabric Scoop Pro Team saddle (carbon rails)
Price: 5699 including UK VAT / $6752 USD (approx.)
Alpine Build
We prefer this build for riding with some form of uplift assistance or very rocky and rough terrain.
Cane Creek DBAir CS shock
Cane Creek Helm forks
ZTR Flow MK3 wheelset
Cane Creek 110 headset
9point8 150mm dropper post
Shimano XT brakes F: 200mm R: 180mm rotors
Renthal 35m 800mm ar and 33mm stem
Maxxis HR2 F: Exo 3C TR R: DD 3C TR tires
Fabric Scoop Pro Team saddle (carbon rails)
Price: 5799 including UK VAT / $6870 USD (approx.)
Berkey Talks High-Stakes Backing, "Isildur1" Biggest Winner of the Week
November 23, 2017 Yori Epskamp Senior Content Manager
Before we turn our attention to the digital felt, let's take a look back at the massive kings versus aces pot which Matt Berkey lost on the Poker After Dark episode "Leave it to Seiver". With the blinds at $200/$400 and a live straddle from Garrett Adelstein, Berkey ended up calling a five-bet preflop with against Adelstein's . All the money eventually went in on a board and Berkey found himself on the receiving end of one of the most brutal coolers in televised poker.
Berkey lost over $200,000 in that single hand and lost another $100,000 when a hero call against Christopher Kruk went awry. It's a lot of money, but these kind of swings aren't uncommon at these stakes. In this video, Berkey gives insight on how backing and bankrolls co-exist in the high-stakes world and talks about what kind of money is needed to be able to deal with the volatility that accompanies these games.
Catching Up on High Stakes Action: Three Biggest Pots Online
No stranger to swings, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom bounced right back up from biggest loser to biggest winner this week. Blom was the only player to bank more than $100K in profit, which bumped his 2017 profit further into the seven-digit territory.
Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski won the biggest pot in big blinds this week, as he scooped up a gigantic 586 big blind pot at a 6 Max $50/$100 NL Hold'em table. "ZarubaNT" claimed the other two $50,000+ pots in this list, both at the expense of "lynx4334".
1) "ZarubaNT" Wins a $58,763 Pot (147 Big Blinds) from "lynx4334"
($200/$400 NL Hold'em 6 Max)
"lynx4334" opened in middle position for $1,400. "ZarubaNT" three-bet on the button to $3,200 with , and "lynx4334" called. The flop came down , which gave "ZarubaNT" a flopped full house. "lynx4334" checked, "ZarubaNT" continued $3,147,75, "lynx4334" check-minraised to $6,295,50 and "ZarubaNT" called in position.
The pot was already up to $19,591 as both players checked the on the turn. The on the river made "ZarubaNT"'s full house weaker, as any now had him beat. "lynx4334" bet $19,586, a pot-sized bet and nearly all of his remaining $21,728.39 stack, and "ZarubaNT" called it off.
"lynx4334" couldn't muster up more than for a total airball and "ZarubaNT" collected the biggest pot of the week.
Click for replay via HighStakesDB
2) Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski Wins a $58,579.80 Pot (586 Big Blinds) from "jayaprakashj".
($50/$100 NL Hold'em 6 Max)
A gigantic clash between Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski and "jayaprakashj" resulted in a massive 586 big blinds pot. Jason "jakoon1985" Koon also contributed to the pot and folded before showdown.
The action started off rather innocuous with Badziakouski raising to $300 on the button. Koon called from the small blind before "jayaprakashj" three-bet to $1,400 from the big blind. Both Badziakouski and Koon came along to see a flop.
The flop got checked to Badziakouski, who bet $1,100. Koon called, "jayaprakashj" check-raised to $4,747, Badziakouski called and Koon called as well.
All the action had bolstered the pot to $18,581 - 186 big blinds - before the landed on the turn. Koon checked, "jayaprakashj" bet $9,999, nearly half of his remaining $19,999 stack, Badziakouski moved all in for $46,692, Koon folded with $26,948.05 behind, and "jayaprakashj" called the rest of his stack off.
The players agreed to run it twice. "jayaprakashj" showed for an open-ended straight draw, while Badziakouski had for top pair and a flush draw.
Player Hand Run it Once Run it Twice "jayaprakashj" 13,6% 1,9% [23,6% chop] Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski 86,4% 74,5% [23,6% chop]
"jayaprakashj" needed to hit one of the non-club tens or fives to avoid losing his entire stack. Neither the on the first run nor the on the second helped "jayaprakashj" and Badziakouski claimed the entire 586 big blind pot.
Click for replay via HighStakesDB
3) "ZarubaNT" Wins a $53,768,52 Pot (134 Big Blinds) from "lynx4334"
($200/$400 NL Hold'em 6 Max
"ZarubaNT" and "lynx4334" weren't done with each other yet, as the two clashed in another big pot that left the latter empty-handed. "Scarface.VLT" opened the action with a raise to $1,000 from the cutoff and Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov called on the button. "lynx4334" three-bet to $2,800 in the small blind, "ZarubaNT" four-bet to $6,800 in the big blind, "Scarface.VLT" and Kuznetsov folded their hands but "lynx4334" came along with the call.
Both players checked the flop. On the turn, "lynx4334" bet $5,200 and "ZarubaNT" called. The river was the and "lynx4334" shoved for $13,884.26. "ZarubaNT" had an easy call with and bested "lynx4334"'s lower full house with .
Click for replay via HighStakesDB
This Week's Online High-Stakes Biggest Winners and Losers
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom is back on top this week, becoming the only player to profit more than six figures. Blom won $119,763 in 5,281 hands, which bumped his 2017 total profit to $1,255,540. The biggest loss this week was for Carlo "Ravenswood13" van Ravenswoud, who had to part with $178,646 over 4,486 hands. Blom took most of it directly from Van Ravenswoud in a session at the $1k/$2k Limit Omaha Hi-Lo tables, where Blom ended up winning $65,000 from the Dutchman residing in Malta. Van Ravenswoud could take the loss and is still up $984,269 for the year.
"lynx4334" lost the aforementioned two big pots against "ZarubaNT" and noted the second biggest loss of the week with -$57,719, behind Van Ravenswoud. Even with both big pots, "ZarubaNT" wasn't able to book a winning session at the high stakes and dropped $45,287 in total.
(user)name hands profit/loss 11/16-11/23 profit/loss 2017 profit/loss all time Winning Players 1 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom 5,281 +$119,736 +$1,255,540 +$2,766,711 2 Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 423 +$88,284 +$1,716,051 +$3,606,818 3 RaulGonzalez 1,871 +$78,215 +$349,612 +$1,092,062 4 Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski 618 +$77,118 -$143,701 +$192,763 5 Jordi "prot0" Urlings 2,103 +$63,165 +$568,158 +$496,049 6 BERRI SWEET 2,055 +$56,558 +$1,565,473 +$2,126,392 7 GiveMeUP 904 +$48,290 +$138,650 +$150,852 8 Iimitless 2,120 +$32,311 +$108,038 +$105,680 9 candela2005 484 +$30,020 -$166,662 -$1,617,114 10 EEE27 2,111 +$23,978 +$190,659 +$38,009 Losing Players 1 Carlo "Ravenswood13" van Ravenswoud 4,486 -$178,646 +$984,269 +$201,990 2 lynx4334 336 -$57,719 -$58,886 -$76,557 3 probirs 880 -$51,418 +$50,289 +$21,580 4 Jason "jakoon1985" Koon 465 -$50,057 -$27,416 -$2,523 5 ZarubaNT 3,315 -$45,287 +$28,151 +$27,447 6 Jonas "OtB_RedBaron" Mols 1,506 -$43,709 +$142,551 +$2,399,837 7 jayaprakashj 425 -$39,278 -$45,188 -$60,756 8 DRluck3 886 -$34,432 +$10,721 +$125,287 9 JayP-AA 167 -$30,484 +$237,126 +$2,212,320 10 tastyterps 589 -$26,869 -$31,276 -$31,276
The 2017 Leaderboard
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom is back in the Top 3 of biggest winners online in 2017, swapping places again with Carlo "Ravenswood13" van Ravenswoud who took his spot last week. With his winning sessions, Blom is up to $1,255,540 for the year. Van Ravenswoud slipped back into six-figure territory and now sits in fourth with $984,269 in winnings. Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov added $88,284 this week and remains the biggest winner with $1,716,051 profit.
The Top 3 of biggest losing players still consists of Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro, Dani "supernova9" Stern and "8superpoker". "8superpoker" was the only one to clock any hands and won $2,998.
(user)name hands 2017 profit/loss 2017 profit/loss per hand 2017 profit/loss all time / most played game 2017 Winning Players 1 Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 53,473 +$1,716,051 +$32.09 +$3,606,818 PLO 2 BERRI SWEET 50,834 +$1,565,473 +$30.80 +$2,126,392 PLO 3 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom 172,396 +$1,255,540 $23.89 +$2,766,711 8-Game Losing Players 1 Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro 53,987 -$1,249,136 -$23.13 -$1,952,299 - PLO 2 Dani "supernova9" Stern 10,039 -$777,373 -$77.43 -$1,439,781 - PLO 3 "8superpoker" 31,403 -$688,074 -$21.91 -$2,702,126 Limit
The above top winning and losing players in online poker for 2017 only takes PokerStars accounts into consideration. All public data courtesy of HighStakesDB.com. If you want to opt out of being listed in this PokerNews update on the high-stakes action, send an email with your username to [email protected]
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Sharelines Matt Berkey talks about high stakes backing
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom swings back on top, becomes biggest winner online this week
PR-Inside.com: 2017-11-23 17:11:16
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Alix Resources Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Alix Resources Corp. (TSX Venture:AIX). has issued a press release with the following headline:Alix Amends Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Alix Resources Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Alix Resources Corp.Source: Alix Resources Corp. (TSX Venture: AIX, FWB: 37N, WKN: A12GQ2, ISIN: CA01642R3009)Date: November 23, 2017Time: 11:10 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Alix Resources Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Karen Harutyunyan, a dark-eyed ten-year-old diagnosed as intellectually disabled, dreams of becoming a policeman. He wants to catch the bad guys.
That dream may be dashed, however, because the Hrazdan Day Care Center for Disabled Children in Hrazdan Karen attends after regular school is scheduled to close due to a lack of funds.
The boy is now brushing up on the Armenian alphabet at the center. After attending classes at the Hrazdan Special School, Karen and other classmates come to the center just to hang out and relax.
The center is run by the Childrens Assistance Fund, founded eleven years ago. It opened the center four years ago.
Artour has been coming to the center for the past four years. Helped by his physical therapist, Artour can now perform several exercises well.
Before coming to the center, Narek, diagnosed with brain trauma, couldnt straighten his back and his hands were inflexible. Now, with the help of the centers therapists, he can sit and move his hands. The curvature of his back is slowly decreasing.
We also met Hrach. His teacher, Marineh Atoyan, was helping the boy fashion a teddy bear on paper from colored strings. Hrach loves bears.
Hrachs mother says that Hrach also likes to sing and recite. When she puts his little sister to sleep, Hrach sings, just above a whisper.
Karen, Artour and Hrach are three of the 145 children that wont be able to attend the center when it closes in January.
The U.S. Embassy in Armenia has been financially supporting the center for the past three years. Kamo Arakelyan, who runs the center, has sought out new donors, but to no avail.
The Hrazdan Municipality and the Kotayk Provincial Administration have refused to step in and support the center, arguing they dont have the money.
When the provincial authorities dont support us, thats not right. The center is for the community and the entire province, Arakelyan said.
The center needs $28,000 to keep its doors open.
Having just recently received state accreditation, the center will have to wait one year to apply for support from the national government.
The center serves children, under the age of eighteen, from Hrazdan and the provinces of Kotayk and Gegharkunik.
Hopefully, the center will be able to serve these kids for many years to come.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-11-23 22:52:14
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Erin Ventures Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Victoria, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture:EV). has issued a press release with the following headline:Erin Ventures Completes Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Erin Ventures Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Erin Ventures Inc.Source: Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture: EV, WKN: A0CAFT, ISIN: CA29570H1010)Date: November 23, 2017Time: 4:52 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Erin Ventures Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
OTC Orthopedics Braces Market By Product, By Indication And By Region-Industry Analysis,Size,Share,Growth,Trends and Forecast 2016 to 2021
PR-Inside.com: 2017-11-23 09:34:57
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The Global OTC Orthopedic Braces Market is estimated to be growing from 1.05 billion in 2016 at a CAGR of 4.8%, to reach USD 1.33 billion by 2021. The market is showing high growth potential in the mentioned period. It will continue to expand with the recent developments in medical sector.Browse more details @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/otc-orthopedic-braces-market-3259/ Orthopedic braces are the medical devices which help in supporting and controlling the various joints of the body. The braces can be worn on knee, hip, ankle, back, neck, elbow, fingers, and wrist. Orthopedic braces regulate the position of limbs and initiate specific movement or motion in the body. Also, the braces can be used to compensate for muscles which are low in strength and to rectify structural abnormalities. Orthopedic braces are for diagnosis of cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and to treat with effects caused by stroke. Braces are also worn for getting extra support to avoid injuries on the joints. Athletes particularly wear braces to provide shock absorbance and to avoid injuries.The increasing popularity of orthopedic braces among the elder population, growing prevalence of bone-degenerative disorders, commercialization of the orthopedic bracing industry, and easy availability of OTC orthopedic brace, increasing inclination towards practicing sports, developing e-commerce websites, and wide usage of orthopedic braces for preventive care are the factors driving the growth of the global market. However, inclination of patients towards alternative treatments, insufficient reimbursement scenarios of OTC orthopedic brace and supports, doubtful efficacy of orthopedic braces and not being able to provide customization for OTC orthopedic braces are the key constraints for global OTC orthopedic brace market.Download Free Sample Report @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/otc-orthopedic-braces-market-3259/request-sample The Global OTC Orthopedic Braces market is broadly categorized on the basis of Product into Lower Extremity Braces, Knee Braces, Foot & Ankle Braces, Upper Extremity Braces, Shoulder Braces, Elbow Braces, Wrist Braces, Back & Hip Braces and Other Braces. Based on Indication, the market is segmented into Prophylactic, Injury, Osteoarthritis (OA) and Other Indications. The prophylactic braces segment is expected to hold the largest share of the global OTC orthopedic braces market in 2016 owing to increased participation in sports, studies proving the efficacy of prophylactic braces in decreasing the injuries, and increased awareness.On the basis of region the global market is segmented into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Middle-East and Africa. North America holds the biggest market share in the global OTC orthopedic braces market as of 2016 and is followed by Europe. However, the Asia-Pacific market is predicted to register the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021.Some of the major competitors dominating the global OTC Orthopedic Braces market are DJO Finance LLC, DeRoyal Industries Inc., Breg, Inc., Bauerfeind AG, BSN Medical, Otto Bock HealthCare, Medi GmbH & Co. KG, Thuasne Group, and 3M Company.Market Segmentation :1) Producti) Lower Extremity Bracesii) Knee Bracesiii) Foot & Ankle Bracesiv) Upper Extremity Bracesv) Shoulder Bracesvi) Elbow Bracesvii) Back & Hip Bracesviiii) Wrist Braces2) Indicationi) Prophylacticii) Injuryiii) OsteoarthritiesInquire before buying @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/otc-orthopedic-braces-market-3259/inquire About us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialties with competitive pricing options.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-11-23 18:05:15
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Renforth Resources Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE:RFR). has issued a press release with the following headline:Renforth Commences Geophysics on Denain-Pershing PropertyTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Renforth Resources Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Renforth Resources Inc.Source: Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR)Date: November 23, 2017Time: 12:05 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Renforth Resources Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-11-23 19:50:16
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for RESAAS Services Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - RESAAS Services Inc. (CSE:RSS). has issued a press release with the following headline:RESAAS Adds Software-as-a-Service Visionary to Advisory BoardTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on RESAAS Services Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/RESAAS Services Inc.Source: RESAAS Services Inc. (CSE: RSS, OTCQX: RSASF)Date: November 23, 2017Time: 1:48 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of RESAAS Services Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Iran has continued to fulfil its commitments undertaken under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, also known as the nuclear deal, Director-General of International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Yukiya Amano said.
Mr. Amano also said that the IAEA has continued to monitor Tehrans compliance with the deal.
The IAEA chief noted that he visited Tehran in late October and held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other government senior officials, urging Iran to ratify the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, which the country was provisionally applying at the moment.
As my report on Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of UN Security Council resolution 2231 shows, the Agency continues to verify and monitor Irans implementation of its nuclear- related commitments under the JCPOA.
The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran are being implemented, Mr. Amano told the IAEA Board of Governors.
He added that the IAEA experts continued to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, evaluate absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.
As of today, the Agency has had access to all the locations that we needed to visit, Mr. Amano noted.
NAN reports that the JCPOA, is an international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015 between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security CouncilChina, France, Russia, UK, U.S.plus Germany)and the European Union.
Formal negotiations toward the JCPOA began with the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action, an interim agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries in November 2013.
Under the agreement, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98 per cent and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years.
For the next 15 years, Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67 per cent.
Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the same period of time, among others.
To monitor and verify Irans compliance with the agreement, the IAEA will have regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities.
The agreement provides that in return for verifiably abiding by its commitments, Iran will receive relief from U.S., EU, and UN Security Council nuclear-related economic sanctions.
(Sputnik/NAN)
Ugandan authorities should immediately release eight employees of the national newspaper Red Pepper who are being held in government detention without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Ugandan police on November 21 arrested three editors, the chief executive officer, and four senior managers from Red Pepper after authorities raided the newspapers office in Kampala on allegations that the paper had published a controversial story, according to media reports and Ugandas police spokesperson Emilian Kayima.
Ugandan authorities have not formally charged the editors and managers.
In a press statement published on November 21, Kayima said that initial investigations were being carried out under section 37 of Ugandas penal code that provides for sentences of up to seven years for people who published material likely to disrupt public order and security. However, the police said that they have not ruled out charging the detained editors and managers with other offences.
During the raid on Red Peppers office, police confiscated employees phones and computers, according to a report from the privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper. Red Peppers lawyer, Maxma Mutabingwa, told Reuters news agency that police also searched the homes of some of the staff.
The arrests and raid came after Red Pepper published an article on November 20, which stated that Ugandas president Yoweri Museveni was planning to overthrow Rwandas President Paul Kagame. According to Reuters, the article cited unnamed sources.
In a statement published on November 20, the Ugandan Foreign Ministry accused Red Pepper of reproducing a malicious article. According to Reuters, newspapers in Uganda have recently reported on tensions between Uganda and Rwanda.
Uganda is trying to intimidate Red Pepper journalists and staff into silence with arrests and raids, said CPJ Africa program coordinator, Angela Quintal from New York. Reporting on politics is not a crime. Journalists in Uganda must be able to report without fear of retaliation. We call on the Ugandan authorities to immediately release the Red Pepper editors and managers.
Kayima told CPJ in a telephone conversation that it was not clear when the arrested Red Pepper staff members would be charged.
The Daily Monitor reported that the arrested are editors Ben Byarabaha, Richard Kintu, and Tumusiime Francis Tinywana. Authorities are also holding Red Peppers chief executive officer, Richard Tusiime, alongside senior managers Patrick Mugumya, Arinaitwe Rugyendo, James Mujuni, and Johnson Musinguzi Byarabaha.
Police are holding the editors and managers in Nalufenya Detention center in Jinja, a town in eastern Uganda, according to Kayima.
Red Pepper has previously drawn the ire of Ugandan authorities. In June, police interrogated the newspapers editor Ben Byarabaha on allegations of offensive communications, and in October police questioned editors from the paper on similar charges.
Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has appointed Housing Minister Mustafa Madbuly to serve as interim prime minister while he receives medical treatment to Germany, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Thursday.
The cabinet said on Wednesday that Ismail would travel to Germany on Thursday for surgery and is expected to remain there for three weeks.
The cabinet though did not specify the condition he would be treated for.(Reuters/NAN)
Chad on Thursday rejected allegations made in the U.S. that President Idriss Deby was paid a $2 million bribe in exchange for providing a Chinese energy company with oil rights without international competition.
The U.S. announced charges on Monday against former Hong Kong Home Secretary Chi Ping Patrick Ho and former Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Gadio for allegedly funnelling bribes to high-level officials in Chad and Uganda.
The government is indignant and questions this fierce attack against our head of state, Chads government said in a statement late on Wednesday, adding that Mr. Deby had always sought transparency in the countrys natural resources sectors.
The U.S. Justice Department alleged that Mr. Gadio received $400,000 from Ho via wire transfers through New York to act as a go-between for bribes to Mr. Deby on behalf of an unnamed energy firm headquartered in Shanghai.
Neither Ho nor Mr. Gadio, who were both arrested on Nov. 16, have commented publicly on the allegations against them.
Landlocked Chad pumps about 130,000 barrels of oil per day.
It ranks third-from-bottom on the UN Human Development Index and 159th out of 176 countries on Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index.
(Reuters/NAN)
A host of public institutions have been publicly shamed for repeatedly failing to comply with the provisions of Freedom of Information Act.
The Media Rights Agenda published the 2017 list of FoI Hall of Shame which also included some federal court judges.
More than 20 institutions and persons exhibited an inexplicable disregard for the rights of citizens to seek and obtain information from public institutions while also demonstrating a near absolute contempt for the law, the MRA said in a statement by its programme officer, Idowu Adewale.
In many instances, the MRA found, the culprits didnt even acknowledge receipt of FoI enquiries, much less give a desired response.
PREMIUM TIMES recently published how the Attorney-Generals office had complained that Nigerians have been too reluctant to make use of the FoI law, which was signed in 2011.
The law mandates public institutions to grant access and reply to request for public records, except those on national security, within a time limit of seven days. Any insufficient denial of such request by an institution or public official attracts a fine of N500,000 payable on conviction by a court.
Yet, Nigerian ministries, departments and agencies have received very few requests for information from citizens, the AGFs office found in a performance review published in October 2017.
The report said in 2014, 2015 and 2016, over 53 per cent of government agencies received just one or no request for information in the years under review.
In 2014, 60 public institutions submitted FOI reports out of which 26 of them received no request from the public while 12 received just one request.
The remaining 22 received requests for information ranging from two to 133.
While the MRA did not dispute the findings of the AGF, the media advocacy group scolded public institutions for thwarting Nigerians who filed requests, a frustrating act that could discourage other citizens from making attempts.
Media organisations, like PREMIUM TIMES, have filed FoI requests that were repeatedly ignored by institutions.
Where some public officials found it necessary to respond, the content of their reply is usually redacted to the point of rendering it inadequate.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund is the latest institution to be shamed by MRA, which found that the agency had failed to comply with all FoI requests or even comply with requirements that its compliance records be submitted to the AGF.
The MRA said TETFund failed to submit its annual reports to the AGF on its implementation of the FoI since it was passed into law in 2011.
It has not submitted a single report for six years, the MRA said.
Below is a list of 21 institutions and persons that the MRA has so far listed in its FoI Hall of Shame.
1. Justice Doris Okuwobi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja Division, 03 July 2017
2. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),10 July 2017
3. Ministry of Information, 17 July 2017
4. Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja Division, 24 July 2017
5. Federal Ministry of Education, 31 July 2017
6. National Assembly, 07 August 2017
7. The Presidency, 14 August 2017
8. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), 21 August 2017
9. Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), 28 August 2017
10. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), 5 September 2017
11.Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), 11 September 2017
12. Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), 18 September 2017
13. National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), 25 September 2017
14. Office Of The Auditor General of the Federation, 03 October 2017
15. Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) 09 October 2017
16. National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) 16 October 2017
17. Federal Civil Service Commission, 23 October 2017
18. Federal Ministry of Agriculture, 30 October 2017
19. National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), 06 November 2017
20. National Examinations Council (NECO), 13 November 2017
21. Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), 20 November 2017
The controversy over the recall of former head of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Abdulrasheed Maina, into service rumbled on on Thursday.
At a hearing by the adhoc committee set up by the House of Representatives to probe the matter, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, and the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Joseph Akande, frontally controverted the account by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, of his role in the matter.
Official correspondences published by PREMIUM TIMES show that Mr. Malami initiated and authorised the recall.
Yet, on Thursday, asked by the committee to give a direct answer as to whether the letter requesting Mr. Mainas reinstatement came from him, Mr. Malami claimed it did not.
He said the last letter he remembered to have written on the issue was dated January 19, 2017 and was meant to bring attention to all that was happening to Mr Maina.
He then claimed that Mr. Maina had not resumed when PREMIUM TIMES exposed his recall.
Mr. Malami said: As at 5th October, Mainas issue in my office was a work in progress and not yet concluded and that can be associated with previous dealings in February, April and October so the letter giving specific and clear directives couldnt have genuinely emanated from my office.
I received letters from Attorney General Oyo-Ita
However, the Head of Service, Mrs. Oyo-Ita, faulted the account of Mr. Malami as she stated that she received letters from the office of the Attorney General demanding the reinstatement of Mr. Maina.
Mrs. Oyo-Ita said Mr. Malamis office wrote a series of letters to her office to press for the reinstatement.
She said: Maina, from records available to us, was dismissed in the year 2013 from the Federal Civil Service for absconding from duty.
From the beginning of this year, we started receiving series of letters written by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, addressed to the chairman Federal Civil Service Commission and copied to the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
As those letters came in, the Federal Civil Service Commission wrote to my office, directing us to request the Ministry of Interior to set up a Senior Staff Committee to review the directives from the Attorney General.
She expressed surprise that Mr. Maina was finally reinstated without the assent of her office.
When I got hold of that letter of reinstatement, I held on to the letter because I needed more clarification of that letter, so I was surprised to find out that without officially conveying the letter of his reinstatement or any letter of posting whatsoever, the said Mr Maina was absorbed into the Ministry of Interior which I learnt through the media.
I want to place on record here that I still have the original letters here with me. My office will never convey such reinstatement letter to Mr. Maina, so there is no way he could have resumed work at the Ministry of Interior if he had not being officially notified of doing so by the office of the head of civil service commission.
We received 3 letters from AGF before approving Mainas reinstatement FCSC
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service, Mr. Akande, also told the committee that the letter requesting the reinstatement of Mr. Maina emanated from the office of the AGF.
Maina was declared absent from duty in 2013 and attempt to locate him proved abortive so the ministry informed the head of service and the head of service informed the commission and ordered that a query be given to Maina to explain why he has been absent from duty.
Ministry of Interior gave the query and set up an investigative panel to hear the other side of the case but they were unable to locate him.
When Maina was unable to respond to the query or attend the investigative panel, the SSC (Senior Staff Committee) of the ministry was conveyed to consider his case and after discussion and deliberation, the SSC recommended that Maina be dismissed. When the letter was sent to us from the HoS, we sat on it and the commission agreed with the recommendation and Maina was so dismissed.
Sometimes in 2014, Maina wrote to the commission appealing that they reconsider their decision and that they review the dismissal given to him.
Mr. Akande said the commission started receiving letters from the AGF from early 2017.
In 2017, the commission received a letter from the Attorney General dated 19th January 22017 demanding the reinstatement of Maina.
Again, the AGF sent another letter to us 27th April. The third letter informing us that he is the chief legal officer of the country and that the basis of our dismissing Maina cannot stand because judge of High Court in Abuja has paused the warrant of arrest and therefore directed.
The ministry of interior met through their SSC and recommended that he be reinstated. When we looked at it, we approved that he be reinstated.
No officer assigned to guard Maina Police
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police denied assigning officers to guard Mr. Maina, at any period of his service as head of the presidential task force on pension reform.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Research and Planning, Valentine Ntomchukwu, told the committee that the force had no record of any police officer protecting the ex-pension boss at any time.
Ayo Omidiran, Osun-APC, questioned Mr. Ntomchukwu on the role of Nigeria Police in providing security for the fugitive civil servant.
We all know that he had not less than 10 police officers guarding him during that time (When he was declared wanted). So, to say that police have nothing to do with him is not correct sir, Mrs. Omidiran questioned after the DIGP read a report on the role of the Police Force in relation to Maina.
In response, Mr. Ntomchukwu said the police had no record of any officer attached to Maina.
We dont have any record of any police officer guarding Maina. There is no record of that. If there is any record or the names of any officer attached to Maina, please let us know.
Secondly, when there is a warrant, Police acted on the warrant issued for the arrest of Mr. Maina from the Senate and we declared him wanted based on the warrant. When we could not find him on the address by the agencies that went to look for him, we now declared him wanted. And in all the processes with the INTERPOL, there was a red alert. A red alert means that he is declared wanted. And so, we are still looking for him, Mr. Ntomchukwu replied to another question on what the police have done in tracking down Maina.
Senate committee gives damning update
In a separate but dramatic development, the Senate committee investigating the same matter reported that the task force headed by Mr. Maina recovered about 222 houses and investments from pension suspects in Abuja and other major cities across the country, and asked for more time to complete its probe.
The chairman of the committee, Emmanuel Paulker (PDP-Delta), said the committee was unable to tender a report due to complexities involved in the issue and fresh revelations which emanated in the course of the investigation.
Mr. Paulker said the committee discovered some issues which are beyond its mandate and thus, requires the leave of the Senate to cover them.
During the investigation, certain issues arose that this mandate of the senate did not cover. Mr. President, suffice it to note that it was revealed during the investigation that some estate properties were recovered during the Maina investigation into pension fraud.
And since this mandate did not cover that aspect of resolution, I want to come under order 42 and 52 so that the standing committee can now come up with a motion that Senate can now empower them to expand her mandate to cover this.
Mr. Paulker said the presidential task force headed by Mr. Maina recovered about 222 houses and investments from pension suspects in Abuja and other major cities across the country.
The reform Maina led recovered assets from pension looters working with the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, police and paramilitary agency staff and then EFCC took charge of the recovered assets, he said.
The total recovered assets seized from allegedly pension thieves were reported to have been allegedly shared by some interest groups. The committee equally received a petition in respect of the recovered properties by the task force.
The Senate empowered the committee to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the properties recovered by the defunct pension task force and report in four weeks.
The Senate also mandated the committee to report its findings on circumstances surrounding his reinstatement and promotion in two weeks.
The cost of owning a pet ranging from $227 to more than $2,000, depending on the type of animal, WalletHub took an in-depth look at 2017s Most Pet-Friendly Cities .
In order to determine where Americans furry and slimy companions can enjoy the best quality of life without breaking the bank, WalletHubs analysts compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.
Pope Francis says he has been praying for the peace and stability of Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who met the cleric said.
Mr. Dogara quoted the pope as saying this when he met with the head of the Catholic Church at Saint Peters Square, Vatican City.
The Speaker led a Nigerian delegation to the square for a morning mass where nationals and leaders from different countries of the world joined the pope for the devotion and to receive blessings from him.
Mr. Dogara, who described the meeting with Pope Francis as awesome, said he was pleasantly surprised and delighted to know that the pontiff was well informed about the happenings in Nigeria.
The moment I was introduced to him as the Speaker of the Nigerian Parliament, he said, how is Nigeria and how are you working for the peace of Nigeria? Pray for me also.
Pope Francis then reportedly told the Speaker that he always prays for the peace of Nigeria saying, I pray for the peace of Nigeria and pray for me also, he was quoted as saying.
The Speaker was accompanied by the Nigerian Ambassador to the Vatican, George Umo, who disclosed that the Pope had held mass in honour of the 26 Nigerian girls that died in the Mediterranean sea while trying to enter Italy few weeks ago.
Mr. Dogara is in Italy on the invitation of the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, for an international conference on Human Trafficking and women empowerment: The Partnership between Nigeria and Italy.
Google has admitted collecting Android users locations even when devices are disabled, a Quartz investigation reported on Thursday.
It seems quite intrusive for Google to be collecting such information that is only relevant to carrier networks when there are no SIM card or enabled services, Matthew Hickey, a security expert and researcher, told media in London.
Since the beginning of 2017, Android phones have been collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers and sending the data to Googles system, according to a Google spokesperson.
Therefore Google has access to data about individuals locations and movements, even when their phones are turned off or disconnected from the Internet, which violates the privacy of smartphone users.
The spokesperson said the collected data was never used or stored and promised that by the end of November, Android phones would no longer send cellular tower location data to Google. (Xinhua/NAN)
A 45-year-old unemployed man, Godwin Onyelanesi, who allegedly abandoned his wife and new-born twins in a hospital, on Thursday appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court.
The accused, who resides on Afolabi Street in Abule Egba, Lagos, appeared before Magistrate A. O. Gbajumo on counts of failure to provide a necessity of life and breach of the peace.
Mr. Gbajumo granted him bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in like sum, after he admitted guilt.
The prosecutor, Michael Unah, had said that the accused committed the offences on August 28 at the Evangel Hospital, Ikeja.
Mr. Unah said that the accused absconded after his wife, Glory, was delivered of a set of twins through a Caesarean Section (CS) at the cost of N239,100.
The accused gave his consent before the CS was done.
He left his wife and the twins in the hospital for months and didnt show up, he said.
Mr. Unah said that Glory was handed over to her relatives two months after her husband refused to show up.
The case was reported to the police by the hospitals management, and the accused was arrested, he submitted.
The offences contravene Sections 168(d) and 247(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, according to the prosecutor.
The case has been adjourned until December 8 for review of facts and sentencing.
(NAN)
Following frequent attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, some community leaders in Madagali, Adamawa state, have threatened that their people would relocate to neighbouring Cameroon.
Speaking during a presentation of relief materials by NEMA to those affected by recent attacks on Gulak town, the headquarters of the council on Thursday, the community leaders expressed disatisfation with the situation adding that distribution of food to the affected communities was not their top priority.
Yusuf Muhammad, chairman of the council, said security of lives and property was their major concern.
Our top priority in Madagali local Government Area is that we need security not food. Government, as matter of urgency should bring lasting solutions to stop excessive attacks and destruction on our people. If the deadly attacks continue, we have no other alternative rather than to relocate to Cameroon Republic, Mr. Muhammed said.
He complained that the people of the area, were more affected by the insurgency and yet were neglected as if they were not Nigerians.
The council boss said insurgents lived just three kilometres away from Madagali area and this was why they (sect) find it easy to attack the community.
He urged the government to deploy more soldiers to the area to protect the people.
Binta Garba, an APC Senator at the event, confirmed what the council chairman said as true.
Mrs. Garba said both Madagali and Michika local government areas were neglected in terms of Federal government intervention.
Are we really part of Nigeria,? If yes; Government should prove to us and treat us as Nigerians, the senator said.
Responding, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Abdulazeez Nyako, thanked the council chairman for his frankness.
Mr. Nyako assured the people of the area that he would table the matter when he returned to the senate.
Mustafa Maihaja, Director General of NEMA, who was represented by an air commodore, Sunday Ohemu, said the relief materials were part of the governments intervention meant to bring succour to the community.
Three trucks loaded with assorted food and non-food items were presented to the community.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, on Thursday in Lagos named a building in honour of a late squadron leader, Promise Gbenekannu, who died in the fight against insurgency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the building is a six by three bedroom flats for officers at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja.
Inaugurating the building, Mr. Abubakar, an Air Marshal, said that NAF would continue to uphold its commitment toward the welfare of personnel and their families.
This building being inaugurated today has been named after one of our fallen heroes.
The fallen hero died on board the C-130 aircraft while on a logistics support mission for troops fighting insurgency and terrorism in the North East of the country.
The fallen hero was a C-130 pilot, said the CAS, represented by Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Yahaya.
He added that similar building had been constructed in all NAF bases to provide conducive atmosphere for personnel in line with the change agenda of President Muhamadu Buhari.
Accordingly, providing decent housing for officers remains one of the first priorities of our policy thrust towards ensuring that NAF personnel and their families live in a befitting accommodation, he said.
He said that NAF had also embarked on the renovation of more accommodation facilities as well as rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems in the base.
It is hoped that this would create enabling environment and motivation for personnel to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently, he said.
On insurgency, Mr. Abubakar said NAF recently received some new equipment which were undergoing reactivation to enhance the ability to conduct counter-insurgency operations.
The effort of government at adequately equipping the service would enhance professionalism and facilitate effective performance of our constitutional roles.
We will continue to do our utmost to meet our statutory responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of the nation, he said.
The Air Force Chief urged the officers to continue to reposition NAF into a highly professional force, assuring that government would continue to provide support to sustain the tempo of operations against insurgency.
The wife of the deceased officer, Justina Gbenekannu, while speaking with journalists, commended the NAF for naming the building in memory of her husband.
Life has not been the same after the passing out of my husband and I get emotional sometimes but he lived a fulfilled life as short as it was, she said. (NAN)
Nigerias Minister of Education has expressed concern over the countrys high rate of illiteracy, saying some 60 million Nigerians, or 30 percent of the population, cannot read or write.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said this on Thursday at the opening of the 2017 Nigerias Annual Education Conference held under the titled: Achieving Inclusive Education through Innovative Strategies.
According to the minister, Nigeria will not achieve its development aspirations until it checks the high level of illiteracy.
The minister who was represented at the conference by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Sunny Echono, said females account for nearly 60 percent of the countrys illiterate population.
Therefore, to win the war against illiteracy, he said Nigeria should focus intensely on girls and women.
The most expedient approach is through selective, intensive and nationwide on-going campaign against illiteracy, targeting states and groups that have the highest levels of illiteracy, with girls and women as the main target.
If a minimum of 10 literacy centres could be established in each of the 9,572 wards with each centre enrolling a maximum of 30 learners in two sessions per annum, 5.7 million adults would be made literate at the end of each year under the national literacy campaign. Thus, about 23 million people would be literate.
The minister lamented that in spite of the fact that the percentage of Nigerias budget committed to education is very low, nothing is allocated to research and development.
He noted that and over 90 per cent of federal and state government annual appropriations for the sector are committed to payment of staff salaries.
Less than 10 per cent is for capital projects and procurement of teaching materials. This is not acceptable, he said.
Speaking at the event, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, said his government through UKaid was helping to enforce sustainable development of teachers in Nigeria and ensure they become well educated.
He said UKaid was supporting integrated groups in girls education, noting that 40 per cent of Nigerian students attend private schools.
He said UKaid will be supporting 100,000 children in Yobe and Borno states, and 800,000 girls across Nigeria.
The World Bank representative, Tunde Adekola, at the conference said demography should not hinder a Nigerian child from accessing quality education.
Mr. Adekola said the World Bank was at the verge of starting in Nigeria a project called Education For All.
To achieve quality education, Nigeria needs more resources so both state actors and non-actors should work together and the impact of financial funding will be greater.
Openness, transparency and accountability is a major factor that will improve the education sector and this is not achievable without data, he concluded.
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole has disassociated himself from an essay competition organised in his name by a group under the guise of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS.
The Minister in a press statement said he was not aware of the competition or those behind it.
It was put together by a fake group of students using my name. It is fake and I know nothing about it. I urge members of the public not to take part in the fake Essay competition, Mr. Adewole was quoted by his spokesperson as saying on Thursday.
A group had posted on social media that it was organising an essay competition titled: Professor Isaac Adewole Essay Competition, If I were the Minister of Health.
The organisers said the competition was open to medical students while the overall winner stand the chance of winning N250,000.
But the minister denied being part of the competition and urge Nigerian students not to fall to the antics of fake scammer.
Investigation by my staff revealed that the National President of NANS, Comrade Aruna Kadir, denied knowledge of the group and disassociated NANS from the competition, Mr. Adewole stated.
I also did not authorise anybody or group to organise such an Essay Competition in my name, he said.
Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja emerged as the new Chair of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, GGC.
At the 4th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the GGC, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo called on member states to urgently address the socio-economic and security challenges facing the commission.
He said the members would achieve this by collectively taking measures to check violations of domestic and international treaties in the Gulf.
The vice president identified the challenges facing the commission to include a rise in maritime insurance premiums for vessels coming into the Gulf, increased threats and reduced commercial traffic to the region as well as unregulated and unreported fishing.
He also charged the member states to take measures to reduce pollution and environmental degradation in the Gulf of Guinea.
In conformity with the theme of the 4th Ordinary Session which is; A Vibrant Gulf of Guinea Region for sustainable Development, let us renew our commitment to making the Gulf of Guinea more effective and a truly vibrant partner in all our efforts, be it regional, national or international, to ensure a zone of peace, security and sustainable development for our countries, our peoples and other stakeholders in the region.
He, however, lauded the individual efforts of some of the member states who improved the capacities and capability of their Navy and other relevant organisations to enable them perform their duties more effectively.
The vice president commended ECOWAS and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS/CEEAC) for establishing maritime regional centres for maritime security.
This effort is capped by the establishment of the inter-regional coordination centre based in Yaounde, Cameroun, as the collaborative link between the two maritime regional centres led by ECOWAS and ECCAS.
He called on the member states to always fulfil their financial dues and obligations to the commission to ensure effective operation and performance of the Commission.
The vice president, who lauded staff of the GGC secretariat for their untiring efforts in sustaining the commission, congratulated Ghana for being a new member of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.
In his remarks, the National Security Adviser to the President, Babagana Monguno, observed that the meeting was a framework for consultations among the countries of the GCC.
According to him, current situation in the Gulf of Guinea region especially the surge in illegal activities of piracy, illicit drugs, arms and human trafficking, illegal immigration, environmental pollution and degradation calls for greater attention from member countries to curb these activities.
Suffice it to say that maritime security and economic prosperity are interdependent and mutually re-enforcing.
The NSA maintained that an improvement of Maritime security could positively contribute to increased national, regional and continental stability and by the same token make a sustainable contribution to global security.
He noted that Nigeria on its part had continued to develop the capacity of its armed forces particularly the Navy and other Maritime agencies to effectively tackle these challenges.
He said: Indeed, the surveillance capabilities of the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency are being developed to ensure a secure environment within the domain as well as in the Gulf of Guinea.
Similarly, the Nigerian Navy has been maintaining a strong presence in Maritime area with a band configuration and operations capabilities to deal with surface, air and underwater threats.
In addition, the Nigerian Navy has been cooperating with neighbouring countries and allies in Nigerias Maritime area of interest with a view to pursue security and safety.
He said other measures being implemented include: employment of the robust maritime domain awareness capability through the employment of the original maritime awareness capability and the Falcon Eye Project; activation of a Naval Taskforce to combat piracy and related attacks on shipping and oil and gas infrastructure.
Others, according to him, are the establishment of 37 check points by the Nigerian Navy to ensure continuous presence and monitoring of crude oil thefts in the Niger Delta area; the conduct of regular sea exercises by the Nigerian Navy such as exercise Eagle Eye, to improve its state of readiness and proficiency.
Mr. Monguno disclosed that Nigeria had also prepared the draft anti-piracy bill to give effect to the relevant provisions of the United Nations Conventions of the Law of the Sea of 1982 and the Convention for the Suppression of Illegal Acts at Sea 1982 and its protocol of 2005 to punish and deter piracy and other maritime crimes.
Nigeria has ascribed to the continents maritime charter on maritime security safety and development in Africa, this was done on 15th of October, 2016 with the aim of strengthening the inter-agency for national coordination and cooperation to tackle maritime issues for the region.
Nigeria has also ratified The United Nations Organised Crime Convention which enjoins parties to criminalize practices and combat that subject human beings to all forms of exploitation.
Nigeria has adopted a strategic framework such as the 2015 Africas Integrated Maritime Strategy and the Yaounde Code of Conduct for the repression of piracy and other illicit maritime activities within the Gulf of Guinea.
He noted that the security challenges confronting the member states of the GGC which had continued to impact negatively on the development of the region, called for concerted and unrelenting efforts by all stakeholders.
The NSA observed that the Gulf of Guinea provided a verifiable platform to tackling these numerous security challenges.
He, therefore, called for increased cooperation and collaboration among member states as well as support for the GGC to enhance its capacity to deliver on its mandate.
The Executive Secretary of the GGC, Florentine Ukonga, called on member states to support the proposed Revitalisation Strategy of the GGC, saying that under the proposal the secretariat would establish five new committees for effective management of the commission.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that members of the GGC, which was established by the Treaty signed in Libreville, Gabon, on July 3, 2001 included Cameroon, Togo, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe and Ghana.
(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday expressed delight with the stabilising roles that the Eweka Dynasty of Benin Kingdom had been playing in the affairs of the country.
Speaking while receiving the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II at the State House, the president said that Nigerians have reasons to be proud of the stabilising roles Benin chiefs had played right from the colonial era to the current period, not only in the Delta region but the entire country.
President Buhari singled out the role of the immediate past Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa I, whom he described as his back bone of support when he was Federal Commissioner of Petroleum Resources and the late monarch was a Federal Permanent Secretary.
I cannot hold back my emotions, talking about my relationship with your predecessor. After General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated, I was moved from the North-East as governor to Ministry of Petroleum. Your father was then Permanent Secretary. My relationship with him was very strong. I have lost count of the number of visits to his palace as Oba, he said.
President Buhari praised the late Oba for stabilising that part of the country because of his firmness. I must also commend the immediate past governor, Adams Oshiomhole for stabilising Edo State.
Welcoming Mr. Ewuares delegation made up of chiefs from other parts of Edo State, including the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun, the president commended the monarch for following the footsteps of his predecessor while reiterating his support for the traditional institution.
I know and respect the traditional institution. I try as much as possible to understand why the authors of our Constitution kept silent about their role, he said, noting however that this was probably the best thing way to preserve their neutrality.
Your Royal Majesty, you are safe where you are, the President added.
In his remarks, the monarch, who commended the president for his handling of security matters in the country, urged the federal government to establish industries in the rural areas to curb unemployment, rural-urban migration and human trafficking.
The federal government has inaugurated a national burial committee headed by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for the burial of late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme.
Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC.
The meeting was presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Mr. Akande said Mr. Mustapha revealed this information to the members at the NEC meeting.
According to the presidential aide, the committee is being chaired by Mr. Mustapha while the Anambra State government and the Ekwueme family will be fully involved in the burial activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Osinbajo together with all members of NEC signed the Ekwueme condolence register which was opened in the Presidential Villa this week.
Mr. Akande also said that Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra lauded the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring free and fair gubernatorial election in Anambra on November 18.
He said the governor gave the commendation under during the council meeting.
(NAN)
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, may call off its 10-day old strike next week, an official has said.
An official of the union, Kola Abiola, who is also the ASUP chairman of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic chapter in Abeokuta, told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that the decision will be taken in Bauchi when ASUP leaders meet next week to deliberate on their negotiation with the federal government.
The Minister of Education has met with our leadership and there has been fruitful discussions, Mr. Abiola said.
There is a process ongoing for the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed.
According to Mr Abiola, the union had an emergency National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja on Monday on how to resolve the crisis.
I think by the time we call ourselves together again after meeting with the government, when we meet at Bauchi next week, we will evaluate what is on ground and a decision will be taken.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported the national president of ASUP, Usman Dutse saying the Ministry of Labour told the union that a memorandum of understanding would be issued to resolve the disagreements.
But weve not gotten one MOU till date and that is why our members say there is no seriousness on the side of the government, Mr. Dutse had said.
He said the polytechnic lecturers would sustain the strike until the demands of the union are met or an implementable memorandum of action was agreed on.
Meanwhile the President of the National Association of Polytechnic Students, NAPS, Eneji Mohammed, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES blamed the incessant strike in Nigeria tertiary institutions on under-funding of the sector.
He said the government should increase budgetary allocation to the education sector in order to avert and reduce industrial actions by the teachers.
We just resumed from a strike six month ago and we are on another one again. We are not happy with the current situation of education in Nigeria and we are appealing to ASUP to take a good decision so that the strike may be called off.
Because we heard that an MOU was presented to the union by the Minister of Education and Minister of Labour, Mr Mohammed said.
Similarly, the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Chinonso Obasi, said strikes are due to governments non-implementation of agreements.
Government prefers to meet the demands of politicians while the demands of those that are building the foundation to groom the future generation is compromised. How can government enter an agreement in 2011, re-negotiate in 2012 and those agreement are yet to be implemented in 2017? Mr Obasi said.
According to him, the government should prioritise the needs of teachers. He, however, said the lecturers should not always use strike as a means expressing their displeasure to government.
ASUP commenced its strike on November 13 due to the federal governments failure to fulfil the outstanding agreement made with it.
A Senator and a member of the House of Representatives clashed Wednesday in Yola over the distribution of relief materials for to internally displaced people.
The incident took place at the Yola International Airport between the senator representing Adamawa central senatorial zone, Abdulaziz Nyako, and the House member representing Michika/Madagali, Adamu Kamale.
Following the recent bomb blasts that rocked Madagali, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA had set aside relief materials to assist the communities affected.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that arrangements were also made for, all the stakeholders to go in a team by air to deliver the relief materials, while NEMA officials supervised the delivery.
A security source, who was at the airport where the team gathered, narrated how the two lawmakers engaged in a violent confrontation.
A helicopter was arranged by the Air Force to convey some of the stakeholders to where the materials were to be distributed on Wednesday. However, minutes before the take-off, drama ensued at the airport. Kamale was billed to travel on board the helicopter with Senator Abdulaziz Nyako, Air Commodore Sunday Ohemu and others, the source said.
But, while they were about to board the helicopter, Senator Abdulaziz Nyako was seen saying that, Kamale should not be allowed to use the helicopter as he (Nyako) is the chairman of the delegation. This caused drama and hot argument.
Mr. Kamale told PREMIUM TIMES his version of what transpired.
Following the unfortunate incidence of bomb blast explosions in Madagali, which is one of the local governments in my constituency, the Governor of Adamawa State, together with other well-meaning Nigerians including members of the National Assembly solicited for relief materials from the National Emergency Agency (NEMA) for the people of Madagali.
As the honourable member representing the area, I personally called on the director general of NEMA earlier on Monday the 20th of November, 2017 to ensure the delivery of the relief materials. Arrangements were made with all the stakeholders, including Senator Abdulaziz Nyako, who is the chairman, senate committee on IDPs /NEMA to deliver the relief materials. Air Commodore Ohemu was assigned by NEMA to supervise the delivery.
A helicopter was arranged by the Air Force to convey some of the stakeholders to where the materials was to be distributed on Wednesday, November, 21st, 2017 by 9am. I was billed to travel on board the helicopter with Senator Abdulaziz Nyako, Air commodore Ohemu and others.
He said he did not bargain for what he met when he tried boarding the aircraft.
To my utmost dismay, while I was to board the helicopter, Senator Abdulaziz Nyako ordered that I should not be permitted to use the helicopter as he is the chairman of the delegation.
All my efforts to draw the attention of the Senator and the Air Force officer failed and in the process, the Air Force officer ordered his men on ground to assault my person and to put me in the guardroom. They tore up my dresses. I sustained a lot of bruises from my forceful withdrawal from the helicopter, Mr. Kamale said.
He added, that, The people of Madagali have suffered several attacks and have been traumatised for many years. As their representative, I have never seen Senator Abdulaziz Nyako in Madagali to commiserate with the people of the area over the several unfortunate incidences.
I cannot explain this sudden monopoly of the Senator on the Federal governments relief materials meant for the people of my constituency, Mr. Kamale said.
Mr. Nyako denied assaulting the lawmaker. He also gave PREMIUM TIMES his version of what happened at the Yola airport.
Last week, I was at NEMA headquarters for oversight function being the chairman, senate committee on IDPs/ NEMA. They requested me to be part (of the process) and to chair the relief materials distribution in Gulak, Madagali. So they assured me they would provide me with an aircraft, and they requested that I should provide them with the list of those who will be in my entourage.
Naturally I provided the names of members of my committee in the Senate and I was also informed by the DG NEMA that Senator Binta Masi Garba (representing the area) will want to be in attendance. So I included her name and that of the chairman, House of Reps committee on NEMA /IDPs, Hon.Jibrin Galjumari.
To our dismay, after we all boarded the helicopter and the crew had finished all checks and engine was set on with propeller rolling, about to take-off, to our shock, the man in question (Mr. Kamale) from nowhere just jumped in, in what could be described as suicidal mission. He wanted to climb the aircraft, a serious situation he put us in.
So he should thank God for saving his life, not blame me! We were all shocked to our marrow when we were later told that he was a federal lawmaker, who should have known the consequence (of what he did), Mr. Nyako said.
The North-east zonal coordinator of NEMA, Bashir Garga, blamed Mr. Kamale for his action which he described as a suicide mission.
In the first place, NEMA provided the names of those scheduled for the flight. Kamales name was not in the flight manifesto but the honourable member declined to heed to our pleas.
How could he attempt to enter, after the helicopter was about lifting into the air? Infact, if not that the Air Force pilot was mindful, the propeller could have cut off his head, the official said.
The air commodores version of what happened could not be immediately obtained at the time of filing the report.
The police have filed murder charges against a woman who allegedly murdered her husband at their residence in Abuja weekend.
Maryam Sanda allegedly stabbed her husband, Bilyaminu Bello-Haliru, multiple times, the police said.
The victim, Mr. Bello-Haliru, was the son of a former minister and national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Haliru Bello.
A charge sheet prepared by the police and filed at the FCT High Court accused Mrs. Sanda of culpable homicide.
The police said the killing was premeditated, and are seeking the death penalty against the accused in the two-count charge.
Ms. Sanda stabbed her husband with broken bottles at about 3:50 a.m. with absolute intent to kill him, court filings said. She was charged under Sections 221, 240 and 247 of the Penal Code.
The police said the murder was committed at Zone 2, Wuse, Abuja, and not Maitama, as had been widely reported.
The police have secured a two-week remand warrant to keep the suspect in custody as homicide detectives continue with investigation, Abuja police spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, said in a statement.
Mr. Manzah said unnamed persons have been questioned by the police in connection with the case, and there is possibility that other persons might be charged in the alleged murder.
The matter would be heard at Courtroom No. 32 by the Chief Judge of FCT High Court, the police said. But no date has been fixed for commencement of trial.
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm if Mrs. Sanda has named her legal representatives.
The Senate on Thursday rejected the nomination of Ahmad Mahmud as the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Zamfara State.
The Senate however confirmed the nomination of Rufus Akeju and Mahmuda Isah of Lagos and Kebbi states respectively.
These decisions followed a report by the Senate committee on INEC on the screening of the nominees.
The chairman of the committee, Suleiman Nafiz, said the committees decision to reject Mr. Mahmud was taken after a wide consultation.
The lawmakers adoptod the committee report and rejected Mr. Mahmuds nomination.
In a letter dated Monday, February 27, 2017, then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, had asked the Senate to consider the nomination of 27 RECs for new appointments and re-appointments.
Mariam Ali, the wife of a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali, on Thursday defected from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mrs Ali was received by the APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, at the partys National Secretariat in Abuja, the ruling party said in a statement.
She was accompanied to the event by the Delta State APC Chairman, Jones Ode Erue, and party leaders including Frank Kokori, Great Ogboru, Ovie Omo-Agege and top APC stalwarts and supporters from Delta State.
Mrs. Ali had contested for the Delta North Senatorial District seat in 2007 and 2011 elections but lost.
With Mr. Oyegun at the ceremony were the partys National Woman Leader, Ramatu Tijjani, and National Auditor, George Moghalu.
Mrs. Ali, a one time special adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, is a politician and medical doctor from Delta State but is married to Ahmadu Ali who was the PDP boss under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, she said: A lot of persons may wonder why I am joining the APC. The answer is simple. I want to continue to render service to my people and Nigeria at large. I believe I will be doing myself a lot of disservice if I dont fulfill this burning desire in me.
I know also a lot of people will wonder why I have chosen to opt for a political party different from my husbands. Again, the answer is not far-fetched. My family is a unique family, it is a family devoid of religious and ethnic differences.
You are all aware that Dr. Ahmadu Ali is a Muslim and I am passionate Catholic. Also, Dr. Ahmadu Ali is from North Central and I am form the South South.
Therefore, religion and ethnicity do not play a role in our lives. It therefore suffices to say that my becoming an APC member and him being an active member of the PDP further displays the uniqueness of my family.
We symbolise a people who want to serve a nation, a nation where oneness, love and peace reign supreme. Today marks the beginning of greater peace, love and oneness amongst all Nigerians. It is a new dawn, one nation, one destiny, one people. It is about an indivisible nation, Nigeria.
The APC National Chairman, in his remarks, said Mrs. Alis entrance added value and quality to the party and its leadership, both in Delta State and at the national level.
It is very clear from the spread, the quality of those who are here today that this is indeed a major event. l am glad that this day has come that you are joining APC because of your determination to render service to your people and the nation, which means that you have looked around, you have looked at your environment in the PDP and you have decided consciously after deep thought that the best vehicle available today on which platform you can render that service is the APC and l want to congratulate you.
Yes, your husband was the longest serving National chairman of the PDP. But it is my hope that what you have started would turn into a family thing.
I welcome you especially because you are adding to the quality of membership in Delta State and also adding to the quality of leadership in the APC family in the whole nation. The quality would propel us not just to victory in Delta State, but also in Nigeria.
Mr. Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central, said the coming of Mrs. Ali with her immense grassroots support base was a major strategic achievement for the party.
It is a carefully thought-out game changer in our reengineering of the grassroots machinery of the APC in Delta North and Delta State as a whole. It is clearly a practical demonstration of our firm belief that true political strength only grows when reputable, courageous and competent leaders join a Party.
Many may have thought this was impossible, but we have proved again today that the Delta APC will do all that is necessary to increase its gains, decimate the PDP in Delta State and win convincingly in 2019.
This is yet another real testimony of the increasing strength of the Delta APC and an evidence of our determination to carefully organise ourselves for landslide electoral victories in 2019.
Great Ogboru said Mrs. Alis joining the APC was a paradigm shift in the political equation in Delta State.
Your coming into this party today is a confirmation that there is a paradigm shift from the wanton years of the PDP to the glorious years ahead for the APC. For this reason we are lucky, he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Thursday arraigned Umar Abubakar, Henry Sambo, Adebayo Aderibigbe, Richard Uche and Aderemi Adegboyega before Justice Silvanus Orji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, on a 26-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and illegal diversion of public funds.
Trouble started for Mr. Abubakar, a former managing director of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, and his co-defendants (some of whom were former board members and current staff of NSITF), when a whistleblower petitioned the EFCC accusing them of abusing their positions to divert public funds running to billions of naira.
Acting on the petition, EFCC operatives investigated the allegations and after thorough investigations were carried out, it was revealed that between 2012 to 2015 they allegedly received kickbacks in dollars in the discharge of their duties, and conspired to divert the about N18 billion, being contribution from the Federal Government of Nigeria as take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) for Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The said money was allegedly diverted into personal accounts by an e-payment mandate. The offence contravenes Section 311 of the penal code cap 532 LFN (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 312 of the same code.
One of the counts reads: That you Umar Munir Abubakar M being the former managing director of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Henry Ekhasomi Sambo M being General Manager Finance (NSITF), Sir Adebayo Adebowale Aderibigbe M being General Manager Legal Department (NSITF), Chief Richard U. Uche M being a former board member of (NSITF), Aderemi Adegboyega M being a former board member of (NSITF) and Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme F former board chairman (NSITF) (now at large). On or about 2012 to 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, while being entrusted with dominion over money belonging to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of Eighteen billion naira (N18,000,000,000), being contribution from the Federal Government of Nigeria as take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) for MDAs. The said sum was diverted into personal accounts by an e-payment mandate jointly signed by Umar Munir Abubakar and Henry Ekhasomi Sambo and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the penal code cap 532 LFN (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 312 of the same code.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
In view of their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Steve Odiase, urged the court to fix a date for trial and to remand them in prison custody pending trial.
However, counsel to the defendants, J. K Kolawole, Napoleon O. Idenala, J. A. Kalu, J. C. Njikonye and Obafemi Adewale, applied for the bail of their clients, and prayed the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.
After listening to the arguments, Justice Orji granted them bail.
Each of the defendants is admitted to bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum, the judge ruled, adding that the two sureties should be residents in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He further ruled that one of the sureties must be a civil servant of at least the level of a director, and warned that anyone who failed to fulfil the bail condition, shall be remanded in prison custody. They were also warned not to leave the country without the permission of the court.
Their trial has been adjourned to February 5 to 7, 2018.
The federal government has concluded plans to re-introduce tolls on roads across the country, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.
He said this at an interactive session with the Senate committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, on Thursday.
Mr. Fashola said the new toll regime will be an improved adaptation of the past toll points as the ministry will adopt similar toll regime throughout the country.
Tolls will come, Mr. Fashola said. We have looked at the previous tolling regime, the inefficiencies raised we have tried to review. One of the things we have done is to try and standardise the toll designs for the entire country. We have finished with that. So that well expand its width according to the size of the road but they will be built with the same kind of materials that we can control.
Mr. Fashola said that the toll points will be managed by private organisations as part of the federal governments job creation scheme.
He added that the tolls will first be re-introduced at moribund toll points previously used by the government.
The existing law allows us to toll and we have gone back to pre-existing toll points where the previous tolls were dismantled and those are the places where it is easy to re-introduce them again for a start because they used to be there. So, its sensitisation that is necessary will not be expensive.
Weve identified 38 points across the country. What we are waiting to achieve now is completion of the construction work that is going on. We dont think it is fair to ask people to pay tolls on roads that are not motorable. While that is going on, we are working on the design. We want to standardise it so that when we put out the advert for people to come and bid, we can control what they are going to construct.
The 36 states of the federation on Thursday failed to hold the monthly Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting due to discrepancies in Federation Account figures presented by the federal government.
The Chairman, Forum of Finance Commissioners in Nigeria, Mahmoud Yunusa, said the forum came to the decision after consultation with their state governors.
According to him, the governors have given the commissioners directive to postpone the meeting pending the reconciliation of all accounts.
The meeting has been postponed until we reconcile the figures in the accounts.
I sincerely apologise for keeping everyone, but this is the position of our principals through the Chairman, Governors Forum, even though the matter was discussed at length during NEC when all the Governors were present.
So we should all take our leave and wait for the next date which will be announced later, he said.
Mr. Yunusa said that the finance commissioners as well as the state accountants-general would meet next week to decide when to reconvene the meeting.
The News Agency of Nigeria later approached the chairman, who is also the Adamawa State Commissioner for Finance.
He refused to expatiate on the nature of the discrepancies.
However, another commisioner, on condition of anonymity, told NAN that the discrepancies came from the figures presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The latest development is coming four months after the NNPC completed the refund of N450 billion to the federation account, to be shared to federal, states and local councils.
The NNPC had for 67 consecutive months, paid an additional N6.33 billion into the federation account to be shared to federal, states and local governments.
The payment, which started in September 2011, was due to an audit, which showed that the NNPC had been under remitting revenue into the Federation Account. (NAN)
Nigerias Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday commended the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, for establishing the International Vocational Technical and Entrepreneurship College, IVTEC.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to Mr. Ahmed on Media and Communications, Muhideen Akorede, said Mr. Osinbajo gave the commendation while commissioning the College located at Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
According to the statement, Mr. Ahmed described the IVTEC as one of the major projects any government could undertake.
The vice president noted that the programmes and curriculum of the college were tailored towards the exact needs of the country, adding that Nigeria needed an industrial base to maximise potential and talents of the youth for optimal local production.
Mr. Osinbajo also disclosed that the vision for the establishment of the college is in accordance with the agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of producing what the country consumes.
The statement said that he also lamented that the country had, before now, lacked technical centres tailored around existing talents of Nigerian youths and needs of the country.
Osinbajo, therefore, assured that the federal government will support and canvass for the replication of IVTEC in all the states of the federation as he called on other state governments to emulate Kwara state government on the project, the statement said.
In his address, Mr. Ahmed disclosed that the college was purposefully established to equip youth with skills for self-reliance, tackle unemployment, and ease access to vocational training of international standard for students from a variety of skills and educational backgrounds.
He added that globally, technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education has been identified as critical to growth, especially industrialisation.
The governor further said that it is the resolve of his government to make Kwara a net exporter of vocational and technical skills once local needs have been met.
He also reiterated the resolve of the government to make Nigeria the hub of vocational skills in West Africa, the statement added.
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has called on the National Assembly members from Kaduna State to help save future generations from servitude by ensuring that quality public education is offered in the state.
Mr. El-Rufai made this call in Abuja on Wednesday while holding a regular consultative meeting with members of the National Assembly from the state.
The governor also informed the lawmakers that the state government has received 43,806 applications from prospective teachers to be deployed to public primary schools in the state. The state plans to employ at least 25,000 qualified teachers.
The state recently announced its plans to dismiss over 21000 teachers, who had failed a competency test set. The decision has continued to generate diverse reactions in and out of the state.
The governor explained that all the newly shortlisted applicants will be subjected to oral and practical examinations, to be followed by interview and final verification to ascertain the authenticity of their qualifications. He said those who scale through will undergo training on teaching before their deployment to classrooms to teach.
The issue of ensuring quality and competent teachers in public schools is something crucial and doable, but it requires courage, sincerity and honesty as guiding principles.
We are all products of quality public schools and can compete anywhere in the world; we are beneficiaries of quality education from public schools and we have achieved a lot from the sacrifices made by previous leaders. Having benefitted from quality public education, we must be committed to reviving our public schools. The unqualified teachers that are being replaced will get all their rights and entitlements.
This reform is necessary hard work, and will not be derailed by propaganda, blackmail, and deliberate misrepresentation of facts. Reform is not restricted to recruiting and retaining competent teachers. We are constructing and reconstructing schools, class rooms, updating the curriculum, providing facilities and teaching aids and teachers welfare.
We removed the career barrier for teachers in 2015. Teachers in Kaduna State can rise to Grade Level 17 (Permanent Secretary grade) without having to stop being teachers, the governor said.
The governor thanked the lawmakers for their support irrespective of political parties.
Yakubu Barde, the Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, led the Kaduna State National Assembly delegation to the meeting. He assured the governor that the lawmakers will continue to work assiduously with the governor in championing the progress and development of Kaduna state.
A 33-year-old man, Chima Njoku, who allegedly used his roommates phone to transfer N100,000 from the latters bank account into his own, on Thursday appeared in court.
Mr. Njoku, who resides in Gbagada area of Lagos, is facing a two-count-charge of breach of peace and stealing, before an Ogudu Magistrates Court in Lagos.
The prosecutor, Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the accused committed the offence between Sept. 5 and Oct. 6, 2017 at his residence.
He said the complainant, one Samuel Ogundipe, a military personnel, reported the matter to the police on Oct. 7.
Mr. Ihiehie said the accused took the phone of the complainant, when he was asleep, and used it to steal from his (complainants) account.
The accused used the complainants Guaranty Trust Bank application to transfer N100, 000 into his own personal GTB account without his consent, he said.
The prosecutor said the complainant noticed that for a month, money had been getting missing from his account without any alert on the transactions, so he went to his bank to check.
Mr. Ihiehie said the complainant discovered in his bank account statement that the accused had been stealing from him through his phone.
He said that the name of the accused appeared on many transactions that the complainant did not know about.
Mr. Ihiehie said the accused had been using the complainants phone to make transactions while he (complainant) was sleeping.
He said the accused got to know the pin number sometime in January when his roommate lent him N200, 000.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 168 (d) and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Magistrate, O. Sule-Amzat, granted the accused a bail of N200, 000 with two sureties, whose addresses must be verified.
She adjourned the case until Dec. 13. (NAN)
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.
Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.
Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.
to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.
Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.
View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.
Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.
Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American business man, and former communications director In Trump's administration, Anthony Scaramucci, visited at FOZ (Friends of Zion museum) as part of his stay in Jerusalem.
Anthony Scaramucci visits the Friends of Zion Museum
Anthony Scaramucci, who is the former White House communications director, came to experience the Interactive FOZ Museum tour, in order to recognize and honor the long history of the non- Jewish Zionism. The museum presents the story of the friendship, cooperation and support the non-Jewish friends of all religions, gave the Jewish nation in the last 200 years, until the reformation of the state of Israel.
Scaramucci, was moved by the support the Jewish nation got from its non-Jewish friends from around the world and said: "God gave the Jews this wonderful land known as Israel, and yet there had been resistance over the last few decades. But we know in our hearts what is right and what is true, and we know in our hearts what is good and what is evil, and I hope this museum produces an awakening for all mankind to come here and recognize the need for a Zionist nation in Israel, and a sanctuary for Jews worldwide".
Scaramucci and his delegation toured the museum, and watched the exhibits with the most advanced technology in the world, including three-dimensional projection mapping on unique sculptures and complex rotoscope animations that brings live-action video footage into a painted media. They learned about the contributions of Friends of Zion such as US President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US president's forefather, Prof. George W. Bush, Orde Wingate, and righteous gentiles such as Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg and the Ten-Boom family, who risked their lives to save Jews persecuted throughout the world.
Friends of Zion Museum, 20 Yosef Rivlin Street, Jerusalem. A reservation is recommended for museum visits: website: www.fozmuseum.com, email: [email protected], or phone: +972-2-532-9400.
SOURCE Friends of Zion Museum
JUNEAU A 35-year-old Watertown man was found guilty Tuesday of operating the drug house where the drugs that killed a Clyman woman were purchased.
Jason Twaite entered a no contest plea to a charge of maintaining a drug trafficking place as a party to a crime in the 2016 death of 41-year-old Holly Nehls. Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Brian Pfitzinger accepted Twaites plea with a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia being dismissed and read into the record.
A 12-month jail sentence was imposed and stayed, and Twaite was placed on probation for two years. He must undergo an AODA assessment, pay court costs, maintain absolute sobriety and not enter any establishment whose primary business activity involves the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages. He shall not use or possess any controlled substances without a valid prescription or drug paraphernalia, or be in the presence of anyone who does, and must actively and go to treatment at least one time a week.
Twaite is one of three people charged in connection to Nehls heroin death on May 31, 2016.
Gabriel Joseph Brandl was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide/deliver drugs and was sentenced on Jan. 20 to seven years in prison. Brandl, 30, helped Nehls inject the heroin that led to her death and then attempted to hide her body to avoid criminal charges.
Terence Jannke of Watertown, 50, was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide; maintaining a drug trafficking place as a party to a crime, second and subsequent offense; and possession with intent to deliver heroin, second and subsequent offense. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8.
Officers were called to Watertown Memorial Hospital, 125 Hospital Drive, on May 31, 2016, to investigate the death of Nehls, whose body had been brought to the hospital earlier that day. Officers were directed to a maroon 2010 Dodge Charger that was secured with police crime scene tape where Nehls body was in the front passenger seat.
Officers learned that Brandl was the one who had brought Nehls body to the hospital at approximately 10:30 a.m. The complaint states that Brandl told officers Nehls had died of a heroin overdose. Hospital staff informed officers that Nehls was dead upon arrival.
Brandl was interviewed by officers and, according to the complaint, he identified Jannke as his primary drug dealer. Brandl told officers he and Nehls had bought heroin from Jannke the previous afternoon. He said they went to Clyman Park at approximately 3:30 p.m. and Jannke arrived at 5:30 p.m.
Brandl said they stayed at the park for about 45 minutes before Nehls became unconscious. Brandl alleged that he told Jannke they should take Nehls to a hospital but that Jannke convinced him that she would snap out of it soon. Brandl claimed that Jannke drove them around for three hours before they returned to Jannkes town of Lebanon residence, 100 Warbler Way, to do more heroin, leaving Nehls in the car. Brandl told officers that she was still snoring and out of it when he and Jannke went to do more heroin.
Brandl said he returned to the vehicle 20 minutes later and Nehls was still snoring. Brandl told officers he went to Wal-Mart in Watertown when he noticed that Nehls was no longer breathing. He allegedly told officers he tried to give her CPR in attempts to revive her, but she was already dead.
A confidential informant told officers that they had previously bought heroin from Jannke at his residence. A search warrant was executed at the home July 1. Officers learned the residence was inhabited by both Jannke and Twaite.
In Jannkes bedroom, officers located many hypodermic syringes, foil packaging and writings identified as a drug ledger with records of names and dollar amounts next to the names. Syringes were located in the common area of the home and in Twaites bedroom. Neither Twaite nor Jannke were home at the time of the search.
Shortly after the search, Twaite and Jannke were stopped by police in a vehicle owned by Twaite, who was in possession of a kit containing items used to inject heroin including a rope, cotton ball, hypodermic syringe and a metal cap with residue.
The confidential informant told officers that Jannke and Twaite had left their residence on July 1 between 7 a.m. and 7:30 to acquire heroin in Illinois. The two allegedly traveled to Rockford, Illinois, where Jannke entered a residence and shortly thereafter returned with a bag of containing three grams of heroin, which was located in the vehicles glove box.
Jannke and Twaite were both convicted of delivery of cocaine in Jefferson County in 1992. Twaite was also convicted of felony disorderly conduct in 2013 in Dodge County.
HONG KONG, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Bureau Veritas, a leading Testing, Inspection and Certification provider for the consumer and electrical/electronics product industry announces its strategic cooperation with EDF SA in France and EDF in China to provide testing and certification for high voltage electrical product/equipment manufacturers in China.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296440LOGO )
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement was recently signed in Beijing, China by Xudan Song, Senior Executive Vice President of EDF China; Jacques Sacreste, International R&D Director of EDF SA (France), and Nicolas Girard, Vice President, Electrical and Electronics of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services.
Chinese high voltage electrical product manufacturers continue to produce quality products and sell to global markets. However, to obtain market access, vendors are required to produce and test the products based on buyers' requirements and/or fulfill Short-Circuit Testing Liaison (STL) Certification scheme. There are limited solutions in existence today in China for STL Certification, which creates challenges with competitiveness and speed to market.
To facilitate fast market access, Bureau Veritas and EDF have reached an agreement on providing testing and certification solutions in China. This enables Chinese manufacturers to test their products in China for Protocol Testing and in EDF's high-voltage lab near Paris, France for official STL Certification. This partnership offers a credible alternative solution for testing and certification for high voltage product manufacturers.
Xudan Song, Senior Executive Vice President of EDF China commented, "Since the 1990s, EDF China has offered R&D support to nuclear plants and energy management providers in China. It is a big step forward to cooperate with Bureau Veritas to provide an alternative solution to assist Chinese high voltage E&E manufacturers in terms of testing, inspection and certification. Our R&D team is very enthusiastic to share the experiences and technical platform to support the development of the high voltage industry in China."
Jacques Sacreste, International R&D Director of EDF SA (France) comments, "This partnership comes at a time when EDF R&D global strategy is opening up its expertise and service to external clients. This transformation, started several years ago, is already demonstrating success, and this partnership with Bureau Veritas in China is another important milestone in our strategy."
Nicolas Girard, Vice President of Electrical and Electronics Business Line of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services says, "EDF SA has a name that speaks for itself in the energy and high-voltage industry. Combining Bureau Veritas' global recognition and expertise in the E&E industry, we can conduct witness tests at suppliers' premises and provide a complete solution to obtain STL Certification. We are confident that this cooperation will help high voltage product manufacturers in China to export their products to the global market in a timely fashion."
About STL Certification (www.stl-liaison.org)
The Short-Circuit Testing Liaison (STL) provides a forum for voluntary international collaboration between testing organisations. The basis aim is the harmonized application of IEC and Regional Standards for the type testing of electrical power equipment. STL is concerned with high voltage electrical transmission and distribution power equipment (i.e. above 1000V a.c. and 1200V d.c.) for which the type tests specified in Standards include short-circuit and dielectric verification tests. STL as a collaboration does not itself issue Certificates. Each STL Member testing organisation or laboratory issuing a Test Certificate is responsible for the validity and contents of that Certificate.
About EDF (www.edf.fr)
As a global leader in low-carbon energy, the EDF Group covers every sector of expertise, from generation to trading and transmission grids. EDF builds on the expertise of its people, its R&D and engineering skills, its experience as a leading industry operator and the attentive support of its customers to deliver competitive solutions that successfully reconcile economic growth with climate protection.
About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a world-leading provider in testing, inspection and certification. Founded in 1828, the group has more than 73,000 employees in 1,400 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performances by offering innovative services and solutions in order to ensure that their products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environment protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index (Compartment A, code ISIN FR 006174348, stock symbol: BVI). Website: www.bureauveritas.com
Bureau Veritas' Consumer Products Services division is a leading global quality assurance provider for the global consumer product and retail markets. It offers an array of specialized services including testing, inspections, audits and engineering services for a wide range of consumer products. These products include hard goods; toys and juvenile products; soft goods; premiums; electrical and electronic products including wireless and mobile devices; automotive equipment; food products as well as health, beauty, cosmetics, and household products. Website: www.bureauveritas.com/cps
SOURCE Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
RUEIL-MALMAISON, France, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), the developer of the Clip-Riser technology, has chosen to offer Clip-Riser customers new options for the inspection, maintenance and repair of their drilling risers. The Clip-Riser is a quick and boltless connector technology that has become a resounding technical and commercial success.
With a view to providing a consistent level of service, IFPEN has partnered with AFGlobal Corporation (AFGlobal) and Expert Riser Solutions, who will provide the inspection, maintenance and repair of drilling risers in Brazil and in the USA respectively, according to IFPEN's specifications. IFPEN has also signed a licensing agreement with AFGlobal for the worldwide provision of spare parts conforming to the technology's original specifications.
These agreements will benefit Clip-Riser customers by offering them a safe and cost-effective alternative for the inspection, maintenance and repair of their risers.
"We are delighted to be involved with two companies that bring with them an excellent track-record and know-how in their markets: AFGlobal and Expert Riser Solutions. This partnership will offer new opportunities to meet the demand of drilling risers services," said Daniel Averbuch, Program Manager for Subsea Umbilicals Risers and Flowlines.
"AFGlobal is pleased to support the Clip-Riser technology, which in turn enables us to expand our drilling riser service capability in Brazil," commented Roland Kennedy, Vice President of Lifecycle Services for AFGlobal. "By adding the global manufacture and supply of Clip-Riser spare parts, we are better positioned to service the needs of our customers."
"ExPert Riser Solutions management and staff are very excited about the opportunity to provide IFPEN's Licensed Clip-Riser services in the United States. Commendable is IFPEN commitment to form the present consortium of highly capable/proven IFPEN service partners. We will work as a team to assure high quality results and expedited global services to the customers", said Bill von Eberstein, President of Expert Companies.
Press contacts
AFGlobal
Christine Mathers
+1-713-393-4361
[email protected]
IFPEN
Anne-Laure de Marignan
+33-1-47-526-207
[email protected]
ExpertRiser
Tommy Milazzo
985 801-4040
[email protected]
SOURCE IFPEN, AFGlobal and Expert Riser Solutions
NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Risk Holdings, LLC will host an Investor Conference Call on Wednesday, November 29th at 11:00 a.m. (ET), for qualified participants.
Qualified participants can access call-in information through an Intralinks site, which may be accessed via the Investor Relations location on the company's website at www.corprisk.com.
About Corporate Risk Holdings, LLC
Corporate Risk Holdings is a global leader in diversified risk and information services, headquartered in New York, NY. Corporate Risk Holdings is the parent company of: HireRight, a leading global provider of employment background screening and eligibility solutions; and Kroll, a leading global provider of a broad range of investigative and advisory solutions to help clients identify, remediate and monitor business risks. Additional information about Corporate Risk Holdings is available at corprisk.com.
SOURCE Corporate Risk Holdings, LLC
Related Links
http://www.corprisk.com
LONDON, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
As the UK prepares to leave the European Union, securing appropriate funding sources for science is among the primary challenges UK-based researchers want their government to tackle. An Elsevier/Ipsos MORI survey shows that 90% of UK-based researchers suggest that any European research funding no longer accessible to UK academic institutions after Brexit should be replaced by equivalent UK government funding. Moreover, a clear majority of researchers globally say the UK government should maintain the current free movement for EU researchers who wish to work in the UK.
These are some of the key findings presented in the survey BREXIT: Global researchers' views on opportunities and challenges, measuring opinions of more than 2,000 researchers globally on the implications of Brexit on the academic community. The survey was conducted jointly by Elsevier, the global information analytics business, and market research organisation Ipsos MORI. While overall the study reports that researchers expect Brexit to have a negative impact on the research sector, it outlines researchers' preferences for strategies to maintain a vibrant UK and EU research sector in a post-Brexit world.
"Being aware of researcher preferences for specific actions in response to Brexit within three broad categories - funding, mobility and collaboration - is important to help guide informed decision making," said Dr Nick Fowler, Elsevier's Chief Academic Officer. "While it's not surprising to see that researchers have concerns around the implications of Brexit, this study offers policy makers in academia and government, both within and outside the UK, insights into researchers' preferences."
In terms of funding, researchers globally, and particularly those in the UK, support tapping into alternative sources as EU funds threaten to dry up for UK science post-Brexit. However, 78% of UK-based researchers also indicate they want the European Union to ensure that UK research institutions continue to have access to EU Horizon 2020/FP9 research grants on the same basis as their counterparts in countries that remain in the European Union. Furthermore, 54% of researchers globally support the concept of creating a global research body similar to European Research Council.
"A sense of uncertainty over what happens next and the implications for the EU and UK research community regarding Brexit has been evident for some time," said Andrew Johnson, Director of Social Research at Ipsos MORI. "What is more urgently discussed now are solutions and actions which mitigate against risk. Researchers clearly have views on this which deserve careful consideration."
In addition to funding, researchers would like to see the UK government make maintaining cross-border mobility a priority: 90% of UK-based researchers want the UK government to ensure the current free movement for EU researchers who wish to work in the UK. Support for this is also strong among EU researchers (80%) and non-EU researchers (70%). 72% of researchers globally would like to see simpler procedures for visa and British citizenship applications for EU researchers.
Similarly, and closely linked with mobility, 66% of researchers globally support the UK government maintaining or creating bilateral research collaboration with EU countries; 69% feel collaborations need to be created with countries outside of the EU.
When asked to identify which university-led actions are most important following Brexit, UK-based researchers prioritise partnering with EU universities (49%), followed by offering legal assistance to EU staff (47%) and setting up a designated office for EU staff to provide information and assistance on Brexit issues (47%).
A summary of the survey results and full report are available on Elsevier's Brexit Resource Centre.
Technical note : The survey was informed by qualitative interviews with research leaders, and aimed to answer questions concerning Brexit coming directly from the research community in a quantitative format. The survey was carried out in two waves: May and October 2017. Each survey included 25+ questions and each had more than 2,000 respondents globally. The findings cited here are based on the October 2017 study. A total of 2,170 interviews were conducted among UK-based (1,242), EU-based (452) and globally-based (476) researchers. Fieldwork was conducted online between 29th September and 17th October 2017 using a random selection of respondents from Elsevier's Scopus database. The sample was profiled by country and subject speciality. The UK-based population was purposefully oversampled. Data were weighted to reflect the OCED distribution of researchers by geography.
About Ipsos
Ipsos, one of the world's largest and most innovative research agencies, works for a wide range of global businesses and many government departments and public bodies. It specialises in solving a range of challenges for its clients whether related to business, consumers, brands or society, with areas of expertise ranging from brand, communication, media, innovation and healthcare research through to customer experience, corporate reputation and social and political research. http://www.ipsos.com
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Scival, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com
Media contact
Sacha Boucherie, Global Communications
Elsevier
+31-20-4853564
[email protected]
SOURCE Elsevier
GIBRALTAR, Nov. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Globitex, the new bitcoin exchange co-founded by early bitcoin adopter and former Executive Director and a Founding Board Member of the Bitcoin Foundation Jon Matonis, marks a significant milestone in its journey to make bitcoin a truly global currency of settlement. Globitex Holding (Latvia) group company NexPay UAB has been granted an e-money license (EMI) by the Bank of Lithuania to carry out payment services and e-money issuance in the EU. This opens a series of doors for Globitex exchange, enabling it to take an important step closer to its goal of dramatically increasing bitcoin trading volumes in order to facilitate its use right across the spectrum of commodity and money markets. Current operating entity of the Globitex bitcoin exchange is a UK-based Globitex group company.
Bitcoin: currency of global settlement
Whilst bitcoin is currently making new highs, there is still the fundamental economic issue that order-book depth and liquidity cannot support very large trades. Although bitcoin offers enormous advantages for international settlement due to its speed and low cost compared to legacy money transfer services, it cannot yet serve as a currency of international trade settlement across the world's financial markets.
Globitex Chairman and Founding Director of Bitcoin Foundation, Jon Matonis, stated:
'I look forward to this evolution of digital currency trading platforms that ensure futures contracts with a physical delivery component. Strong connection to the spot markets, including contract limits and physical delivery that is linked to provisioned commodities, will serve as the market standard for price integrity.'
The aim of Globitex is to facilitate entry into the bitcoin market for a new generation of customers, both retail and institutional-level traders, enabling the increase in value and stability that will allow commodities like crude oil, gold, coffee and other financial instruments to be priced directly in bitcoin.
SEPA payments
Acquisition of the EMI licence brings with it the possibility of integrating with the SEPA euro payments system directly through the Central Bank of Lithuania. This will enable NexPay to clear euro payments directly, without the involvement of commercial banks, and to issue IBAN accounts to Globitex clients just like banks issue accounts to clients. This is a huge step forward in terms of accessibility.
The regulatory green light for the EMI licence is a leap forward in the development of the bitcoin and broader cryptocurrency industry. This sets a new level of legitimacy for cryptocurrency overall, moving towards widespread adoption.
Crucially, the newly-issued EMI licence is fully 'passportable' to all other EU member states, allowing NexPay to provide clients with payment services and e-money issuance across all 28 countries.
Liza Aizupiete, Managing Director of Globitex, reflects:
'Globitex is looking to set new cryptocurrency trading standards not only technologically, or by commodities-linked product offering, but especially in Globitex's legal setup, ensuring safe passage to the digital age.'
GBX token sale
Globitex group is holding a token sale to fund the scaling of its existing exchange infrastructure into a commodities spot and derivatives exchange for bitcoin. The GBX utility token will be issued on the Ethereum blockchain. GBX will be used to pay trading fees and reward exchange users and liquidity providers.
The GBX token will be sold for the equivalent of EUR 0.10 in Bitcoin (XBT), Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), with significant discounts for early participants.
For more information, visit https://Globitex.com or to participate in the token sale visit www.GlobitexICO.com.
SOURCE Globitex
Related Links
http://www.GlobitexICO.com
The exclusive distributorship for the Korean market has already been concluded, and discussions are currently underway with the US, UK, Mainland China and Taiwan.
CYANO DIVE COMPUTER is a wristwatch-style dive computer. CYANO has applied simple, trendy, and compact designs compared to other existing dive computers, and the attractive appearance and convenience to wear as a daily watch are very appealing to the divers emphasizing the diver's regular lifestyle.
The alert alarm function of CYANO DIVE COMPUTER helps divers to dive safely without decompression stops. WATOOM's CEO, Junghan Yoo, explained, "We developed CYANO considering the safety of divers first. The warning alarm turns on two minutes before NDL (two minutes before entering DECO MODE) and lets the diver move to shallower depth than the depth where the diver is currently."
In addition, the elevation rate of the user (diver) is represented by a bar graph, so that the diver can ascertain the elevation rate intuitively. When the diver is released from the specified stop position during the safety stop and decompression stop, "UP" or "DOWN" is displayed together with a warning alarm so that the diver can recognize it quickly, to ensure safe diving.
CYANO has adopted a slide strap replacement method, and it has the design and strength to express the individuality of the divers by being compatible with the straps of existing slide exchange systems in addition to the convenience of the strap replacement. Also, its durability and ruggedness are maintained by the high-quality materials such as SUS316L Stainless Steel and silicone.
CYANO is currently on the crowdfunding KICKSTARTER campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cyano-dive-computer/cyano-dive-computer?ref=creator_nav) until November 30th. WATOOM USA Inc. hopes divers will participate and sponsor CYANO.
Website: http://www.i-cyano.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyano.en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyano2017/
Email: [email protected]
Contact: +82-31-8044-8152
About WATOOM
WATOOM Co., Ltd. was established in June 2015 to provide more advanced and reliable waterproof technology services with 10 years of waterproofing technology as our background. WATOOM collaborates with companies starting from the planning stage of electronic products, to provide waterproof technology. We are also actively involved in the development and manufacturing of waterproof cases for finished electronic products. In 2017, we have launched CYANO. This is a dive computer with a user-friendly design, intuitive functionality, and reasonable price that was created to provide divers with a better quality and cost-effective dive computer. In addition, WATOOM also supports distribution businesses so that the best products can be smoothly supplied to the target market.
SOURCE CYANO
Related Links
http://www.i-cyano.com
Prior to receiving the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, Mei Hing Chak and her husband Chi Keung Lau had created a legendary rags-to-riches business. Since forming the business more than 20 years ago, they have transformed Heungkong Group into a conglomerate that encompasses trade logistics, urban development, financial services, healthcare, education and tourism, as well as metals processing and energy. It has been ranked among China's Top 50 Private Companies.
A voice of charity from China
The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy was established by the Carnegie Foundation and is awarded every two years to individuals who share the same spirit of giving with founder Andrew Carnegie. As one of the world's most renowned philanthropy awards, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy is conducted in total secrecy, with neither the presenters nor the potential recipients of the award having any advance clue whatsoever as to whom the recipient might be. For this reason, Mei Hing Chak was astonished when she was informed that she was in fact a recipient.
Mei Hing Chak has been engaged in philanthropy for more than 20 years.
The 22 Carnegie institutions in the United States and Europe nominate the medalists, with seven among them proceeding into the final selection. The honorees are recognized as catalysts for good whose philanthropy has had a significant and lasting impact on a particular field, nation or community.
Dean of the Institute for Philanthropy at Tsinghua University, Wang Ming, said that Mei Hing Chak's winning of the medal is not only a personal honor, but also a testament to the vigorous development of modern public welfare in China, which has garnered a high level of international recognition.
Mei Hing Chak established China's very first private foundation
At the beginning of her career in philanthropy, Mei Hing Chak donated money to publicly funded charitable foundations, yet was frustrated by being unable to choose the projects that she felt were important and reflected her vision. In 1998, she decided to establish her own charitable foundation. However, at that time, China did not allow individuals or privately-run companies to found charitable foundations. In 2005, after the country loosened the restriction, Mei Hing Chak became the first to apply for the right to found a charitable foundation and received governmental approval. Heungkong Charitable Foundation's registration number for its status as a private foundation (referred to in China as a non-publicly funded charitable institution) is 001, reflecting the fact that it is China's very first.
Since its inception, Heungkong Charitable Foundation has been committed to carrying out educational assistance, poverty alleviation, aid and disaster relief throughout 18 provinces and cities including Guangdong, Guizhou and Sichuan. In 2007, the foundation launched the "Five 1000" program: building 1,000 libraries, helping 1,000 disadvantaged students, and leading 1,000 activities manned by volunteers. After years of expansion, Heungkong Charitable Foundation now has a team of nearly 20,000 volunteers, whose assistance in the aggregate has amounted to more than 100,000 instances of volunteer works being performed, benefiting more than 3 million individuals.
Precise positioning: help the disadvantaged through education and the provision of healthcare
Heungkong Charitable Foundation has been focused on helping the less fortunate through education as well as by providing aid and disaster relief. Following on a decade of experience, Mei Hing Chak is planning to give the foundation a more precise positioning whereby the focus is to be on helping the less fortunate through education and the provision of healthcare. In the educational sphere, the foundation will focus on two programs: building libraries and supporting disadvantaged college students. In the health sphere, Mei Hing Chak is planning to donate 1 billion yuan (approx. US$150 million) to charitable foundations dedicated to healthcare. Through the charitable foundations, the fund will be donated to specialized hospitals that will provide medical assistance in disadvantaged areas and to less fortunate people. Unlike traditional charity projects, this project can generate a cash flow for itself through the operation of the hospitals and, thereby, fund its further development.
SOURCE Heungkong Charitable Foundation
Related Links
http://www.heungkong.com/english/
Hosted by Heungkong Group, in partnership with Microsoft (China), with the help of the administration committee of Nansha Development Zone, the summit brought together a number of Chinese government officials and senior business executives. The attendees included CPC Central Committee United Front Work Department former minister and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Party Committee former secretary, Hu Deping; Guangdong Province Party Committee United Front Department deputy director, Li Yangchun; Guangzhou Municipal Committee Standing Committee member; Nansha Development Zone (China Nansha Free Trade Zone) Party Committee secretary; Nansha Development Zone administration committee director and Nansha District Committee secretary, Cai Chaolin; Nansha District Committee deputy secretary and Nansha District chief executive, Zeng Jinze; Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce vice chairman, Lu Xiaozhou; Industry and Information Technology Commission of Guangzhou Municipality chief engineer, Hu Zhigang; Nansha Development Zone administration committee deputy director, Xie Ming; Heungkong Group chairman, Chi Keung Lau and president, Mei Hing Chak; Microsoft (China) COO, Horace Chow and vice president of Microsoft for Greater China, Teng Wen. In addition, former Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, was invited to the event as a keynote speaker.
On May 3, 2017, Nansha partnered with Microsoft (China) and Heungkong Group to roll out the Microsoft Cloud & Mobile Technology Incubation Program - Guangzhou Cloud & Mobile Application Incubation Platform (Microsoft Cloud Incubation Program). The incubation platform was formally launched at the summit, where 11 AI teams that had passed the reviews during the roadshow were formally invited to participate in the incubation program. To date, the platform has recruited 18 prominent AI teams, all of which have been given rent-free office space at the Heungkong International Financial Center in Nansha for four to six months during which they will be "incubated'.
"The incubation platform, which serves as the technological key in helping Nansha realize its vision in terms of AI, provides the district with an unprecedented opportunity to establish and grow its own AI industry," said Cai Chaolin. "Nansha plans to speed up the construction of a 100 billion yuan (approx. US$15 billion) AI industry cluster by taking full advantage of its role both as a free trade zone and as a government-designated self-innovation demonstration zone, with the aim of creating a new, future-oriented AI-plus smart city."
As Microsoft's 18th incubation platform and the first that targets cutting-edge technology in artificial intelligence, the Microsoft Cloud Incubation Program is highly valued by Microsoft.
At the summit, Horace Chow expressed gratitude to the government and Heungkong Group and said they are looking forward to promoting the incubation platform in Nansha. Keeping in line with what the district has dubbed its "1+1+10" series of policies, a program to transform the area into one of Guangzhou's key commercial and industrial hubs, Microsoft has promised to proactively facilitate innovation across the board with a focus on cloud computing, the internet of things, big data and artificial intelligence, helping boost the development of innovative companies.
As one of China's top 500 privately held firms, Heungkong Group, as part of its plan of transforming itself into a company of the future, has shifted a key part of its focus to the technology sector.
In her speech, Mei Hing Chak said that Heungkong Group started to establish a presence in Guangdong Free Trade Zone four years ago, in line with China's reform and opening up strategy. With a prime focus on innovative financial service platforms, and a strategy which incorporates big data, AI technologies and the Chinese government's Internet Plus initiative which advocates adoption of the Internet and modern technologies by the country's traditional industry sectors, the group has been assisting companies in their industrial transformation, helping them find new growth paths.
By application of a clever approach whereby Heungkong Group will leverage herd behavior to good effect by having all of the AI startups in one place, the firm has joined hands with Guangzhou Nansha Industrial Investment Fund Management to further the development of the sector through the joint launch of a 100 million yuan (approx. US$15 million) Artificial Intelligence venture capital fund. The firm expects to enhance the success of the effort by putting its 27 years of experience in a diverse range of industries and more than 20 years of experience in finance to use. The fund will mainly provide strong financial support for entrepreneurial teams and start-ups in artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and intelligent manufacturing.
An executive at Heungkong Group, responsible for the fund, said that the group is also willing to participate in the 10 billion yuan (approx. US$1.5 billion) Artificial Intelligence industry fund, initiated by the governments of Guangzhou and Nansha District and leverage its capital and operational strengths to promote the development of Artificial Intelligence in Nansha.
SOURCE Heungkong Group
LYON, France, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Egyptian producer Al Nouran ' s future sugar production facility integrates Novasep-engineered purification units
The new plant aims to address local supply shortage
Novasep, a leading supplier of services and technologies for the life sciences industry, is pleased to announce that Egypt-based Al Nouran has contracted with Novasep to provide process units for the largest sugar production facility in the MENA region.
The plant is a greenfield project for producing more than 270,000 tons per annum of white beet sugar and an additional 315,000 tons per annum of refined white cane sugar. The Novasep team provides two process solutions:
A decalcification plant for the beet sugar factory allowing an effluent-free softening process
A decolorization plant with a brine recovery system for the refinery part
"We are proud to support Al Nouran's skilled team as they work to address the country's sugar shortages. The plant will be one of the largest in the MENA region and will benefit from our latest design and optimization for sugar decolorization and proven robustness of our juice decalcification. This is an extraordinary opportunity for both the teams to combine their technical abilities and channel them towards delivering the maximum value in producing high-quality products." Nadege Laborde, President of Novasep Industrial Biotech Business Unit, said.
According to the report "World Sugar production, supply and distribution" published by USDA, Egypt imports one third of the country's sugar supply. This project is aimed at addressing local supply needs as well as exportation opportunities.
For press information, click here https://www.novasep.com/press-release-about-novasep.html
SOURCE Novasep
LONDON, November 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
PMD Solutions, an industry leading medical technology company based in Cork Ireland, today announced its successful enrolment in the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Programme as part of the NIA's official kick-off launch event which took place in London this week.
Now entering its third year, the NIA is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England's 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and focused exclusively on identifying and partnering with only the top leading healthcare pioneers in the market. Since its launch in July 2015, the NIA has supported the uptake and spread of 25 high-impact, evidence-based innovations across 799 NHS organisations. This recruitment process follows an international call and robust selection process, including review by a collegiate of over 100 assessors and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
"We are delighted to announce our participation in the NIA Programme as this alliance represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication in developing our core product RespiraSenseTM, the world's only continuous, motion-tolerant, respiratory rate (RR) monitor," said Myles Murray, PMD Solutions CEO. "A key focus for PMD in 2017 has been on developing our partnership channels within the NHS and building thorough educational awareness around the importance of continuous RR monitoring. Respiratory rate is the earliest indicator of patient deterioration, yet it is the most poorly measured. RespiraSenseTM has demonstrated that it can detect deterioration up to 12 hours earlier than the standard of care so we now look forward with great anticipation to delivering the very best in RR innovation across the 799 NHS organisations in the UK."
Since 2016, PMD Solutions has been working with a network of thought leaders in the fields of early warning scoring, vital signs, and improvement in hospital systems. In 2017 PMD announced research partnerships with European Centres of Excellence in Denmark and Wales and together they continue to demonstrate the value of respiratory rate and the clinical and economic impact it has on patient care. Simon Stevens, NHS England Chief Executive said: "Modern medicine is on the cusp of a huge shift in how care is delivered, and practical innovations like these shows how NHS patients will now directly benefit. More tests and patient monitoring will be done at home or on the move, without the need to pitch up to a doctor's appointment or hospital outpatients."
"Since it started the NHS Innovation Accelerator has continued to deliver for patients and the taxpayer," said Ian Dodge, National Director for Strategy and Innovation at NHS England. "It's just one of the ways that the NHS is getting its act together to provide practical help for innovators with the best ideas. From a small investment, we are already seeing very big benefits - safer care for patients, better value for taxpayers, new jobs created and export wins."
"As a national NHS AHSN Network we remain committed to supporting the NIA to ensure that as many residents, patients and staff as possible can access these innovations, which support primary care and urgent and emergency care needs," said Mike Hannay, Chair of the NHS AHSN Network. "We look forward to working with the new Fellows over the coming months to deliver these innovations at scale across the country."
About PMD Solutions
PMD Solutions is a medical technology company based in Cork, Ireland. PMD has developed RespiraSenseTM which is the world's only continuous, motion-tolerant, RR monitor and is being marketed to hospitals across EMEA and Austrasia. Established in 2011, PMD Solutions continues its mission to become the industry leader in respiratory rate wearable solutions. Since being awarded a 4.26m contract to tackle the incidence of acute respiratory compromise events in Europe, PMD Solutions has also applied its technology to population sleep screening and primary care screening for dysfunctional breathing.
About NHS Innovation Accelerator
The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England's 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), hosted by UCLPartners. We support delivery of the Five Year Forward View by accelerating uptake of evidence-based innovations for patient, population and NHS staff benefit, and providing real time practical insights on spread to inform national strategy.
SOURCE PMD Solutions
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration will transfer its control of two health systems and Viterbo University to lay leadership while the La Crosse-based order focuses on other ministries, FSPA President Sister Karen Lueck announced Tuesday.
The move, subject to Vatican approval and scheduled to take effect July 1, ends the FSPAs oversight and sponsorship of Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Nursing Home in Carroll, Iowa, and Viterbo University, Lueck said at a press conference at FSPA headquarters.
Viterbo and St. Anthony will maintain their Catholic identities with the development of Viterbo Ministries and St. Anthony Ministries, while Mayo-Franciscan will be shifted to Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minn., as a faith-based but non-Catholic organization, Lueck said.
The amount of money the order will receive from Mayo remains to be determined, but details are being worked out under the pact the sisters and Mayo signed when they became partners in 1995, said Lueck and Dr. Tim Johnson, Mayo Clinics regional vice president for southwest Wisconsin.
When the guiding principles were written 22 years ago, they wisely realized they would change over time, Johnson said in an interview, adding that discussions involving the direction and financial considerations will be based on those guidelines.
The mission, direction and values are incredibly connected with Franciscan values. That wont go away, Johnson said. What stays the same is so much more than what will change. Our Franciscan values run very deep.
In addition to working out the details and finances of the transition to Mayo, other priorities for the FSPAs to address now include finalizing development of Viterbo Ministries, which will assume sponsorship of the university, and development of St. Anthony Ministries, which will sponsor St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Nursing Home and the St. Anthony Foundation.
Those efforts will include spiritual formation programs for the laypeople involved, Lueck said.
Since the FSPA orders founding near Milwaukee in 1849 and moving its motherhouse to La Crosse 20 years later, the sisters have focused on what they perceive as the greatest needs in the community, initially health care and education, Lueck said.
Now that lay leadership based on Franciscan values is established as the common thread tying those efforts together, the time has come to meet new and emerging needs, said Lueck, who said the order has 209 members.
We trust the institutions to continue with these values, she said in an interview.
The order remains committed to praying for everyone, as we always have done, and collaborating with all of these new partners to pursue social justice on issues such as homelessness, human trafficking, immigration, care for the environment, she said.
The FSPAs, whom many regard as the Coulee Regions moral compass, have been involved especially in initiatives to alleviate homelessness, including being one of the key players in establishing the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness and the Franciscan Hospitality House.
Members of the order and its affiliates have been praying perpetually, as the name suggests with at least two people praying at a time 24/7 in their chapel for 139 years.
Bishop William Callahan, head of the La Crosse Diocese, has been kept abreast of the developments and had intended to attend the press conference but was not able to, Luecke said.
However, he sent a statement saying, in part, While today marks the end of an era, I have faith in the lay leadership who will continue to infuse Franciscan heritage and philosophy into Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare.
Asked whether the transaction has any implications for the nearly 200 acres of land Mayo Clinic Health System bought in Onalaska in 2014, Johnson said it does not.
Mayo has not developed plans for the property on Sand Lake Road across from Menards, although it is looking to use it to provide some type of services there, said Joe Kruse, Mayos administration chairman for southwest Wisconsin.
In May 2015, a potential traffic impact study filed with the city of Onalaska indicated that Mayo Clinic might build a new campus that could accommodate as many as 3,800 employees and generate nearly 1,400 vehicle trips a day. Mayo officials have not revealed anything beyond the impact study.
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/609876/ENJAZI_Competition.jpg )
ENJAZI Competition aims to empower entrepreneurs and start-ups in Libya by helping them evolve their projects to more advanced stages. Three winning teams Lisan, Yummy, and Sinbad were selected in recognition of their unique entrepreneurial projects. Team Lisan addressed problems faced by the mute/deaf community in the Arab world creating a solution that allows them to have face to face communication with non-sign language speakers. Team Yummy presented an application that consolidates all of Libya's Restaurants and food providers on one comprehensive platform through which consumers can browse, rate and order. As for Sinbad, they created a hybrid game (online and offline) that constitutes a powerful interactive space that teaches the basics of entrepreneurship in a simplified and entertaining format.
Commenting on the competition, Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab said: "Although this is a local contest confined to Libyans, we consider it to be one of the main competitions organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab. The importance of this competition lies in having the participants visit Beirut, benefiting from its entrepreneurial ecosystem. This in turn underscores Lebanon as a key hub for the "entrepreneurial scene" in the region as well as an advocate for entrepreneurs. During the final event, the participants met a number of Lebanese entrepreneurs and benefitted from a panel discussion that tackled the future of entrepreneurship in Libya."
CEO of Tatweer Research Dr. Khaled Mufti praised the importance of this competition and the role that it plays in enhancing and diversifying the economy in Libya. He emphasized that it plays a fundamental role in supporting the knowledge economy and encouraging the private sector in the long term by providing value added jobs and establishing an ambitious generation capable of innovation. He added, "We are delighted to be partners and supporters of this first-of-its-kind competition in Libya, which is perfectly in line with our goals: Fostering a new Knowledge Economy, nurturing the brightest young minds in Libya and incubating the ideas of ambitious homegrown entrepreneurs."
ENJAZI competition kicked off on the 8th of April till the 1st of June after which ten finalist teams embarked on a one-month training program in Libya last August, then moved to Beirut and participated in a series of seminars and workshops from the 9th till the 17th of November. During their training process, they met a number of prominent Lebanese entrepreneurs and business accelerators.
The three winning teams were also given the opportunity to visit London Tech City and Cambridge Science Park.
About MITEF Pan Arab:
Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.
About Tatweer Research:
Tatweer Research is a non-profit organisation, founded and funded to boost knowledge, capacity and private enterprise in Libya. By cultivating learning, leadership and entrepreneurialism among Libya's youth, and building and investing in new technologies, Tatweer aims to create opportunity and drive progress for the benefit of Libya and for all the world.
About MITEF Pan Arab:
Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.
Press Contacts:
Lamis Kontar, Regional Media Relations Manager at J. Walter Thompson Levant
[email protected]
00-961-1-97-30-30 EXT 3122
SOURCE MITEF Pan Arab
LONDON, Nov. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RSK, the company behind smart contracts for bitcoin, and leading blockchain regtech Coinfirm announced today a partnership to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance for the cryptocurrency marketplace. RSK has brought in Coinfirm's AML/CTF Platform along with its proprietary algorithms and big data analytics into its Federation. RSK has now added another strong blockchain player to its federation that has created an ecosystem that provides them with the best potential for their large scale adoption and success.
With both companies comprising themselves of blockchain experts in their respective fields, this collaboration will efficiently address regulatory compliance issues such as AML and CTF through Coinfirm's platform.
Not only having significantly improved smart contract capabilities in bitcoin, RSK has also been able to increase scalability within the ecosystem, having successfully accelerated transactions per second from 7 to 400. Subsequently, Coinfirm have been one step ahead of the ever changing commercial scalability for bitcoin. A major strength of the Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform is streamlining and automating compliance processes for blockchain transactions, taking the process from a double digit percentage of labor and time expenses to a practical, automated utility.
"We are happy to welcome Coinfirm as part of the RSK Federation. We both share the vision about the importance of smart contracts powered by the Bitcoin network. Their strong commitment to compliance facilitates blockchain technologies becoming mainstream and the Internet of Value becoming a reality," said Ruben Altman, RSK's COO.
Coinfirm Co Founder and CEO Pawel Kuskowski said, "RSK is bringing a needed element to Bitcoin and taking the network and ecosystem forward. Coinfirm understands their importance and they understand our unique role in the future commercial and mass adoption of bitcoin so our joint relationship was a natural step for both sides. Together we're going to continue pushing the further adoption of bitcoin around the world."
Recently the two entities linked up at Coinfirm's monthly blockchain event Warsaw Block and spoke on RSK's Federation and the role Coinfirm is playing as a part of it. Both RSK's Ruben Altman and Coinfirm's Pawel Kuskowski took to the stage to set out their planned collaboration on confirming transactions to create greater security and scalability within the blockchain ecosystem.
About RSK Labs
RSK Labs is the company behind the project codenamed 'RootStock', a smart contract platform with a 2-way peg to the Bitcoin Blockchain. RSK founders have been actively involved in the Bitcoin ecosystem and smart contract development since early 2013. The company was founded in 2015 and its initial white paper was later published on December 2015.
About Coinfirm
Coinfirm is a recognized leader in their field and ranked among the most influential blockchain and regtech companies and serves as a foundation for the safe adoption and use of blockchain. The Coinfirm AML & Compliance Platform uses proprietary algorithms and big data analysis to provide structured actionable data that increases efficiency, reduces costs and streamlines compliance to near automation. The blockchain agnostic platform not only benefits companies operating around blockchain but also major financial institutions, asset management companies and BI companies. Coinfirm has also recently released it's AMLT Token to allow for market participants to help provide information and democratize the financial system.
SOURCE Coinfirm
SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights
SQM reported net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 of US$317.2 million .
of . Revenues for first nine months of 2017 were US$1,582.5 million , higher than revenues in the nine months of 2016.
, higher than revenues in the nine months of 2016. EBITDA margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 reached 41%, while EBITDA margins for the third quarter 2017 reached approximately 40%.
reached 41%, while EBITDA margins for the third quarter 2017 reached approximately 40%. Updated Information: SQM will hold a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, November 23 at 10:00am ET ( 12:00pm Chile time).
Participant Dial-In (Toll Free): 1-855-238-1018
Participant International Dial-In: 1-412-542-4107
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM) reported today earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 of US$317.2 million (US$1.21 per ADR), an increase from US$197.4 million (US$0.75 per ADR) for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Gross profit reached US$546.4 million (34.5% of revenues) for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, higher than US$406.2 million (29.3% of revenues) recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Revenues totaled US$1,582.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, representing an increase of 14.2% compared to US$1,385.5 million reported for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.
The Company also announced earnings for the third quarter of 2017, reporting net income of US$112.9 million (US$0.43 per ADR) compared to US$55.8 million (US$0.21 per ADR) for the third quarter of 2016. Gross profit for the third quarter of 2017 reached US$188.5 million, higher than the US$145.7 million recorded for the third quarter of 2016. Revenues totaled US$558.7 million, an increase of approximately 10.8% compared to the third quarter of 2016, when revenues amounted to US$504.0 million.
SQM's Chief Executive Officer, Patricio de Solminihac, stated: "The results we published for the first nine months of 2017 are a result of our strong position in all of the markets in which we are present. In the specialty plant nutrient business line strong sales volumes were due to strong demand growth along with decreased supply from our competition. Our operations team has been able to increase production in an efficient way, allowing us to increase our volumes while maintaining the supply and demand equilibrium in the market. Our sales volumes increased almost 9% during the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year. In the potassium chloride market, our sales volumes surpassed 1.0 million MT during the first nine months of the year. Sales volumes for 2017 could surpass 1.3 million MT, a decrease compared to last year, but higher than our previous expectations."
"In the lithium market, we continue to see strong demand growth and we saw prices continue to increase during the third quarter, surpassing US$13,000/ton, thus increasing another 8% compared to the second quarter. We believe this pricing trend should continue for the remainder of this year, and through the beginning of 2018. We continue to move forward with our new lithium projects. Our projects in Chile remain on time, and we expect to complete our lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate expansions by the middle of 2018. In Argentina, we are investing in the first stage of the 25,000 MT expected to be online in 2019, and in Australia we finalized the documentation required to move forward with the joint venture with Kidman Resources."
"In the iodine market, we have been working over the past several years to increase our sales volumes in line with our corporate strategy and operational plan. Market share has returned to levels greater than 30%, and we believe sales volumes will surpass 12,500 MT this year. Given these increase sales volumes, we are increasing our iodine production capacity to reach just over 14,000 MT as we want to ensure the supply is available to meet the demand of the future. With prices slightly higher than prices seen during the second quarter, we are optimistic about our future in the iodine market."
About SQM
SQM is an integrated producer and distributor of lithium, iodine, specialty plant nutrients, potassium-related fertilizers and industrial chemicals. Its products are based on the development of high quality natural resources that allow the Company to be a leader in costs, supported by a specialized international network with sales in over 110 countries.
SQMs business strategy is to be a mining operator that selectively integrates the production and sales of products to industries essential for human development, such as food, health and technology. The strategy is built on the following six principles:
strengthen internal processes to ensure access to key resources required for the sustainability of the business;
extend lean operations (M1) to the entire organization to strengthen our cost position, increase quality and ensure safety;
invest in the development of a specialty fertilizer market, including product differentiation, sales channel management and price optimization;
recover the iodine market share, seek consolidation and vertical integration opportunities; invest in the development of industrial nitrate applications;
search and invest in lithium and potassium assets outside of Chile to leverage our operational capabilities, take advantage of the current lithium market appeal and ensure access to raw materials for our potassium nitrate production; and
to leverage our operational capabilities, take advantage of the current lithium market appeal and ensure access to raw materials for our potassium nitrate production; and seek diversification opportunities in gold, copper and zinc projects in the region to leverage our mining operating capabilities and provide business continuity to our exploration program.
The business strategys principles are based on the following four concepts:
build an organization with strategic clarity, inspirational leaders, responsible personnel and strong values;
develop a strategic planning process that responds to the needs of our customers and market trends, while ensuring coordination between all segments of the business, including sales and operations;
develop a robust risk control and mitigation process to actively manage business risk; and
improve our stakeholder management to establish links with the community and communicate to Chile and worldwide our contribution to industries essential for human development.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make concerning the Company's business outlook, future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses, or other financial items, anticipated cost synergies and product or service line growth.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are estimates that reflect the best judgment of SQM management based on currently available information. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are outside of our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by SQM with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which identifies important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to SQM on the date hereof and SQM assumes no obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
SOURCE SQM
Related Links
http://www.sqm.com
Finals to be held on 19 April, 2018 ; Application deadline December 5, 2017
The MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan Arab announced the final award ceremony of The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition which will be held in the Sultanate of Oman on the 19th of April 2018. The announcement came during a press conference held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, Oman and was attended by Representatives from institutions supporting this competition. This year's edition is yet again in partnership with "Community Jameel", a social enterprise organization that operates a wide range of initiatives which promote and contribute towards positive societal change and economic sustainability. In addition, the strategic partners include Riyada, the competition's governmental backbone, Omantel, a key contributor and supporter as well as Oman Technology Fund and Zain Group, the competition's digital partner.
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/609883/MITEF_Pan_Arab.jpg )
The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition opened its registration process from the 3rd of September till the 5th of December on the competition's official website: Mitarabcompetition.com. The semi-finalist teams will be announced on the 12th of January 2018 and will compete for a cumulative of cash prizes worth US$160,000.
In her speech, Hala Fadel, Chair of the board of MITEF Pan Arab emphasized the importance of betting and investing in the capacities and talents of the Arab youth to ensure societal development. She said, "We proceed with the annual MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition for the 11th year in a row. Throughout the years it has become a platform for young talents to embark on their careers, express their ideas and achieve them on the ground. The closing ceremony will be held in Sultanate of Oman to be the incubator for hundreds of young people and entrepreneurs in their journey towards discovery, development and success."
Fady Jameel, President of Community Jameel International said, "We thank the Sultanate of Oman for hosting the closing ceremony of the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition. The annual competition continues to play a key role in creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the region, and Community Jameel is delighted to again support its already excellent reputation. We look forward to further developing entrepreneurship in the Arab region by promoting dialogue on how entrepreneurship can be encouraged, developing innovation and discussing the challenges that young men and women may face in the future."
The MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition in its 11th edition incorporates three tracks: the Ideas track, the Startups track and the Social Entrepreneurship track. Each winning team will receive a cash prize in addition to advanced training sessions, personal mentorship and guidance, not to mention a great deal of media coverage and excellent networking opportunities.
About MITEF Pan Arab: Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.
About Community Jameel: Established in 2003, Community Jameel is a social enterprise organisation that operates a wide range of initiatives to promote a positive society and economic sustainability. From individual, community and Arab life as a whole, in Saudi Arabia and beyond, Community Jameel promotes Arab arts and culture in the Middle East and around the world, works against unemployment, enables research for poverty alleviation and food and water security, and provides education and training opportunities.
Community Jameel supports and partners with global institutions, which employ hundreds of people, all aiming to provide people with opportunities and training in the following areas:
Job Creation - Bab Rizq Jameel
Arts and Culture - Art Jameel
Global Poverty Alleviation
Food and Water Security
Education and Training
Health and Social
Contact: Maggie El Eid +()961-1-973030 x.3124, [email protected]
SOURCE MITEF Pan Arab
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/609896/TOPHOTELPROJECTS_Okura.jpg )
Announcing the partnership and the new brand in a press release, stakeholders involved with the deal said that Nikko Style seeks to target travelers who want new, creative experiences, thereby filling a void in an underserved portion of the hospitality market in Japan: select service hotels. This move comes as Japan has been enjoying an increase in the number of inbound tourists who visit the country, an increase that the country's government is hoping will double by the year 2020, when its biggest city, Tokyo, is slated to host the Olympic Games.
In describing the new brand, the company said Nikko Style will offer its guests a comfortable and inviting atmosphere that simultaneously encourages work, relaxation and socializing. Trinity is also seeking to raise up to $300 million of equity to initially fund the new Nikko Style chain, with the first hotel that will be under the branding slated to open in the year 2020. The ultimate plan is for between 20 and 30 Nikko Style Hotels to be opened throughout the country in a host of different cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. With a firm presence in Japan, the brand may then look to expand to other parts of Asia, and to North American and Europe as well.
Sean Hehir, President and CEO of Trinity, said in a press release, "Japan's hotel inventory is arguably the most underserved amongst developed countries worldwide, with little segmentation by major brand companies into the upscale select service space where branding and value-driven price points will be highly attractive to the country's new visitor demographic. This collaboration with our long-standing partner Hotel Okura on Nikko Style will serve to fill this void, allowing for the rapid penetration of a new but familiar brand throughout Japan and then, utilizing our respective companies' worldwide networks, into selective gateway cities in other Asian countries, North America and Europe."
Such language is pretty much standard in announcements about hospitality plans and investments, but if two brands could accomplish such lofty goals it would be Hotel Okura, which was first founded back in 1958 before opening its flagship Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962, and Trinity Investments, a private real estate investment firm that has a 20-year history of generating value-added returns over a diversified array of geographic locations and asset types.
This contains among others the following projects:
Hotel Okura Tokyo
Hotel Okura will reconstruct the Main Building of its flagship, Hotel Okura Tokyo. [READ MORE]
The Chedi Tomakomai, Hokkaido
Hokkaido's natural assets will be reflected in The Chedi's open-air hot springs, 30-table gourmet restaurant and health facilities. [READ MORE]
Park Hyatt Niseko, Hanazono
This project is located in one of Asia's foremost ski resort destinations. [READ MORE]
More information about Japan Hotel Projects can be found on TOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider in the exchange of cutting-edge information of hotel construction in the international hospitality industry.
Media Contact:
Gonzalo Escrina
Editor in Chief
[email protected]
Phone: +54-11-5235-8064
Headquarters:
Rotenburg an der Wumme, 27356
Germany
Phone: +49-4261-4140-0
SOURCE TOPHOTELPROJECTS
The QQ X Project had stops in the Galapagos Islands, Namibia, Spain and Antarctica. As a whole, the four destinations share the vision of paving the way for young people who dream of exploring the world. At the first three stops, the project received support from the Embassy of Ecuador in China, the Embassy of Namibia in China, the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, the Charles Darwin Research Institute and the World Wildlife Fund, among others.
UK-based investment manager TH Real Estate, part of US pension manager TIAA, has bought the retail park Enox near Paris and the office building The Warehouse in Amsterdam on behalf of its European Cities Fund. The asset manager has acquired both assets in off-market transactions. "This acquisitions demonstrates our capacity
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The sale of a fully-leased Cremorne office building will test the market as yields plummet in the wake of a new stock shortage driving increased investor competition for every available asset, according to Teska Carson Director, Adrian Boutsakis.
The near new, 2015 built property at 44 Gwynne Street is expected to fetch north of $7.5 million.
The office block has 1000 square metres of office space over five levels and 14 secure carparks on a 326 square metre site.
It is fully leased to three tenants returning $431,882 per annum plus outgoings and GST.
Boutsakis, who is marketing the building with Matthew Feld, said the very strong tenant demand for city fringe office space around Cremorne and Richmond had intensified the interest of investors despite some of the lowest yields on record.
"The level of demand for office space in Richmond and Cremorne is higher than at any time since the GFC and arguably the strongest it has ever been," Boutaskis said.
"Thats particularly the case for new office buildings and fully-leased buildings and why we may well see a benchmark result for this property, Boutsakis said.
Feld said yields in Richmond and Cremorne had continued to tighten over the last 12 months to around 5.75 per cent, but with vacancy at 2 per cent or lower and an extreme shortage of properties available for purchase at a time that demand remains at an historical high, recent transactions had fallen below that mark.
"This is Melbournes hottest city fringe market and recent sales bear that out with several properties having sold well below 5.75 per cent and one selling below an extraordinary 4 per cent.
"It is really vendors heaven at the moment, Feld said.
As the dust finally settles on President Donald Trump's first Asia visit, observers have begun to criticize the administration for not accomplishing much during the whirlwind five-country 12-day trip. These critics, however, should look more closely at Trump's time in Vietnam, where something quite significant indeed occurred: The administration seized upon the positive momentum left over from the Obama administration to elevate U.S.-Vietnam defense cooperation to new and unprecedented heights. This development will be vital to both Vietnamese and U.S. strategic interests in the South China Sea for the foreseeable future.
Trump's visit followed up on Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's May 31 discussion with the president at the White House. This meeting produced a joint statement recognizing the need to ensure freedom of navigation, peaceful settlement of disputed territorial claims in accordance with international law, and the development of a legally-binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea all implicit signals of opposition to China's growing military presence and assertiveness in the region.
In Hanoi on November 11, Trump met with his counterpart President Tran Dai Quang, and the two not only reiterated this language, but went further to announce the initiation of a three-year memorandum of understanding to implement key components of prior bilateral defense agreements. While it is unclear precisely what this might entail, the announcement clearly suggests a deepening of ties. Some of the areas of ongoing support to Vietnam include enhancing the military's maritime domain awareness capabilities, as well as modernizing its fleet of coast guard patrol boats. Indeed, just before Trump met with Phuc in May, the administration transferred a Hamilton-class coast guard vessel to Vietnam to improve its maritime law enforcement capabilities.
The administration seized on positive momentum from the Obama era to elevate U.S.-Vietnam defense cooperation.
As part of Washington's deepening defense partnership with Hanoi, Trump and Quang also reaffirmed the plan to send a U.S. aircraft carrier to Cam Ranh Bay in 2018. This idea was first floated during the Trump-Phuc meeting, and then was firmed up when Vietnamese Minister of Defence Ngo Xuan Lich visited the Pentagon in August. In their joint statement in November, Trump and Quang reaffirmed that this carrier visit would happen next year and added a mutual desire that Secretary of Defense James Mattis should seek to make an early visit to Vietnam. But Trump did not leave it at that. Before meeting with Phuc, and perhaps wandering off script, Trump offered to sell Vietnam missiles, stating that U.S. missiles are in a category that nobody even comes close. Separately, he offered to mediate or arbitrate the South China Sea dispute before meeting with Quang.
Finally, while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Da Nang the day before, on November 10, Trump referred to the region multiple times as the Indo-Pacific. Even though this term was originally coined in 2007 to describe the growing interconnectivity between the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions, it has since evolved to imply to many observers an effort by the United States to leverage its superior naval capabilities to contain China in both regions. Indeed, Trump played into this conception of the Indo-Pacific by reviving quadrilateral talks comprised of the United States, Australia, Japan, and India during his Asia visit.
All of these decisions, even the more questionable ones, such as offering to sell missiles to Vietnam or mediate disputes in the South China Sea, are healthy for deepening bilateral defense ties in the pursuit of national strategic interests.
For Vietnam, Rodrigo Duterte becoming president of the Philippines was an enormous blow to its position in the South China Sea. Duterte abruptly decided to shelve Manila's July 2016 victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration to dispute China's expansive territorial claims in the region, in effect leaving Hanoi holding the bag on the issue. Vietnam's attempts to take the lead on hashing out a legally binding Code of Conduct with China and other claimants have proven futile. Thus, support from Washington in the form of the joint statements is helpful at this time. Beyond rhetorical support for its position, Hanoi is also clearly content with displays of U.S. military power to deter China from further aggression in the South China Sea. It is unprecedented that Vietnam has agreed to Washington sending an aircraft carrier to the sensitive military facility of Cam Ranh Bay, which is closest to the disputed Spratley Islands.
Hanoi is clearly content with displays of U.S. military power to deter Beijing from aggression in the South China Sea.
Moreover, Trump's apparently burgeoning relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping reassures Vietnam that it is unlikely to become a pawn in major power geostrategic calculations. Given Hanoi's long and unfortunate history of warfare against external powers, including both the United States and China, as well as pressure to choose between socialist powers and the United States during the Cold War, Vietnam is particularly wary of a repeat scenario. Vietnam instead prefers stable U.S.-China ties to preserve its non-aligned yet multidirectional cooperative approach. Simultaneously, however, Hanoi appreciates a sustained U.S. presence aimed at balancing China. By raising the possibility of mediating disputes in the South China Sea, Trump opened the possibility that the United States might continue to play an engaged and active role in the region. This runs contrary to the impression Trump gave earlier when he terminated Obama-era policies such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and strategic rebalance or pivot to Asia, both of which sought to maintain Washington's presence and leadership. Indeed, Trump's Indo-Pacific concept seems like a simple replacement of the pivot-to-Asia strategy.
Trump's deepening defense engagement with Vietnam is a positive development for the United States as well. Washington has an acute interest in freedom of the seas to safeguard the global economy. Chinese domination of the South China Sea runs contrary to that objective, and support to Vietnam will complicate Beijing's ability to bully its way to victory. Apart from the South China Sea, working more closely with Vietnam recognizes its important contributions to regional security in the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue, and peace-keeping operations. Only within the last 25 years has Hanoi decided to engage the regional community and become a leader within Southeast Asia on non-traditional military operations. Washington encourages this positive behavior through its engagement.
Although these accomplishments are laudable, there are, of course, reasonable limitations to U.S.-Vietnam defense cooperation. Many senior Vietnamese generals who served in the military against American forces remain in power. Therefore, deep distrust of U.S. intentions is still prevalent in the country. In other words, Vietnam would probably not feel comfortable conducting joint training with U.S. forces or developing war plans in tandem. Additionally, with only perhaps $5 billion to spend on defense per year, it will be difficult for Vietnam to procure most weapon systems from Washington. This explains, to a large extent, Hanoi's inactivity in purchasing U.S. equipment since Obama lifted the decades-long ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Vietnam in May 2016. Another important component, however, is Vietnam's preference to avoid provocative moves that might unnecessarily antagonize China. That is why Vietnamese leaders declined to comment on Trump's offer to sell missiles to Vietnam. Even still, Hanoi probably appreciates the offer privately, but seeks to maintain the delicate balancing act of positioning itself to defend its claims in the South China Sea, while not getting caught up in great power rivalry. If the United States keeps this in mind as well, then defense relations will continue to soar.
Derek Grossman is a senior defense analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. He formerly served as the daily intelligence briefer to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs at the Pentagon. The opinions expressed in this article are his own.
This commentary originally appeared on The Diplomat on November 22, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
The final series of the critically acclaimed hit Swedish/Danish language drama The Bridge will air on the BBC in 2018.
The show which is BBC Fours highest ever rating drama was acquired from ZDF Enterprises and will air this time on BBC Two.Sofia Helin and Thure Lindhart reprise their roles as maverick Swedish detective Saga Noren and her Danish counterpart Henrik Sabroe in a concluding case that tests their relationship to its limits, both professionally and personally.Anders Landstrom, producer of The Bridge, said: It is obviously very sad to say goodbye to Saga after four incredible seasons, but our talented writers Hans and Camilla have an extraordinary end in store for viewers. Sofia has played the role of Saga with a rawness and truth rarely seen on screen and its been a pleasure to work with her and Thure on a series of which we are immensely proud.Writer Hans Rosenfeldt and Camilla Ahlgren added: Weve been on an amazing journey with Saga and Henrik and felt that there was one last thrilling story to tell. Set two years on from last series, Saga is coming to terms with the dire consequences of being accused of her mothers murder when a macabre crime seemingly linked to migration takes place. Meanwhile, Henrik continues his desperate search for his children."Patrick Holland, channel controller of BBC Two, said: It is great to see this fantastic series back and on BBC Two. The Bridge has helped redefine television drama in recent years and it is fitting that its final series will be showcased on BBC Two.Lars Blomgren, chairman, scripted exchange Endemol Shine Group , and co-founder and managing director of Filmlance International, added: Im incredibly proud of how Bron [The Bridge] has captured the imagination of audiences worldwide. Its very distinctive brand of Scandi Noir has arguably been instrumental in changing attitudes towards foreign language drama around the world. The series is a Scandinavian co-production, produced in Sweden by Filmlance International, part of Endemol Shine Group and in Denmark by Nimbus Film. It has been adapted in six territories including the UK, USA and France.
Viasat World has spent the last few weeks attempting to acquire content for Epic Drama which is set to launch on 14 December. It has already secured more than 50 hours of content including TV series across a variety of genres such as crime and mystery, classic literary, politics and power, historical, war, action adventure, real history and fantasy.Available in all Epic Drama markets, and exclusively to some, the of-the-moment titles to which Banijay Rights holds distribution to set to join the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), pay-TV and catch-up line-up include series one of SVTs (Sweden) biggest original commission and most successful drama ever, The Restaurant (10x60). The critically acclaimed impassioned family saga about love, conflict and betrayal is produced by Jarowskij, in collaboration with SVT, Viaplay, Film i Vast. Also acquired is series one of award-winning lavish high-end historical drama Versailles (10x60), co-produced by Capa Drama, Zodiak Fiction, Incendo for CANAL+.Weve been working hard to compile a launch slate for Epic Drama which lives up to the brands bold and lavish promise, as well as securing more of the greatest drama series to premiere on the channel exclusively in our key markets, remarked Karin Heijink, VP content and product at Viasat World. Epic Dramas exceptional slate is testament to the strength of our relationships with our valued and trusted content distribution partners such as Banijay Rights, alongside our expertise in content curation. Were very pleased to welcome these world-class drama series for our viewers.Added Caroline Torrance, head of scripted at Banijay Rights We are delighted to continue to build and strengthen our relationship with Viasat World. These two series are best in class dramas and we are certain that they will attract a wide audience when Epic Drama goes live in many parts of the world next month.
Leftovers: the unsung hero of the days following the Thanksgiving Day feast. Before throwing out any food, check out these recipe ideas for meals that are sure to taste like new, even though you ate the same thing the day before.
Martinsville is building a new police station. What you need to know.
Armenian draft protesters proposed that students be allowed to serve in the military for several months a year while studying in universities as a way of carrying out Armenia's new military draft system.
The proposal was presented during a roundtable discussion on November 22 that parliament members and Armenian defense and education officials agreed to hold with the protesters in exchange for their halting street protests against the draft last week.
David Petrosian, one of the leaders of the For Science Development protest group that spearheaded weeklong rallies and a boycott of classes at Yerevan State University and other schools, suggested to the roundtable that his plan was a way of "bringing the army into the university.
Petrosian's plan would apply to students pursuing bachelors degrees as well as masters degrees at Armenian universities.
He said students would be able to fit in about four months of military service during each school year, scheduling two separate two-month periods of service.
"This allows us not to take the university to the army, but to bring the army into the university," he said.
Petrosian argued that under his plan, "the principle of the continuity of students education will not be violated, and at the same time students will participate in the service."
The proposal was in response to legislation curbing student deferments of the military draft that was approved by the Armenian National Assembly on November 15 and will become law upon signing by President Serzh Sarkisian.
Under the legislation, to get a draft deferment, all male students must sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense and agree to serve three years in the military after completing their studies. Otherwise, the young men will be drafted to serve for two years once they turn 18.
The new restrictions on student deferments were sought by the Armenian Ministry of Defense, which argues they are needed to close a key loophole used to avoid compulsory military service as well as to ensure all young men are treated equally.
The student protesters and other critics of the law say it will discourage students from pursuing scientific careers and will eventually harm the development of science in the country.
Defense officials and lawmakers at the roundtable seemed open to the Petrosian plan as a way of easing the problems raised by students with the new system.
Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakarian noted that Petrosian's proposal is similar to a system now used in Switzerland, though he added that is a country where there is no threat of war.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, who represented the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, said "the discussion has been a successful one, because we hear each other, because from both sides there are common approaches and the desire to give a more comprehensive and full solution to the problem" raised by students.
Sharmazanov suggested that the government could take the students' ideas into account in carrying out the new law.
"The ball is in the governments court now, he said. "Lets start to work with the government together to make your recommendations documented so that they can be reflected in government decisions and sub-legislative acts. This is my suggestion."
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), set up by the UN in 1993 to deal with war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, is nearing its end. Whether it can claim "mission accomplished" when it formally closes its doors on December 31 remains a question, however.
For many in the region, The Hague tribunal has been a great insult; for others a disappointment.
In Serbia and Republika Srpska the state media and nationalist politicians have successfully promoted a narrative of the ICTY as essentially "anti-Serb" and part of a conspiracy to hold only Serbs responsible for crimes while minimizing the guilt of others.
Meanwhile, most Croats indicted by the tribunal are still celebrated as heroes of the Homeland War, and their prosecution is seen as a travesty.
The dominant feeling in Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the other hand, is one of disappointment. There had been, perhaps, an unrealistic expectation that the tribunal would somehow be able to bring back prewar Bosnia; that it would rescind the new reality of an ethnically divided country created by the war.
In the end, the tribunal had established beyond doubt that the Bosnian Muslims were by far the war's biggest victims, but no court could return Bosnia to its prewar state.
Yet with all its ups and downs, the ICTY has been a cornerstone in the fight against impunity for the crimes committed in the series of wars in the former Yugoslavia (1991-99). Those most responsible did eventually end up in the detention unit of The Hague tribunal -- in some cases after years spent in hiding -- and were by most accounts given fair trials.
The credibility of the ICTY rests, above all, on the trials of two individuals in its courtrooms -- Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the supreme political and military leaders of the Bosnian Serbs in the war (1992-95). They have been accused -- and convicted -- of the gravest crimes that have come under the purview of the court, and which had by far the largest number of victims. The successful prosecutions of Karadzic and Mladic are undoubtedly a triumph for international justice.
Sarajevo Siege
Apart from the genocide in Srebrenica -- the massacre of more than 8,000 unarmed men and boys -- Mladic was held primarily responsible for the bombardment of Sarajevo. The city was under siege for 1,425 days; its citizens deprived of the necessities of life, such as water and electricity, and allowed only meager rations of humanitarian aid. More than 10,000 civilians were killed, including at least 1,000 children. Shells fired from the surrounding hills landed on playgrounds and marketplaces, murdering indiscriminately.
In one infamous video, Mladic was recorded issuing an order to his artillery to "hit Velesici, not many Serbs there!" Velesici was a Sarajevo suburb, ethnically mixed like the rest of the city. Mladic's chilling order revealed the real purpose of the violence, which was to divide people along ethnic lines, and to "cleanse" territory of non-Serbs.
Interestingly, in the course of their parallel trials Mladic refused to be a witness for the defense of Radovan Karadzic. He did not want to hurt his own case. Karadzic was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison, although both the defense and the prosecution have appealed the sentence -- in the latter case demanding life imprisonment. The final decision will be made by the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), which will take over remaining ICTY cases and serve as the repository of its judicial records.
The first president of the tribunal, Antonio Cassese, believed that its great achievement was the individualization of guilt. He was convinced that holding specific individuals responsible would prevent the assigning of collective blame -- to entire nations -- for the crimes committed.
That expectation has been largely disappointed. Two decades later, during a visit to Sarajevo in June 2017 to announce the successful conclusion of the court's work, ICTY President Carmel Agius acknowledged that reconciliation was not part of The Hague tribunal's brief.
"We are not offering reconciliation, because it has not been the mandate of this court to do it. We have not dealt with it at all. All the citizens in the countries in the region have the responsibility for reconciliation," he said.
"We are closing the door, but we are giving you a large collection of determined facts. We are giving you the truth about what happened," Agius said.
That, however, is no small achievement, and there have been many firsts in international humanitarian justice along the way.
Epistemological Earthquake
The ICTY was the first international criminal tribunal since the post-World War II Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals, and the first tribunal established under Chapter VII of the UN charter. It has issued more indictments than any other international criminal court, and has brought 161 individuals to justice. Its most important achievement is the sheer volume of documents its trials have generated, which together constitute nearly all the pieces of the puzzle that is the destruction of Yugoslavia.
While few in either Belgrade or Zagreb will publicly lament the tribunal's closure, it presents them with a dilemma. The Hague -- and its perceived biases and injustices -- has served nationalists in both Serbia and Croatia as a means of keeping the wounds of the war open, and putting off reconciliation. Yet it will no longer be possible to invoke the tribunal and its alleged shortcomings as an obstacle to a lasting rapprochement, writes Refik Hodzic in a piece published on the respected Serbian portal Pescanik titled The Years The War Criminals Devoured (a play on the title of the prison memoirs of the Serbian writer Borislav Pekic, The Years The Locusts Devoured).
"The Hague archives are a treasure trove, they contain the truth about us, the truth about the tragic collapse of a community that experienced an epistemological earthquake and swapped the truth for myth, institutions for false prophets," writes Hodzic.
The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
A prominent elderly Crimean Tatar activist has died after being caught up in an incident in which Russian security officers in Crimea detained several of her associates.
Vedzhie Kashka, 82, became unwell and was taken away by ambulance in the Crimean city of Simferopol on November 23 after several fellow activists were detained by Russian officers on suspicion of extortion.
Kashka subsequently died, according to sources in a local hospital and fellow Crimean Tatar activists.
Speaking in Brussels after a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he had informed Tusk "about the terrible events that took place in Crimea today" and lauded Kashka's "very important history of defending the interests of the Crimean Tatar people."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin posted on Twitter that Kashka was a "heroic and courageous woman" and that her death was "another tragedy of despicable repressions Russia exerts in Crimea."
Crimean Tatar activists Bekir Degermendzhi, Asan Chapukh, and Kyazim Ametov were detained in the incident, which took place in a cafe in the Crimean capital.
Russian state media quoted the Federal Security Service (FSB) branch in Crimea as saying that several members of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatar self-governing body that has been outlawed by Russian authorities, were detained in Simferopol on suspicion of extorting $7,000 from a Turkish citizen.
However, Mejlis member Gayana Yuksel told journalists that the detainees were not members of the body.
Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency, citing an unidentified law enforcement source, said that Kashka died due to "stress" and accused the suspects of "cynically" using her as a pawn in the alleged extortion plot.
'They've Come For Our Elders'
But Crimean Tatar activist Nariman Dzhelalov told RFE/RL that the Turkish citizen had duped Kashka out of a large amount of money, and that the detained men were trying to convince him to return the sum.
The Turkish man "tried to get out of it, and the security services used the situation to apply pressure on this group of activists," Dzhelalov said.
Kashka had been a prominent Crimean Tatar activist since the 1950s and was a colleague of Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev and Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.
Her death triggered an outpouring of outrage and grief among fellow Crimean Tatars.
"Theyve come for our elders," journalist Aidar Muzhdabayev wrote on Facebook, adding that it was "impossible to hold back tears."
Muzhdabayev and others said Russian security officers had planned to detain the veteran activist as well before she fell ill. That could not be immediately confirmed, and Russian authorities did not immediately release an official statement on the matter.
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they call a persistent campaign of oppression targeting members of the indigenous Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar minority and other citizens who opposed Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014.
Human Rights Watch said in a report released November 14 that de facto Russian authorities in the region have "intensified persecution" of Crimean Tatars due to their opposition to the Russian takeover of their historic homeland.
With reporting by Rossiskaya Gazeta, TASS, and RIA Novosti
BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders and six former Soviet republics have swiftly agreed on a final joint declaration of their Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, avoiding a repeat of the squabbling that triggered delays at the last summit two years ago.
In addition, the EU signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Armenia on November 24.
"This agreement is the first of this kind that is concluded with a party that is also a member of the Eurasian Economic Union," EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said. "It will now be very important to implement it."
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said, "Armenia is determined to further develop and strengthen comprehensive cooperation with the EU in all areas of mutual interest based on this agreement."
Officials in both Brussels and Yerevan have stressed the agreement does not impinge upon Armenia's close relations with Russia, which leads the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The EEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Russian pressure is believed to have scuttled a broader Association Agreement that Armenia and the EU had nearly finalized in 2013. Yerevan precluded completion of that deal when President Serzh Sarkisian unexpectedly announced the decision to join the EEU just three months before the Association Agreement was set to be inked.
Speaking at a news conference after the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk praised the Eastern Partnership program.
"This is not a geopolitical beauty contest between Russia and the EU, but a real partnership between sovereign countries without political, economic, and military threats and coercion between the EU and our partners," he said.
WATCH: European Council President Donald Tusk condemned what he called Russian "aggression" in Ukraine, stressing that the best future for Ukraine and other countries in the region lay in close ties with the European Union.
The summit's final declaration, published on the European Council's website, does not mention any specific conflicts in the region, including Ukraine's with Russia-backed separatists in the east of the country that has killed more than 10,000 since April 2014.
But it states that the "summit participants remain deeply concerned about the continued violations of principles of international law in many parts of the region."
It adds that they welcome "the EU's strengthened role in conflict resolution and confidence building in the framework or in support of existing agreed negotiating formats and processes, including through field presence, when appropriate."
That language that was enough to secure approval from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two neighbors, who have been locked in a decades-long standoff over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, clashed over the final text of the declaration at the 2015 summit in Riga.
The final text of this year's declaration features the same language as the Riga declaration concerning the potential future EU accession of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, each of which have signed association agreements with the 28-member bloc.
It states that "the summit participants acknowledge the European aspirations and European choice of the partners concerned, as stated in the association agreements."
However, the statement stops short of making any concrete promises of future membership in the bloc, a position which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made sure to highlight.
"This is not an enlargement or accession summit," Juncker said as he arrived for the summit on November 24.
Instead of offering membership prospects, the EU is focusing on concrete measures that will improve people's lives in the six partner countries -- such as small business loans and reducing mobile-phone roaming charges and energy costs.
Along these lines, the summit agreed a package of 20 "deliverables" with the six countries to help them fight against corruption, improve the rule of law, and modernize their economies.
Russia's envoy to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told journalists that the summit showed that "the European Union's landmark political and economic initiative, the partnership, is losing momentum."
He argued that only a "propagandistic shell and a set of bilateral projects" remain from the high expectations of the project's launch.
The run-up to this year's summit has otherwise been dominated by speculation about whether authoritarian Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka would show up. Minsk said on November 21 that Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey would lead its delegation.
In October, EU sources told RFE/RL that Lukashenka had received an invitation "without restrictions," just like the leaders of the other five Eastern Partnership states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
This was a U-turn compared to the previous four summits, when he was blocked after being hit with EU sanctions following a violent crackdown on protesters after the Belarusian presidential election in 2010.
Most of the sanctions, including those on Lukashenka, were lifted in February 2016.
Based on reporting by Rikard Jozwiak and RFE/RL's Armenian Service Director Harry Tamrazian in Brussels
Three Georgian soldiers were injured when their vehicle came under attack near Bagram Airfield outside the Afghan capital, Kabul.
A spokesman for the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said that none of the injuries from the November 23 incident were considered life-threatening.
Captain Tom Gresback said the injuries occurred when a motorcycle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated near the vehicle in which the soldiers were conducting a routine patrol.
Georgia's Defense Ministry confirmed the report, adding that the soldiers were members of the 31st infantry battalion of the Third Infantry Brigade.
With about 880 troops in Afghanistan, Georgia is one of the leading contributors to the 13,500-strong NATO-led force, after the United States, Italy, and Germany.
In August, a Georgian soldier was killed and six other NATO troops injured in a convoy attack near the place where the November 23 attack occurred.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Agenda.ge
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking Chinas resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. Im RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish.
Before we get started, a few announcements: The newsletter is now biweekly, rather than going out only on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. To subscribe, click here.
And I will also be launching Talking China In Eurasia, a new podcast. Im joined by the Royal United Services Institutes Raffaello Pantucci to talk about Xi and Putin. Listen to the first episode here or below.
Xi Gets Pragmatic About Russia At The G20
It was light on optimism, but U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping injected a healthy dose of pragmatism back into the U.S.-China relationship with their meeting in Bali at a time when global anxiety is rising over Russias war against Ukraine.
Finding Perspective: The meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit was far from a breakthrough, but it did repair some damage from the recent backslide in relations between both countries and send some signals that the world isnt necessarily destined for Cold War 2.0.
The more than three-hour talks saw some blunt exchanges over contentious issues like Taiwan and North Korea, but the two leaders also pledged more frequent communications and decided that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing for follow-up talks in 2023.
Of particular note, Biden raised Russias invasion of Ukraine and threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons. Both leaders reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought, according to a White House readout.
While far from a sea change for Chinese policy, thats notable. The credibility of Beijings claims to be neutral on the Ukraine war continue to come under scrutiny, and China has shown discomfort of late with the Kremlins nuclear saber-rattling.
Xi made similar comments after a November 4 summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and during another G20 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the French readout.
Why It Matters: Xi is not abandoning Putin, but this marks the latest shift for Beijings balancing act over Russias invasion of Ukraine.
Four Chinese officials briefed on the February 4 meeting between Xi and Putin, where they declared a no-limits partnership, told the Financial Times that Putin didnt tell Xi the truth about the invasion and that Beijing was caught off guard by it.
What Xi knew about Putins war plans has been a topic of debate, and there is evidence to support both the idea that Xi was aware and that he was caught off guard.
Many analysts are of the opinion that Xi knew about Putin's decision to invade but expected a quick victory, which perhaps was what Putin believed at the time.
Others point to a steady stream of dismissals from Chinese officials and experts about the likelihood of an invasion in February and the fact that Beijing did not evacuate its citizens from Ukraine like Western nations did as evidence that China was not expecting a war.
China certainly has its own interests in keeping a distance from Moscows war and using that space to do some upkeep with the West. But perhaps the most important point here is that even if Putin did blindside Xi, China has stuck with Russia despite its battlefield failures, political isolation, and the atrocities its troops are accused of committing.
Again, this is pragmatism more than anything else. As Chinese experts often say, even if Russia is looking unattractive these days, why would Beijing abandon its main anti-Western partner as China continues to be in the crosshairs of rising American pressure?
Read More
Want to hear more about Russia and Chinas complex relationship amid the Ukraine war? Then tune in to the debut of Talking China In Eurasia today at 2 p.m. CET/ 8 a.m. EST. You can listen live here and find the episode on RFE/RLs website and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and its global fallout is shaping up to be the key theme of the G20, with the Financial Times reporting that a joint communique from the summit takes aim at Moscow.
Expert Corner: The Future Of The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
Readers asked: Did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs recent trip to Beijing breathe new life into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)? How do Islamabad and Beijing really feel about the project after all these years?
To find out more, I asked Filippo Boni, an expert on China-Pakistan relations at the Open University in Britain:
Shehbaz Sharif's visit to China was high on symbolism and relatively low on substance. While the two sides were keen to reaffirm and emphasize the strength of their strategic partnership, no significant new commitment was made. Apart from a few memorandums of understanding and attempts from the Pakistanis in the run-up to the trip to address some of CPECs issues including payments to Chinese independent power producers nothing major came from the visit. This is despite Sharif's attempts at revitalizing CPEC since April and the very close ties he enjoys with the Chinese leadership.
The outcome of this visit is not entirely surprising, especially if interpreted against the backdrop of Pakistan's current domestic predicaments. The security situation for Chinese nationals has deteriorated, the economy is struggling, and political instability is at one of its highest points in recent years. All these dynamics, coupled with the global scaling down of Belt and Road Initiative financing, have likely impacted Beijing's lack of commitment to new projects.
After almost 10 years and $25 billion worth of projects, there seems to be a general consensus on both sides that the first phase of CPEC the one focused primarily on energy projects was largely successful. The same cannot be said for the second phase, including the slow progress on the development of Special Economic Zones, and for the port of Gwadar, where little progress has been made for the ports full commercial functioning.
Do you have a question about Chinas growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and Ill get it answered by leading experts and policymakers.
Three More Stories From Eurasia
1. 'Sweep It Under The Rug'
Recent allegations of China operating 54 overseas police stations have fueled controversy around the world and sparked investigations, but in Hungary and Serbia the new findings are being met with swift denials by authorities, despite growing evidence.
The Details: My colleagues Akos Keller-Alant from RFE/RLs Hungarian Service, Mila Durdevic from RFE/RLs Balkan Service, and I reported on the fallout from these revelations and the slew of probes launched in many European countries recently.
The stations are overseas operations of the public security bureaus from two Chinese provinces and are used to persuade citizens to return to China, including through pressure on family members at home. While most of those involved appear to be suspected of crimes such as telecommunications fraud or corruption, dissidents have also reported that the stations have been used to monitor and threaten them.
Fourteen governments have already launched investigations into the overseas police stations, and the Dutch and Irish governments have ordered China to shut down the facilities in their countries.
But in Hungary and Serbia two countries where Beijing is said to operate such facilities and whose governments prize their warming political and economic ties with China officials appear to be trying to sweep it under the rug, as one analyst characterized it, despite growing scrutiny from opposition lawmakers in each country.
2. Global Ripples Hit Central Asia
Political and economic shocks from Moscows war in Ukraine, coupled with added strains from tensions between Beijing and Washington, are taking their toll around the world, especially in Central Asia, where countries in the region are closely tied to both China and Russia.
What It Means: As RFE/RLs Uzbek Service reported, Vladimir Norov, the countrys foreign minister, warned about geopolitical tensions affecting stability in the region and beyond while addressing his counterparts at an Organization of Turkic States meeting in Samarkand.
The breakdown in global cooperation is felt particularly strong in Central Asia. While some economies have been able to benefit by becoming a new home for businesses and capital relocated from Russia, others are seeing investment dry up and their economies coming under strain.
World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde recently warned that Uzbekistan needs to continue with its market reforms in order to withstand the global economic shocks that are to come.
RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service also reported that the countrys government is trying to court more investment but that questions remain from investors about Kyrgyzstans stability and investment climate. According to official statistics from January to June of this year, China is the leading source of foreign investment, with $129 million during that span.
3. The Tech In Moscows Iranian Drones
A new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, looked into electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 drone, which Russia has used in its war in Ukraine, and found that theyre far from homegrown.
What You Need To Know: The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
The investigation also found drone components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm.
The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China.
The international tech in the drone not only highlights the complex ecosystem that allows firms and buyers to circumvent sanctions slapped on both Iran and Russia, but also the close networks between Chinese and Western tech companies that still exist, despite a recent push to break some of those linkages.
Across The Supercontinent
On The Mainland: The watchdog group Freedom House recently launched a new project called the China Dissent Monitor, which tracks protests and other forms of dissent inside China. Read it here.
Censored: Chinese authorities behind a major trade expo in Shanghai pulled an opening ceremony address by European Council President Charles Michel that was set to criticize Russia's illegal war in Ukraine and call for reduced European dependency on China, Reuters reported.
Backtracking: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has softened his countrys stance toward China, moving away from his predecessor Liz Trusss decision to label it a threat.
One Thing To Watch
How long will Chinas stringent COVID policies stay in place?
New infections are rising as a winter wave hits and popular frustration continues to boil over inside the country as investor confidence stays dented over the measures. New footage also showed crowds of residents in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou escaping a compulsory lockdown and clashing with police.
Thats all from me for now. Dont forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.
Until next time,
Reid Standish
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your in-box on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
WASHINGTON -- An American stockbroker who made a fortune in the Russian market in the 1990s and 2000s and later co-founded a posh Moscow nightclub before leaving the country died of blunt force injuries suffered as a result of a fall from a Washington, D.C. building.
The findings, released on November 16 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), confirm that Dan Rapoport died on August 14 after falling from a height, but do not conclusively explain the circumstances leading up to his death.
Washington police told RFE/RL that an investigation into his death had ended and declined further comment. Earlier this year, a police spokeswoman told RFE/RL that foul play was not suspected, but that final conclusions were pending the autopsy.
Washington metropolitan police found Rapoports body on August 14 on the sidewalk outside 2400 M Street, a nine-story apartment building in the northwest part of the city.
The medical examiner's report said Rapoport, 52, died of multiple blunt force injuries due to fall from height and described the death as sudden/unexplained. The report also said the manner of his death was undetermined.
The OCME said no other information would be immediately released.
A preliminary police report said officers responded to a report of a jumper on the evening of August 14, and the man, later identified as Rapoport, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
The apartment building has an open rooftop with a pool, running track, and seating area for residents.
The police report said officers found $2,620 in cash on Rapoport when they discovered his body on the sidewalk, along with headphones, a cracked cell phone, a Florida drivers license, and other items.
He was wearing flip-flops, perhaps indicating he had been at the pool on the roof prior to falling.
Brianna Burch, a police spokesperson, told RFE/RL in August that there did not appear to be anyone with Rapoport at the time and there were no listed witnesses. In follow-up correspondences with RFE/RL through early November, the police continued to say they did not suspect foul play.
Rapoport had recently moved back to Washington after spending several years working in finance in Ukraine.
While some friends said they did not believe he would have committed suicide, others said he had appeared depressed.
Go-To Location
A native of Latvia and a fluent Russian speaker, Rapoport emigrated with his family to the United States in 1980. After graduating from a U.S. university, he moved to Russia in the early 1990s as a wave of privatizations swept across the country.
The sale of former state-owned companies created a booming stock market, minting a new generation of millionaires, Russian and foreign.
Rapoport was respected within Russian financial circles, where he worked for more than a decade at a local brokerage called CenterInvest, making his way up to managing partner. He claimed his clients included some of the nation's wealthiest tycoons.
In 2007, he opened a swanky nightclub in downtown Moscow called Soho Rooms, which became the go-to location for Moscows elite.
In 2012, he left Russia and returned to the United States, saying the stock brokerage industry that had made him a fortune "had died" as commission fees shrunk with improvements in technology.
But in a media interview prior to his departure, he also criticized the direction Russia had taken and expressed support for Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, who was jailed last year.
"Our flight to Washington is in 12 hours. It's sad to leave Russia, but for thoughtful people, living here has become unbearable and disgusting," Rapoport wrote on his Facebook page on June 13, 2012.
He moved to Washington, where he said his parents lived, and set up a company called Rapoport Capital to advise and assist technology start-ups as well as venture capital funds on fundraising options.
In 2016, four years after leaving Russia, Rapaport set up an office in Kyiv and opened a private equity fund. In social media posts, he was a vocal supporter of Ukraine, and an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rapoport gained a degree of publicity in January 2017, after The New York Times reported that the daughter and son-in-law of the then newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump had purchased a mansion owned by him and his first wife. The mansion was located in an exclusive neighborhood of the U.S. capital.
Later that same month, Raporport's co-founder of the Soho Rooms nightclub, Sergei Tkachenko, was found dead outside a Moscow building. Investigators said Tkachenko's body was found on a building awning with injuries typical of a fall from a great height.
In 2018, the open-source investigative organization Bellingcat reported that Rapoport had been the creator of a fictional persona named David Jewberg, who was frequently quoted in Ukrainian media as a senior Pentagon analyst.
With reporting by Todd Prince in Washington, D.C. and Mike Eckel in Prague.
Kosovo has declared neighboring Albania's independence day a non-working day.
A government statement on November 23 said that Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj had made November 28 a "day of Albaniansto respect historical and cultural values and good family and social traditions."
The move could increase tensions with neighboring Serbia, from which Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008.
Belgrade has accused Albania and Kosovo of seeking to create a "Greater Albania," an accusation that has been repeatedly denied.
Kosovo's population of some 1.8 million is predominantly ethnic Albanian.
With reporting by AP
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed the conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Brussels on November 23, with Aliyev reiterating Baku's harsh criticism of neighboring Armenia in the decades-long standoff.
Addressing reporters at NATO headquarters following the talks, Stoltenberg called the conflict a "matter of concern" for the Western military alliance and urged the two sides to "avoid any new escalation."
Standing next to Stoltenberg, Aliyev said the situation surrounding the breakaway region was "not changing, unfortunately," and accused Armenia of seeking "to keep the status quo."
Armenia-backed separatists seized control of mainly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people. Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict have brought little progress.
Internationally mediated negotiations with the involvement of the OSCE's so-called Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States, have failed to result in a resolution.
'Renewed Dialogue'
The talks between Stoltenberg and Aliyev were held a day after the de facto military authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said three of its fighters were killed and one seriously wounded in a November 21 land-mine explosion near the line of contact separating the combatant sides.
Stoltenberg said he was encouraged by "renewed dialogue" between Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, who held talks in Geneva last month that the two sides called "constructive."
Aliyev, who slammed Armenia for what he called a policy of "ethnic cleansing" in the region, was set to meet officials from all 29 NATO member states later on November 23, Stoltenberg said.
Both Aliyev and Sarkisian are slated to meet EU leaders at the Eastern Partnership summit in the Belgian capital on November 24.
Addressing the UN General Assembly in September, Sarkisian accused Azerbaijan of committing "a number of war crimes" against civilians and "prisoners of war" in 2016.
He called on Baku to "recognize and respect the right of the people" of Nagorno-Karabakh to decide their "own future through a free expression of will."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani and Armenian services
The UN's investigation into who is behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria "is dead," but Russia is open to efforts by Western powers to establish "a new mechanism," Moscow's UN ambassador has said.
Vasily Nebenzya made the assertion on November 22 after a closed United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss reviving the inquiry after Russia several times vetoed its extension in the last month.
Nebenzya claimed that the UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), which was supported by most council members and had found Russia's ally Syria responsible for all but two recent chemical attacks it investigated in Syria,"has discredited itself completely."
"But we are ready to talk about establishing a new mechanism that would replace the JIM and do the work in a truly professional, objective, and unbiased manner," Nebenzya said.
The United States and its Western allies say Russia killed the investigative body because it didn't like its findings implicating the Syrian government, which has waged a six-year civil war with rebel groups that has killed more than 330,000 people and displaced millions more.
Russia vetoed two council resolutions proposed by the United States and its allies last week to keep the investigation alive, and this week it rejected a Swedish-Uruguayan extension compromise before the UN council voted on it.
British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, one of the staunchest supporters of the inquiry, said on November 21 that "we are not going to give up, even if there is no more JIM."
Rycroft said supporters of the investigation are looking into other international justice mechanisms that might replace it.
"It will be possible to do something," he said, "and we are determined to make sure that this gap is closed. We are not going to allow the JIM just to be killed off like this with nothing to replace it."
"That is a crucial building block towards accountability, towards making sure that there is justice for the victims and for the survivors and for their families," Rycroft said.
While the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons still is authorized to identify instances in Syria where chemical weapons were used, Rycroft said "we require something whose job it is to look at those reports from the OPCW and to determine which of the parties in Syria is responsible for each use of chemical weapons."
Russia had agreed in 2015 to create the joint UN-OPCW mechanism to identify the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. But it withdrew its support after the team repeatedly fingered Damascus.
Moscow's principle complaint is that the JIM uses evidence gathered by other parties, which it said could be manipulated, rather than obtaining all of its evidence first-hand.
JIM's recent conclusion that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's air force was responsible for a sarin gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that killed nearly 100 civilians particularly rankled Russia.
The attack triggered global outrage as images of dying children were shown worldwide, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump days later to launch missile strikes on the Syrian air base where he said the attack was launched.
But Russia complained the UN team never sampled for evidence in the town of Khan Sheikhun or at the Shayrat air base, and based its conclusions on evidence gathered by other parties, such as rebel groups and the Turkish government, which are avowed enemies of Assad.
The UN team's leader conceded it had not visited Khan Sheikhun, but said it was unsafe to do so because it is controlled by the Syrian affiliate of the Al-Qaeda extremist group.
Nebenzya called the Khan Sheihun investigation "fictitious," and said Russia will demand changes in the way investigations are conducted if any new mechanism is established.
But the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said she doubted Russia will ever agree to set up independent, objective investigations again.
"Russia will not agree to any mechanism that might shine a spotlight on the use of chemical weapons by its ally, the Syrian regime," she said on November 17.
Uruguay's UN ambassador, Elbio Rosselli, said the council may find a way to keep an investigation going in Syria.
"There are mechanisms to look into these situations of chemical weapons everywhere, not only in Syria," he said. "We'll have to see what can be done. This requires a lot of doing."
With reporting by AP and AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered the president of Argentina help in finding a submarine that disappeared in the South Atlantic a week ago with 44 crew members on board, the Russian and Argentine foreign ministries said on November 22.
The Argentine ministry said that Russia had proposed dispatching a high-technology survey vessel to assist in search operations, and Argentine President Mauricio Macri welcomed the assistance.
Argentina is also receiving help from the United States, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Spain, France, Norway, Peru, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
Hopes of finding any crew members alive dimmed on November 22 as officials said the ARA San Juan submarine, which went missing on November 15, only had enough oxygen on board for the crew to survive underwater for seven days.
"We are in a very dangerous situation, and one that is getting worse," Argentine Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said.
Argentina's navy has been unable to locate the vessel since it reported mechanical problems in its last communication before disappearing.
The incident is reminiscent of Russia's own submarine disaster in 2000 when the Kursk, with a crew of 118 on board, caught fire and exploded underwater, leaving no survivors.
Based on reporting by BBC, AFP, and TASS
Theres something magical happening in Middleton.
In the basement of a local home are shelves meticulously organized with stacks of sweaters sorted by color. The sweaters were deemed unusable by St. Vincent de Paul and sent to a group of crafty volunteers who transform the well-loved wool into mittens ready to take on a winter in Wisconsin.
Their crafty cause? ReMitts an organization of roughly 25 volunteers who give new life to old sweaters before making them available to the public in exchange for a donation to a local food pantry.
Since 2009, ReMitts has been raising money for area food pantries.
When asked about why they chose food pantries specifically, ReMitts founder Janet Tupy said pantries are a cause that everyone can rally around.
In their first year, the folks behind ReMitts hoped to raise $1,000. They were blown away when they raised nearly $4,000.
Thats when we realized there was a demand for these products, Tupy said.
So far theyve garnered more than $225,000. This holiday season, the time when ReMitts are available at local retailers, they hope to surpass a quarter of a million dollars.
Thats not an outrageous goal as Tupy said last year they received more than $50,000 in donations.
Food pantries
Mittens are not sold by ReMitts, they are given in exchange for a $35-$45 donation to a pantry of the donors choosing. Checks, for example, are made out directly to a food pantry.
ReMitts works largely with four particular pantries: St. Vincent de Paul, Middleton Outreach Ministry, The River Food Pantry and the Iowa County Food Pantry.
Its wonderful, said Amy Lord, development director for The River Food Pantry. For Janet and the group of ladies who thought of doing this, its a really unique way to support everybody. Were just lucky were one of the beneficiaries.
Last year, The River received more than $10,500 in donations because of ReMitts.
For perspective, The Rivers monthly food budget is $16,500.
Volunteers for ReMitts made 1,600 pairs of mittens last year. They sold 1,400 and it was the first time they had a large surplus.
Every year our goal is to sell what we make, Tupy said. We try not to stress ourselves with having a goal or committing to a certain number.
Team effort
The Tuesday ReMitts team is like a group of old friends joking around and just having a good time.
Workdays vary for the group. Sometimes the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. period is spent just cutting the fabric, while other days they divide into groups where some will cut patterns or sort/assign decorative buttons or sit at machines sewing.
The ReMitts team is a dedicated bunch, even though there isnt a set requirement for volunteering.
No one is committed to anything, so they can come and go as their schedules allow, Tupy said.
There are also a handful of phantom sewers, people she may never have even met, who contribute to the cause from the comfort of their homes. Even volunteers husbands chip in by taking the wool sweaters to laundromats and washing them in hot water to shrink and felt them.
Volunteering for the organization also has no age limit. The oldest volunteer is 90; the youngest are grandchildren of volunteers.
ReMitts is limited only by how many mittens the volunteers can make, Tupy said.
Making the mittens is also a relatively easy task for the crew and it gives them the freedom to be creative. The result is a multitude of mittens, each a one-of-a-kind creation.
I love, love, love when we get a sweater thats full of holes or shrunk so much that it cant be used, Tupy said. We take that and make it into these mittens were taking something old and giving it new life.
Constant need
Not only is it an opportunity to be creative and have fun, but it provides local food pantries with crucial support.
Lord said there isnt a time of year that The River is most needed since the need is constant although, the holiday season tends to bring more awareness to food pantries.
She is also grateful that ReMitts allows donations to be directed to the pantry of a consumers choosing. Sometimes donations go to The River, or one of the other large pantries, or they go to a smaller community pantry.
Spreading the wealth and filling the gaps in pantry support is great since there are so many avenues to fulfill the needs of the community, Lord added.
By suggesting a few local pantries to donate to, ReMitts gives consumers options. However, suggesting a national name like St. Vincent de Paul, even visitors to the city could be familiar with that organization.
As the years go on, the folks behind ReMitts continue to be amazed by the dedication of the community around their mittens.
Tupy said the ReMitts retail partners are doing wonderful things for the organization by allowing them to bring in their wares every holiday season.
With nearly 30 retail spots throughout the area, the mittens sell so well that volunteers have to shut down locations one by one and consolidate the remaining inventory as January approaches. Mittens are usually pulled from the stores around the new year.
Mittens move especially quickly when the retail staff talks about them, said Kit-Yin Ling, a ReMitts volunteer.
When theyre advocates, things move so much better, she said. (The staff) takes ownership of it they enjoy it.
A Swedish court has extended pretrial detention for an Uzbek national accused of carrying out an April truck attack in Stockholm that killed five people.
A Stockholm district court said in a November 23 statement that Rakhmat Akilov, 39, had been ordered to remain in custody until December 21.
Investigators say he plowed a hijacked beer truck into pedestrians on a crowded street in downtown Stockholm in the deadly April 7 attack.
The court statement said that Akilov did not challenge the request by prosecutors to extend his detention. He is suspected of terrorist crimes as well as causing danger to other people.
Stockholm is one of several European cities to be hit by deadly vehicle attacks since 2016, including Barcelona, London, Berlin, and Nice.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov claimed in April that Akilov had been recruited by the extremist Islamic State group after he left Uzbekistan in 2014 and settled in Sweden.
Based on reporting by dpa, AFP, and aftonbladet.se
Notes: What if Navy blitz becomes blueprint? Notre Dame 'would welcome that'
London (United Kingdom), Nov 22, 2017 (SPS) - The British Government reiterated its support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination on the basis of the principal of the United Nations Charter.
In response to a question written by the deputy, member of the Parliamentary Group of Friends of Western Sahara, Alan Brown, the Minister of State in charge of Commonwealth affairs, Alistair Burt, has reaffirmed London's support for the "efforts" of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Western Sahara, for seeking a "just and lasting" political solution to the conflict in Western Sahara.
The British minister added that the solution must be "mutually acceptable" by the two parties, the Frente POLISARIO and the Kingdom of Morocco, and must guarantee the right of the Saharawi people to exercise their self-determination, in accordance with the rules and spirit of the Charter. SPS
125/090/TRA
T he chairman of one of our larger financial institutions said privately the other day that he had no idea what taking back control really meant. He thought his confusion was shared by most of the loudest advocates of Brexit in the Conservative Party. They cannot not resist the slogan but never explain what it means.
Jeremy Corbyn on the other hand, though leading a party that wants to maintain the closest possible ties with the European Union, has a very positive vision of what taking back control means.
Part of the Labour Party agenda for government is the nationalisation of various public businesses and utilities, coupled with government doing more to foster research, development and investment and taking a much more interventionist stance.
The rules of the European Union are very much against state participation in business on the grounds that it creates unfair competition. The logic is simple enough the state sector has almost unlimited resources and this allows it to outgun any private sector rival. This philosophy and the rigid application of these rules by the European Commission would severely curtail any Labour governments freedom of action in pursuing its nationalisation agenda. Taking back control, therefore, has real meaning and real point for Corbyn.
It is ironic that those on the extreme Right who want to leave the EU will thereby demolish the biggest block to Corbyns economic policies. It is interesting, too, that the one politician who has a clear idea of the meaning of take back control is not British. Michel Barnier, the European Unions chief negotiator in the Brexit talks, made this clear at a conference on Monday in Brussels, organised by the Centre for European Reform.
Barnier first demolished the idea that the UK should remain a member of some EU regulatory agencies, such as the nuclear industry regulator and the organisation that covers European airlines routes and landing rights. There is good reason for the UK to want these memberships to continue leaving these agencies creates the strong possibility of severe problems in the supply and handing of nuclear fuel, isotopes and waste; it will complicate and make more fragile and costly the supply of drugs to the NHS; it means that cheap travel from British airports to virtually anywhere on the Continent might be massively curtailed.
But, as Barnier reminded us in his speech, we have decided to take back control so we are prisoners of its remorseless logic. In his words, freedom implies responsibility for building new UK administrative capacity.
To rub the point home, he added: On our side, the 27 will continue to deepen the work of those agencies together. They will share the costs of running those agencies. Our businesses will benefit from their expertise.
You can see why he thinks we are nuts. Around the time of the referendum, the CBI said that we would have to replicate the work of no fewer than 34 separate EU agencies covering everything from life sciences to food and drink. The UK aviation industry estimated that putting in its own regulators to replicate the work of the European Safety Agency would cost it at least 400 million over the next 10 years that is for just one of the 34 agencies.
Meanwhile, Deloitte, the accounting firm, said that on its calculations, the UK would need at least another 30,000 bureaucrats, regulators and border control officers. All this cost to deliver something which cannot be better than what we already have. Taking back control does not come cheap.
Barnier also demolished again the ingrained British idea that there are bits of the single market we could remain part of. Instead, he said yet again that by ending the free movement of people, the UK will lose the benefits of the single market.
However, he then added that it should be possible to have access to the single market a trade deal but this is different from being part of the single market. Its very difficult in the context of taking back control. There will be no ambitious partnership without common ground in fair competition, state aid, tax dumping, food safety, our environmental and financial stability, he said.
And he added: It is not only about rules and laws. It is about societal choices for health, food standards, our environment and financial stability. But his most telling line was that, in stark contrast with normal trade negotiations, which were about regulatory convergence, the challenge in these would be about preventing divergence in the future.
It is worth thinking about those conditions again in the context of taking back control and the Brexiteers fantasy that Britain will be free to slash taxes, abolish pollution and climate laws, lock up strikers and take the axe to animal welfare standards.
If the EU and Britain have to share common ground in competition, state aid, tax, food safety and so on, it necessarily follows that the UK has not got a free hand to do what it likes in those areas.
It has not taken back control because whatever policies it puts in place will have to be compatible and aligned and stay compatible and aligned with those of the members of the single market, otherwise British companies would be able to compete unfairly with those on the Continent.
Most City firms think a trade deal with Europe is vital to our interests. Most think that in this way Brexit can be finessed into something acceptable. For a reality check, they should listen to Barnier rather than David Davis.
T he jockeying for space at Gatwick is so great after the collapse of airline Monarch that its prized take-off and landing slots are six times oversubscribed, the boss of the airport said on Thursday.
Monarch went bust in October, and yesterday administrators KPMG won the right to sell off the slots after the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that initially said they should be redistributed by industry agency Airport Coordination Ltd.
The sale could generate as much as 60 million for Greybull Capital, which is Monarchs main creditor.
Monarchs 22 slot pairs amount to 298 flights every week up for grabs at the UKs second-biggest airport at a time when capacity is dwindling fast.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said enough interest had been shown to fill the slots six times over and added that it bolstered the airports case for expansion despite the Governments preference for a third runway at Heathrow.
Its the kind of thing that builds our confidence when we see that level of demand, he added.
BA owner IAG is said to be keenly interested in the slots for its low-cost long-haul carrier Level. Half-year results from Gatwick showed underlying profits up 10% to 290.6 million after the busiest six months in the airports history, with 26.4 million passengers.
The airport is the biggest single-runway airport in the world, with 44.5 million passengers a year.
B usiness chiefs hoping to strike key trade deals outside of Europe post-Brexit will have to shell out more to get there, it emerged in the Budget.
Philip Hammond froze Air Passenger Duty for short and long-haul economy flights. The rates for 2019-20 will be frozen, as they have been since 2012, boosting revenues by 25 million in that year.
However, the Chancellor increased the levy on premium, business and first class tickets by 16 and those travelling by private jet by 47 per journey. Currently APD for private jets travelling over 2000 miles is 450 per journey on outbound flights while long-haul top-end passengers pay 150.
The government, spearheaded by international trade secretary Liam Fox, was attempting to encourage businesses to broker deals with nations beyond the EU after the UK leaves the bloc.
Prime Minister Theresa May has been attempting to woo trade to Britian, with high-profile missions including India and Japan.
The government has pencilled in a step up in the tax take from Air Passenger Duty from 3.3 billion this financial year to 4 billion by 2022-23.
Cormac Marum, head of tax at accountancy Harwood Hutton, said: In the 1980s Tory peer Norman Tebbit urged us to get on our bikes to find new work. Now Liam Fox is urging us to fly off to new markets post-Brexit.
There was no tax hike on Tebbits bicycle, but there clearly is a tax to pay for taking the plane.
T he founder of CMC Markets, Peter Cruddas, picked up another 5 million in dividends on Thursday as the spread-betters focus on high-spending tuna continued to reap rewards.
The average spend of a CMC customer in the UK jumped 31% to 2860 as the business concentrates on the 20% of high rollers which generate 80% of its revenues.
Pre-tax profits for the six months to September 30 jumped 58% to 29.8 million and CMC is paying an interim divi of 2.98p, generating the payout for multi-millionaire Cruddas, who owns 57% of the shares.
CMCs move into Australia is also on track after it struck a partnership deal with ANZ, due to launch in September next year.
European regulation and potential restrictions on leverage limits remain a concern but Cruddas a strong Leave campaigner in last years referendum said: If you go outside Europe it is a different world out there.
The City gave the thumbs-up to the numbers, giving shares a boost of 7.5p, or 5%, to 174.25p.
Revell 1/32 scale
P-51B to A-36A Apache Conversion by Suresh Nathan
P-51B to A-36A Apache Conversion
True Details' 1/48 scale Ki-27 Wheels and Spats are available online from Squadron for only $4.99! Introduction The North American A-36 Apache (listed in some sources as "Invader", but also called Mustang) was the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectangular, slatted dive brakes above and below the wings. A total of 500 A-36 dive bombers served in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Italy and the China-Burma-India theater during World War II before being withdrawn from operational use in 1944. By mid 1944, it was replaced by the more modern Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Construction The Revell P-51B provided the starting point of the kit. The first order of business was two cans of Singapores finest Tiger Beer (Figure 1). This provided the aluminium for the cowling panels. The four-prop spinner was filled in and converted to a three-prop. The Allison engine was ripped from a Trumpeter P-40B and heavily modified. In mine the fuselage was badly warped and I could have corrected that with major surgery aft of the cockpit (but I got lazy). Mostly raised panel lines and raised rivets were too prominent and required paring down. The panel lines had to be rescribed anyway due to what was essentially an Allison engine P-51 with dive brakes and chin guns. I adapted the Eduard P-51B detail set as well as some scratch-building for the cockpit. The Eduard parts are typically flimsy but with accurate folding and painting with additional scratchbuilding turns out very nice (Figure 2). The shape is accurate but it is still worth doing a trial fit. The cockpit will need to be refitted as the fuselage halves come together as they do not fit perfectly. Like many P-51 kits in any scale the wheel wells are boxed in when they should have a recess in the back. Machine guns were redone with brass and copper scratch-building and the door over the machine gun bay opens and closes. The airbrakes were going to be the most recognizable part of the plane (Figure 3). I could have just scribed the profile in but this did not give it justice. The lever system to get the brakes to open in opposite directions was also very intriguing and so I decided to make working airbrakes (!). Eight sheets of brass were stacked and soldered. They were milled and released from solder before being soldered to brass strip. These were wired in place and work like the real thing. Nevertheless (Figure 4) there are two gaps on the side that could not be hidden as they are needed for the arms to move :o(. The actual brakes were fabricated out of cast resin from a strip plastic composite master (Figure 5). Along the way there were failed attempts at scribed pla-paper, vacuum form and resin itself. The ideal might have been photoetching but disposing of the materials afterwards is very complicated in the present environmen The Trumpeter engine exhaust stacks were inaccurate for flattened stacks. They were redone using resin castings from scratchbuilt exhaust stacks of brass tube. I did not like the final cowling and used that as a master to vacuum form a new cowl (Figure 7). An important detail to get right is the 3-color indicator lights which should be on the belly aft of the air intake and not on the wing underside as in most mustangs and many Apache kits. Similarly the air intake needed to be modified for the Apache. Painting and Markings The model was base painted in Alclad chrome and in preparation for chipping I used masking fluid liberally (Figure 8). I painted in enamels, varnished with Future-Tamiya Flat acrylic, weathered with turpenoids and drybrushed sparingly. Masking fluid was removed to expose bare metal. I used oil washes for weathering and drop filters for color variation. The markings for "Priscilla/Mavonne" 1st Lt. Bert Benear, 526th FS, 86th FB, Corsica 1944 are available for the Hobbycraft Apache. Ive long since preferred to do my own markings though. Red rimmed insignia are difficult to find and had to be painted by first painting a red base (Figure 9). The kit decals were then trimmed to fit into the red base (Figure 10). I could scrouge up an M the numbers 9,5,6 and 8 and these were cut and moved around and retouched to form N 956. Benear named this beast "Priscilla" after his college sweetheart and also marked it with her fraternity letters "Pi Beta Phi". On the starboard side, "Mavonne" was the crew CO's (Figure 11). This was all hand-painted in acrylic. The sharkmouth was likewise handpainted. The stencils were from the Revell kit and for their age, Revell constantly amazes me with the quality and comprehensiveness of their decals. Conclusion I bought this 1969 kit as a re-issue in 1993 for 12 bucks. I always loved the Apache but its taken some years to develop the skills to pull it off. I could have done the Hobbycraft model but having built a few Hobbycraft offerings, they can be very difficult to do especially with engine and interior detail. The kit itself does not go together well. Attempting a conversion like this on a cheap kit is an excellent undertaking.and sometimes you get it right!
Thumbnail panels: References Walkaround Allison Engined Mustangs from Squadron/Signal Publications American Aero Sevices (www.americanaeroservices.com) National Museum of the US Airforce Dayton,Ohio Collings Foundation, A-36 Baby Carmen Text and Images Copyright 2017 by Suresh Nathan
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Last Updated 21 November, 2017 Back to HyperScale Main Page
R ents could rise for thousands of Londoners in properties owned by wealthy foreign investors after major Budget tax changes, it emerged on Thursday.
Overseas landlords are being hit by a series of tax rises, including new rules which mean their companies will move from being charged income tax on their rental income to corporation tax.
While the headline rate is similar at 19%, corporation tax is not subject to the same breaks. Most significantly, corporate taxpayers get less relief for the interest payments on their debts.
Aidan Sutton, partner at PWC, said: Most big landlords are highly leveraged, so this could mean a very big bill. This will no doubt influence what they charge their tenants in rent, including thousands of London renters as well as business occupiers.
The impact will be felt by foreign landlords paying interest of 2 million a year, suggesting property portfolios of upwards of around 180 million will be worst affected.
Some property experts said the tax changes would put foreigners off buying UK properties. As well as losing tax relief on their debt repayments, they will now face the prospect of paying corporation tax on the profit they make when they sell their properties. Currently, as a non-UK resident company, such capital gains are tax exempt.
International investors are also likely to be annoyed by new plans announced in the Budget to give local authorities the ability to charge up to 100% extra for council tax on unoccupied homes.
But John Collier-Wright, whose firm JR Capital buys properties in London for Middle Eastern investors, said the move would not deter buyers.
Property taxes here are much lower than most other countries, so an increase from 2000 to 4000 on an average home in central London wont be a big deal Its just annoying, he said.
Becky Fatemi at West End agent Rokstone, also pointed out it will be tough "to monitor which properties are empty and which are not.
T he owners of some of Londons High Street buildings could be sitting on a goldmine with scope for over 200,000 new homes, thanks to a planning policy quietly mentioned in the Budget, it has emerged.
The government said it wants to make sure scarce land is as efficiently used as possible by consulting on introducing policy changes to support the conversion of empty space above High Street shops.
Property agent Colliers International said that there are 72,242 shop units in central London. Assuming there are on average 3 dwellings above each of these, there are 216,000 apartments altogether to be created potentially, a company spokesman added.
However, he pointed out that some of the properties may already include homes and have no room for more development.
Landlords of stores in the capital have typically considered them stable assets which have benefited from rent rises and steady occupier demand. But the rise of online retailers has made letting some of them more difficult in recent years.
However, property experts on Thursday predicted these buildings would be viewed as more attractive to investors that will now eye building flats above them.
Gregor Wallace, of investment group Coldwell Banker Commerical, said: Landlords could be sitting on a goldmine.
Adam Challis, head of residential research at JLL, said: Retail investors may see the governments announcement as an unexpected boost to property values, particularly if the space has been underutilised but is otherwise in good condition.
I nvestors in Mitchells & Butlers were left in need of a stiff drink on Thursday after the pubs chain put its next dividend payment on ice amid falling profits.
Shares in the All Bar One and Toby Carvery owner fell 18.3p, or 7.1%, to 232.5p after it removed the interim dividend.
It has pledged to review the full-year payment once it has made an assessment of trading prospects.
Cost headwinds, including labour and food and drink, have hurt the group with annual profits dropping to 77 million from 94 million in the year to September 30. Its operating margin fell to 14.4%, a drop of 0.8 percentage points.
The firms boss, Phil Urban, added that the Budget could have been better for the industry, despite a freeze on beer, wines and spirits duty.
He was underwhelmed by an extension to a 1000 discount to pubs on their business rates for boozers with a rateable value under 100,000.
Owing to high London property prices, rates expert Altus Group calculates there are 982 pubs in the capital which will be above that and will therefore not qualify for the aid.
Mitchells & Butlers was accompanied lower by rivals Greene King and Marstons, which were off 20.1p to 497.9p and 2.2p to 101.8p respectively.
In light of these falls, the performance of City Pub Group in its debut session on AIM was particularly impressive. The company advanced 11p to 181p, having raised 35 million to expand its estate of 34 venues across London and southern England.
Companies trading without the right to their latest dividend payout included National Grid and Vodafone, cutting as much as 7 points off the FTSE 100 Index. The top flight was 19.81 points lower at 7399.21.
The FTSE 250 Index was also lower off 18.14 points to 19,995.72.
Among second-tier stocks, flow control manufacturer Rotork impressed after holding full-year expectations amid an improving order book. Shares were 6.5p higher at 267p.
Healthcare software firm Servelec jumped more than 20% after it agreed a 224 million takeover offer backed by Montagu Private Equity.
The 313.1p-a-share proposal means that investors who jumped in when the company listed four years ago will have achieved a total return of about 185% on that investment, including dividends.
Shares settled up 52.12p, or 19.94%, at 313.5p.
M&S suit manufacturer Bagir doubled in value after announcing that global textiles firm Shangdong Ruyi has bought a 54% stake in the business for 16.5 million (14.6 million).
Ruyi plans to accelerate the growth of Bagirs wholly owned Ethiopian manufacturing site.
Shares, which have not recovered since a profits warning immediately after its stock market listing in 2014, soared 1.5p, or 109.1% to 2.88p.
Y esterdays Budget will do nothing to tackle the funding crisis facing councils in London.
By the end of the decade, core funding from central government to local authorities in London will have fallen by 63 per cent in real terms since 2010. The cumulative effect of these cuts, inflation and rising demand for services will create a further funding gap in local government in the capital of approximately 1.5 billion in 2019/20.
We needed action to help us protect local services, build new council homes, help vulnerable young people and give dedicated council staff a pay rise. The Chancellor chose not to address any of these issues.
Despite these cuts we will continue to work to make a difference on the issues that matter most to Londoners.
Cllr Andy Hull, Cllr Fiona Colley, Cllr Andy Gibbons and 19 other London Labour councillors responsible for finance
The jokes were certainly good. However, one has to ask if the substance of the Budget really addressed the economic and social problems we face locally and nationally.
One does not wish to be unduly critical but it was deeply disappointing that nothing was said about headteachers demands for better school funding, the prevalence of zero-hour contracts and short-term employment now disfiguring the labour market, or the need for higher taxes on the super-rich and corporations.
More can be said. I am old enough to remember the Harold Wilson years, when we had tribunals to adjudicate on what was a fair rent there was no collapse in the housing market, so why dont we bring them back?
A willingness to learn from the past and a real depth of compassion are what is needed from this Government. Without these qualities, it is unlikely to last very long.
The Rev Andrew McLuskey
While Philip Hammonds Budget makes great promises to solve Britains productivity problems, his proposed measures do not go far enough. Britain has languished at the bottom of productivity league tables for too long and a major factor in our sluggish output is the slowdown in manufacturing growth an estimated 180 billion is lost every year due to poorly maintained machinery.
The key to increasing the UKs productivity lies in automation. Harnessing new technology such as artificial intelligence will predict potential faults before they occur reducing the amount lost through inefficiencies and ultimately being reinvested back into the industry, supporting overall growth.
Chris Proctor, CEO, OneServe
Curse of the call for quirky books
David Sexton [Comment, November 21] claims quirky books only appear at Christmas but, in truth, the book market has them all year round. Any celebrity with an ounce of fame can lay claim to a book contract. The dominance of disposable commercial fiction is the other half of the malaise affecting publishing.
When Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in Literature, many agents and publishers said how delighted they were; these are the same individuals who turn down quality literature in favour of non-books.
It is so hard for new short-story writers to get into print and many non-books end up in charity shops. Its the reading public who suffer.
Mark Stewart
More housing and of greater quality
While I agree with Rosamund Urwin [Comment, November 20] that we need new housing, it is also important that it is good quality. That means a property which is comfortable and cost-efficient to live in, contains high levels of insulation and good ventilation, has decent- sized rooms, natural light and efficient utilities. These are all things which will save money and improve standards of living for generations to come, even if they cost more initially.
The current housing stock is too often cheap and shoddy we must do better.
Beth Brown
A welcome focus on childhoods
It is great to hear that the House of Lords is set to debate the issues exposed by the Evening Standards excellent Lost Childhoods investigation. David Cohens recent articles have been exquisitely written and hugely moving.
As well as supporting the cases featured we should be looking at the root causes of these lost childhoods, which in almost every case is a broken family. The two-parent family set-up is still the bedrock of society and its most cost-effective system of social care.
Stan Labovitch
I see few signs of taking back control
Every day the Government appears to move away from the promises made by the Leave campaign during the referendum. The Prime Minister now seems prepared to hand over 40 billion for the EU divorce bill, even though Brexiteers thought they had been promised extra billions for the NHS instead. These resources are intended to prompt the movement of negotiations onto trade which, if we get a deal, will at best only give us limited access to the single market. This is contrary to the assurances that we would have continued free trade with the EU on the same terms.
As for taking back control, Britain has isolated itself as one country against 27. It has removed itself from the top table where, as the second largest economy in the EU, it had a huge influence over EU laws, rules and regulations and a veto that could be wielded in its national interest.
When we trade with the EU in the future we will have to comply with its regulations on trade but we will have no influence over them. Some call this taking back control I call it humiliation.
Ian Morley
W ith a glittering CV that's seen him man the stoves at the acclaimed Mugaritz in northern Spain as well as Lyle's, Koya and Bethnal Green institution Viajante, the launch of Leandro Carreira's debut restaurant was always going to be one of London's hottest tickets this winter.
Bringing his take on Portuguese cuisine to a purpose built spot in Southwark, Londrino Londoner in Portuguese opens in December, adding further to the area's vibrant dining scene.
What makes London Bridge a great place to open a restaurant?
Were opening in a big space that's a five-minute walk from both London Bridge station and the river. London Bridge has a great balance of locals, workers and tourists, which I really love. Londrino means Londoner in Portuguese and we want it to become a real neighbourhood restaurant. Somewhere you can pop in for a glass of wine and a snack, or sit down and celebrate with friends over dinner. Were looking forward to New Years Eve with people spilling out on to the streets to watch the fireworks. It's a fun time to be opening a restaurant.
How have your past experiences equipped you for launching your first permanent restaurant?
I left Portugal in 2004 and have been working in kitchens around the world ever since. I've been lucky enough to cook for some of the most talented and creative chefs and restaurants out there, from Mugaritz in the Basque Country to Koya in Soho, and they've all been equally influential experiences. One of the most important things Ive learnt is to know exactly what you want your restaurant to be and where you want it to be. Even if things take time, believe in yourself and the talents of those around you to know you will get there... even if it takes longer than you expected.
Which elements of Portuguese cuisine translate particularly well to London?
Things are changing now in Portugal. A good Italian friend of mine called Portugal a sleeping gastronomic giant. I think hes right, but it looks like it is about to wake up. Portugal has some of the most incredible talent and produce in the world the finest seafood, cured meats, wines and young chefs but it's food culture is widely underestimated and is only just being discovered in this country. Lisbon and Porto are now among the most popular places for Londoners to visit, and people are even venturing out to lesser known areas such as Beira Baixa, Extremadura and the Douro regions. It's an exciting time for Portuguese tourism and an exciting time for Portuguese food. London likes to be ahead of the curve, which is why I think Portuguese food is having such a moment now.
Clams bulhao pato, coriander
We wont be serving typical' Portuguese dishes like pastel de nata, as people are doing that very well over here already. Therell be nods to Portugal on the menu, with Portuguese-inspired ingredients and flavours, but this isnt going to be a traditional Portuguese restaurant as such. Therell be culinary influences and techniques weve picked up on our journeys and well be using produce from all across Britain.
Which dishes are you particularly excited to serve your first customers and why?
In the restaurant, the mackerel with smoked seaweed butter and cabbage, or wild mushrooms with fermented barley and caramelised yogurt, followed by requeijao with lemon, malt and vanilla and soaked brioche with sour caramel for dessert. The latter was so popular during our year-long stint at Climpsons Arch that we had to have it on our menu at Londrino. In the wine bar, Im excited about our crab tarts with burnt butter and sorrel, which have been going down well with the team.
Grilled soaked brioche, sour caramel and hazelnuts
How did you approach the design of the space?
We wanted Londrino to feel inviting and warm, a place for everyone. To reflect this, we went for an open-plan design with a big open kitchen in the heart of the space, with a restaurant area on the left for a la carte dining and a smaller, more relaxed all-day wine bar to the right where people can come and have a bit to eat and drink without having to reserve. Much like the menu, the look and feel is simple yet refined- concrete walls sit next to hand-crafted Portuguese tiles and floor to ceiling windows which will flood the space with light, and open up fully in the summer so people can dine al fresco.
Given Portugals wealth of quality wines, what can we expect from Cameron Dewars wine list?
Cameron has been travelling around Portugal for some time now, nurturing close relationships with small, craft producers from the countrys lesser-known regions to bring diners a pretty diverse and unique wine list. Therell also be natural and classic offerings from across Europe. Hes a very knowledgeable and friendly guy so chat with him when you arrive and he will guide you to a wine of your liking.
Visit londrino.co.uk.
R emember that Ferrero Rocher pop-up everyone went mad for last year? Well, it's back and better than ever (and no, we're not just saying that).
Popping up in Westfield White City next month, Ferrero Rocher: Behind the Layers is offering London's vast network of chocaholics the opportunity to journey through a multi-sensory cocoa-fest full of groovy light shows, live music and buzzing displays.
Sounds dazzling. It is.
Five desserts will be on offer with each one inspired by the individual layers of the iconic golden fluffy ball: whole hazelnut, smooth chocolate, crispy wafer, hazelnut pieces and the glittering gold shell.
In addition to all those 'grammable golden balls, mixology maestros Liquid Chefs will be on hand creating all sorts of cocktails to help tame the imminent sugar crash. Expect lots of prosecco Ferrero is an Italian brand after all.
The best chocolate desserts in London 1 /8 The best chocolate desserts in London The best chocolate desserts in London Chocolate Mousse at Petit Pois Addie Chinn The best chocolate desserts in London Chocolate Glory at Bob Bob Ricard The best chocolate desserts in London Golden Louis XV Chocolate Praline at Gauthier Soho The best chocolate desserts in London Salted Caramel Tributes at Hawksmoor The best chocolate desserts in London Chocolate Pebble at Yauatcha The best chocolate desserts in London Chocolate Nemesis at River Cafe
If you love a good shop, you'll be able to purchase as many nutty golden snitches as you like from a bespoke Ferrero Rocher pop-up stall.
Long live consumerism.
Ferrero Rocher: Behind the Layers will be at Westfield London, W12 7GF from December 1 to December 17, 2017. Tickets can be booked here.
R ohan Silva
Jeffrey Eugenidess beautifully written collection of short stories Fresh Complaint (4th Estate, 16.99, buy it here) is not only the best thing Ive read all year it also couldnt be more 2017, featuring transgender teenagers, rape allegations on campus and much more besides.
Michael Burleigh
Richard McGregors stunningly good Asias Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of US Power in the Pacific Century (Allen Lane, 20, buy it here) tackles how the interplay of Chinese assertiveness with Trumps dissolution of US power is fundamentally altering the balance of power in this vast region.
One to read with Trump on the loose in the region and constant chatter about war with China in Washington. McGregors brilliant book is packed with insights, especially on the complex Sino-Japanese relationship, the gist of that being that past history should be our teacher rather than master. Will a more powerful China learn magnanimity, one wonders.
David Sexton
It is partly due to Claire Tomalins extraordinarily generous encouragement when she was literary editor of the Sunday Times that I have had a career in literary journalism. Her memoir, A Life of My Own (Viking, 16.99, but it here), presents her own biography partly as if it were that of one of her other subjects, seamlessly, evenly, even when she is describing the most traumatic events, such as the death of her husband, the suicide of one of her daughters, and learning of her fathers hostility to her from birth, just as much as when she is celebrating the pleasure and happiness that her family and professional life have brought her. Her composure throughout is inspiring anew.
By far the most compelling political book of the year was Douglas Murrays The Strange Death of Europe (Bloomsbury, 18.99, but it here), which raises the debate beyond current squabbles to whats really happening now to European civilisation: fearless, truth-telling, and masterfully organised. I read it through one summer night without stopping. Dont hold an opinion about this book if you have not read it. As always.
Jane Shilling
Mr Lear, A Life of Art and Nonsense (Faber, 25, buy it here) by Jenny Uglow. The Owl and the Pussycat, the Jumblies, the Old Man with a Beard the characters in Edward Lears nonsense verse have beguiled generations of readers with their captivating exuberance and melancholy. Jenny Uglows beautifully illustrated biography explores with affectionate precision the life of a poet and artist whose anarchic imagination embraced the strangeness of the world and made it his own.
Mozarts Starling (Corsair, 14.99, buy it here) by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. On May 27, 1784, Mozart was passing a bird-sellers shop in Vienna when he heard a starling whistle a phrase from his as yet unperformed Piano Concerto No 17 in G. The anecdote inspired writer and naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt to consider the relationship between starlings, music and language in a scholarly and delightful book, whose pages are enlivened by the subversive presence of her pet starling, Carmen.
George Osborne
Here are two books that have helped us interpret our confusing world this year. The first is the fiery new novel by Kamila Shamsie, Home Fire (Bloomsbury, 16.99, but it here), which takes us from the suburban streets of Wembley to the killing grounds of Islamic State-ravaged Raqqa. Shamsie tackles issues of terrorism, political showboating and jihadi recruitment in London through the prism of a classic two-sides-of-the-track love story.
One person who has been warning us of the dangers of not confronting Islamist ideology for many years is Niall Ferguson, the historian who more than most connects our age to its past. His latest work, The Square and The Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power (Penguin, 25, buy it here), is an ambitious and illuminating attempt at a different kind of history the history of the network. It shows how loose groups of friends, fellow travellers and ideologues have often succeeded in shattered the existing established order. As were finding out today, its left to the rest of us to pick up the pieces when they do.
Claire Allfree
Fever Dream (Oneworld, 7.99, buy it here) by Samanta Schweblin. Although I read it several months ago, this Argentinian novel, shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, is still lurking like a particularly noxious hangover. It takes the form of a conversation between a teenage boy and a dying older woman but its also a nightmare dispatch from modern-day Argentina, every page stuffed with horrors. Its dazzling, unforgettable, and deeply strange. Ive never read anything like it.
Robert Fox
Mark Mazowers What You Did Not Tell: A Russian Past and the Journey Home (Allen Lane, 20, buy it here) is a deep dive into the story of his family, particularly his father and his grandfather, Max, who grew up in the Pale of Settlement for Jews on the borders of imperial Russia, in what is now Poland and Lithuania.
Max Mazower was an activist in the Bund of Jewish Workers, which eventually lost out to the Bolsheviks, in the same years that Joseph Conrad wrote The Secret Agent. The story of the Mazowers, their blood relatives and connections, is the reality check to the worlds romanticised and fictionalised by Conrad, John le Carre and Robert Harris. They suffered and survived world wars, revolution, show trials and holocaust.
Max himself left Russia for good in 1923, settled in Highgate and largely kept silent about his past. Mazower uses all his brilliant forensic historians skills to scour archives across Europe, family letters and journals, and a long interview with his own father to put this staggering story together.
Dan Jones
Black Tudors: The Untold Story (Oneworld, 18.99, buy it here) by Miranda Kaufmann was that rare thing: a book about the 16th century that said something new. I also loved To Catch A King: Charles IIs Great Escape (William Collins, 20, buy it here) by Charles Spencer authoritative narrative history with the pace of a Jason Bourne film.
Arifa Akbar
In the Days of Rain (4th Estate, 16.99, buy it here) is Rebecca Stotts astounding memoir of her fathers life, and her own, in a fundamentalist Christian cult, and is written with the rigour of a historian and the eye of a novelist. First Love, Gwendoline Rileys novella (Granta, 8.99, buy it here), savagely reveals the fault-lines in a marriage yet gives it poetry too.
Katie Law
The most important book I read this year was The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray, about why Europe is done for. Unprecedented levels of migration, a continent that has lost faith in its identity, collective guilt about our colonial past, declining birth rates and the demise of traditional Christian values are all playing their part, he explains, compounded by the abject failure of multiculturalism. Balanced and compelling.
Lionel Shrivers novella The Standing Chandelier (Borough Press, 9.99, buy it here) was terrific, skewering the notion that the sisterhood beats all, and doing so much more eloquently than all the rubbish grip-lit currently doing the rounds.
Picture book of the year must surely be Blue Planet II (BBC, 25, buy it here) by James Honeyborne and Mark Brownlow, a worthy souvenir, and more, of the TV series we are glued to.
Simon Sebag Montefiore
John le Carres A Legacy of Spies (Viking, 20, buy it here) is a brilliant novel of deception, love and distrust to join his supreme espionage canon an elegaic meeting of our tawdry past and splintering present through a reinvestigation of how Smiley artfully exploited a case that cost the life of a beautiful woman by our greatest novelist, long overdue for the Nobel Prize.
Ron Chernows Grant (Head of Zeus, 30, buy it here) is a superb, compelling biography that redefines the alcoholic failure who became Abraham Lincolns victorious general and a fine president.
Justin Marozzi
As a reminder of how not to prosecute a war in a far-off place that has confounded the best efforts of many foreign powers over the centuries, Theo Farrells masterful account of Britains ill-fated adventure in Afghanistan, Unwinnable: Britains War in Afghanistan 20012014 (Bodley Head, 25, buy it here) is surely the last word on the subject.
Since we all need some Christmas cheer and lest we all wring our hands and give up on the Muslim world entirely, Isambard Wilkinsons Travels in a Dervish Cloak (Eland, 19.95, buy it here) reminds us forcefully, and with elegance and humour, of the many-layered delights of Pakistan, a country that simply cannot be reduced to newspaper headlines of terrorism and corruption.
Melanie McDonagh
Thomas Dilworths account of the life and works of David Jones David Jones: Engraver, Soldier, Painter, Poet (Cape, 25, buy it here) is pretty well the perfect biography. It does justice to an artist who has been quite unaccountably overlooked by posterity; perhaps being a genius in several modes painting, engraving, poetry confuses critics. He was in the trenches of the Great War longer than any other British artist. A wonderful life.
Red Famine: Stalins War on Ukraine (Allen Lane, 25, buy it here) is Anne Applebaums devastating account of Stalins forced collectivisation of agriculture in Ukraine which killed 4.5 million people in a de-facto, willed genocide. New archival sources enables her to expose the sheer horror of this enforced famine, the by-product of his war on the kulaks. Coruscating.
Claire Harman
The minute they become dead they can teach us everything with this in mind, Michael Symmons Roberts and Paul Farley set out to chart Deaths of the Poets (Cape, 14.99, buy it here) in a rollicking mixture of literary biography, commentary, travelogue and anecdotage, much of it deeply amusing. Do we prefer poets who die young and tragically to aged pen-pushers like Eliot? What, they ask, is the price of poetry? This is definitely one for the eggheads Christmas stocking.
Anyone who loves the poetry of Thom Gunn will want to have the new Selected Poems which Faber brought out this year (16.99, buy it here), with its terrific introduction by Gunns most thoughtful interpreter, Clive Wilmer, and the novel inclusion of extracts from his essays, interviews and unpublished letters, all in portable size.
Anne McElvoy
In The Politics of Opera: A History from Monteverdi to Mozart (Princeton University Press, 32.95, buy it here) Mitchell Cohen examines the interplay of the two, from Monteverdis exploration of Machiavelli in The Coronation of Poppea and Mozarts sly support for insubordination in the Marriage of Figaro to ongoing allegories of political power in Wagner.
Operas, the author argues, change their political meanings according to their setting, and the deep research and clear prose here hit a high C.
Johanna Thomas-Corr
There have been too many great novels this year Alan Hollinghurst, George Saunders, Elif Batuman to pick just one. So Im going with verse because Im still haunted by
Stranger, Baby (Faber, 10.99, buy it here) by Forward Prize-winning poet Emily Berry. A mothers death lasts a lot of years, she writes in her second collection, which is about grief, estrangement and the question of where parent ends and child begins.
Nick Curtis
Amid the woefully overpraised stuff I have toughed my way through this year, I did enjoy Elizabeth Strouts Anything Is Possible (Viking, 12.99, buy it here) piercing, sort-of short stories that comprise a sort-of sequel to the excellent My Name is Lucy Barton.
I liked Tom Rachmans rapid-response take on liberal anguish, Basket of Deplorables (riverrun, 8.99, buy it here) and enjoyed romping through Robert Harriss Munich (Hutchinson, 20, buy it here) but my literary year was mostly meh.
Matthew dAncona
Robert Pestons WTF: What Have We Done, Why Did It Happen, How Do We Take Back Control (Hodder, 20, buy it here) is a fascinating exploration of the new political landscape and that rarest of things: a successful blend of personal reflection and objective analysis.
I also loved Chris Krauss After Kathy Acker (Allen Lane, 20, buy it here) an appropriately eccentric biography of the post-punk author that restores her to her rightful place in the literary history of the past 40 years.
Richard Godwin
I was so pleased that George Saunders won the Booker for Lincoln in the Bardo (Bloomsbury, 18.99, buy it here). Hes like literary psilocybin, scaring the bejesus out of you before revealing the world anew.
And I loved the cumin-scented stories in Syria: Recipes from Home (Trapeze, 25, buy it here), as collated by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi from Syrian women on the refugee trails. So much more than a cookbook.
Ian Thomson
Two books with a Latin American flavour: one poetry, one a novel. Paranoid Narcissism! (Odilo Press, 25, buy it here) by the Buenos Aires-born poet and journalist Miguel Cullen is a witty, thrillingly metropolitan verse collection that shimmers with a London imagery of reggae, raves and sunsets like ratatouille. A N Wilson is a fan; Cullen is an avant-garde poet to watch.
Gonzalo C Garcias debut novel We Are the End (Galley Beggar Press, 14, buy it here), set largely in the Chilean capital of Santiago, casts a jaundiced eye on the world of computer-gaming and disappointed love. I was swept up the dizzy-making, pleasurably nutty prose and the sarcastic, sweet-sour humour.
Susannah Butter
Sally Rooneys debut novel Conversations with Friends (Faber, 14.99, buy it here) was an absorbing confessional about the emotional connections around sex, in both heterosexual and lesbian relationships, where the power balance isnt clear. Rooney has a light touch, a talent for recounting conversations and for making you feel the heavy weight of her characters secrets. She doesnt shy away from politics either.
Heather, The Totality by Matthew Weiner (Canongate, 14.99, buy it here) showed that the Mad Men creator and writer is also an accomplished novelist. Its a gripping story that felt like a John Cheever for Trumps America, weaving in contemporary concerns about inequality with a study of a long marriage, with plenty of enjoyable echoes of Don Draper and Bettys relationship.
Rosamund Urwin
Thanks to Henry Marsh, scalpel-lit has turned into a burgeoning sub-genre, but it was a memoir from a palliative care doctor, Your Life in My Hands by Rachel Clarke (Metro, 8.99, buy it here), that I most enjoyed this year. Clarke sets out the effects of chronic under-funding on the NHS and explores our last days, yet, thanks to her lively writing and love for her profession, still made me wonder if it wasnt too late for me to retrain too.
In The Day That Went Missing (Harvill Secker, 14.99, buy it here), Richard Beard gives an account of watching his brother drown when they were both children. It is more than just a study on grief, exploring memory and the savagery of the stiff upper lip. No book has moved me more this year.
William Leith
One of my favourite books this year, and definitely the most useful, was Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (Allen Lane, 20, buy it here). He tells us all sorts of things about sleep and dreaming. Now I go to sleep much earlier and feel much better for it.
I also liked What Doesnt Kill Us by Scott Carney (Scribe, 14.99, buy it here) who explains why its good to jump into cold water, among other things. I believe him. One day, I tell myself, I will act on his advice.
Y our internet browser says a lot about you.
In cyberspace, no one can see your screen, but in the real world your desktop is more telling: Windows Internet Explorer is for traditionalists; Apples Safari is better integrated with Mac systems (although arguably less intuitive, and clumsier); Google Chrome is smoother and more industrious (a recent survey found users were 19 per cent less likely to miss work than devotees of Internet Explorer and Safari).
Now Mozilla Firefox is making a bold bid to knock the big three off their perch. Firefox Quantum, out this week, is significantly faster and more powerful than its predecessor. In third-party tests, it loaded a number of top websites before Chrome did, including Yelp, Shutterstock and even Google Search itself although Chrome was still faster for loading most Google and YouTube pages.
The designers conducted a series of studies into the way people multi-task, and this latest iteration bears the fruits of their research. The idea is to make the experience of surfing the internet more intuitive, and less bewildering, by aligning Photon, the User Interface, with peoples natural workflow patterns. For instance, the tab youre on gets prioritised over all others, making better use of your valuable system resources.
Surf a ton of pages, open a zillion tabs, all guilt-free because Firefox Quantum uses less memory than the competition, the company said in a blog post that accompanied the launch. Your computer will thank you.
It certainly feels punchier: visuals are crisp and clean, while its Pocket recommendations tab highlights other pages you might like alongside favourites that youre most likely to use. When youre viewing a page that can be saved, youll see the Pocket button on the right side of your web address bar.
Mozilla
On an iOS mobile device, Safari is still king, and just about beats Firefox for pace on my iPhone although downloading the latter on an Android or iPhone does have the added benefit of synchronising content between devices, meaning your favourite tabs follow you around.
iPhone X - in pictures 1 /9 iPhone X - in pictures iPhone X is water resistant Apple The home button has been removed to allow for a full-screen look Apple The black 'notch' at the top of the display has proved a controversial design for some long-time Apple fans Apple The dual-lens back-facing camera has been redesigned with a vertical configuration Apple iPhone X is compatible with Qi wireless chargers Apple Face ID on the iPhone X unlocks your handset just by looking at it Apple The iPhone X, front and back Apple
The technical specifications are impressive: the browser uses around 30 per cent less memory than competitors Chrome and Safari on Windows operating systems, and only marginally more than Chrome on macOS, which means you can run a third more tabs without your browser coming to a standstill.
Ultimately, the greatest trick that Mozilla wants to play upon the world is getting people to be open-minded enough to give it a go.
My biggest fear is that people wont try it, Nick Nguyen, Firefoxs vice-president of product, told tech website Mashable. Its like any release you do this to make peoples lives better. If people arent using your product, you dont have an opportunity to do that.
Try it. After all, youre just browsing.
Follow Samuel Fishwick on Twitter: @Fish_o_wick
T hanksgiving is upon us which can only mean that Black Friday isnt far behind.
Comparable to Boxing Day sales, the American tradition has made its way across the Atlantic and has infiltrated our shores.
But it's not just TV sets and toys you can get bargain deals on - there are some brilliant travel deals too.
Here are over 20 of the best - be prepared for your wanderlust levels to go sky-high.
What is Black Friday?
1. Ryanair is offering cheap deals every day this week
Beginning today, Ryanair is offering seven days of deals, revealing one each morning.
Todays deal is 15 per cent off 500,000 seats for December.
The top 25 cheapest city breaks in Europe 1 /33 The top 25 cheapest city breaks in Europe Bratislava, Slovakia Typical price per night: 36 Shutterstock Athens, Greece Typical price per night: 36 Milos Bicanski/Getty Images Vilnius, Lithuania Typical price per night: 35 Maciej Lulko/Flickr Istanbul, Turkey Typical price per night: 27 Chris McGrath/Getty Images Belgrade, Serbia Typical price per night: 27 Shutterstock Wrocaw, Poland Typical price per night: 32 Janek SkarzynskiFP/Getty Images Toulouse, France Typical price per night: 36.50 Rob DeGraff/Flickr Ljubljana, Slovenia Typical price per night: 36.50 Pedro Szekely/Flickr Thessaloniki, Greece Typical price per night: 28 Shutterstock Zadar, Croatia Typical price per night: 36.50 Min Zhou/Flickr Riga, Latvia Typical price per night: 36.50 AFP/Getty Images Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria Typical price per night: 33 Shutterstock Sofia, Bulgaria Typical price per night: 28 Dennis Jarvis/Flickr Tbilisi, Georgia Typical price per night: 24 Shutterstock Nantes, France Typical price per night: 38 AFP/Getty Images Palermo, Sicily Typical price per night: 36.50 Shutterstock Budapest, Hungary Typical price per night: 36 GLars Baron/Getty Images Catania, Sicily Typical price per night: 35 Carlos Bustamante Restrepo/Flickr Leipzig, Germany Typical price per night: 32.50 Shutterstock Krakow, Poland Typical price per night: 32 Jan Kucharzyk/Getty Images Zagreb, Croatia Typical price per night: 32 Shutterstock Saint Petersburg, Russia Typical price per night: 28.50 Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Bucharest, Romania Typical price per night: 28 Shutterstock Warsaw, Poland Typical price per night: 32 Shutterstock Kiev, Ukraine Typical price per night: 28.50 Marco Verch/Flickr
2. Virgin Trains East Coast route is currently half price
Virgin Trainss East Coast half-price sale launched today with 300,000 tickets up for grabs. Travel is for between January 6 and March 2 next year.
Prices include London to Edinburgh for just 20, so get in quick.
3. Save up to 5,000 on a trip to the Maldives with Six Senses Laamu
Turquoise Holiday Company is offering 50 per cent off a stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives.
The offer is valid for travel from April to September next year and applies to couples and families. You can save up to 2,100 per person or 5,000 per family.
Prices include a stay in a lagoon water villa, daily breakfast and dinner, domestic flights, speedboat transfers and international flights with Etihad from London Heathrow via Abu Dhabi. You can book the deal from 9am November 24 to 5pm November 27.
Craziest Black Friday moments in the UK
4. Topdeck is offering 70 per cent off
Topdecks sale will begin a day early from 2pm on the November 23 and will end at 9am on November 28.
Highlights include 70 per cent off Australia and North Africa trips, 50 per cent off trips to New Zealand and 15 per cent off trips to Spain, Belgium and Austria.
Airbnb's top solo travel destinations 2017 1 /14 Airbnb's top solo travel destinations 2017 Click through to discover Airbnb's top solo travel destinations for 2017 Shutterstock / baranq 1. Cancun, Mexico Shutterstock / Jenny Sturm 2. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Shutterstock / Sean Hsu 3. Cologne, Germany Shutterstock / 75tiks 4. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico Shutterstock / Patryk Kosmider 5. Johannesburg, South Africa Shutterstock / Ariadna22822 6. Sao Paulo, Brazil Shutterstock / f11photo 7. Auckland, New Zealand Shutterstock / Dmitri Ogleznev 8. Mexico City, Mexico Shutterstock / Kamira 9. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Shutterstock / CLS Digital Arts 10. Busan, South Korea Shutterstock / Tanwa Kankang
5. You can get return flights to New Zealand for just 399
If youve always wanted to head to New Zealand nows your time. There will be a limited number of return flights on sale for just 399 from London to Auckland, an absolute steal.
If America is more your style, return flights to Los Angeles will also be on sale for just 175 return and the airline will be dropping more deals throughout the day.
6. Mercure, Novotel and ibis Hotels are offering 30 per cent off
Guests of AccorHotels can book a stay at any of their participating 107 UK Novotel, ibis and Mercure hotels and receive 30 per cent off.
The deal is valid between the December 8, 2017 and March 11, 2018.
7. The Baltic Travel Company is offering 5 per cent off
The Baltic Travel Company are offering 5 per cent off bespoke trips worth over 3000.
These trips will be available over the six days leading up to Black Friday and include trips to Latvia, Lithuania, Scandinavia and Finland.
8. Save 150 on trips to Canada with Canadian Affair
You can save 150 on holidays worth over 999 with Canadian Affair when booked this Black Friday. Offering a wide range of holidays to suit all holiday types like a 12-day Vancouver and Alaska cruise or a Canadian Rockies by Rail holiday.
Enter the code 'BLACKFRIDAY' when you book a holiday between Friday November 24 and Sunday November 26.
9. You can save 50 on long-haul flights with Finnair
Finnair are offering 50 off all long-haul economy seats to Asian destinations like Bangkok, Hong Kong, Goa, Beijing and Seoul. The travel period is between January 10 and May 31 next year.
They have also launched a sale fare of 159 from London Gatwick to Kittila, Lapland this winter. This discount fare is available from now until 15 December 2017 for travel between 1 January and 31 March, 2018.
The deals will be available from 4pm on November 23 to November 27.
10. Save 5 on 16-25 Railcards
From November 24 to 28 you can save 5 off a 16-25 and Family and Friends Railcard. Railcards can save you 30 per cent on most rail fares throughout Britain.
11. Save up to 40 per cent with Principal Hotels
Save up to 40 per cent off stays at Principal Hotel Companys De Vere country estate hotels and a selection of the groups iconic city centre hotels
You can choose from destinations like Wales, Windsor, Gloucestershire and Surrey. The deals are available to book from November 24 to 27 and include stays until March 31 2018.
12. Visit the Maldives with 45 per cent off
Gili Lankanfushi is giving visitors 45 per cent off with Black Friday deals. The pioneering eco-resort is offering nearly half-price rooms that include a daily prosecco breakfast and gourmet dinner.
The best bit is that there is no limit on the number of nights booked. This deal is available for all bookings made on November 24 and 25.
13. Hotels.com is offering up to 77 per cent off on luxury packages
If youve always wanted to head to Thailand, nows the time as Hotels.com are offering 77 per cent off your stay in an executive pool villa at the Baan Ngam Boutique Resort and Villas.
Yachting more your style? You can save 75 per cent on your own private yacht with Miami Beach Luxury Charters.
They are also offering amazing deals to Cambodia, Turkey and Indonesia. For more information visit Hotels.com.
14. You can save up to 30 per cent on last-minute departures with Contiki
Contiki are offering two amazing last-minute deals 30 per cent off an eight day trip around Italy and 20 per cent off a nine day trip around Laos and Cambodia. Both are departing on December 16.
This offer is valid until November 30.
15. You can visit the Greek Islands for free with Busabout
Busabout are offering a free nine-day Greek Island Hopper package (worth 349) with every Unlimited Hop-on Hop-off Pass sold.
You can take advantage of this offer until November 30.
16. Singapore Airlines release flights to the US for just 300 return
Singapore Airlines have launched their flash Black Friday sale with international return flights from the UK starting at as little as 300.
Destinations include the US, New Zealand, Thailand, Australia and Singapore. Offer available from November 23 to 28.
17. Fly to Bali for just 508 return with Royal Brunei Airlines
Royal Brunei Airlines are offering discounted fares to a number of destinations including Bali, Manila, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.
These fares are available from November 24 to 26.
18. Royal Caribbean is offering 25 per cent off cruises
Royal Caribbean's newest liner, Symphony of the Seas is set to launch next April so in conjunction with Black Friday they are offering 25 per cent off cruises on these bookings along with up to $1,000 (751) onboard credit.
Book between November 24 and 27 to take advantage of this deal.
19. You can get 10 per cent off an already-on-sale Global Interrail pass
Get unlimited rail travel in up to 30 European countries from 137 with Interrail. You can get an extra 10 per cent off the current 15 per cent off promotion with the code EXTRA10.
This offer is only available for 24 hours on November 24, so get in quick.
20. You can save up to 50 per cent on hotel booking with the Cairn Collection
The Cairn Collection is offering 50 per cent off stays at 10 of their signature hotels - with some starting at just 39 for a night.
These savings are available on stays from December 11, 2017 to January 31, 2018 using the code 'BFRIDAY' at the checkout. Offer subject to availability.
21. Artist Residence are offering 20 per cent off all stays
You can get 20 per cent off all stays in 2018 with boutique hotel company Artist Residence. Simply book before midnight November 26 using the code BLACK17.
22. Save up to 625pp when booking with Club Med
You can save big bucks when booking a long or short-haul all-inclusive holiday with Club Med. Deals end on November 28.
23. Save 550 off selected packages with Expedia
You can choose from eight flight and hotel packages and save 550 with the code UKBLACKFR550 on Expedia. Book by midnight November 24.
U sually people go to museums and galleries to browse the artefacts and paintings inside, but what about the outside? Only this month, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi (finally) opened its doors spurning not just a celebration of what will be on show but of the architecture itself. Twenty-three galleries are housed under a latticed dome - and the building took eight years to construct.
Inspired by the Middle Easts latest cultural addition, weve searched out the worlds coolest museums. Expect space-age mania, buildings that look like theyre actually levitating and the fact you'll want to Instagram every single one of them. Obviously.
Louvre, Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The showstopper of this whole design is undoubtedly the lattice work of the floating dome; 8,000 geometric, cut-out stars mean that dappled light is cast in all different directions over the galleries as the sun moves throughout the day. It's essentially an art installation itself.
Set on an archipelago on the coast of Abu Dhabi, Frenchman Jean Nouvel was the architect behind the building. Speaking about the design, he said that he wanted the building to become a welcoming world serenely combining light and shadow, reflection and calm. Reportedly it only cost a cool 600m to construct.
The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Rio de Janeiro
WagnerKiyoshi/Pixabay
Have you ever seen a more space-age like building before? Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1996, the building has become one of Rios main landmarks. You may recognise it from when Louis Vuitton hosted its Cruise 17 show there.
The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
Helenamcherem/Pixabay
It first opened 20 years ago last month, but Spains Guggenheim Museum is still regarded as one of the finest examples of architecture in the world today. Designed by Frank Gehry, the man behind the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris as well as Pragues Dancing House, the building proved so influential it spawned the concept of the Bilbao effect - essentially when a building enables a whole area to be culturally regenerated. Since this design, Gehry has repeatedly been referred to as a starchitect.
The Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
Shutterstock / Ken Wolter
Another of Gehrys neo-futurist designs, the Weisman Art Museum actually sits on the citys university campus. An amalgamation of stainless steel, cubist-like shapes, the facade is almost always sparkling. Currently, the museum holds more than 25,000 works.
King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture, Saudi Arabia
Yet to open, Saudi Arabias new World Culture Centre looks like it will certainly be a contender as one of the worlds coolest buildings. The new space wont just be a museum but it will also house a cinema, library and auditorium. The building was designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snhetta and - once its officially open - were expecting it to appear on every design blog and Tumblr worth reading.
Art Museum, Denver
Opened in 2006, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building was actually an extension of Denvers Art Museum. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the 146,000 square feet building nearly doubled the museums former size. With striking angular juts and huge titanium panels, this is arguably one of Denvers most iconic buildings.
Design Museum Holon, Tel Aviv
Shutterstock / meunierd
Located in Tel Aviv, Holon is certainly less space-age than many of the others. Made up of rust-red ribbons, the buildings spiralling facade actually creates an optical illusion for viewers. Gallery spaces are juxtaposed and many sections of the property are actually open-air spaces.
Museo Soumaya, Mexico City
A privately owned museum in Mexico City, Museo Soumaya is the brainchild of Fernando Romero. Vast, wide and towering, its aluminium skin is made up from more than 16,000 hexagonal plates. Its owned by the worlds wealthiest man, Carlos Slim Helu, and it was named after his wife. Some have called it the flashiest museum in the world.
The Ordos Museum, Inner Mongolia
AFP/Getty Images
Situated in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia, its hard not to describe The Ordos Museum as, well, a large blob. The best thing about the building though? Its not just the outside that looks totally insane, when you go inside each gallery is housed within its very own blob.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas
Shutterstock / Philip Lange
Slightly more severe than its space-age counterparts, Perot Museum is admittedly striking with its sharp edges. American firm Morphosis created an escalator building of six floors, whereby visitors walk continuously up a single walkway which allows them to see all exhibits.
Museu do Amanha, Rio de Janeiro
Shutterstock / Alice Nerr
Not unlike a Star Trek film set, Rios Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow to you and I) is nothing short of epic. Designed by Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, it was constructed in the citys port area in 2015 with the hope that gentrification will follow. Only a decade ago, this was the citys most deprived district. Calatrava placed sustainability at the heart of his design. Solar panels line the roof and currently supply 9% of the buildings electricity and the museums cooling system uses water from the nearby bay.
Riverside Museum of Transport, Glasgow
Getty Images
Famed for her boldly contemporary designs, the late Zaha Hadid is a household name beyond just the architecture industry. Previously called the queen of the curve for her geometric buildings, Riverside Museum took on a slightly different form with its zigzag roof. Opened in 2011, the building is now one of the most visited in Glasgow.
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.
Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1 103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1 102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.
Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
T he hilltop town of Govone remains firmly under the radar for 11 months of the year. Nestled in Italys Piedmont region, its overshadowed by its bigger, brighter neighbours from the airport city of Turin, to the scene-stealing region of Tuscany.
At the end of November every year, however, things change pretty drastically for this timeworn Italian town. The Magico Paese di Natale Christmas festival fills every corner of the place with festive markets, seasonal shows and snow-covered scenes, not to mention about 180,000 extra visitors.
For 2017, the festival is branching out into the next-door areas of Canale and Monticello dAlba for the second year running. And, at just a two-hour hop from several London airports, its a must-visit for any UK foodie worth their organic, hand-flaked sea salt.
Piedmont: food and drink to dine for
When it comes to edible treats, this regions culinary credentials are hard to beat. The town of Govone sits plum in the middle of Asti of sparkling wine fame and Alba, aka the home of white truffles. And if a bottle of red is more your thing, youre in luck, because Barolos namesake deep, rich vino rosso is produced right on the doorstep.
In fact, the whole region of the Langhe and Roero is blanketed in vineyards ripe for exploring. Know your tipples? Then you might recognise names like Barbaresco and Dolcetto, both produced in the wineries here. The best thing is, because Piedmont remains relatively undiscovered compared to Chianti-producing Tuscany, wine-tasting tours here can be savoured, minus the crowds.
Katie Gregory
Where to drink in Govone
During the festival, the Christmas winery is the place to be. A huge wooden chalet near the UNESCO World Heritage-stamped Castle, it buzzes with hundreds of sommeliers and local producers who know everything there is to know about Piedmont wine. In a nutshell, you can taste your way around the region without leaving the building.
Best European Christmas markets - in pictures 1 /22 Best European Christmas markets - in pictures Helsinki, Finland Shutterstock Tallinn, Estonia Visit Estonia Salzburg, Austria Click through the gallery for the best Christmas Markets in Europe ... Austria.info Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images Vienna, Austria Shuttestock Copenhagen, Denmark Visit Copenhagen Stockholm, Sweden Maria Johansson/Skansen Strasbourg, France noel.strasbourg.eu Paris, France Getty Images Belfast, Ireland Visit Belfast Bologna, Italy Shutterstock Prague, Czech Republic Prague.eu Berlin, Germany Getty Images Budapest, Hungary Getty Images Nuremberg, Germany Getty Images Munich, Germany Getty Images Manchester, UK Visit Manchester
Elsewhere, theres the Santa Claus Inn and the Milky Bar, serving authentic milk cocktails and steaming cups of traditional hot chocolate from Baratti & Milano in the square.
And, one of the Magico Paese di Natales star attractions the steam train that ferries families from Turin Porta Nuova station to the country house of Santa Claus himself on Sunday December 17 also includes a pit-stop at the Regional Enoteca of Roero in Canale, another rite of passage for wine-lovers.
Where to eat in Govone
Govones street food stalls heave with delicacies from the region during the Magico Paese di Natale, so youre never far from your next mouthful. Pack your loosest trousers and pick your way through crusty artisan loafs, rainbow pasta shapes to take home and traditional pastries to snaffle on the spot. And while youre in town, try speciality cheeses like Goliardo and Margot the first is made with wine, the latter with beer.
When youre done grazing, sit down to dinner at any one of the local trattorias and feast on the meaty pasta dishes this region does so well. For a more formal meal, try the Restaurant Le Scuderie del Castello di Govone a dress-up-for-dinner affair in the old stables of Govones Castle.
Katie Gregory
Food plays a big part in many of the family-friendly performances at this years Magico Paese di Natale, too. Mamma Natale's Kitchen is aimed at kids and tells the story of baking in the region, and theres a whole list of pop-up theatre shows, LEGO workshops and special events for younger guests.
Where to stay in Govone
This region of northwest Italy is speckled with B&Bs, agriturismos working farms and historic houses with camere, or rooms. Govone is the heart of the action, so its the best place to rest your head. But close-by Canale is getting involved this year with a Christmas market, and its also on the steam train route.
Monticello dAlba, meanwhile, is a little further out, and the spotlight falls firmly on its castle. Tiptoe to the library room to meet Santa Claus with the kids, then un-fasten your top button for the great Christmas dinner in the dressing room.
How to get there
Easyjet, Ryanair, Blue Air and British Airways all fly to Turin from multiple London airports, with flights available on Mondays and Fridays. Prices start from 20 one-way.
From Turin airport, Govone is just over an hours drive away or you can head to Turin Porta Nuova train station and take the Magico Paese di Natale steam train on Sunday December 17.
Katie Gregory is a travel writer, freelance copywriter and mum of two. She blogs about family travel at There We Go.
T he family of a man murdered for his Rolex watch by moped thugs today said they were living in hell as they begged for help to catch his killers.
Danny Pearce, 31, was shot at and stabbed by two men riding a scooter who demanded his watch as he left a jazz bar in Greenwich with his girlfriend and some friends.
After he refused to hand it over he was pursued by the attackers and stabbed repeatedly with a kitchen knife.
The assault only stopped when his girlfriend handed over the watch as Mr Pearce lay bleeding to death in the doorway of a house he had tried to seek refuge in.
Danny Pearce, 31, was killed in Greenwich. / Met Police
A 10,000 reward has been offered and new CCTV footage released today shows the suspected killers, who were wearing balaclavas and motorbike helmets, riding past and pointing out Mr Pearce.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the attack just after midnight on July 15, his family told of their horror at his death and expressed disgust that his killers were walking around free.
His mother Jan, 63, said they needed help from the public to get justice.
She told the Standard: I want them found because they are going to do this to another family. It is just disgusting. I dont know how they are getting away with it. They have no morals, no standards.
Mr Pearce had just left a jazz bar when he was attacked.
Danny was a happy-go-lucky boy, very hard-working. He did not deserve this. It is hell. It really is hell.
His sister Amanda, 44, said they were losing hope that the killers would ever be caught. The police know who they are.
Jan Pearce (left) and Amanda Pearce (right) the mother and sister of 31-year-old victim Danny Pearce. / Lucy Young/Evening Standard/eyevine
"They should not be roaming the streets. They are very, very dangerous. My brother did not stand a chance. Our lives have been ruined and they are still out there.
Why are they still walking around four months later? My brother isnt. We dont get to have Danny back but they need to be locked up for the sake of other families. We want justice.
Danny was an amazing brother. He was a huge part of our lives. No one had a bad word to say about him.
Police believe Mr Pearce may have been robbed for his watch, similar to one pictured. / Met Police
Earlier this year two men, aged 25 and 26, were arrested by detectives from the Mets Homicide and Serious Crime Command in connection with the killing.
The men have been bailed pending further enquiries. Today the officer leading the investigation said the issue was identification and police needed hard evidence.
Jan Pearce, the mother of 31-year-old victim Danny Pearce. / Lucy Young
Detective Inspector Jo Sidaway added: We need someone to come forward about what they know first-hand, not rumour. Were asking the public if they have specific information.
The electrician, of Bromley, had left Olivers Jazz Club in Nevada Street and was attacked in King William Walk. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two suspects at Texaco Petrol Garage in Creek Road
DI Sidaway said This was an extremely violent act. It is quite horrific. He was running for his life up and down, trying to flee. They are chasing him. Every point they catch up he gets stabbed.
Mr Pearces killers were well practised in this sort of crime and could be linked to other high-value robberies, she added.
Detectives are still searching for the watch, a silver Rolex Datejust 2, worth about 5,000.
A police source said: Quite often people in these kinds of circles fall out with each other and decide they want to provide evidence that can help the investigation.
Anyone who has information on the attack should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or crimestoppers-uk.org
A n ex-boyfriend has admitted murdering the mother of his daughter by stabbing her to death in a row over child support outside her home.
Mother-of-two Emma Day was stabbed in the heart with a kitchen knife near her home in West Norwood, south London, in May.
Mark Morris, 39, of Cranbrook Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty to the murder on Thursday ahead of a trial at the OId Bailey, Met Police said.
He had previously pleaded guilty to the 33-year-old hospital worker's manslaughter on the basis of "loss of control" and having an offensive weapon.
Convicted: Mark Morris was found guilty of stabbing partner Emma Day to death outside her home in May / Metropolitan Police
Ms Day, a former pupil of Sydenham School who worked as a ward clerk at King's College Hospital, was attacked by her former partner just after 7pm on Thursday, May 25. It was just days after her 33rd birthday.
Morris was in a relationship with Ms Day between 2008 and 2016 and they have a daughter together. Ms Day also has an older son from a previous relationship.
Following their separation, both children went to live with Ms Day. Shortly before her murder, Ms Day had sought Child Support Agency payments from Morris for their daughter.
Morris was angry and confronted her before fatally stabbing her in the chest.
Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC asked if it was the Crown's case that Morris had gone out with a knife "with the view to killing his partner".
Emma Day: The hospital worker was stabbed to death
Prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse QC said the Crown accepted Morris had "mixed feelings" but not that he had forgotten he had a knife with him.
She said: "We cannot put it as high as saying it was a cold-blooded murder from the very outset."
The court heard Morris said his "mind was in turmoil" and the couple earlier had a "lengthy argument and discussion" before the killing.
The victim's sister and brother-in-law were in court to see the defendant admit his guilt.
Mrs Whitehouse told the court how Morris had been researching ways to kill himself on the day of the murder.
She said: "When he left his house that very morning he had been searching on websites for means to commit suicide.
"That is why it does not seem unreasonable that he may have had 'mixed feelings' as he set out but one of his intentions was to kill."
Detective Inspector John Massey, the senior investigating officer from the Mets Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This was a pre-meditated, brutal attack where Morris laid in wait for Emma so he could confront her. When the conversation did not go his way, he has followed Emma, produced a large knife and stabbed her to death before fleeing the scene.
"This horrific attack on a defenceless young woman was witnessed by Emmas lifelong friend who desperately tried to protect her from Morris. Thankfully, Emmas children did not witness the attack but they have still had their loving mother taken away from them.
"I hope todays conviction will give Emmas family and friends a measure of comfort and closure.
O ne of toddler James Bulgers infamous killers has reportedly been jailed again over alleged child abuse images.
Jon Venables, now aged 35, was arrested last week after officials discovered the images on his computer during a routine home visit, the Sun reported.
He was previously recalled to prison in 2010 for possessing child abuse images that he had downloaded on to his computer while on parole.
Venables was ten years old when he tortured and killed James with his friend Robert Thompson after abducting the two-year-old from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in 1993. They were convicted in November that year, becoming England's youngest ever murderers on record.
Murder: James Bulger was killed in Liverpool in 1993 aged two
Venables served eight years in prison for the killing and was given a new identity when he was released on licence in 2001.
His identity has been changed a further three times since his release - in accordance with a court order to keep his personal details secret.
He is now being held at a maximum security prison for breaching the life-long licence handed to him and Thompson, according to the Sun.
A source told the paper: Venables recall is a huge blow to those who have championed the efforts to reform him over the past 25 years.
Jamess parents, Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger, previously described Venables as a danger to the public.
Ms Fergus took to twitter when the news emerged on Wednesday night to say: "Here we go again."
T he mother of murdered toddler James Bulger has branded his killer a "perverted psychopath" after he was caught with child abuse images for a second time.
Convicted killer Jon Venables, 35, has returned to prison after being arrested last week.
James' mother, Denise Fergus, also said she was left feeling "extremely upset" after receiving "few details" from the probation service with regard to the arrest.
She said: "Venables has now proven beyond any doubt what a vile, perverted psychopath he has always been.
"But what hurts me the most is the way the probation service has tried to cover this up. It's clear they were trying to keep this quiet until they got a call from the media. That left me extremely upset, angry, and feeling insulted.
"I will be taking advice from my lawyer before making a formal complaint to the probation service...I predicted Venables would reoffend unless they kept a very tight rein on him and I pray that now please someone from the UK Government will finally listen to me."
Venables was just 10-years-old when he abducted, tortured and murdered two-year-old James with classmate Robert Thompson on Merseyside in 1993.
They were released in 2001 on life licence with new identities after serving eight years in prison.
Officers are reported to have found indecent material on Venables' computer during a routine check.
F ormer Big Brother star Jeremy McConnell will spend Christmas behind bars after skipping community service "to get a hair and beard transplant".
The 27-year-old, from Dublin, was today jailed for 18 weeks at Cardiff Magistrates Court.
The short hearing came after the reality TV star breached failed to complete 200 hours of unpaid work so he could travel to Turkey for the treatment, sources told the Daily Mail.
McConnell was sentenced to a 20-week suspended sentence in August after being found guilty of assaulting ex-girlfriend and mother of his child Stephanie Davis.
Former Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis / Peter Byrne/PA
Former Hollyoaks star Miss Davis said McConnell, 27, had also threatened to throw acid in her face during the drink and drug-fuelled bust-up at her home in Rainhill, Merseyside, on March 10.
McConnell, from Swords in the Republic of Ireland, first met his former partner after they appeared together on Celebrity Big Brother.
He had denied the attack, branding her a "blatant liar", but was convicted of assaulting Miss Davis during a trial earlier at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.
He was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and 200 hours community service.
During the trial, the judge was shown photos of a bruise that Miss Davis said was caused by McConnell biting her arm, as well as extensive bruises to her legs and body.
The defendant called her a "fat slag" during the domestic abuse, the court heard.
According to the Daily Mail, McConnells lawyer James Morris said he planned to appeal the sentence.
F ormer AC Milan and Manchester City striker Robinho has been sentenced to nine years in jail by a court in Milan on charges of sexual assault.
Robinho's lawyer said the 33-year-old, who is currently playing for Atletico Mineiro in his native Brazil, denied the charges and will appeal against the court's decision.
News agency ANSA reported that five other men were also accused of violently sexually assaulting an Albanian woman and that another member of the group, Ricardo Falco, was also sentenced to nine years in jail.
The other four men had not been found by Italian police, ANSA said.
Robinho's lawyer Marisa Alija said: "We clarify that he has already defended himself from these allegations, and insist he had no participation in that episode."
Brazil does not extradite its own citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.
Robinho began his career with Santos before leaving Brazil in 2005 for a three-year spell with Real Madrid.
He then joined Manchester City and moved to AC Milan in 2010, spending five years under contract with the Serie A club. After a brief stay at Chinese team, Guangzhou Evergrande, he joined Atletico Mineiro last year.
He has made 100 international appearances for Brazil.
T en moped robbers who armed themselves with hammers, knives, and guns for a 1 million seven-month-long crime spree are facing jail today.
The gang targeted Three stores across London, smashing their way in to swipe top-of-the-range smart phones and tablets within a matter of minutes.
They used mopeds to get to and from the break-ins, attacking security guards who got in their way and injuring two police officers who tried to thwart their progress.
One of the crew boasted of attacking a guard with a claw hammer, telling a friend: "Lol, had to lick him up with a hammer."
The young men were sent daily "price lists" by black market buyers of mobile phones, then went out to steal the handsets to order to be sold on around the world.
Moped crimes: The men pleaded guilty or were found guilty in court / Metropolitan Police
In one particularly brazen break-in, the thieves smashed their way into the flagship Three store in Oxford Street, threatening passing shoppers with a gun before fleeing with 20,000-worth of phones.
Today at Blackfriars crown court, Courtney White, 22, Mominur Rahman, 22, Mohammed Hussain, 24 and Chang Mabiala, 22, were all found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. Mohammed Ali, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
Bobby Kennedy, 22, and Chris Costi, 19, were found guilty of the same charge at an earlier trial in August, while Bobby's brother Alfie Kennedy, 20, Dylan Castano-Lopez, 19, and Adam Atallah, 21, all pleaded guilty before the trials began.
They have all been remanded in custody to be sentenced by Judge Michael Simon on December 11.
Describing the raids, between May 1 and November 27, prosecutor Michael Shaw said: "They were all at mobile phone shops using their mopeds and they would attack the guards with hammers.
"They would attack in the middle of the night - they would ride up and smash their way in - primarily shops from the Three network.
A map of where the crimes were committed
"They would loot the stock room and then ride off."
He said the damage caused to the shops as well as the loss of the mobile phones and tablets totalled around 1 million.
When police swooped on the crew, they found a series of "trophy" selfies which helped to convict them, as they were wearing the same clothes they had on for some of the raids.
Three bosses took extra security measures to try to fend off the thieves, but found its staff under attack.
In one particularly brutal break-in, in the Three store in Walthamstow in July last year, a security guard was kicked and beaten with a hammer.
In another, in East Ham, a guard was hit over the head with a chair.
The burglars took the stolen phones to a safe house after each raid before transporting them to their dealer, however, Three, working with the Met Police, began installing trackers in dummy phones to follow the thieves.
Detective Sergeant Danny Watts, who was part of the Met Police team that caught the criminals, said White was the "driving force" behind many of the raids, with Rahman as his "right-hand man".
He said the plan to target Three was "unique" among moped gangs they have come across, and the company has not been hit again in London since arrests of this group were made.
White, from Tottenham, Rahman, from Camden, Hussain, of Hackney, Mabiala, from Islington, Costi, Clapton, and Bobby Kennedy, of Hoxton, denied but were all convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.
Alfie Kennedy, from Hoxton, Castano Lopez, from Camberwell, and Atallah, of no fixed address, all pleaded guilty to the same charge.
A terrorist who planned to flee to Syria to fight with Isis and hoped to carry out a bomb attack in the UK has been jailed for six years.
Mubashir Jamil, from Luton, sent a covert police officer online messages between November 2015 and April 2016 about his dreams of travelling to Syria and even bought a punchbag and pull-bag to get fit ahead of his journey, the Old Bailey heard.
The 22-year-old said he didnt want to draw attention to his fitness programme and also bought a football to play with "so it's less suspicious".
Before deciding to travel to Syria, Jamil considered other options, including carrying out a suicide bomb attack, police said.
Moment man is arrested on terrorism offenses
He talked of wanting to see attacks similar to those in Belgium and Paris.
In one message, he wrote: "I am saying if you guys can send me someone quickly, and he fits a explosive [sic] belt on me and tells me how to press, I can go find good targets on the same day and press it."
But Jamil decided to pursue his plans to fight in Syria instead. He booked a ticket to fly to Turkey on April 30. Officers arrested him on April 27.
Police stormed Jamil's house before arresting him in April / Met Police
Video footage released by Scotland Yard showed officers smashing down the door of the house in Luton, before racing upstairs and putting Mubashir Jamil in handcuffs as he lay on his bed.
Police seized an iPhone and two laptops featuring pro-Daesh documents including "How to survive in the West - A mujahid guide" and "The Islamic State 2015".
He was convicted of being engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to the intention to commit acts of terrorism on October 19.
Jamil bought a boxing bag to get fit before his intended flight to Syria / Met Police
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "I am pleased with this result which has ensured that a man who was seemingly inspired by the terrorist atrocities in Belgium and France has been taken out of the community.
The community is really key to our efforts to continue putting people engaging in terrorist activity before the courts. I urge the public to do this by being vigilant and reporting anything suspicious, including if they think someone they know is being radicalised."
Detective Superintendent Glen Channer, from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit Counter Terrorism Policing added: "We simply will not tolerate those who spread fear and hate in our communities and will continue to target, arrest and disrupt anyone involved in such criminality.
Anyone who notices suspicious behaviour or is concerned that someone they know is being radicalised is urged to call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
A would-be killer abseiled into a womans home before bludgeoning her with a crowbar and stabbing her, leaving her for dead in a horrific attack.
Vicious Fatmir Stafasani climbed into the victims Fulham home through her skylight and lay in wait for an hour until she came home in March this year.
Stafasani, 49, then jumped out at the terrified victim, bludgeoning her in the head with a crowbar and using a knife to stab her before leaving her for dead.
The victim, aged in her 40s, was left in a coma after suffering five fractures to her skull, a broken hand and fingers and cuts.
Fatmir Stafasani, 49, who lived in Islington. / Met Police
She managed to crawl to a neighbouring flat to seek help before falling unconscious. She was rushed to St Marys Hospital for life-saving treatment and spent nine days in a coma.
Stafasani, an Albanian man who lives in Brunswick Court in Islington, had set up a makeshift climbing rig which he used to abseil through the victims window, police said.
He knew the victim and had planned the attack carefully.
Fatmir Stafasani, 49, set up a makeshift climbing rig and abseiled into the woman's flat. / Met Police
He was caught by police while the victim was in a coma thanks to CCTV, witness accounts, number plate recognition, mobile phone data and DNA.
Stafasani, who did not steal anything during the attack, was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated burglary at Southwark Crown Court.
He remained silent during his trial. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 18 years in jail for attempted murder and 11 years imprisonment for the aggravated burglary.
Fatmir Stafasani, a 49-year-old Albanian man from Brunswick Court. / Met Police
The judge also ordered Stafasani to serve four extra years on extended licence because he is a dangerous offender.
According to detective inspector Damian Ash, the senior investigating officer in the case, the attack was particularly heinous and involved careful and premeditated planning by Stafasani.
"He abseiled into her flat and lay in wait before carrying out a vicious attack and leaving her for dead, he said.
Fatmir Stafasani pictured on CCTV leaving the block of flats after the attempted murder. / Met Police
"We do not know the motive behind this attack. Fatmir Stafasani has remained silent throughout, and even now has shown no emotion.
"I'd like to pay tribute to Detective Constable Alex Rum who worked tirelessly on the case, to the medical staff at St Mary's Hospital who no doubt saved the victim's life and most of all to the victim herself who showed great courage throughout this investigation.
"The investigation team and I hope she can continue to make the best possible recovery."
A group of top doctors has warned supplies used in cancer treatment may be under threat after Brexit.
The medics' warning concerns imports of radioactive isotopes used in cancer treatments, 80 per cent of which are imported to the UK from the EU.
John Buscombe, president-elect of the British Nuclear Medicine Society, told a House of Lords committee on Wednesday: We do not know what the situation will be [after Brexit].
He said: We all hoped we would have an answer by now and we do not. We need more detail than just being told it will not be a problem.
You have to reinvent what we had 40 years ago [before the UK joined the EU] and all the people who were around 40 years ago are either retired or dead so we do not have the knowledge.
Medical isotopes are used either to treat cancer by killing diseased cells or to diagnose diseases by injecting a radioactive tracer into the body which allows scanner images to be taken of tissues and organs.
They are particularly vulnerable if transportation is delayed, with some isotopes halving in radioactivity every few days.
Imports are usually made from France, Belgium and the Netherlands overnight in order to avoid traffic.
Mr Buscombe said time was running out to build a new regulatory system, and the possibility of increased customs checks after Brexit might mean the NHS having to pay for larger supplies.
We end up with a patient ready for treatment filling a hospital bed and we cannot treat them because the product has decayed too much.
He also said Brexit risks making an ongoing skills shortage in nuclear medicine in the UK worse, as 30 per cent of experts are currently recruited from the EU.
A young woman who nearly died from meningitis is training to become a nurse at the hospital that saved her life.
Sophie Royce, 25, suffered multiple organ failure, went into cardiac arrest and was given a one per cent chance of survival after contracting meningococcal septicaemia five years ago.
A specialist team from St Thomas was sent to her local hospital in Surrey to stabilise her, place her on an ECMO machine, which takes over the functions of the heart and lungs, and transfer her to London. She was able to return home from St Thomas, in Lambeth, to her home in Reigate two months later.
The experience led her to switch from being a childminder. She now is in her final year of a nursing course at London South Bank University and is doing her practical training at Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. Ms Royce said: Theres no way I would have considered becoming a nurse if it hadnt been for what happened to me. I was in hospital for a long time and being around nurses and seeing the difference they make to patients made me realise thats what I wanted to do.
St Thomas Hospital nurse Sophie Royce.
It was a lovely coincidence to find out that I would be doing my training at Guys and St Thomas after the teams here did so much for me. Id love to work here full-time eventually.
The illness occurs when meningococcal bacteria multiply in the blood. St Thomas is the largest of five NHS hospitals offering ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) therapy, caring for more than 100 patients a year.
The machine operates in a similar way to dialysis for kidney failure, continuously taking blood, adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide before returning it to the body. It is used on patients who have reached the limits of conventional medical therapy.
Ms Royce, who has become an ambassador for Meningitis Research Foundation, said she owed her life to the ECMO team. They dont get as much recognition as they should and they are the most humble people Ive met, she said. I owe them everything.
A happy and beautiful New Zealand woman died in London after falling from a second storey window while apparently taking a selfie.
Toni Kelly plunged to her death at her home in Tooting while apparently photographing herself.
She suffered a serious brain injury and died two days later in hospital on November 14.
Sports-lover Ms Kelly, 20, moved to London in August from Wanganui on the coast of New Zealands North Island. She had registered with a teaching program in London.
Her parents and sister Stacey, who lives in Melbourne, are understood to have flown to London following her death.
Her aunt, Sharon Kelly, said the family had been left totally devastated.
Her aunt, Sharon Kelly, said the family had been left totally devastated / Instagram
A spokeswoman for the Inner West London Coroner told the Standard an inquest had been opened and adjourned, with a hearing due to take place on January 24.
She said: We can confirm she fell from the window.
Her aunt wrote online: My niece sadly past away a awful accident. Will be sadly missed by all.
Toni she was a happy, sweet, caring young lady full of life. Her parents are devastated beyond words.
Toni posted images online to document her life since arriving in London in the summer
Her sister Stacey Kelly thanked hundreds of friends and relatives who have pledged almost 20,000 through a fundraising page to pay for Ms Kellys repatriation.
She wrote: I just wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the endless support so far. We are completely lost for words & cant wait to be home.
Ms Kellys friends in New Zealand held a tearful sunset ceremony on a beach near the familys home to mark her death.
Schoolfriend Paige Hourigan said: When we were young Toni was one of those people that never had anything bad to say about anyone, she was super girly, laid back and fun which I loved.
I remember just laughing and giggling with her all the time about nothing. She was a beautiful girl that will definitely always be remembered - especially for that smile.
Pictures on Ms Kellys Facebook page show her enjoying the Electric Picnic music festival in County Laois, Ireland, earlier this year.
Others show her posing in front of London landmarks including Big Ben and Trafalgar Square, as well as photos from her travels in the United States.
Lucy Griffiths, who set up the fundraising page, said: Toni was a young, happy and beautiful girl who has had a tragic accident while living overseas in London. Unfortunately Toni has sadly passed away due to her injuries.
This money will help the family bring Toni home and pay for any extra expenses.
Another school friend Iriana McDonnell wrote: For the last week and & a half, Ive had you two on my mind.
I was sad to hear the news and instantly thought about the sweetest times we had in the young high school days.
Ms Kellys organs will be donated to save lives in the UK, according to her family.
A motorcyclist has been killed and two people injured after a crash involving a van on a major south London road.
Emergency services raced to the scene of the smash in New Kent Road shortly before 4.30pm on Thursday.
Paramedics battled to save the motorcyclist, a 22-year-old man, but he died at the scene just after 5pm.
The motorcycle was carrying a pillion passenger who was taken to hospital where he remained in a stable condition, police said.
Fatal crash: A motorcyclist died at the scene / @bartoncreeth/Twitter
A pedestrian also suffered a minor leg injury and was taken to a south London hospital.
Police said the driver of the van stopped at the scene and no arrests have been made. Detectives are now appealing for witnesses to the collision.
New Kent Road was shut in both directions from Elephant and Castle after the crash at Balfour Street.
One person posted on Twitter: Looks like a really nasty accident on New Kent Road #SE1 road completely shut from Elephant to Bricklayers Arms.
TfL said that buses were delayed by up to 90 minutes as diversions were put in place and traffic built in the surrounding area.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in Southwark.
"Police were called at approximately 4.25pm on Thursday, November 23 to New Kent Road close to the junction with Harper Road following reports of a motorcycle in collision with a van."
Any witnesses are asked to contact officers via 020 8285 1574.
A first-time buyer stampede for homes was under way across London today after Philip Hammond slashed 5,000 off stamp duty bills in his Budget speech.
Property website Rightmove said it saw a 54 per cent surge in searches for London properties up to 500,000 yesterday and estate agents reported buyers calling to raise their offers within minutes of the Chancellor sitting down in the Commons.
Property advisers said Mr Hammonds surprise move to abolish stamp duty for all purchases by new buyers up to 300,000 and on the first 300,000 of deals worth up to 500,000 has had an immediate and dramatic effect on young people who had previously felt locked out of the property market.
It will cut the tax burden on the median London starter home of around 365,000 from 8,250 to 3,250 and will benefit the vast majority of first-time buyers in London.
The seller of this Edmonton house rejected a first-time buyer's inital 375,000 offer but accepted immediately when the buyer upped their offer by 5,000 due to the stamp duty saving
Agents reported buyers were upping their offers by 5,000 to unblock stalled negotiations on flats and houses across the capital and the Home Counties commuter belt.
Lucy Pendleton, director of south-west London agents James Pendleton, said: We had one person whose offer of 358,000 on a flat in Wandsworth was not acceptable at 12.30pm increasing it by 5,000 to 363,000 at 2.30pm.
"That was as a result of the stamp duty relief the offer was accepted.
However, there were fears that the change would stoke up the lower end of the property market, making it even harder for less affluent buyers.
There were also warnings a new stamp duty cliff-edge will see owners of properties valued at just over 500,000 having to cut prices to attract qualified buyers.
But buyers said the 5,000 saving would make a surprising amount of difference both psychologically and financially.
Karl Knipe, partner at Kings Group Estate Agents, with 15 branches across North London, said offers had been increased by 5,000 on houses in Enfield and Edmonton yesterday afternoon.
He said: The property in Edmonton had just been reduced to 380,000 and the buyer was at a revised offer of 370,000, but the seller needed 375,000 to make things work. Unfortunately the buyer was at their limit and could not increase any further.
Then the news came that the Chancellor had scrapped stamp duty for first time buyers for the first 300,000 in his budget.
We contacted the buyer right away and she explained that she had just seen the news herself and so was prepared to use the saving in order to make the offer of 375,000 that the seller wanted.
Housebuyers also said they saw a surge in offers yesterday. David Galman, director of sales at property company it had sold two properties at 200,000 and 250,000 at a scheme in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire yesterday to buyers who had previously been hanging back.
However, there were also fears that the change will merely stoke up the lower end of the London property market making it even harder for less affluent buyers.
There was also warnings that will create a new stamp duty cliff-edge with owners of properties priced at just over 500,000 having to slash their prices to attract buyers who qualify for the relief.
But Millennial buyers said the saving would make a surprising amount of difference both psychologically and financially despite representing only a tiny fraction of the total cost of purchase.
Junior doctor Lizzie Harris, 28, who is looking to buy for around 400,000 in Kennington, said: I will feel much better that the 5000 is going into buying a home rather than to pay tax. It really does help.
Jeremy Raj, partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell said:I was sitting in a meeting with a Millennial colleague during the speech and her face lit up and she said:Now I can buy furniture.'
L ondon's public parks are worth a combined 91 billion and living near a green space can boost the value of home by as much as 500,000, according to a new report published today.
A fifth of Greater London is designated as public parkland, but there are huge disparities over access to green spaces across the capitals 33 local authorities. Richmond is the greenest borough with 41 per cent of it classified as public green space, followed by Merton (29 per cent), Hounslow (28 per cent), and Hackney and Waltham Forest (both 26 per cent).
The City of London is bottom, on just seven per cent, below Newham (eight) Hammersmith and Fulham (12), Islington and Southwark (both 13) and Tower Hamlets (14).
The impact on the average house price of being close to a green space is about 900, but in some areas such as Hampstead Heath and Hyde Park it can be as much as half a million pounds.
The Natural Capital Account report was commissioned by the National Trust, Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Heritage Lottery Fund and carried out by Vivid Economics.
The most comprehensive ever study into the economic value of Londons public parks, it aimed to measure the recreational, climatic and mental and physical health benefits of green spaces, as well as the effect on house prices.
Hyde Park in Autumn. / Jeremy Selwyn
The reports co-author Robin Smale, director of research firm Vivid Economics, said: London has got quite a lot of green space thanks to the Victorians, but there is a lot of pressure on them as theyre funded by local authorities and their budgets are being squeezed by other demands.
The biggest questions we face are to do with new housing. Some areas of London dont have many green spaces already. We need to think of our public parks as green infrastructure. Local authorities shouldnt just be looking at the costs of mowing the lawn and maintenance, but also the economic value and health benefits of these spaces.
The report found that for every 1 councils spend on public parks, Londoners enjoy 27 in recreational and leisure benefits. Overall, parks save 950 million a year in health costs.
In August the Standard reported how Mr Khan wants to make London the worlds first urban national park. The Mayor plans to launch a formal bid for the designation at an international parks summit in spring 2019.
Shirley Rodrigues, deputy mayor for environment and energy said: London is one of the greenest cities in the world with much-loved spaces the Mayor is determined to protect. This research proves how important parks are not just for health, environment and quality of life but as essential infrastructure.
This is why the Mayor has committed to protecting the green belt, making London the worlds first National Park City and increasing and maintaining our incredibly valuable green space.
Ros Kerslake, chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: Having invested more than 800 million of National Lottery money in revitalising public parks, weve seen the impact high-quality green spaces have on the prosperity, health and well-being.
This research is a powerful tool that will help local authorities, businesses and communities seize the opportunities available to ensure parks not only survive but thrive.
T he EU has banned UK cities from hosting the European Capital of Culture after Brexit despite the scheme being open to cities outside the bloc.
Five British cities had been competing to host the prestigious 2023 title after finalising and submitting their final bids last month but their hopes were cut short on Thursday.
A letter from Brussels to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the UKs inclusion in the competition would not be possible, the BBC reported.
It added that Britains bids should immediately be discontinued.
Theresa May's Brexit in her own words
Dundee, Nottingham, Leeds and Milton Keynes had all lodged submissions to host the event in six years, along with Belfast, Londonderry and Strabane who launched a joint bid.
The capital of culture award rotates around European countries and the UK was tipped to have its turn in 2023.
Two British cities have previously held the accolade: Glasgow in 1990 and then Liverpool in 2008.
The DCMS said it disagreed with Brussels decision. It added it was deeply disappointed the European Commission had not told the UK its plan before the five bids were put forward last month.
The Government department said while Britain was leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe.
The UK prepared their bids following the Brexit vote in June 2016. / PA Wire/PA Images
When they launched their bids, the UK Government said it was part of their plan for a dynamic, outward-looking and global Britain after Brexit but did warn that participation could depend on the outcome of exit talks.
In the past three non-EU cities have previously held the title: Istanbul in 2010, Norways Stavanger in 2008 and the Icelandic capital Reykjavik in 2000.
According to the BBC, a spokeswoman for the European Commission Office said: As one of the many concrete consequences of its decision to leave the European Union by 29 March 2019, the UK cannot host the European Capital of Culture in 2023.
"According to the rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council (Decision 445/2014), this action is not open to third countries except candidate countries and European Free Trade Association/European Economic Area countries.
"Given that the UK will have left the EU by 29 March 2019, and therefore be unable to host the European Capital of Culture in 2023, we believe it makes common sense to discontinue the selection process now."
A DCMS spokeswoman said: "The prime minister has been clear that while we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe and this has been welcomed by EU leaders.
"We want to continue working with our friends in Europe to promote the long-term economic development of our continent, which may include participating in cultural programmes.
"We remain committed to working with the five UK cities that have submitted bids to help them realise their cultural ambitions and we are in urgent discussions with the Commission on the matter."
A hipster venue that was set up to transform a wasteland in the middle of Old Street roundabout is facing closure after complaints from neighbours in luxury blocks.
The Magic Roundabout is battling to renew its premises licence amid opposition from residents, including some living in the Bezier building that includes penthouse apartments worth 6 million.
The bar, cafe and nightspot opened in 2015 and has hosted house DJ Norman Jay, dubstep pioneer DJ Artwork and indie rock band Foals.
It is also a popular daytime meeting place for the tech entrepreneurs of Londons silicon roundabout.
But noise and alleged anti-social behaviour and drug taking from revellers mean it could lose its licence. Some 32 noise complaints have been lodged with Islington council. Residents of the Bezier building have complained of anti-social behaviour, including revellers ripping up plants and urinating into planters.
The venue says that if it is forced to close it will be another victim of complaints from a minority about music venues.
In central London were seeing a staggering number of music venues being lost, said Sarah Holgate, the venues creative director.
The decision on whether to renew the licence will be taken by the councils licensing committee on Monday.
L iving in the fallout zone from a nuclear disaster would be no worse for our health than living in London, a shocking study from British safety researchers has found.
People who live in a contaminated area in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster would likely lose a few months of life expectancy and have a greater chance of developing cancer, according to the university study.
But the damage done to health would be no worse than living in a polluted city such as London, the academics found.
Nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011, release radioactive materials into the environment which are dangerous to most forms of life.
Air pollution: The UK capital repeatedly hits critical levels of pollution. / Getty Images
Philip Thomas, professor of risk management at the University of Bristol, told The Times that the risks from living at a nuclear disaster site are smaller than many people think and are on par with the risks of living in a major urban area like London.
He said Japanese authorities had overreacted when they displaced 450,000 people from their homes following the Fukushima accident.
Mr Thomas said: Very few people are properly aware of just how relatively small the risks of nuclear power are, even after a big nuclear accident has happened, never mind how rare that event might be."
Meanwhile air pollution in London has reached critical levels over the past year. The capital breached its legal limits for toxic air set by the European Union for the whole of the year just five days into 2017.
Research last month also found that every single Londoner is exposed to dangerously high levels of the most toxic air pollution on a daily basis.
Sadiq Khan has introduced a new charge aimed to cut the number of diesel cars in the capital. / Jeremy Selwyn
Pollutant PM2.5 is understood to have the greatest impact on human health with links to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children exposed to the particle are likely to grow up with reduced lung function and asthma.
To carry out its research, the university created a simulation of a nuclear meltdown at a fictional reactor in West Sussex. Researchers used Public Health Englands emergency plans for a nuclear disaster to predict the necessary precautions that would need to be taken
From their model they found that if a real disaster should occur, the government would have to evacuate 44,000 temporarily from the area.
Approximately 360,000 people would be given anti-radiation tablets and 410,000 would be advised to stay indoors.
In the aftermath of the fictional meltdown, it was anticipated that there would be 1,500 extra cases of cancer, of which a third would be fatal.
The scientists concluded that ultimately it would only be beneficial for 620 people to leave the affected area, because the mental strain of moving somewhere new and job hunting would outweigh the disaster's physical effects.
They forecast that within three months of a nuclear meltdown, radiation levels would drop below ten millisieverts a year. This is already less than people in the UK are exposed to from natural seepage of the gas radon.
The study was published in a special edition of Process Safety and Environmental Protection, a journal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
B ookmakers today suspended betting on another royal wedding amid rumours that Prince Harry is expected to announce his engagement to Meghan Markle imminently.
Speculation over the couples potential impending marriage has been ramped up in recent weeks with the BBC reportedly primed for a Royal announcement.
Ladbrokes closed betting that Harry and Meghan would marry next year at odds of 4/6.
Spokeswoman Jessica Bridge told the Standard: All bets are off when it comes to Harry and Meghan walking down the aisle next year.
Engagement rumours: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle / Getty Images
She added: With the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge already expecting their third child, fans will be overjoyed at the prospect of two new arrivals into the royal family next year.
The 36-year-old Suits star is rumoured to be moving to the UK after quitting the hit US show.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in first public appearance together 1 /9 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in first public appearance together The couple could be seen laughing and smiling Getty Images for the Invictus Ga attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games Getty Images They were both at this weekend's opening ceremony of the Paralympics-style event for wounded and injured servicemen and women Reuters It is the couple's first public appearance together Reuters Royal watchers are viewing it as a milestone in their relationship Getty Images for the Invictus Ga Harry and Meghan were both casually dressed AP They could be seen holding hands Getty Images
Reports have suggested she has already put her beloved pet dogs in transit and has been pictured in London increasingly frequently in recent months sparking rumours the pair are already engaged.
An Instagram post by Ms Markles former body double fuelled the fire.
Nicky Bursic, who has worked on the show for six years, posted a message on Instagram saying it had been an honour to be Ms Markles stand-in and that she was wishing her all the happiness in the world.
Suits actress Meghan Markle with her body double Nicky Bursic / Nicky Bursic/ Instagram
The post featured a picture of the pair standing beside one in another in matching outfits on the Suits set in Canada. She also tagged the message with a champagne glass emoji.
Mr Bursics message read: Its been an absolute pleasure and honour being your stand-in for the last two seasons Meghan Markle. Though Ive been on Suits for six years, the latter two has been my most memorable.
Rumours are flying that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will announce their engagement soon. / PA
Wishing you all the happiness in the world Bella. #youdeserveitall #loveher.
Prince Harry has been dating the star of legal drama Suits since about May last year.
Rumours went into overdrive in mid-October when it was reported that Ms Markle and the Queen had met and spent an hour together in Buckingham Palace drinking tea.
Prince Harry and Ms Markle made their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games in September.
A former doctor for the US Olympic gymnastics team has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault.
Larry Nassar, 54, admitted abusing seven girls, three of whom were under the age of 13, mostly under the guise of treatment.
A prosecutor said 125 women and girls have filed complaints with Michigan State University police.
Nassar, who lost his licence to practice medicine in April, now faces at least 25 years in prison but the sentence could be as high as 40 years.
Larry Nassar Victims Speak Out
Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas are among the women who have publicly said they were among Nassar's victims.
Some of his accusers - many in tears - attended the hearing on Wednesday in a packed Ingham County courtroom in Michigan.
Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual abuse / AFP/Getty Images
"For all those involved ... I'm so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control," Nassar said. "I pray the rosary every day for forgiveness. I want them to heal. I want the community to heal."
Nassar admitted sexually abusing the victims and agreed that his conduct had no legitimate medical purpose and that he did not have the girls' consent.
Gymnasts Rachael Denhollander and Larissa Boyce embrace following the court hearing / AP
The plea deal in Ingham County calls for a minimum prison sentence of 25 years, but a judge could set the minimum sentence as high as 40 years. In Michigan, inmates are eligible for parole after serving a minimum sentence. Sentencing was set for January 12.
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar: "You used your position of trust... in the most vile way to abuse children. ... I agree that now is a time of healing, but it may take them a lifetime of healing while you spend your lifetime behind bars thinking about what you did in taking away their childhood."
She called the accusers "superheroes for all of America, because this is an epidemic".
The girls testified that Nassar molested, sometimes when a parent was present in the room, while they sought help for gymnastics injuries.
Michigan State University said it was "appalled" by the crimes.
USA Gymnastics said it was "very sorry" any athlete was harmed by Nassar.
A health minister from India has sparked outrage after he said that cancer is divine justice caused by past sins of a person.
Himanata Biswa Sarma, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), from Assam State claimed that people could get cancer because of the sin of their parents.
The remarks were made while he was speaking at a public event in Guwahati on Wednesday.
The Times of India reported that he said: "God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe the background you will come to know that it's divine justice. Nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice.
His words sparked upset and outrage in cancer patients and their relatives.
Opposition parties described his statement as unfortunate and have asked for a public apology.
One user wrote:"People like you who are running our country only indicates that India is at the receiving end of the Gita!! Shame on you!!"
The All India United Democratic party suggested that Mr Sarma had made the comments to cover his failure to control the spread of cancer in the state".
Mr Sarma tweeted to clarify his comments; however his response only served to anger people further.
Research by the Indian Council of medical research indicates that the lack of awareness and testing for the disease means that only 12.5 per cent of patients are treated in the early stages.
The report estimated that the number of new cancer cases will rise by 25 per cent by 2020.
A colourful array of balloons, marching bands and floats descended on the streets of New York as the annual Thanksgiving parade rolled through the streets.
The 91st annual parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on a cold Thursday morning in Manhattan, and many more watched the hugely popular tradition from home.
It featured new inflatable versions of Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen and Chase from the TV cartoon Paw Patrol, along with a new version of the Grinch of Dr Seuss fame.
They made their make their way down a two-mile stretch of the city as crowds cheered.
Frozen's Olaf balloon make its way down 6th Avenue / Reuters
Smokey Robinson, The Roots, Flo Rida and Wyclef Jean were among the stars celebrating, along with performances from the casts of Broadway's Anastasia, Dear Evan Hansen and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Bekki Grinnell, who came all the way from Alaska, said: "When your kid from Alaska is marching in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, you come."
The Tom Turkey float during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade / Reuters
Paul Seyforth flew in from Denver to spend his 50th wedding anniversary in New York and see this year's parade.
The 76-year-old said: "Not a lot's changed - the balloons, the bands, the floats - and that's the good thing.
"The crowds are still the same, but there's a lot more police here. That's the age we live in."
Heavily-armed members of the New York Police Department take a position / AP
A significant police presence was put in place in a year marred by terror attacks with vehicles.
NYPD officers with assault weapons walked among the crowds, snipers were on rooftops and sand-filled city sanitation trucks were poised as imposing barriers to traffic.
Officers also escorted each of the giant balloons.
New York City Police Department officers watch the Ronald McDonald balloon / Reuters
Timothy McMillian, his wife, their 9-year-old daughter and his in-laws came from Greensboro, North Carolina to attend the event.
McMillian, a 45-year-old schoolteacher, said he had some concerns about security after a truck attack on a bike path near the World Trade Center killed eight people on Halloween.
He said: "With the event being out in the open like this, we were concerned.
"But we knew security would be ramped up today, and we have full confidence in the NYPD."
Father Christmas makes his way down Central Park West / Reuters
Authorities said there was no confirmation of a credible threat to the parade, but they were taking no chances after the truck attack and October shooting that killed 58 people at a Las Vegas country music festival.
Mayor Bill de Blasio told crowds: "Every year, the NYPD has done more to keep this event tonight and the parade itself safer.
"Because we understand we are dealing with a very challenging world.
And so the amount of resources and personnel we put in has increased each year to make us safer."
A US Navy aircraft has detected an unidentified object near to where a missing Argentinian submarine sent its last signal.
The hunt to find the missing submarine entered a critical phase on Thursday amid fears the crews oxygen may have run out.
The ARA San Juan and its crew of 44 have been missing since last Wednesday after disappearing about 300 miles from Argentinas southern coast following a battery failure.
An RAF plane joined the massive search while relatives of the submarines crew gathered at its base in Mar del Plata desperately awaiting news.
Search for missing submarine ARA San Juan - In pictures 1 /36 Search for missing submarine ARA San Juan - In pictures Relatives of a missing submarine crew member react to news of the explosion AP US Navy flight officers fly over the south Atlantic. Reuters Aircraft circle above the spot where the submarine was last seen. Reuters View of a support message that reads 'God save you. The Lord and all the Argentinian are beside you' in front of the Submarine Operations Base in Mar de Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina EPA Captain Enrique Balbi, spokesman for the naval force, gives a statement to the media at the Argentine Army headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina EPA This Google Earth image provided by CTBTO shows a visualization of the hydro-acoustic anomaly 'consistent' with an 'explosion' that was recorded near the time and place of the disappearance of the submarine ARA San Juan AP Sergio Zelaya, friend of the crew member Fernando Ariel Mendoza, speaks to the media in front of the Submarine Operations Base in Mar de Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina EPA A child's drawing with the Spanish "Find them, we wait for them," referring to the crew of a missing submarine, hangs on a fence at the naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina AP A man reacts in front of signs and messages in support of the 44 crew members of the missing at sea ARA San Juan submarine on a fence at an Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina Reuters View of the U.S. Navy deep diving rescue vehicle, the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM), mobilized to support the Argentine government's search and rescue efforts for the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan before being installed in Comodoro Rivadavia AFP/Getty Images Members of the Navy and relatives of the 44 crew members of the missing at sea ARA San Juan submarine react at an Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina Reuters Relatives of 44 crew members of Argentine missing submarine, are escorted as they arrive at Argentina's Navy base in Mar del Plata, on the Atlantic coast south of Buenos Aires AFP/Getty Images View of a support message that reads 'ARA SAN JUAN. Be strong. We are with you!!' in front of the Submarine Operations Base in Mar de Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina EPA A woman reacts as people gather to pray for the 44 crew members of the missing at sea ARA San Juan submarine, at the entrance of an Argentine Naval Base in Mar del Plata, Argentina Reuters Members of the Argentine Air Force search for the missing submarine. AP People gather to pray for the 44 crew members of the missing at sea ARA San Juan submarine, at the entrance of an Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina Reuters Naval force spokesman Captain Enrique Balbi delivering an update. EPA People pray outside Argentina's Navy base in Mar del Plata. AFP/Getty Images A crew member wears emergency gear during a presentation to the press inside the Brazilian submarine Timbira, which takes part in the international search mission for the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil AFP/Getty Images Elena Alfaro, the sister of submarine crew member Federico Ibanez, is comforted outside the Naval base, as she waits for news in Mar del Plata, Argentina AP Navy crew look down at the sea from an airplane during a flight to search for the ARA San Juan. Reuters An Argentine Navy airplane flies over the Atlantic. Reuters People pray outside the Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata AFP/Getty Images Argentina's President Mauricio Macri (left) talks to navy chiefs about the search operation Reuters Members of the Argentine Navy look down from an airplane in search of the submarine Reuters Signs in support of the submarine's crew at the naval base in Mar del Plata AP The ARA San Juan submarine disappeared on Wednesday while returning to its base in Mar del Plata EPA
Argentines have been gripped by the search, with local newspapers placing photographs on their front pages of crew members' relatives praying.
Search planes and ships were sent to determine if the so-called heat-stain located by a US Navy aircraft about 300 kilometres off the coastal city of Puerto Madryn was the missing ARA San Juan.
The new hope comes as the search and rescue mission for the submarine and its 44 crew members entered a critical stage on Wednesday.
Britain and four other countries are helping Argentina in the search, while crew members relatives gather at the vessels base in Mar del Plata, desperately awaiting news.
According to Argentinian national newspaper Clarin, sources close to the mission said an order was sent for the site to be searched at full speed.
If the German-built submarine had sunk or was otherwise unable to rise to the surface, it would be winding down its seven-day oxygen supply, Argentinas navy said.
More than a dozen boats and planes from Argentina, the United States, Britain, Chile and Brazil had joined the search. Authorities had been mainly scanning from the sky as storms halted the maritime hunt last weekend.
B ritish woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been jailed in Iran, does not have breast cancer, her husband said.
Richard Ratcliffe said in an interview with Sky News that his wife, who is being held in Iran, was examined after finding lumps on her breasts but that they are not cancerous.
"She was taken to hospital 10 days ago and had a check-up again on Saturday. I spoke to her Sunday," he said.
"She had been given medication the week before, the lumps had responded to medication - that meant if they responded to medication they couldn't be cancerous.
"So she was hugely relieved - there's been so much going on."
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella / PA
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is due to have another ultrasound in three months, by which time "hopefully she can be seen by the NHS", he added.
Her husband told reporters that the mother-of-ones mental state has suffered since a gaffe by Boris Johnson about her activities in Iran led to the threat of further charges.
The Foreign Secretary later apologised for the "distress" and "suffering" he caused by his suggestion that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran, which has exposed her to the threat of her five-year jail sentence being doubled.
Mr Ratcliffe said he hoped his wife would be home by Christmas after a "positive and constructive" meeting with Mr Johnson earlier this month.
Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK's director, called on the UK Government to take "concerted action" to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release.
"It's especially worrying hearing about her various health concerns, because the Iranian authorities have a track record of callously denying medical care to prisoners, especially in political cases, even when people have serious medical conditions," she added.
"The sooner the Foreign Secretary and other UK officials are able to convince the Iranian authorities of the urgent need to release Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the better."
A n RAF plane has landed in Argentina for the first time since the Falklands War as it joins the search for a missing submarine.
The ARA San Juan disappeared about 300 miles off Argentinas southern Atlantic coast last Wednesday after reporting a battery failure.
The UK and four other countries are helping Argentina in the search, while relatives of the submarine's 44 crew members have gathered at its base in Mar del Plata desperately awaiting news.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said an RAF Voyager, which took off from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, arrived in the South American country on Wednesday.
Members of the Argentine Navy look down from an airplane in search of the submarine (REUTERS) / Reuters
It marks the first time since the Falklands conflict in 1982 that an RAF aircraft has landed in Argentina.
The MoD said the Voyager is packed with three tonnes of equipment, including 12 deep emergency life support pods.
Signs in support of the submarine's crew at the naval base in Mar del Plata / AP
HMS Protector, a Royal Navy ice patrol ship, arrived on Sunday and was deployed to the submarine's last known location. It used its sonar equipment to search below the waves for the missing vessel.
An RAF C-130 has also joined the search following an offer of assistance, and members of the specialist Submarine Parachute Assistance Group are also offering expert advice.
People pray outside the Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata / AFP/Getty Images
HMS Clyde, an offshore patrol vessel, which was returning from a patrol to South Georgia has also assisted with the search efforts.
If the German-built submarine had sunk or was otherwise unable to rise to the surface, it would now be at the end of its seven-day oxygen supply, Argentinas navy said.
"Oxygen is a permanent worry. Every day that passes is more critical," naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi said on Tuesday.
The international search teams are combing the waters in a wide area of some 185,000 square miles.
D onald Trump will enjoy an opulent feast alongside a traditional Turkey dinner as he celebrates Thanksgiving with his family.
The president will feast on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy along with a American side dish sweet potatoes with marshmallows, US media reported.
A variety of baked goods, local cheeses, red snapper and Florida stone crab will also appear on the vast menu.
For dessert, the first family will enjoy various cakes and pies.
Donald Trump prepares to hand out sandwiches to members of the US Coast Guard / AP
According to CNN, the familys traditional dinner will be held inside a members club on exclusive Palm Beach adorned with crystal chandeliers.
Earlier today, Mr Trump and first lady Melania visited US Coast Guard members at Station Lake Worth Inlet in Riviera Beach, Florida to share Thanksgiving dinner.
The celebration comes days after the President pardoned two turkeys Wishbone and Drumstick as part of an annual holiday tradition.
Trump pardons Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House
Meanwhile, hundreds of people lined the streets for Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
The 91st annual parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on a cold Thursday morning in Manhattan, and many more watched the hugely popular tradition from home.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2017 - In pictures 1 /22 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2017 - In pictures The Hello Kitty balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan Reuters The Super Wings' Jet balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters Frozen's Olaf balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters The Pikachu balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Carlo Allegri/Reuters The Charlie Brown balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade REUTERS New York City Police Department officers watch the Ronald McDonald balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters Participants arrive to take part during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters The Tom Turkey float makes its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters People arrive to take part during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters The Dream Works Animation Trolls and Peanuts Worldwide Charlie Brown balloons make their way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters Heavily-armed members of the New York Police Department take a position along the route before the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade AP Macy's Harold The Fireman balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters New York Police Department officers are greeted by people before the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade AP Participants take their place along the parade route before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begins AP Dream Works Animation's Troll balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters Paw Patrol's Chase balloon make its way down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters Santa Claus makes his way down Central Park West during the 91st is Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Reuters
It featured new inflatable versions of Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen and Chase from the TV cartoon Paw Patrol, along with a new version of the Grinch of Dr Seuss fame.
They made their make their way down a two-mile stretch of the city as crowds cheered.
Smokey Robinson, The Roots, Flo Rida and Wyclef Jean were among the stars celebrating, along with performances from the casts of Broadway's Anastasia, Dear Evan Hansen and SpongeBob SquarePants.
R ussian companies should be ready for a rapid switch to military output, Vladimir Putin has said.
The Russian president made the statement at a conference of military leaders in Sochi on Wednesday.
He warned that major enterprises, both state-owned and private, must be prepared to make a quick transition during wartime.
In a statement released by the Kremlin, Mr Putin said: I want to say that the economic ability to increase the production of defence products and services quickly is a vital element of military security.
"All strategic and simply large companies, regardless of the type of ownership, must be able to do this."
He added that he and senior defence officials already issued instructions to modernise production in 2015 and 2016, asking those in attendance to report which problems of the previous years had been dealt with and which had not.
Mr Putin said: "Instructions were issued to modernise production, to create a reserve of material and technical resources, and to ensure the transportation of military personnel.
"The ministries and agencies are working on this in close cooperation with the Defence Ministry under the guidance of the Board of the Military Industrial Commission."
The president held a series of meetings with officials from the Defence Ministry and the defence sector to discuss the results of the Zapad-2017 strategic military exercise, which assessed military readiness.
Russia sent 3,000 troops to Belarus, where they trained at six locations with 7,000 soldiers and officers from the host nation, according to news channel RT.
In a separate meeting in Sochi, the Russian leader met with leaders of Iran and Turkey to discuss the Syrian peace settlement on Wednesday.
He said: "Much has been done to stabilize the situation in Syria. I hope that in the very near future we will put the final point in the fight against terrorism in Syria, although it is clear that the centres will still exist, they will still emerge.
"So there are still problems with terrorism in the world, and in the Middle East, and in Syria in particular."
Mr Putin added: "But the main task is already close to completion, and it will be possible to say in the very near future that we have solved it."
A leading figure of the US white nationalist movement has reportedly been banned from 26 European countries.
Richard Spencer, who popularised the term "alt-right", is allegedly blocked from entering the countries in Europe's visa-free Schengen area for five years, according to an unnamed source close to Poland's foreign ministry.
But the far-right commentator claims he has not received government confirmation of the ban.
Polands state run news agency PAP reported that Polish authorities had banned Richard Spencer from entering the two dozen countries.
The source confirmed the ban was going ahead but kept his identity hidden as he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the ministry.
White nationalist Richard Spencer speaks to media in August this year. / Getty Images
This is not the first time Mr Spencer has been banned from Schengen countries. In 2014 he was banned for three years following an arrest in Hungary where he had been attempting to hold a white nationalist conference.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Mr Spencer said: I'm being treated like a criminal by the Polish government.
"It's just insane," he said. "I haven't done anything. What are they accusing me of?"
He said he plans to contest the ban.
Mr Spencer is at the forefront of the alt-right fringe movement that encourages racist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant beliefs.
In August he was scheduled to speak at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a car ploughed into a group of protesters and killed a woman.
Mr Spencer said that after finding out that the Polish Government wanted to ban him from the country, he cancelled a trip to Warsaw that he had planned for earlier this month.
In late 2017 Sweden decided to upgrade its air defenses with the American Patriot system. For decades Sweden had been using the older Hawk system and was in the midst of upgrading Hawk when it was realized that even a much improved Hawk could not deal with all the new weapons Russia was developing. While Hawk has been upgraded continuously since it entered service in 1959, some countries have gone beyond that but even in those cases, like South Korea, it was found that there was only so much you could do with Hawk..
The decision to procure Hawk hinged on several key factors. Longer range was needed (Hawk was only good for 40 kilometers) proven ability to stop ballistic missiles was essential. Patriot has been doing that regularly and with increasing effectiveness since the 1990s. Finally, a system that would receive constant updates for enemy countermeasures. The United States has proved capable of doing this during the Cold War and even though Sweden was neutral the Americans kept the Swedish Hawks (known as RB-97) up to date against the Russian threat. That threat was supposed to have disappeared in the 1990s but now the threat is back. The most visible aspect of this is the revival of Russian military aircraft violating Swedish airspace as they did during the Cold War. Russia conducted simulated air attacks on Sweden in March 2013 and continue to use aging Swedish air defenses for practice.
The American made Raytheon Patriot system had one serious competitor, the French-Italian Aster 30 (known as SAMP/T when configured like Patriot). SAMP/T had a lot going for it but Patriot was competitive and combat proven.
The cost of replacing Hawk batteries with Patriot will be about $1.2 billion and deliveries will probably begin in 2020 and be completed by 20225. While the Swedes were keen to get anti-missile capability they will also use Patriot against manned and unmanned aircraft. Thus Swedish Patriot batteries will be equipped with longer range GEM-T missiles for aircraft and shorter range PAC-3 MSE ones for missiles. Sweden has not decided on exactly which search and fire control radars to get. Patriot has been in service since the 1980s and a lot of options have been developed. Another option is ordering a current radar or one of the new 360 degrees coverage) ones. The second gray area is system architecture because there isnt word about current PDB-8 or the newer open architecture which will use IBCS. On the other hand the relatively quick delivery timeline suggest components from the shelf rather than better items still under development. The experience with Hawk was that upgrades were constant and affordable.
The Patriot has been in service since 1984 end has gone through its baptism of fire in 1990 when it was used against Iraqi ballistic missiles (SCUD) fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia. Its success rate was mediocre at best achieving around 40 to 70 percent but it been due the modifications Iraqis made to their SCUD to extend their range. As a result the SCUDs had tendency to fall apart during last terminal flight phase which created unintended countermeasures. The some big debris like additional fuel tank were seen by Patriot radar as actual missile warhead section. In some cases warhead or mentioned coming down in fatal velocity debris caused casualties. The other targets were drones but firing $3 million dollar missile at Hezbollah homemade drones as Israeli forces did a few times isnt healthy for economy so they are seeking a cheaper solution for UAVs. For manned aircraft the Patriot have acquired its first target in 2014 when also Israeli Patriot shot down a Syrian Su-24. For coverage for example the Israel has six Patriot batteries what is enough to cover all 1,280 kilometers of land and coastal borders.
Each Patriot battery is manned by about a hundred troops, and each contains a radar and four launchers. A battery can fire two types of Patriot missile if available (for example GEM-T and PAC-3 MSE). The first one is older and cheaper designed for manned aircraft (range up to 160 kilometers) while the second is the newest and about twice more expensive (about $4 million) anti-ballistic one which has about 35 kilometers range vs this kind of targets).
The Patriot system (with upgrades) will likely to be used till 2040-2050. Since 1960 over 10,000 missiles and 1,500 launchers have been produced. After decades of service some were reused and remote to new variants while others were scraped.
The Raytheon Patriot system achieved quite export success because it is used for now by 12 countries (in various variants). The recent deal with Romania for about $950 million and this Swedish tender it will raise system user number to 14 which is very impressive for such expensive defense system. Meanwhile the Sweden will get system to close one of their key gap in their Anti-access/area denial A2AD capabilities. This deal also an investment in depending USA-Sweden defense relationship which is seen as very important for Sweden. It seems that this is a one of the biggest reason for Eurosam SAMP/T (mostly French) lose. --- Przemysaw Juraszek
Huawei's Honor V9 is a solid smartphone that sells at a reasonable price, but you might want to hold off buying one: the handset's successor, the Honor V10, is right around the corner. And judging by the leaked images and listings, it looks like it could be a very compelling buy, especially for those after an impressive device without the flagship price tag.
The new image, which comes from microblogging site Weibo and has been confirmed by another Chinese source, shows the Honor V10 following the current smartphone trend of reduced bezels. Those on the sides are barely visible, while the top and bottom bezels appear minimal. It also comes with the same 18:9 aspect ratio used in devices such as LG's V30.
The Honor V10 was recently certified by TEENA in China ahead of its November 28 launch in the country. We know it is powered by the same Kirin 970 chipset found in Huawei's Mate 10, has a 5.99-inch FHD+ (2160 x 1080) display, 6GB of RAM, and the choice of 64GB or 128GB of internal storage space.
There's also a dual camera setup on the rear consisting of 16MP and 20MP sensors, along with a 13MP front-facing snapper. The handset packs a 3,750 mAh battery that comes with 22.5W SuperCharge support, and is thought to run EMUI 8.0 with Android 8.0 Oreo underneath.
The Honor V10 will most likely have a launch price of 2999 Yuan (around $455) when it arrives in China. The smartphone's unveiling for international markets, where it could have a different name, is expected to take place at a London event on December 5.
Peter Thiel, the tech billionaire who helped bring down Gawker Media by secretly helping to fund Terry Bollea's (aka Hulk Hogan) lawsuit against the company, may be interested in buying Gawker.com.
Thiel's cash reserves allowed him to secretly aid Bollea financially in his $140 million violation of privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media in 2016, which came after it published clips of a sex tape featuring the former wrestler and the then wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. Bollea won the case and Gawker was forced to file for bankruptcy.
There was a lot of animosity toward the news corporation from Thiel after Gawker revealed the billionaire was gay in a 2007 article. The PayPal co-founder said he had just begun to come out to those close to him at the time of its publication. He once called Gawker a "singularly sociopathic bully"
Most of Gawker's websites were sold to US Spanish-language broadcaster Univision last year. A bankruptcy plan administrator has not been able to find a buyer for Gawker.com
According to a report by BuzzFeed News, Thiel's lawyers have just filed a motion in court arguing that their client has been "unfairly excluded" from the ongoing bidding for the site. The eventual owner will be able to do whatever they want to the site's archives, which are still available online. They will also own the Gawker.com branding and social media accounts.
"In light of the Plan Administrator's refusal to allow Mr. Thiel to participate in the sale process, Mr. Thiel's counsel requested that the Plan Administrator agree to pause the ongoing sale process so that a sale of the assets is not consummated until the issues concerning the Plan Administrator's blockade of Mr. Thiel as a bidder are resolved," the filing reads.
Thiel is famously one of the very few big tech names to publicly support Donald Trump. He even donated $1.25 million to the president's election campaign last year.
Thiel's spokesperson wouldn't confirm whether he was interested in buying Gawker.com, but the move does suggest that's his plan.
According to the President of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), twelve airlines have requested to operate with Venezuela. | Read More
Jaguar Classic XKSS Continuation Crowned Car Of The Year at 2017 Octane Awards +VIDEO
Octane readers vote continuation Jaguar XKSS their Car of the Year, ahead of an all-star cast of concours and race-winning classics
Jaguar Land Rover Classic receives Manufacturer Heritage Collection of the Year in recognition of its commitment to both marques at new Classic Works facility
Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations Managing Director, John Edwards, accepts awards at prestigious ceremony held at The Underglobe in London
LONDON - November 23, 2017: Jaguar Land Rover Classic enjoyed a double victory at the 2017 Octane Awards, held in London this week. The ?Legends Continued Jaguar XKSS continuation was crowned 2017 Car of the Year and Jaguar Land Rover Classic also received the Manufacturer Heritage Collection of the Year accolade.
Dubbed the ?original supercar, the XKSS was introduced by Jaguar in 1957 as a road-going conversion of the Le Mans-winning D-type racing car. Nine original XKSSs were earmarked for export to North America in 1957, but were sadly lost in a fire at Jaguars Browns Lane factory in Coventry that same year; meaning only 16 of the planned 25 examples were completed until this year, when Jaguar Classic set about completing the missing nine cars.
The Jaguar Classic teams meticulous attention to detail, for a fiendishly complicated project, saw the XKSS secure the most votes from Octanes magazine readers and website visitors.
Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations Managing Director, John Edwards, said: It is a huge honour to receive such a prestigious award for the XKSS, 12 months to the day since the continuation Car Zero made its global debut in Los Angeles.
Since then we have launched Range Rover and Jaguar Reborn restoration programmes and shown the inventive fully-electric Jaguar E-type Zero too. All of these projects, and more, come to life at our brand-new home Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works so were delighted that our teams enthusiasm, expertise and support for the heritage of Jaguar and Land Rover has also been recognised.
Each of the XKSSs are assembled at the newly-opened Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works facility near Coventry, which houses Jaguar Land Rovers collection of more than 500 vehicles a living assembly of British motoring history. Collection vehicles are also available for loan to car clubs and museums, and for Jaguar Land Rover and its partners to showcase at events in addition to providing an invaluable reference for its authentic restorations.
This years Octane Awards were judged by 22 renowned members of the classic motoring world, including five times Le Mans winner Derek Bell MBE, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and TV personality Jay Leno.
Fascinating guided tours of Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works are now available to book at: https://experience.jaguar.com/classic-works-tour or https://experience.landrover.com/classic-works-tour
134 Small Quakes Hit Californias San Andreas in 1 Week
Since a 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Nov. 13, Californias famed San Andreas Fault has had no fewer than 134 additional tremors.
The 4.6-magnitude earthquake was centered about 13 miles from Gonzales, located near Salinas, along the San Andreas. Some felt it in San Francisco and in parts of the Central Valley.
Is California about to be hit by the 'Big One'? Fears of a massive earthquake rise after 134 mini-tremors rattle the Daily Mail https://t.co/q5lBm5bcYD #hng #earthquake https://t.co/e6VEzaKz9h pic.twitter.com/IM3l7hQ0s2 Faz Fzingo (@Theophany1) November 22, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey said that the area hasnt stopped shaking. There have been 134 quakes within 3 miles of the epicenter, the agency said, according to SFGate.
About 17 were stronger than a 2.5 magnitude and only six were greater than 3.0, said Ole Kaven, a seismologist with the USGS.
California struck by 134 tremors in WEEK on San Andreas fault https://t.co/cT3se6GqiL DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) November 22, 2017
This one has been a quite productive aftershock sequence, said Kaven, per SFGate. We suspect there will be aftershocks in the 2 to 3 [magnitude] range for at least a few more weeks.
There have been no reports of damage or injuries.
But a 4.6-magnitude quake is on the higher end of what we expect in terms of magnitude for that area, Kaven noted.
Any time there is significant seismic activity in the vicinity of the San Andreas Fault, we seismologists get nervous, Thomas Jordan, head of the Southern California Earthquake Center, told the Los Angeles Times last year.
Because we recognize that the probability of having a large earthquake goes up, he said.
Annemarie Baltay, an expert, said there is nothing to be worried about.
This is really typical behavior, she said. Its as if someone put an oil can into the fault and lubricated it.
The Two recent Earth Facing Coronal Holes and New Moon Period may have been the cause of recent San Andreas Earthquake Swarm just a hunch https://t.co/Il5UTUdJd7 pic.twitter.com/5hNIdGrOCM Climate Realists (@ClimateRealists) November 22, 2017
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Workers demolish a group of villagers' houses in Yangji village, Guangzhou City in southern China, on March 21, 2012. A recent corruption case revealed how officials can easily profit off such housing demolitions. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
A Chinese Officials Crime Exposes Loophole in Chinas Housing System
From time to time, an online video will surface and go viral on the Chinese internet, usually with two sides clashing: villagers who refuse to leave their house, against baton-wielding police and housing demolition crews. These videos are often violent, sometimes with villagers being beaten, even killed. A housing official recently received a lengthy sentence for corruptionproviding a glimpse into why such violence happens so often in China.
Ma Weirong, the former section chief of the construction industry management division at the Hangzhou City construction bureau in Zhejiang Province, was re-sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Hangzhou Intermediate Peoples Court, with crimes of embezzlement, bribery, and abuse of power, Chinese news website Zhejiang Online reported on Nov. 21.
The ruling came after Ma tried to appeal his initial sentence (which was 20 years imprisonment) by a lower court in Gongshu District, Hangzhou. That court had found Ma guilty of illegally profiting from 19 government housing units.
Ma held a long tenure working in the local authorities housing apparatus, beginning in 1989.
In the late 1990s, while heading the certificate management division of Gongshu Districts housing management bureau, Ma took advantage of the messy management of government housing in Gongshu. Since he could easily change the names listed on housing certificates that proved ownership, Ma put his name or the names of his family members on empty housing units that would soon be torn down for building new units. He then sold the new units at market price, pocketing all the profits.
Ma also colluded with his superior to make a profit. When a real estate developer failed to pay for public space within a government building, the developer offered to give Ma three of the building units in exchange for writing off the missed payment. Ma later sold the three housing units, pocketing 1.09 million yuan (about US$164,414).
In return, Ma helped his superior place his nameor family memberson many government housing units.
The Chinese regimes land ownership rule, where a person can only buy rights to use the land for 70 years, but can never own the land, is a lighting rod for corruptionoften with Party officials working in secrecy with real estate developers. The local government is the landowner, so, if it wishes to, it could reacquire the land multiple times, and take money from property owners repeatedly.
In March 2016, an online video from Wenquan, a town in Henan Province, showed 300 locals employed by local authorities, engaged in a melee with local residents when authorities attempted to evict them to pave way for demolition and redevelopment of their homes.
Sometimes these conflicts end tragically. In July 2016, in Mount Chazi Village in central China, Gong Xuehui, a 60-year-old peasant was found dead among the rubble of her home after she refused to leave and demolition crews proceeded to work.
On Chinas popular microblogging service, Weibo, one netizen from Guangdong Province reacted to the recent news with shock: Only 20 years [prison sentence]. Another netizen from Hubei Province commented, What about his superior? He should also be investigated.
Netizen Chen Yulu, who turned out to be a former staff at the propaganda department in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, believed the scale of corruption was much wider.
This phenomenon is not limited to the housing management bureau. I expect there are low-ranking officials involved in corruption in the [housing] bidding process and affordable housing too, wrote Chen.
Alleged Grandson of Charles Manson Says He Wants to Bring Remains to Florida
The alleged grandson of Charles Manson said he is planning to head to California to claim his grandfathers remains.
Manson never acknowledged any family members while in prison. According to People magazine, he didnt list a next of kin. The magazine cited a corrections official who asked not to be identified by name.
Jason Freeman, 41, told SFGate, the home of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, that he wants to get Mansons remains cremated in California before theyre brought back with him to Florida.
Until I can make a rational decision about what to do next, Id just like to have my grandfathers remains sitting there with me, Freeman said. Ill be in California as soon as I can.
Jason Freeman is the son of Charles Manson Jr., Mansons only known child, who changed his name to Jay White to escape the infamy & killed himself in 1993 on a lonely stretch of highway with a gun. Jason said his father just couldnt let it go.https://t.co/vcxOevxl0C Mae_Westside (@Mae_Westside) November 21, 2017
Manson, 83, died of natural causes on Sunday in Bakersfield, California. He was incarcerated in a nearby state prison since the early 1970s.
Manson was convicted for ordering a killing spree in August of 1969. Several of his followers were also convicted.
California law says that a dead prisoners relatives have 10 days to claim the body, and if no one comes forward to claim it, the state hires an undertaker to handle the remains.
On #ThisDayInCrime, Charles Manson was born. Manson instructed his followers to commit a series of violent murders. https://t.co/xK8l43PQO1 pic.twitter.com/XflQcmDNrJ CITV Australia (@CITVAustralia) November 12, 2017
Freeman said that he plans to fly to California before the 10-day period is up.
When he gets there, Freeman wants to collect some of Mansons things, including crayon artwork.
Dealing with the prison system, I have no anticipation of being able to retrieve any personal items, Freeman said. Hes had things stolen from him and had people trying to take advantage of him. But if I could, I would cherish his artwork. I would be excited to have it.
The world doesnt share the heart and compassion for my grandfather that the Lord has given me, Freeman added. Its my way of looking at life.
Freeman says hes the son of Charles Manson Jr., who changed his name to Jay White and died in 1993.
CNN reported the following:
Jay White, who was cursed with the name Charles Manson Jr., killed himself on June 29, 1993, on a desolate section of highway in Burlington, Colorado, just west of the Kansas state line.
The death certificate offers few clues as to why there and what finally pushed him over the edge. The document indicates it was about 10:15 a.m. when he died from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head at exit 438 on interstate 70.
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British police Tweet about finding a burglar asleep after eating Doritos and "half a pie" on Nov. 21 near Glasgow, Scotland. ( CCO Creative Commons)
Burglar Falls Asleep After Eating Doritos, Wakes Up in Cuffs
Those with a fondness for Scottish humor are bound to appreciate a tweet from the Monklands Police Department in southern Scotland.
The police were called to a house in the town of Coatbridge, near Glasgow, on Monday, Nov. 20, just before midnight. A homeowner discovered a sleeping man in his house and called the police, reports BBC.
What prompted the humorous post was that the alleged thief was found asleep covered in Doritosbeside a half-eaten pie.
According to the tweet, the alleged burglar forced his way into the residence, and then decided on a pit stop, ate half a pie and fell asleep covered in Doritos.
Monklands police conclude the post with the assurance that the incident culminated in a successful intervention:
He woke up in cuffs, they wrote.
Sleeping on the Job!
We all feel tired when we start a shift & a thief who started his shift at 2345 yesterday was no different. He broke into a house on Corsewall St, decided on a pit stop, ate half a pie and fell asleep covered in Doritos. He woke up in cuffs #fingerlickinggood MonklandsPolice (@MonklandsPol) November 21, 2017
The BBC reports that the 46-year-old intruder will be reported to prosecutors.
It seems this is not the first time that Monklands Police tweets have gained attention on social media for their tongue-in-cheek humor.
The department turned to Twitter to enlist the publics help finding a thief who stole 600 ($800) worth of cosmetics from a local store, reports the BBC.
We are looking for a 40-year-old man who looks 20, glowing skin, long eyelashes, raised eyebrows & pronounced lips, the Monklands police wrote, prompting a flurry of humorous responses.
Theft Boots 600 cosmetics. We are looking for a 40 y/o man who looks 20, glowing skin, long eyelashes, raised eyebrows & pronounced lips. MonklandsPolice (@MonklandsPol) August 10, 2017
Is there any foundation to these allegations? punned one commenter.
Another quipped: When questioned as to why he had allegedly stolen 600 of cosmetics the suspect simply answered Because Im worth it.'
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China Commences Crackdown on Shadow Banking
Central bank official: Tackling reforms is like chewing on a hard bone
Chinese regulators introduced major rules on Nov. 17the scale of which has been compared to the U.S. Dodd-Frank Actto unify regulations for the asset management industry and curtail shadow banking activities.
The rules are broad-based, covering Chinas $15 trillion of asset management products issued by all financial institutions. The regulationsa culmination of sorts for Chinese communist regime leader Xi Jinpings campaign to rein in financial risks this yearwill target off-balance sheet businesses of banks, insurers, and asset management entities such as trusts and mutual funds.
Asset management product is a loose term used to describe certain types of high-yielding investments, issued by banks, insurers, or asset management firms, that have gained popularity in recent years among small retail customers seeking greater returns. Chinese investors have poured trillions of yuan into such lightly regulated asset classes, lured by high promised returns and implicit government or institutional guarantees.
Financial institutions have increased leverage and their risk tolerance in recent years to generate high enough returns to fund such asset management products, in turn creating asset bubbles and increasing stock market volatility.
One of the biggest challenges Beijing faced was the various and sometimes discordant regulatory bodies that oversaw Chinas sprawling financial sector. Asset management regulations are now unifiedthe new rules were issued jointly by the Peoples Bank of China and the top regulatory bodies overseeing the countrys banking, securities, foreign exchange, and insurance sectors. The new rules are open for public consultation and will go into effect in June 2018.
The Details
Last Fridays regulations introduce restrictions on the type of clients that financial institutions can serve and the types of products they can market.
For example, the rules will prohibit asset managers from promising guaranteed rates of return to investors, and require issuers to set aside 10 percent of their fees from managing client assets in escrow, to serve as a buffer against losses.
The new super regulator will be able to tackle crosssector risks that previously slipped through the cracks.
The new regulations also cap leverage ratio for investment products. For publicly offered funds, total assets cannot exceed 140 percent of the funds net asset value. The same ratio is set at 200 percent for privately offered funds.
Certain riskier financial products can only be sold to qualified investors, or those who have at least 5 million yuan ($750,000) in liquid assets or earn more than 400,000 yuan per year for three years.
The rules will also govern companies that only issue financial products over the internet, which could slow the recent growth of online banks and insurers.
Super Regulator
The Nov. 17 draft regulation was the first issued by the newly created Financial Stability and Development Committee, a super regulator under the direct supervision of the State Council, Chinas cabinet.
The committee is headed by Vice Premier Ma Kai, according to a report by Xinhua, the state-controlled media. Its status within the State Council will likely grant the committee more regulatory and enforcement powers than the various state ministries.
The new super regulator will be able to tackle cross-sector risks that previously slipped through the cracks of Chinas various sector-specific regulators.
The super regulatory body is necessary because current regulations and the division of labor among the watchdogs have not kept up with product innovations and the evolution of the market, according to a report by Caixin Global, a mainland business and financial magazine.
Caixin cited examples of hybrid internet and financial products that resided online and escaped the grasp of regulators for years, such as the popular Ezubao peer-to-peer lending platform, which turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, and high-yield notes sold by the notorious Fanya Metal Exchange, which was reported by The Epoch Times in 2015 as sitting in a regulatory black hole.
Curbing Shadow Banking
By certain measures, new issuances of asset management products have already slowed to a halt.
For the first time since 2012, the official growth rate of Chinas GDP was faster than shadow banking assets in the first six months of 2017 (H1 2017), according to credit ratings agency Moodys Investors Service.
Asset management products fell to 82.6 percent of GDP at June 30, compared to the recent peak of 86.5 percent as of 2016.
Chinese shadow banking activity stopped growing in H1 2017 because of a fall in, first, the issuance of higher-risk instruments such as the banks wealth management products, and, second, non-bank financial institutions asset management plans, Michael Taylor, a Moodys managing director and chief credit officer for Asia-Pacific, said in a statement.
Following last months 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, financial sector regulations to further rein in shadow banking activities are expected, Moodys said.
Tackling reforms is like chewing on a hard bone, said Xu Zhong, director general of the Peoples Bank research bureau, during the 8th Caixin Summit in Beijing on Nov. 16, according to a Caixin report.
Reform is absolutely not a process where success can be guaranteed. We must take the initiative to break out of our psychological comfort zone, and fully recognize and prepare for the difficulties, challenges, and even major risks.
Lu Wei, former head of China's Cyberspace Administration, speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province on November 19, 2014. (Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo/Getty Images)
Chinas Former Internet Czar, Responsible for Heavy Censorship, Is Sacked
Lu Wei invoked ire of Xi Jinping administration
China has announced the first major official to be taken down since leader Xi Jinping further consolidated power within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the 19th National Congress.
Lu Wei, as the former head of the CCPs Cyberspace Administration, was in charge of the countrys heavy Internet censorship and monitoring.
On Nov. 21, the CCPs anti-corruption agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), announced that Lu will be under investigation for seriously violating Party discipline, an oft-used euphemism for corruption. He has been expelled from his posts.
Xi has ousted many powerful officialsmost of them part of an enemy faction loyal to former leader Jiang Zeminsince launching his anti-corruption campaign when he came to power in 2012.
Lu had spent most of his career working in the CCPs propaganda agencies under Liu Yunshan, the former propaganda chief known as a key member of the Jiang faction. Lu had served as party secretary of the state-run Xinhua news agency, and Beijings propaganda chief, eventually making it up to deputy head of the CCPs central propaganda department.
But his true power resided in being the Internet czar as head of the Cyberspace Administration, a position he held from 2013 to 2016. When he was stripped of his post last year, it was already a sign that he was in trouble.
Hong Kong media previously reported that Liu Yunshan and Xi Jinping were not on the same page in terms of Party ideology. Thus, Xi had Lu, who was Lius trusted aide, punished.
Lu made his name implementing harsh, restrictive policies, such as the Internet safety law that required all Internet companies to have their users register under their real name, while ensuring that Facebook, Twitter, and Google remained blocked in the country.
For three consecutive years since 2015, China held the last ranking on the Freedom on the Net index compiled by human rights organization Freedom House.
Internet users were arrested and prosecuted for posting political dissent or any content deemed inappropriate by censors. 47 year-old Huang Qian, for example, was arrested in Feb. 2015 for posting a series onto Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter, titled Gulag Memoir about the Chinese regimes persecution of the Falun Dafa spiritual faith. Huang, herself a Falun Dafa adherent from the city of Guangzhou, was sentenced to five years in prison.
His iron-fisted censorship notwithstanding, Lu liked to keep a high profile, as demonstrated in his establishment of the World Internet Conference held annually in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. Lu envisioned it as a global summit where China would show off its dominance. At the 2015 conference, a scandal erupted when Lu recruited foreigners who were working or studying in China to pose as world industry leaders. According to a report by Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, Xi Jinping was greatly infuriated by this farce.
Lu also drew publicity to himself when visiting the United States in 2014, meeting with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other internet executives.
During his tenure, Lu Wei worked to undermine his deputy director, Xu Lin. Xu is a former subordinate of Xi Jinping, having served him when Xi was Party boss of Shanghai.
Lus behavior while posted at Xinhua is rumored to be less than appropriate. In 2013, a Xinhua reporter revealed in an online post that Lu was once entertained at a lavish banquet held by businessmen in Beijing. There, breast milk was offered as a delicacy.
According to Epoch Times political commentator Zhou Xiaohui, Lu Weis fall implies that Xi Jinping has no plans to slow down his anti-corruption campaign, and will soon be going after those working in the CCPs propaganda agencies.
Zhang Dun, Ye Feng, and Liu Xiaozhen contributed to this report.
Syrian Christians attend a Good Friday mass at the Saint Mary church of the Holy Belt in the old part of the country's central city of Homs on April 14, 2014. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Christians Face Genocide in Middle East
Trump administration looks to bypass UN in bringing aid
Christians are the target of genocide in the Middle East, where they face enslavement, rape, murder, and violence under the rule of Islamic extremists. When trying to flee, they face continuing threats to their lives in Europes migrant camps.
In just over 10 years, the Christian populations in Iraq and Syria have been decimated, according to research compiled in the book The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East, edited by Ronald J. Rychlak and Jane F. Adolphe.
It states that the population of close to 1.4 million Christians in Iraq prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion has been reduced to an estimated 250,000, most of whom are internally displaced and living as refugees. Of the close to 2 million Christians who once lived in Syria, between 1 million and 1.5 million are living as refugees, mainly in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, where Christians have no resettlement rights.
The Christians, when they go to the immigration camps, are often persecuted there.
The United Nations has too often failed to help the most vulnerable communities, especially religious minorities. The result has been that countless people continue to suffer and struggle needlessly. Vice Presedent Mike Pence
They also have encountered discrimination and persecution by other refugees in United Nations camps in the region and, thus, eschew them, the book notes. The Christians who escape ISIS depend on the Church and other private charity for their survival.
Rychlak, a professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law, said in a phone interview that whats going on in the Middle East, I wouldnt have thought it possible a short time ago, but now here we are. Its here, and its undeniable.
He noted the crimes are most pronounced under the terrorist group ISIS, but also take place under al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups.
The European Parliament was informed of the crisis in November 2014 by Pope Francis, who said Christian minorities today find themselves subjected to barbaric acts of violence: they are evicted from their homes and native lands, sold as slaves, killed, beheaded, crucified, or burned alive, under the shameful and complicit silence of many.
When the European Union and the U.N. failed to act, Pope Francis again raised the issue, stating in July 2015, according to the Vatican website, that today, we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured, and killed for their faith in Jesus.
This, too, needs to be denounced: In this third World War, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocideI insist on the wordis taking place, and it must end, he said.
The United States has also done little to help. The researchers note that when the United States exceeded its goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the fall of 2016, admitting 11,000 refugees to the United States, only 56 were Christian.
Under the Obama administration, the State Department failed to designate the persecution of Christians in the Middle East as a genocide, after the administration had been pressed by Congress.
However, on March 17, 2016, a day after the administration issued a statement saying it needed more time on the issue, then-Secretary of State John Kerry stated that, in his judgment, ISIS is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims.
Providing Aid
Under the Trump administration, the government is now working to bypass the U.N. to provide aid to persecuted Christians through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The announcement was made by Vice President Mike Pence during the Oct. 25 In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner.
Pence noted that while the Obama administration gave over $1 billion in humanitarian aid to the Middle East, the majority of that money was routed through U.N. programs.
Yet the United Nations has too often failed to help the most vulnerable communities, especially religious minorities. The result has been that countless people continue to suffer and struggle needlessly, Pence said, according to a transcript.
He noted that while the U.N. claims to have more than 160 projects in Christian areas of the region, Christians are no longer present in about a third of those areas. He said that in Iraq, the majority of Christians and Yazidis remain in shelters.
In addition, he said, the United Nations too often denies their funding requests.
The issue has been known for some time. Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute wrote on Oct. 7, 2016, that the U.N.s lead agency for aiding refugees, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), marginalizes Christians and others targeted by ISIS for eradication in two critical programs: refugee housing in the region and Syrian refugee-resettlement abroad.
Pence said, We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups. The United States will work hand-in-hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith.
We stand with those who suffer for their faith, because thats what Americans have always done, because the common bond of our humanity demands a strong response, he said.
Ending the Caliphate
According to Rychlak, the situation may improve now that ISIS has lost its rule over areas in Iraq and Syriaareas it dubbed a caliphate and in which it instituted Islamic sharia (law), with devastating effects.
Under sharia, non-Muslims were discriminated against and those who refused to convert to Islam, but were still allowed to live under ISIS, were forced to pay a jizya tax.
Rychlak noted that the tax only became an option for Christians after ISIS destroyed all the churches and either killed or drove off the ministers. Some groups, including many among the Yazidis, were unable to pay the jizya tax.
The jizya tax is really extortion. Its kind of what the Nazis did, he said, noting a case in which the Nazis went to the top rabbi in Rome and demanded a set amount of gold in exchange for the safety of the Jews. The Jewish people got the gold, handed it over, and then the Nazis started rounding people up. Its sort of what ISIS has done to the Christians.
As U.S. and coalition forces continue to eliminate the terrorist organization, however, it may take time before the impact of its ideology and abuses are purged from the region.
A Department of Defense spokesperson said in an email: ISIS presents one of the most direct and imminent threats to all people they encounter, enslave, and subjugate worldwide. They must be defeated, not just militarily, but via a whole-of-government approach which prevents the conditions which allowed them to come to power in the first place.
The spokesperson noted that the United States is working alongside its local partners in the efforts and have thus far been enormously successful at achieving that goal and exposing [ISIS] for the inhumane criminal element they are.
According to Rychlak, the Trump administration is prepared to treat the crisis as a genocide and bring more necessary relief to the victims, but its still going to be tough.
The fact that the United States is bringing aid is not going to stop the persecution, Rychlak said.
The greatest hope, I suppose, is that we drive ISIS out of control, the caliphate collapses, and we see a return to a Western mindset, lets say, where people of different faiths are welcome to thrive alongside one another, which is how so many of these nations were a decade or two ago.
If we get back to that, I think everybody would be happy, he said. But as it is now, its a very difficult and sad case.
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Brock Franklin, 31, was handed the lengthy sentence on Nov. 21. He operated a prostitution ring that exploited young girls and women.(Arapahoe County)
Colorado Man Gets 472 Years in Prison for Trafficking Children
A Colorado man was sentenced to 472 years in prison for trafficking childrenthe longest sentence in a human trafficking case in American history.
Brock Franklin, 31, was handed the lengthy sentence on Tuesday, Fox31 in Denver reported. He operated a prostitution ring that exploited young girls and women.
Brock Franklin, 31 ans, a ete condamne a 472 ans de prison pour avoir mis en place un reseau de prostitution de jeunes filles pic.twitter.com/BWcoCwSvx0 BarouBeur ? (@moha_ddict) November 23, 2017
Franklin was found guilty of 30 counts, including trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, child prostitution, and kidnapping by a jury in Arapahoe County in March, according to the report. He was originally indicted by a grand jury two years ago.
A 400-year sentence sends a strong message across the country that were not going to tolerate this kind of violence to women and vulnerable populations, Janet Drake with the Colorado Attorney Generals office told the station.
Prosecutors said that he used violence and drugs to control girls.
Brock Franklin trial heading to closing arguments. Accused of running huge human trafficking ring including 4 children. #kdvr @DA18th pic.twitter.com/823mlFvxyD Rob Low (@RobLowTV) March 23, 2017
The sentence for this Coloradan is believed to be the longest for sex trafficking in U.S. history. Here's how he earned it.https://t.co/Oemb05CcBr Westword (@DenverWestword) November 22, 2017
I cant begin to even explain what he did to my life, Brehannah Leary, one of Franklins victims, said in court. Reading it today, and speaking and actually saying how I felt, and him having hearing and have to sit there and listen and listen to me, that brought me so much joy and thats why I came today, she said.
He deserves every single minute in those walls, Leary told FOX 31.
Kelly Dzedzic, the prosecutor in the case for Arapahoe County, told CBS Denver that each victim was accounted for in the lengthy sentence. No buy one, get one free, Dzedzic said.
According to Westword.com, several other people involved in the ring were convicted:
Isis Debreaux: Pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor in exchange for four-year deferred sentence
Doyne Johnson: Pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor in exchange for four-year deferred sentence
David Fullenwiley Jones: Pleaded guilty to human trafficking for sexual servitude. Received an eighteen-year prison sentence
Brandon Garrison: Pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and keeping a place of prostitution in exchange for six years in community corrections
Michelle Payne: Pleaded guilty to keeping a place of prostitution and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Received ten years in community corrections
Franklin was hit the hardest as he was prosecuted under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.
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An advertisement board displaying a QR code is seen as a vendor waits for customers at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, November 22, 2017. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)
Dining Goes Digital for Thailands Street Food Vendors
BANGKOKBangkoks famous street-food vendors have joined the digital revolution, embracing payment via Quick Response (QR) barcodes that can be read using smartphones.
Thailand is famous for its traditional street stalls that offer everything from stir-fried noodles to clothes and for many Thais eating out at a pavement stall is part of their daily routine.
Now, some vendors in the capital Bangkok are offering digital transactions after the Bank of Thailand (BOT) last week gave the green light for five banks, including Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank, to implement electronic payment systems using QR codes.
The global trend is towards a cashless society as it is more convenient and there is proof of transaction. The QR code system would be most practical in Thailand as less investment is needed on behalf of vendors, Somsak Khaosuwan, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, told Reuters.
At Samyan Market, a market and shopping area in Bangkok that sells everything from vegetables to handbags, vendors said QR codes were taking off although some shoppers still prefer to use cash, particularly those who are less tech-savvy.
I dont need to worry about finding change, said Kitti Khoonphisitwong, 40, a dried-fruit vendor.
But most customers, especially older people, find the app a hassle, he said.
Shoppers in their 20s and 30s said they were more inclined to use the system.
I often shop online so I have no issue with digital transactions, said Thanachanok Teesakul, 20, a student.
Scams using fraudulent QR codes are on the rise in China, where digital payments are booming. Somsak said Thailand needs to ensure QR payment systems are secure.
We need to make people feel comfortable in using the system, he said.
Relatives and comrades of 44 crew members of Argentine missing submarine, express their grief at Argentina's Navy base in Mar del Plata, on the Atlantic coast south of Buenos Aires, on Nov. 23, 2017. (EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images)
Families of Argentine Submarine Crew Informed That All Aboard Are Dead
The families of the missing Argentine submarine crew received phone calls informing them that all of the 44 men aboard the vessel have died following an explosion on the day that the vessel disappeared, Daily Mail reported, citing news media.
Relatives of the missing crew members claimed to have received phone calls from Navy officials telling them that all of the men aboard the submarine perished after the explosion that occurred 600 to 3,000 feet under water last week.
Argentinas Navy has not officially confirmed the deaths as an international search effort continues.
An abnormal sound detected underwater by an international agency on the morning of Nov. 15, around the time that the ARA San Juan sent its last signal and in the same area, was consistent with an explosion, navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters.
The navy did not have enough information to say what the cause of the explosion could have been or whether the vessel might have been attacked, Balbi said.
Luiz Tagliapietro, the father of one of the sailors, told Daily Mail that a Navy official contacted him to break the news that his son, Damian Tagliapietro, was dead.
My sons boss confirmed that they are all dead, Tagliapietro told a radio station, according to Daily Mail. Theres no human being who survives that.
They are all dead. I cant talk much, Tagliapietro continued. They called me 15 minutes ago to tell me that it exploded.
Some of the relatives are blaming the Navy for withholding the news of the explosion.
According to them, they only found out about the explosion now, but who is so stupid to believe that? said Itati Leguizamon, the wife of one of the crew members. They are a disgrace. They lied to us.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), an international body that runs a global network of listening posts designed to check for secret atomic blasts, detected the explosion.
The Vienna-based agency, which has monitoring stations equipped with devices including underwater microphones that scan the oceans for sound waves, said in a statement that two of its stations had detected an unusual signal near where the submarine went missing. But the agency was more guarded about whether this was caused by an explosion.
A huge sea and air hunt has been underway for the San Juan, a German-built, diesel-electric powered submarine that was launched in 1983, as crew members relatives waited anxiously for news more than a week after the vessel disappeared.
The relatives, camped out in a naval base in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, have been largely optimistic until now, but they shed tears and insulted authorities after being briefed on the news of the possible explosion. They were told about it before the public announcement.
Balbi said that the news of the abnormal sound was consistent with a separate report received Wednesday of an acoustic anomaly in the same area and around the same time. The San Juan was some 270 miles off the Patagonian coast when it sent its last signal.
This is very important because it allows us to correlate and confirm the acoustic anomaly from the U.S. report yesterday, Balbi said. Here, were talking about a singular, short, violent, non-nuclear event, consistent with an explosion.
In Vienna, CTBTO hydroacoustic engineer Mario Zampolli said the signal his agency had detected, could be consistent with an explosion but there is no certainty about this. Speaking to Reuters, he agreed with Balbis description of the signal as unusual and short, adding that the cause was non-natural.
The submarine was en route from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, to Mar del Plata, some 250 miles south of Buenos Aires, when it reported an electrical malfunction shortly before disappearing.
The vessel had seven days of oxygen supply, meaning the crew would be running low if it had not been able to surface.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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From NTD.tv
Head Transplant Research in China Raises Serious Concerns
Controversial research only taking place in China
The announcement of the first head transplant has met with skepticism from scientists and stoked fears of Frankensteins monster.
But two pressing questions are being overlooked, say experts: Where are the bodies for this research coming from? And why is head transplant research happening only in China, where the bodies of death row prisoners are known to have been used for transplant without consent.
Italian researcher Sergio Canavero announced that he had carried out the first successful head transplant on Nov. 11, albeit between two corpses. The details of that research were published on Nov. 22.
Canavero, who likens himself to Victor Frankenstein, says the experiment is the precursor to the next stage of transplanting between brain-dead subjects. The step after is a full head transplant for a living person.
After Canaveros research was rejected on ethical grounds in the United States and Europe, it found a home in China with a collaborator, Xiaoping Ren.
The Americans did not understand, Canavero told a press conference on Nov. 11.
No Transparency
Professor Karen Rommelfanger is senior editor of the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience. She said that given Chinas history of using executed prisoners for transplants there are questions that need urgent answering.
Whats very importantthat no one has spoken aboutis where the bodies are coming from, and who consents.
Theres been no response from any of the Chinese collaborators about a very fundamental piece of this whole enterprisewhich is consenting individuals to participate.
She said she is surprised that people have been distracted by the other issues and missed what she sees as the most important issue.
Everybody has seen the pageantry around the head transplant, and weve seen a couple of responses. One is to attack Sergio Canavero himself and just to say what a wacky character he is. The other is to say that this is gross and hard to stomach and to think that this will just go away if we stop looking at it.
Rommelfanger said that there has been no transparency.
Id like to know what the participants were told and what they were they promised. What were the costs and benefits explained to them? Id like to know what kind of data will be collected along the way.
Head transplant is perhaps more usefully understood as a body transplantthe aim being that when the health of someones body fails, they can simply swap it for a healthier, perhaps younger one.
The current edition of the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience is dedicated to the issues around of head transplants, stirred up by Canavero and Rens research.
Rommelfangers concerns are explained in an editorial article in the journal, co-authored with Paul Boshears, Professor of Philosophy at Kennesaw State University.
Canavero said he has carried out the procedure twice, which would require four bodies.
The use of the bodies of political prisoners for transplants in China has been well-documented. For decades, China openly admitted to using organs of executed prisoners without consent.
In 2006, investigations revealed that China had a thriving industry harvesting of organs from prisoners of consciencekilled on demand so their organs could be sold for profit.
The report Bloody Harvest/The Slaughter: An Update, published in June 2016, said the main targets of organ harvesting are those who practice the spiritual discipline of Falun Gong. Uyghurs, Tibetans, and House Christians have also been killed in order to obtain organs for transplants, sometimes sold to foreigners, the report said.
The investigators estimate that up to 1.5 million organ transplants may have taken place in China since 2000, without any verifiable source for the organs. Transplants cost $60,000 for a Kidney, $100,000 for a liver, and up to $150,000 for lung and heart transplants, according to official Chinese sources, cited in the report. The industry is worth over $1 billion a year, according to Leon Lee, the maker of the award-winning documentary film, Human Harvest.
Research Carries On Despite Objections
The prospect of a head transplant has been raised by Canavero since 2015. Initially, he had a living subject lined up for the first live surgery, who later withdrew.
On Nov. 11., he made an announcement in Vienna that he had successfully accomplished the first ever head swap between cadavers.
Everyone said it was impossible, but the surgery was successful, Canavero told a press conference in Vienna, which was filmed and posted to YouTube.
A full head swap between brain-dead organ donors is the next stage, he said.
And that is the final step for the formal head transplant for a medical condition which is imminent.
Many in the medical community say the fundamental premise is unethical. Others reject Canaveros claims, saying it simply isnt possible.
Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist and psychiatry lecturer at the Center for Medical Education at Cardiff University, said what Canavero wants to do is impossible.
To be able to say you can just stick someone elses head on someone elses body is not really feasible based on current medical understanding, said Burnett, reported National Post. Id be very keen to hear his explanation about how weve got around these issues, he said.
Professor Jan Schnupp, from the University of Oxford, described the proposals as disturbing.
The chances that a person who has their head transplanted onto another body will be able to gain any control over, or benefit from, that grafted body are completely negligible, Schnupp told The Sun.
Macabre PR for China
Just because news of the research fades away it wont mean that the experiments have stopped, or the questions have gone away, said Rommelfanger.
I think we wont hear about this again until they have something positive or a positive spin to report. There will be a lot of failures before we hear anything.
Rommelfanger said that despite its shortcomings and the stomach-churning potential, this project is acting as a gruesome PR platform for China to ply its no-holds-barred research.
This is China saying: If you want to do gene editing or make other edgy, perhaps controversial, technological advancement, weve got the resources.
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Watch China Uncensoreds investigation into the Chinese militarys involvement in organ harvesting:
Carla Tellez, founder of Our Children First, a therapeutic learning center for children, is with a child at the center in the Bronx borough of New York on Nov. 22, 2017. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)
In Sign of Economic Improvement, Small Business Loans Surge
New York, the top region for Small Business Administration loans, saw 87 percent increase in October compared to the same month last year
Optimism within the nations small-business world continues to soar, reaching its highest levels in years. Thanks to better access to loans, entrepreneurs are increasingly confident about expanding their businesses.
The lending activity of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has risen in the last 12 months. The New York district has been the top performer among 68 SBA districts, seeing a 36 percent increase in the number of loans and a 15 percent surge in dollar terms in the 2017 fiscal year (from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017). And for the first time, the New York SBA broke $1 billion in small-business lending.
Our numbers are through the roof. We guaranteed more loans than any other district, said Beth Goldberg, district director of the SBA in New York.
In October, the first month of the 2018 fiscal year, the loan activity in the district continued to expand, with an 87 percent jump in the number of loans.
Entrepreneurs are really optimistic, Goldberg said. They are still providing their services in salons, in medical facilities, in dry cleaners, in restaurants, but there is also this new energy of inventiveness.
SBA does not lend money directly. It supports small businesses by providing guarantees for bank loans.
Across the country, SBA added 241 new lenders in the 2017 fiscal year. TD Bank was the largest lender of SBA-backed loans.
There is a lot of energy in the small-business community, and the lenders are responding to that enthusiasm, Goldberg said.
Nearly 85 percent of SBA-backed loans are under lending program 7(a), which covers the vast majority of small-business needs, including working capital, machinery and equipment financing, and export support. The remaining loans are under the SBA 504 loan program, which finances the purchase of land and existing buildings.
Our numbers are through the roof. We guaranteed more loans than any other district. Beth Goldberg, New York district director, Small Business Administration
Most entrepreneurs borrow money for business expansion, which includes job growth. According to Goldberg, $1 billion in loans supported nearly 21,000 new and existing jobs in the New York district.
Across the country, SBA loans were up by more than 5 percent in dollar terms in 2017. The loan programs provided more than $30 billion to small businesses and supported nearly 630,000 jobs nationwide.
There are nearly 30 million small businesses in the United States.
Small businesses are the engines of our economy, and half of our workforce either works for or owns a small business, Linda McMahon, administrator of the SBA, stated in the agencys annual report.
Business Sentiment
Small-business optimism continues to rise, according to Capital Ones small-business growth index, which polled 500 small-business owners in August. The survey found that business owners are increasingly upbeat about sales, business conditions, and future outlook. Overall, small-business sentiment has reached its highest point since 2012, according to the index.
Nearly half of small-business owners reported increased sales and a quarter of business owners said deregulation has had a positive impact on growth.
William Diaz, the owner of ESC Cabling, a small business in New York, also witnesses the rising optimism and strong credit market. He got his SBA-backed loan last year, before the presidential election.
Diaz, who has been in the business for 15 years, says it has become a lot easier for him to access bank loans in the last four or five years especially.
This is because of growing business optimism. There is more work, more opportunity. There is so much more demand for loans that people who are lending the money have been forced to supply more, he said.
Diaz did not apply for a business loan in the last 12 months, but was recently approached by bankers who told him he would qualify for a $50,000 loan, which pleasantly surprised him.
Confidence is certainly in the air, according to Carla Tellez, another small-business owner from New York. Tellez runs Our Children First, a therapeutic learning center for children in the Bronx, founded in 2003.
Until today, she could not get a business loan, as her company lacked a sustainable revenue stream. However, the business has picked up substantially since 2015, and next year she is confident that her company will be able to qualify for a loan. She has observed the increase in lending activity in the small-business world, and she does not want to miss out on the opportunity.
Small businesses are the engines of our economy, and half of our workforce either works for or owns a small business. Linda McMahon, administrator, Small Business Administration
I am very optimistic. I have been working with my CFO and accountant, she said. Once we have all the documents ready to present to the SBA or lenders, we will have a better chance to secure a loan.
Small-business loan approval rates at big banks rose in October, according to Biz2Credit, a small-business lending broker based in New York.
Big bank lending to small business continues to climb to the point that one-in-four loan applications are approved, said Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora, in a report.
During the darkest point of the post-recession credit crunch, they granted less than 1 in 10 requests. We have come a long way, he said.
Small banks are still processing the majority of SBA-backed loans, approving nearly half of the funding requests from small businesses.
This indicates that small businesses credit market is robust, according to Arora.
Stock markets continue to perform well, and Trumps tax cut plan is viewed as good news for business owners, he said.
Entrepreneurs have a better chance of obtaining funding now than at any other time in the past decade.
A technician takes a sample of crude oil from a well operated by Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA in Morichal, Venezuela. (Ramon Sahmkow/AFP/Getty Images)
Maduro Announces New Citgo Head After 6 Citgo Execs Arrested in Venezuela
Venezuelas government has named Asdrubal Chavez, a former oil minister and cousin of the late leader Hugo Chavez, as the as the new president of U.S.-based refiner Citgo a day after authorities arrested the president and six board members of the company.
They took the executives, four of which were reportedly American citizens, into custody at a company function in Caracas on Tuesday, Nov. 21 under the pretense of an anti-corruption probe.
The executives are being accused of arranging a $4 billion financing deal with two foreign investment firms, one in the United States and one in Dubai.
Venezuelan state Prosecutor Tarek Saab told a news conference on Tuesday that the deal offered the refiner as a guarantee in the deal.
Citgo, though based in Texas, is a subsidiary of Venezuelas PdVSA, a state-owned natural gas and oil company. Fifty executives from PdVSA have been arrested since Saab took office in August, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Organized crime has been taking root in the ranks of PdVSA, claimed Saab, according to The Wall Street Journal.
However, insiders at the company have said the arrests indicate a struggle for loyalty within the upper echelons of Venezuelas troubled government rather than a wish to punish corruption, according to The Washington Post.
Saab has promised to arrest more oil executives in his all-out fight to clean up the oil industry, reported Bloomberg.
The current meddling in Venezuelas main economic engine, oil, is seen by many as a way to cement socialist dictator Nicolas Maduros control over the government and economy. Over the summer, Maduro took bold steps to secure his power by bypassing Venezuelas National Assembly and creating a Constituent Assembly that has the power to rewrite the countrys constitution.
Money is running out, the economy is about to collapse and the government is looking for a scapegoatcorruptionahead of what appears to be one the most difficult years in the Chavez era, Diego Moya-Ocampos, a political risk analyst at IHS Markit told Bloomberg.
The oil sector is the last of what little remains of Venezuelas economy, and its falling output, likely due to eroding infrastructure, has put pressure on Maduros government to keep the economy from collapsing.
Saab is not doing this because he is devoted to the rule of law, Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, told Bloomberg. Hes doing this at the behest of his political master, who one assumes to be Nicolas Maduro.
According to The Washington Post, the arrests are meant to elicit loyalty from oil executives who are seen as preferring more moderate political opponents of Maduro, especially those who have broken with him in recent months.
Maduro made the announcement about Chavezs cousin taking over as the new president of Citgo in a state television broadcast on Wednesday.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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Karina Vetrano (right) was murdered while on a jog in August 2016. (Karina Vetrano Memorial Reward Fund/GoFundMe)
Man Accused of Killing Jogger Made Creepy Request After Confession
The man accused of killing and sexually assaulting Karina Vetrano had asked to see a photo of the victim after confessing to her murder, an NYPD detective said.
Detective Christian Quezada told a Queens court during a hearing that the alleged killer, Chanel Lewis, made the chilling request while he was being transported to Central booking in February 2017, reported New York Post.
NEW PHOTO: Of 20 year old Chanel Lewis who strangled to death Karina Vetrano while jogging last summer. pic.twitter.com/XmczLAZRTg New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) February 5, 2017
During the ride, he asked me if the victims family was watching on the news, and he asked me if he could see a picture of her, Quezada testified.
When Quezada refused, Lewis did not press the issue.
Vetrano was found beaten, strangled, and sexually assaulted in August 2016 in an overgrown area near a trail in Queens.
The 30-year-old jogger left home for a run at around 5 p.m. Her family reported her missing when she failed to return home.
#karinavetrano #ayearagotoday #rip A post shared by Chris Viaggio (@bluebloodredherring) on Aug 2, 2017 at 1:03am PDT
She was found by her father during the police search around 14 blocks from her home in a marshy area about 15 feet from the jogging path.
Lewis was charged with first-degree murder and numerous counts of sex abuse. He confessed to Vetranos murder in February this year but denies sexually assaulting the victim.
I didnt do any of the stuff they said, sexual assault and stuff like that, Lewis said during his confession.
A representative with Legal Aid Society who is representing Lewis in the trial said in a statement there were many unanswered questions in the case, according to the New York Post.
The evidence presented during suppression hearings shows that this is not a clear-cut case, and there are many unanswered questions, the representative said.
The court will make a ruling in January 2018.
1 yr ago #karinavetrano was murdered. Her dad, Phil made a memorial in spot where her body was found. More later @ABC7NY #queens pic.twitter.com/Y5LmzGUx5H Kemberly Richardson (@kemrichardson7) August 1, 2017
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Police: Miami Man Bites One Cop, Beats Another, at Hearing for Battery on an Officer
A Miami-Dade Police officer lost a chunk of his left forearm while attempting to subdue an unruly defendant in court for a warrant hearing on Monday, Nov. 20, police told News 10.
Godel Leveille, 29, had a hearing at Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in downtown Miami, Florida, for a charge of battery on an officer stemming from an incident in May 2016, the Miami Herald reports.
The judge had ordered Leveille taken into custody. Leveille refused to comply, saying This isnt justice as he punched a Miami-Dade police officer, identified only as Officer Perez.
Half-a-dozen corrections officers swarmed the 275-pound Leveille and eventually managed to cuff him and put a mesh bag over his head to prevent him from spittingbut not before he bit a big chunk of flesh out of the left forearm of Officer Anthony Pando.
It was a horrendous bite, Miami-Dade Police Chief Juan Perez told WPLG, the local ABC affiliate. Nobody deserves to be hurt in the manner that this officer was hurt.
Police and corrections officials managed to wrestle Leveille out of the courtroom and into a vehicle for transport to Miami-Dades Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Officers Pando and Perez were taken to Miamis Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment, Pando for his large bite would, Perez for a serious knee injury.
Jonathan Perdomo witnessed the whole incident.
I was standing here in the hallway, and I heard commotion, and I heard officers call, and when I came over here to look, there was a man that had bit an officer. He took out a chunk of meat out his right or left hand, and he was bleeding, Perdomo told WSVN.
And then they called in, they grabbed the dude, and they tied him down, and they put a bag over his face, and they escorted him out of the courtroom, he said.
Yeah, he was mad, bro. I could tell you that one, said Perdomo about the injured officer.
Leveille, already headed to jail on the May 2016 charge of battery on a police officer, was charged with several more crimes, including two counts of resisting an officer with violence to his person, disorderly conduct, three counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and four counts each of battery on a police officer, corrections officer, or firefighter, and resisting an officer with violence to his person.
Leveille was summoned twice to court on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and refused to cooperate both times.
Informed of his refusal, Judge Mindy Glazer asked rhetorically, OK, you know what, why not shackle him and bring him over?
Instead, she waived his appearance and set bond at $45,000.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland with Mexico's Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal (L) and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during the final day of of NAFTA negotiations in Ottawa on Sept. 27, 2017. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)
NAFTA: Deadlock on Hard Issues as Latest Round Concludes
MEXICO CITYAnother round of NAFTA talks wrapped up Nov. 21 in Mexico City with all key issues still deadlocked and a plethora of question marks lingering over the trade deal.
The negotiators made progress on a variety of technical files, nearly concluding some less-controversial chapters like digital trade, sanitary measures, customs enforcement, and telecommunications.
But on hot-button files like autos, dairy, dispute resolution, and a U.S. idea to make it easier to terminate NAFTA, they cite no real progress. Sources from the host country Mexico described a lingering standoff on multiple fronts, which Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed back in Ottawa.
There are some areas where more extreme [U.S.] proposals have been put forward. These are proposals we simply cannot agree to, Freeland said outside the House of Commons.
What weve done in some of these areas is ask for a better understanding of those proposals. We really feel a fact-based approach is the way to get a good result [Were asking]: Do you agree with our facts, or do you disagree with our facts?
That approach has frustrated some on the U.S. side.
An American familiar with the talks says the other countries would be better off making counter-proposals, rather than what they did at this roundshow up with presentations about how damaging the American proposals would be to the United States itself.
The Mexico City round ends with uncertainty on multiple fronts. Two major question marks: will President Donald Trump start pulling out of NAFTA as a negotiating ploy? And what happens if a deal isnt done by the end of the current schedule of talks, now extended to March?
One thing the Mexican sources are adamant about: If Trump makes good on his threat to start the NAFTA cancellation process as a bargaining ploy, they will refuse to negotiate under that pressure and would rather let the United States withdraw.
They said they would simply allow the United States to walk away, accelerate trade talks with Brazil and Argentina, and expand trade with Canada in meat, wheat, and energy, where Canadian suppliers would pick up some of the U.S. slack.
Canada has not drawn such a hard line. The politicians leading the talks have attempted to turn down the public pressure. Freeland, Robert Lighthizer, and Ildefonso Guajardo skipped this round and will skip another round next month in Washington.
They will be back at the table in the next round in Montreal in late January. The politicians will review progress made, and begin assessing next steps for the February and March rounds and what happens thereafter if theres no deal.
From The Canadian Press
New Documentary on Live Organ Harvesting Receives Award
The crime is appalling and beggars beliefprisoners of conscience in China are being cut up for their organs while still alive in a massive state-run operation.
Filmmakers who move past disbelief to actioninterviews with researchers, eyewitnesses, doctors, and straight-talking politicianshave in recent years produced compelling documentaries on organ harvesting in China.
Millions of people in several countries around the world have since learned of the Chinese communist regimes forced organ harvesting of tens of thousands of Uyghurs, Tibetans, house Christian, and Falun Gong prisoners of conscience from the documentaries in private screenings and on national television. The power narratives also have won recognition in the form of dozens of awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.
Harvested Alive: Ten Years of Investigation is the latest organ harvesting documentary to receive acclaim in winning the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards best foreign documentary feature category for January 2017.
Produced by Deerpark Productions and released in November 2016, Harvested Alive is a Chinese language documentary centered around the primary source research of organ harvesting by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), a United States-based nongovernmental organization.
Wang Zhiyuan, the president of WOIPFG and a former aviation doctor in China, said in the film that he was shocked but skeptical of the first account of forced organ harvesting in 2006 by the wife of a Chinese doctor.
It went beyond common sense, Wang said. This was too serious, and the scale too big.
After discussions with other WOIPFG members, Wang decided that they should immediately start investigations with an open mind and without drawing any conclusions from their opinions.
For the next 10 years, Wang and the others scoured hospital and government websites, as well as media reports, for evidence of organ harvesting. They also made countless secretly recorded phone calls to Chinese hospitals, doctors, judges, and even top Chinese officials in the government and military.
Some Chinese doctors openly declared that Falun Gong practitioners were source of organs. A former top military health officer, Bai Shuzhong, was recorded declaring that former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin had ordered the organ harvesting of practitioners.
At the time, it was Chairman Jiang. There was an instruction to start this thing, organ transplantation, a voice that WOIPFG identified as that of Bai said in the recording played in the documentary. In videos online, Bai Shuzhong sounds identical to the voice in the recording.
Related Coverage Chinese Officer: Jiang Zemin Ordered Organ Harvesting
Practitioners of Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese meditation practice that involves physical exercises and teachings of truthfulness, compassion, tolerance, are being targeted by the Chinese regime for persecution since 1999, a decision of Jiangs.
Inside detention centers and labor camps, practitioners are subjected to regular blood and cornea tests, the purpose of which to allow the regime to facilitate a national organ harvesting system where practitioners are killed to provide organs on demand, according to researchers of organ harvesting.
The slaughter of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs remains very much in action, researchers say.
An English subtitled version of the Harvested Alive is currently available for free viewing on the internet. The English language version of the film will premiere in Washington D.C. in March.
A truck returns over the Friendship Bridge, from the North Korean town of Sinuiju to the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 5, 2017. The Broken Bridge once connected Dandong and the North Korean town of Sinuiju, but was bombed by the US during the Korean war and now only reaches half way across the Yalu River. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
New US Sanctions Target Chinese, North Korean Companies
The U.S. Treasury Department has put in place sanctions against Chinese and North Korean companies after President Donald Trump announced North Korea would be redesignated a state sponsor of terrorism.
The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned one individual, 13 entities, and 20 vessels on Nov. 21 in a bid to disrupt funding for North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The sanctions target third-country persons with long-standing commercial ties to North Korea and transportation networks that facilitate North Koreas trade.
As North Korea continues to threaten international peace and security, we are steadfast in our determination to maximize economic pressure to isolate it from outside sources of trade and revenue while exposing its evasive tactics, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement.
These designations include companies that have engaged in trade with North Korea cumulatively worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he continued. We are also sanctioning the shipping and transportation companies, and their vessels, that facilitate North Koreas trade and its deceptive maneuvers.
Eleven of the designations target people and entities importing from and exporting to North Korea. Others target people and entities exporting laborers from North Korea who work outside the country to generate revenue for the regime.
The sanctions prohibit U.S. companies from doing any business with the designated entities and individuals.
Several of the companies targeted are Chinese trading companies operating in the China-North Korea border city of Dandong.
Among them are the Dandong Kehua Economy & Trade Co., Ltd.; Dandong Xianghe Trading Co., Ltd.; and Dandong Hongda Trade Co. Ltd.
Between January 1, 2013, and August 31, 2017, these three companies cumulatively exported approximately $650 million worth of goods to North Korea and cumulatively imported more than $100 million worth of goods from North Korea, reads a statement issued by the OFAC.
The goods in question include computers, coal, and other raw materials.
The OFAC also designated Sun Sidong and his company, Dandong Dongyuan Industrial Co., Ltd for exporting over $28 million worth of goods to North Korea over several years, including motor vehicles, electrical machinery, radio navigational items, and other items associated with nuclear reactors.
Dongyuan has also been associated with front companies for weapons of mass destruction-related North Korean organizations, said the Treasury Department.
Despite the fact that the sanctions target four Chinese companies, the State Department does not expect them to jeopardize Chinese cooperation with North Korea, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
The world has come together behind this issue recognizing how destabilizing the activities are on the part of Kim Jong Uns regime. We have a good relationship with China; thats not going to change because weve made this designation, said Heather Nauert in a press briefing Tuesday.
In response to an earlier question, Nauert said China recognized the problems North Korea was creating for them.
I think that North Koreaand I imagine the Chinese would be very upfront in saying this as wellhas become a bit of a thorn in their side.
The OFAC also designated six North Korean shipping and trading companies and blocked 20 of their vessels.
Many of the companies use deceptive shipping practices to skirt U.N. sanctions, including prohibited ship-to-ship transfers.
The Treasury Department released photographs revealing such a transfer or what may have been oil between an unnamed ship and North Korean vessel Rye Song Gang 1.
The Treasury designated North Koreas Korea South-South Cooperation Corporation for exporting workers from North Korea to generate revenue for the regime.
The company has exported workers to China, Russia, Cambodia, and Poland.
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Retired lieutenant-general Romeo Dallaire, founder of the Child Soldiers Initiative, addresses former child soldiers in Pibor, South Sudan, in 2015. (Photo by Josh Boyter)
New Way of Peacekeeping Will Curb Use of Child Soldiers, Says Dallaire
Canadian army is preparing new training programs to include the tactics from the Vancouver Principles
Despite critics lambasting Ottawas plan to spread out Canadas peacekeeping military and police resources over the next five years, retired lieutenant-general and former senator Romeo Dallaire says the plan will make Canada a world leader in ending the use of child soldiers in war.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at a peacekeeping summit in Vancouver last week that Canada would not be committing the 600 military troops and 150 police officers it pledged last year for U.N. peacekeeping missions.
Instead, the Trudeau government has offered a smart pledge including skilled training of 200 troops, helicopter and air support, a boost in female troop deployments, and a focus on demilitarizing child soldiers, although it could take six months or more for discussions to begin on when and where those capabilities are needed.
Its a move that has critics saying the government not only broke its promise but has jeopardized any chance at making a significant impact in bringing peace and security to regions such as Mali, Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudanall conflict zones where it had been speculated for months that Canada would send a sizable military and police force.
But Dallaire, who served as Force Commander with the United Nations in Rwanda, says such criticism is too near-sighted, noting that peacekeeping has changed drastically in recent years and instead of putting boots on the ground in conflict zones, it is more effective to have Canadian military offer its smarts and skills.
What we are seeing now is a recent, adaptive, and new generation of capabilities, competencies, skills, and knowledge given to peacekeepers, he said in a phone interview.
Countries in conflict zones want the training and the skills, not battalions, to be able to handle the conflicts better, and thats exactly what we are doing and that moves us to a much higher plain than by simply providing boots on the ground.
The Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative based out of Dalhousie University has teamed up with the U.N. and the Canadian government to create the Vancouver Principlesan international strategy to end the use of child soldiers that is meant to be adapted by all contributing nations in the U.N.
Dallaire and the international community have been working on a global strategy to protect children in conflict for some time. But it wasnt until last month, in the lead-up to the official announcement of the Vancouver Principles, that many countries rushed to sign up, he said.
Theres 55 countries on board now, and no other international engagement has had that many countries buy in that fast in a month and a half. It is off the scale of what would seem to be normally possible.
The strategy means that for the first time in history there will be one guide for countries on how to address and diffuse certain scenarios involving child soldiers, a set of tactical solutions to prevent gun-to-gun combat, and a training manual that will change how military and police use their tactics.
He said the Canadian army has already rewritten its doctrine and is preparing new training programs to include the guidelines from the Vancouver Principles.
Before, the children were often found as belligerents and it often ended up with children dying or soldiers not reacting and losing ground, Dallaire said. If the children end up dying, that has a horrific effect on the soldiers psychologically.
He added that child soldiers are being used even more ruthlessly in war than ever before.
One of the things that we are seeing in mission areas is the extensive recruitment of children as weapons of war.
Going backwards?
Walter Dorn, a peacekeeping expert at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, commended Dallaires Child Soldiers Initiative and the Vancouver Principles approach to helping reduce child soldiers, but believes its only a small slice in keeping the peace.
We cant use our know-how and our smarts if we dont have experience on the ground. We cant become ivory tower academics with no field experience in U.N. operations and pretend that we are doing training, he said.
Its taken so long to get to this point and now we are even going backwards. There are fewer Canadian military personnel in U.N. peacekeeping than any time since the creation of peacekeeping forces.
But Dallaire said that even if what the government is pledging seems small, all that is required is 10 to 20 troops with this training to go into conflict zones and empower other countries military with their intelligence and strategy.
He recently came back from touring five African nations with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, and he said these countries are hungry for Canadas smarts and know-how.
He gave South Sudan as an example where 10 troops have been deployed to offer tactical assistance, which he says will help reduce the number of child soldiers by training the South Sudan army.
What we are doing is bringing the international community and the contributing countries into the realm of having a new capability and a new way of peacekeeping, Dallaire said.
I am articulating without an iota of doubt that finally we will not only be involved in picking up the kids that survive after theyve been demobilized to rehabilitation and integration, but we are actually going to reduce the number of children going into war. And that has not happened since they have been looking at the problem since the early 90s.
Jared Gnam is a freelance reporter based in Vancouver. He broke into the world of journalism covering the Stanley Cup Riot in 2011.
North Korean border guards scramble as a defector attempts to flee to South Korea through the Joint Security Area in this still from footage provided by United Nations Command. A source inside North Korea says all the guards have since been replaced. (Screenshot via UNC video)
North Korea Replaces All Border Guards At Crossing: Source
North Korea has replaced all of its border security guards after the harrowing escape of a fellow North Korean soldier, a source has told South Koreas main news agency.
The soldier, known only by his surname, Oh, ran through a hail of bullets and had to be dragged out of harms way by United Nations Command Security Battalion soldiers on Nov. 13, after he made a run for South Korea through one of the most heavily guarded areas on the border.
The 24-year-old soldier was shot at least five times and remains in the hospital, recovering from his wounds, malnutrition, and a severe infestation of parasites. Doctors revealed he also has inactive tuberculosis and hepatitis B.
On Thursday, an intelligence source told Yonhap News Agency that border guards were replaced in what seems to be a response to their inability to prevent the defectors flight across the Joint Security Area.
The possibility that Oh was also a border guard may also be a factor.
Signs were detected that North Korea has replaced all border security officials following the defection, the source said. Given this situation, commanders of the responsible military unit and senior officers might have undergone punishment.
The source said the North Koreans appear to have tightened screening for personnel coming in and out of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The source said the regime also seems to have temporarily closed the bridge the defector drove on to get to the northern side of the Joint Security Area where soldiers from both countries stand face-to-face.
The guards reportedly fired around 40 rounds in their attempt to stop Oh and twice violated the armistice that North Korea signed with United Nations Command (UNC) to halt the hostilities of the Korean War back in 1953.
In findings released Wednesday, UNC said North Korea broke the armistice by firing across the Military Demarcation Line that separates the two countries, and by one of its soldiers stepping across the line in pursuit of the defector.
Oh drove a jeep along the road leading to the Joint Security Area, also known as the truce village of Panmunjom, attracting attention from guards when he did not stop at a post along the way.
He then leaped from the jeep after it got bogged and sprinted the remaining distance to the Military Demarcation Line as North Korean border guards ran right behind him, shooting.
Few North Koreans attempt to defect along the countrys border with South Korea because it is heavily guarded with a 2.5 mile wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries across almost the entire border.
While the two countries host discussions and exchanges through the Joint Security Area, which is within the DMZ, it is also heavily fortified, staffed with many guards, and is all but impossible to pass through undetected. Most North Koreans flee through the countrys less-fortified border with China, where trade and civilians are more common.
But according to a South Korean official, Oh is believed to be an army staff sergeant who was stationed in the Joint Security Area, reports the Guardian.
If true, it would explain how he managed to get so close to the border without being stopped.
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Renowned Pianist Killed in Arizona Crash
A renowned pianist and Arizona State doctoral student was killed Thursday, Nov. 16, when a truck hit him while he was riding a bicycle, ABC15 reported.
Xiaoying Wen was hit by a truck at Rural Road and Vista del Cerro Drive in Tempe, Arizona. Friends said that the light was timed so that the driver and Wen had a green light at the same time. Police said that while they both had a green light, the truck had the right of way, according to ABC15.
Wen was struck in the crosswalk, according to Tempe police spokesperson Lily Duran reported The State Press.
Wens profile says he was from Chengdu City in Chinas Sichuan Province.
He was pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree, majoring in piano performance, according to Arizona State Universitys website.
Wen graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned a Master of Music degree in piano performance and earned his Bachelors degree at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China, according to his biography. As a soloist, he was the winner of the Missouri State MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition and has held many recitals in his piano career.
Dr. Baruch Meir, an associate professor of piano at Arizona State University, said that Wen was one of the most talented people I have ever encountered.
He was a bright light among us and embraced life to the fullest. Anyone who knew Xiaoying could see his gentle soul, and his playfulness. He was really wonderful with children including my Zohar. He had a special generosity about him, a true kindness and a positive spirit, he said, according to classical music website Slipped Disc.
Its been horrible for me and for his fellow students, Meir added to The State Press. We were in the hospital praying for a miracle.
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Sheriffs Deputy Killed During Police Chase in Oakland County
An Oakland County Sheriffs deputy was hit and killed by a car escaping from the police early Thanksgiving Day in Brandon Township, Michigan.
I sadly inform that one of our Sheriffs Deputies was tragically killed today at 12:31am. A police pursuit from Lapeer County entered Oakland County in Brandon Twp.The suspect stuck the Deputy outside his patrol car. Name held until next of kin has been notified.Prayers requested Mike Bouchard (@MikeJBouchard) November 23, 2017
The police chase started in neighboring Lapeer County and as it made its way south, Oakland County deputies were called in to assist with the pursuit.
The unfortunate Oakland County deputy was outside of his patrol car about to deploy stop sticksdevices used to deflate the tires of an escaping vehicle to conclude a pursuit.
When he was right at the moment of deploying the stop sticks, the suspect ran him over, said Oakland Sheriff Mike Bouchard, according to WXYZ.
The deputy has been identified 50-year-old Eric Overall, a 22-year veteran of the Oakland County Sheriffs Office. He leaves behind a new wife and an adult son.
Bouchard tweeted out details of the news along with a link to a GoFundMe campaign that has been set up to support Overalls family.
Huge tragedy. Here we have Thanksgiving Day and a family that will never be the same, says Bouchard.
The force of the impact appears to have been so significant that the deputy was thrown some distance away from the point of collision.
It wasnt immediately apparent where he went, Bouchard said, according to ClickOnDetroit. Tragically it took a minute or two for them to locate the deputy.
Overall was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
After colliding with Overall, the suspects vehicle rolled over and the male driver was taken into custody, according to WXYZ.
We appreciate everybodys thoughts and prayers to the family and friends. This is the worst kind of nightmare for any law enforcement agency, said Bouchard.
Its a dangerous job. I talked to his wife, the last thing she did was kiss him goodbye, sent him off to work, and now will never have that again. And thats what they face every day and theyre willing to do it, said Bouchard.
Kevin Hassett, chair of the council of economic advisers, speaks at the White House briefing in Washington on Nov. 17, 2017. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
Tax Reform: A Big, Beautiful Christmas Present, Says Trump
President is confident Congress will resolve its differences and send a unified bill to his desk before Christmas
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, on Nov. 16. Meanwhile, the Senate finance committee approved its version of the bill, which diverges from the House version in several key ways.
Despite a short timeline, President Donald Trump pledges to deliver tax reform as a Christmas gift to Americans.
The Senate is expected to vote on its bill after the Thanksgiving holiday. For tax reform to become law, the bills have to be reconciled, and Trump is confident that the chambers will work out their differences.
Were going to give the American people a huge tax cut for Christmas, said Trump, during a meeting with his cabinet on Nov 20. Hopefully, that will be a great, big, beautiful Christmas present.
According to Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, both the House bill and the Senate bill, despite their differences, meet the three main objectives set by the president. Those three, non-negotiable objectives are a 20 percent corporate tax rate, a big middle-class tax cut, and a simplified tax code, he said during a press briefing at the White House on Nov. 17.
Both bills reduce the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, which is the centerpiece of this tax reform.
A few Republicans have voiced concern over the tax bills. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was the first Republican to come out against both plans, claiming the tax cuts favored large corporations over small businesses.
Were leaving those pass-through businesses behind. And those pass-through businesses are the engine of economic growth, job creation, innovation in our economy, he told CNN on Nov. 16.
Many small businesses in the United States are structured as pass-through entities, meaning that their earnings pass through the business owners tax returns and are taxed under the individual income tax.
Pass-through businesses include sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations and are taxed at an individual rate of 39.6 percent under the existing tax code. Critics say the provisions regarding pass-through entities in tax bills are too complicated and do not provide tax relief to small businesses.
Hassett said its appropriate in the legislative process to expose the bills to scrutiny and debate.
The president supports regular order because thats really how deals get made and how bills become law, he said.
Im hopeful that people can work it out and that everybody, even Democrats, will end up wanting to vote for it.
Economic Growth
Hassett is confident that tax reform will bring economic growth. He said the countries around the world that cut their corporate tax rates have all experienced an increase in economic activity.
In every economic model Ive seen, you get growtheither a lot of growth, or sometimes if its a closed economy model, a little growth, he said.
You get positive growth out of this. And that growth will benefit workers.
The House bill is expected to boost long-term GDP by 2.6 percent, and the Senate version is projected to increase GDP by 2.8 percent, according to a report by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The increase in GDP translates into an income rise of $4,000 to $4,400 per household, states the report.
Trump has criticized the existing tax code for pushing businesses and jobs overseas. American firms avoid U.S. tax by locating their activities in a low-tax country like Ireland.
For many years, U.S. corporations have left cash in their foreign subsidiaries to avoid paying high taxes. The total amount of accumulated income across all industries is more than $2.5 trillion, according to estimates.
If you build a plant in Ireland, then you can sell the stuff back into the U.S. And when you sell the stuff back into the United States, then it increases the trade deficit and doesnt do anything for American workers, Hassett explained.
What the president wants to do is cut the rate to 20 percent and build guardrails around the tax code so that people cant transfer everything to Ireland anymore.
The Argentine submarine ARA San Juan, S-42, docked before a mission. The sub has been missing since Nov. 15. (en.wikipedia.org)
US Navy: Hydro-Acoustic Anomaly Detected Near Where Argentine Submarine Went Missing
An explosion was reported near where the Argentine submarine went missing, the Argentine Navy confirmed Thursday.
The catastrophic explosion was recorded in the area of where the vessel went missing on Nov. 15, according to The New York Times.
The explosion was described as an anomalous, short, violent event by the Navy, and it effectively put a damper on the hopes of a team of rescuers trying to locate the submarine, which has 44 people on board.
Until we dont have certainty were going to carry on the search effort, Capt. Enrique Balbi, a spokesman for the Argentine Navy, said Wednesday, adding that the international search team would continue to look.
On Wednesday, the Navy received a report from the United States of a hydro-acoustic anomaly that had been detected hours after the submarine went missing, according to the BBC.
One crew members sister told the broadcaster: I feel like Im waiting for a corpse.
Itati Leguizamon, 29, who is the wife of a crew member, said that her husband was worried about the submarines maintenance. My husband told me there were problems, she said.
They deceived us, she said, adding that she felt the Navy didnt disclose enough information. They manipulated us.
Experts say that the submarine has enough oxygen to last seven to 10 days, and Thursday marks the eighth day its been missing.
The submarine wasnt armed with nuclear weapons and the explosion was not believed to have involved a weapon, Balbi said.
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay, the United Kingdom have sent ships or planes to aid in the search and rescue mission.
Our hydroacoustic network detected an unusual signal near the last known position of #missing San Juan #submarine. The signal from an underwater impulsive event was detected 15 Nov 13:51 GMT, Lat -46.12 deg; Long: -59.69 deg. Details & data shared with Argentinian authorities. pic.twitter.com/SU5XHiICb4 Lassina Zerbo (@SinaZerbo) November 23, 2017
Cmdr. Erik Reynolds, a spokesman for the United States Navy, however, noted that the explosion-like detection wasnt caused by volcanic or seismic activity. That was not a natural sound you hear in an ocean environment, he said, the New York Times reported.
For the United States, this is still a search-and-rescue mission, he added. Were still presuming that theyre alive.
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A wanted man fleeing the police caused a crash that killed a child in Waterbury, Connecticut on Nov. 21. (Connecticut State Police / Tom Ozimek / Epoch Times)
Wanted Teen Crashes Car, Kills 3-Year-Old, Injures Infant
A wanted 18-year old tried to evade police by driving onto the sidewalk, and then was involved in a crash that caused the death of a 3-year-old child and seriously injured a 19-month-old baby girl and two adults, according to Connecticut State Police.
The tragic incident followed an attempt by police to stop Zekhi Eric Lee, a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation, at about 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 21, in Waterbury, Connecticut.
The 18-year-old male suspect, said state police, refused to stop his vehicle and fled from the Waterbury police officers. The suspect vehicle eventually became involved in a crash.
Eyewitness Kelly Smith describes the scene:
The car that was running from the cops did a 360, hit the pole, and then the pole fell on top of four pedestrianstwo were babies, and then the two mothers.
Smith said she and other pedestrians rushed to help and took the pole off the baby. Then, noting the extent of the injuries sustained by the victims, those present at the scene immediately contacted emergency medical services.
The suspect fled the scene, with officers in pursuit.
Immediately after crashing, the suspect fled his vehicle on foot; however, he was apprehended by Waterbury police officers a short time later, state police said.
A total of five people were transported to hospitals, according to a police statement. A 1-year-old girl and two women ages 21 and 26, are said to have sustained serious injuries, while the driver of the vehicle that was struck by the suspects car suffered minor injuries.
The deceased boy has been identified as Justin Quiroz, according to a Fox61 report.
Individuals with information about the incident are urged to contact Western District Major Crimes at 203-267-2200 or text TIP711 with any information to 274637.
State Police Detectives Investigate 11/21 Waterbury fatal crash at S Main & E Liberty St intersection. Anyone who may have any info about the crash is asked to please contact Western District Major Crime @ 203-267-2200 or text TIP711 w/info to 274637. https://t.co/igLEErKTHD pic.twitter.com/JSgMPDP2mc CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) November 22, 2017
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President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and their son Barron Trump at the annual Thanksgiving Presidential Pardon at the White House in Washington on Nov. 21, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
What the First Family Will be Eating for Thanksgiving
Celebrating their first Thanksgiving as the first family, the Trumps will enjoy a traditional dinner.
The menu includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows, according to Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the First Lady.
Locally sourced red snapper and Florida stone carp are also on the menu.
Fresh red snapper. (Alena Haurylik/Shutterstock)
Accompanying the dinner are a variety of baked goods and cheeses.
(Y Photo Studio/Shutterstock)
Dessert will include various cakes and pies.
The first family will be joined by friends for the dinner at the Mar-a-Lago resort where they are spending the holiday.
Earlier in the day President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited the Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet to thank the coastguards for their service.
Trump praised the Coast Guard for their rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August.
You saved 16,000 lives. Nobody knows that, Trump said.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visit members of the U.S. Coast Guard at Station Lake Worth Inlet in Riviera Beach, Florida, on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, 2017. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Incredible people, youve done an incredible job, and I love coming in here and doing this for you today.
Trump also held a video-conference call in the morning with service members in Afghanistan, Turkey, Kuwait, as well as those aboard the USS Monterey, which recently stopped in Souda Bay, Greece.
President Donald Trump prepares his traditionnal adress to thank members of the US military via video teleconference on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 23, 2017, from Mar-a-Lago in Florida. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Were doing well at home. The economy is doing really great. When you come back, you are going to see with the jobs and companies coming back into our country and the stock market just hit a record high, Trump said.
Unemployment is the lowest its been in 17 years. So youre fighting for something real, youre fighting for something good.
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The notice was sent after Simha made some scathing tweets in Kannada about the actor's personal life.
By Rohini Swamy: Actor Prakash Raj today sent a defamation notice to BJP MP from Mysore Pratap Simha for making derogatory remarks against him. Simha allegedly made personal comments on Raj's tweet and Facebook post on October 2.
The notice was sent after Simha made scathing tweets in Kannada about the actor's personal life.
Simha went on to comment about Raj's dead son and his wife. The MP even accused Raj of changing his identity as per convenience.
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Incidentally, Simha's tweet was in retaliation to Raj's statement raising questions on the government's silence over journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder.
"I have sent a legal notice to Mr Pratap Simha as a citizen of this country for the way he has trolled me which has disturbed my personal life. I am asking him to answer legally and if he does not, I will be taking criminal action against him," Raj told media persons.
Prakash Raj has also asked the MP to tender an unconditional apology. He went on to say that the MP is a serial offender who was trying to instigate him and make his personal life difficult.
"It is not just me, Prakash Rai said, 'When the wife of the late senior leader Mahadeva Prasad stood for election, Simha had the audacity that he thought she was mourning but instead she was greedy for power. The poor lady had tears in her eyes," added Raj.
When asked whether such trolling affects him, Prakash said, "I am made of a different mettle. I will not get terrorised by these people. I have seen others being terrorised, I will be their voice. Don't ever say that there is Muslim or Hindu terrorism. There are several examples of people terrorising people."
Sending out a strong message, Prakash Rai hit out at Simha saying, "I am worried about the women there (Simha's constituency) and the youth who are following him. If as a leader you are doing this, you have to answer. Don't destroy the social fabric. In this light I have taken up this stand. I will fight, he might be an influential person but I will fight."
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) A 10-year-old girl from Afghanistan, who was airlifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre here after suffering severe brain injuries in a bomb blast, is showing signs of recovery, doctors said today.
Zakia Moqim was brought to the trauma centre on November 8 in an unconscious state, Dr Rajesh Malhotra, the chief of the trauma centre, said.
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"She had sustained injuries in the brain and leg and had come in an unconscious state with left hemiplegia (no movement in one side of the body)," he said.
According to Dr Deepak Gupta, Professor of Neurosurgery at AIIMS, multiple shrapnels had penetrated into her brain and skull and were lodged in the right frontal lobe. This caused swelling on the right side of her brain.
Open injuries to the brain, like these, particularly with foreign bodies, can cause meningitis.
She was managed in the Neurological ICU with antibiotics and medication.
"We did not take out the foreign bodies which had penetrated into her skull as they were lodged in the frontal lobe of the brain. Any manipulation to remove such impacted bodies is not advisable. They can be left alone safely as they do not interfere with the routine functioning of the brain," Dr Gupta said.
Dr Malhotra said the fracture in her leg along with skin loss was managed with orthopaedic and plastic surgery interventions.
He said the girl had gained consciousness and was fully alert.
"She still has a little weakness in the left side of the body but is recovering well. She will be discharged soon," Dr Malhotra said.
He said the girls father came to know about AIIMS following which he travelled to India. He contacted the Afghan embassy here which facilitated her arrival to the country for treatment. PTI PLB AAR
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The PSU is forming five committees to meet the guidelines laid out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
By Poulomi Saha: National carrier Air India has set the ball rolling internally for the process of disinvestment that the government had announced of 'in-principle' after the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on June 28.
The government hopes to find a bidder and complete the process of sale of Air India and its five subsidiaries by mind-2018.
In an office order dated November 18, Rajiv Bansal, CMD of Air India had mentioned that the PSU is forming five committees to meet the guidelines laid out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
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The committees that will work on every aspect of divestment will cover Finance, HR, P&F Department, Secretarial & Procedural matters including formalization of relationship with subsidiary companies & future business plan of subsidiary plans, and finally, Bilateral Slots, other Commercial Arrangements and Issues.
V Hejmadi, Director, Finance, and S Venkat, Advisor, Finance will be overseeing and coordinating between all the afore-mentioned teams and reporting back on a fortnightly basis to CMD Rajiv Bansal.
Air India has also appointed SBI Caps to "hand-hold Air India during the divestment process", Bansal said in the office order.
"They will be assigned the responsibility of preparing 3/5 years business plans for subsidiary companies to be divested, obtaining approvals/NOC from the consortium of banks for the transfer of Real Estate Properties and other security besides assisting/guiding Air India on other divestment matters", he added.
The government currently is in the process of appointing a Transaction Advisor, an Asset Valuer and a Legal Advisor to guide it through the process of sale.
For the first two positions, the government has received applications from 7 firms including KMPG, BNP Paribas, Rothschild India Pvt Ltd and EY. Similarly, for the latter, the government has again received applications from 7 firms including Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Hammurabi and Solomon.
After the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs decided in end-June to privatize Air India, a ministerial committee headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and a committee of secretaries have been meeting regularly to identify a universe of bidders for the Maharaja.
Air India's debt burden is estimated to be approx. Rs 50,000 crore. The airline was sustaining itself on Rs 30,000 crore bailout package announced by the previous UPA regime after it suffered massive losses.
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China's Foreign Ministry declined to endorse Ambassador Luo Zhaohui's two proposals when asked by India Today to clarify if the envoy's initiatives did indeed carry official approval. Luo had offered to rename the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as build an alternative corridor through Jammu and Kashmir.
By Ananth Krishnan: China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui made headlines last week with an offer to rename the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as build an alternative corridor through Jammu and Kashmir. But it isn't clear if the envoy was speaking with Beijing's backing in making the two proposals.
China's Foreign Ministry declined to endorse Luo's two proposals when asked by India Today to clarify if the envoy's initiatives did indeed carry official approval. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing also declined to say whether it was either willing to rename the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India has objected to as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), or to consider an alternative route to Jammu and Kashmir.
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On the contrary, Beijing's statement to India Today defended CPEC and said the corridor "does not affect the position of China" on territorial issues, suggesting the Chinese government saw little need in renaming the corridor as it was, in Beijing's view, "has nothing to do with sovereignty disputes".
In a speech in Delhi on Friday, Luo said China "can change the name of CPEC" and "create an alternative corridor through Jammu and Kashmir, Nathu La pass or Nepal to deal with India's concerns."
Asked in Beijing if the Chinese Foreign Ministry could clarify his comments and if the Chinese government was indeed open to renaming CPEC and creating alternative routes, the Foreign Ministry said: "The Chinese side is ready to work with all neighbouring countries to strengthen connectivity building and advance regional economic cooperation and common prosperity. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a cooperative framework built by China and Pakistan bearing in mind cooperation in all fields and long-term development of the two countries. It is not only according to the interests of China and Pakistan, but also is conducive to stability and development of the region. CPEC is an economic cooperation initiative and has nothing to do with sovereignty disputes. It does not affect the position of China and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue."
Some officials in New Delhi are also taking the envoy's comments with a grain of salt, uncertain whether the envoy's proposals were indeed backed by official sanction. They point out that till date, China has neither raised the possibility of renaming CPEC in any official-level talks with India, nor suggested its willingness to invest in Jammu and Kashmir, which Beijing, in the view of many officials, is unlikely to do because of Pakistan's sensitivities.
The view is the envoy's comments may perhaps be more likely aimed at creating favourable public opinion on the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) plan of which CPEC is a flagship, rather than represent an official policy change from Beijing which has been deepening economic and military ties with Islamabad.
That did not, however, stop Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti from already welcoming this "proposal", which she said "reinforces the need to rediscover traditional routes of Kashmir".
Incidentally, when Luo had similarly offered to rename CPEC in another speech in May, that remark was later removed from the official transcript posted by the Chinese Embassy on its website. In that instance too, Beijing subsequently declined to publicly endorse the offer.
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Noem tells NYT former President Trump doesn't offer 'best chance' for GOP
In an interview with The New York Times, Gov. Kristi Noem spoke about her reservations about former President Donald Trump announcing his bid for re-election.
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) Telecom czar and Chairman of Indias largest mobile company Airtel, Sunil Mittal, today said the Bharti family has pledged about Rs 7,000 crore to philanthropy and will open a new university to offer free education to meritorious but underprivileged students.
The Bharti familys commitment to give away 10 per cent of their personal wealth, also includes three per cent of their stake in telecom firm Bharti Airtel.
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The pledged amount, totalling Rs 7,000 crore would mostly go into setting up of a new technology-oriented university in North India, while some part of it would also be used for expanding the existing Satya Bharti School Programme - Bharti Foundations flagship initiative.
"We are not in this for business," said Sunil Mittal,Awho was flanked by his brothers Rakesh and Rajan at a conference to announce the familys philanthropic plans.
The proposed university will come up on a 100-acre land and "active discussions" are on with various States including Punjab and Haryana to finalise the location.
Mittal said he expected the ground breaking ceremony to take place by early next year and the first academic session would commence by 2021.
The proposed Satya Bharti University for Science and Technology would focus on advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and Internet of Things in addition to offering degrees in electrical and electronics engineering and management.
"Given our attachment to technology we would like it to be very significantly focussed on technology on the lines of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Stanford, Berkeley..," said Sunil Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and Bharti Foundation.
Mittals philanthropic move comes just days after InfosysAco-founder and tech titan Nandan Nilekani and his wife RohiniANilekani committed half of their wealth to philanthropy by joining the The Giving Pledge, a movement spearheaded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
The new university will seek partnerships and industry linkages with tech giants like Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Apple, among others.
Over a period of time the fully-residential university will have 10,000 students, Mittal said.
"About 10 per cent of our family wealth is being earmarked and pledged to Bharti Foundation, the Groups philanthropic arm. There are certain structuring and restructuring that are right now being undertaken by lawyers and accountants (in this regard)," Mittal said.
The setting up of the university will require Rs 1,000 crore initially and a "large amount" will be needed to run it thereafter, he noted.
"In Satya Bharti School programme there is zero fee, we do not charge anything, and even here, the idea is to bring meritorious underprivileged students to give them education... it will require a lot of money," Mittal said.
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While courses will be free for meritorious students who belong toAeconomically weaker sections of the society - that being the prime focus of the institution - in case of any unfilled vacancies, only nominal amount will be charged in line with the Government fee. PTI MBI ANU
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Privacy advocates are raising alarms at how Uber is handling a year-old security breach that saw hackers steal the personal information of millions of customers around the world.
Uber admitted Tuesday that hackers stole names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of 57 million riders but has still not said which customers had their data stolen including the number of Canadians affected.
The company said Wednesday that its priority was disclosing information to regulators, though it has known about the breach for close to a year.
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We are working closely with regulatory and government authorities globally, including the Federal Privacy Commissioners Office here in Canada. Until we complete that process we arent in a position to get into more detail, said Uber Canada spokesperson Jean-Christophe de le Rue by email.
So far Uber has provided few details about the breach, specifying that hackers took the driver's licence numbers of 600,000 Uber drivers in the U.S. but not providing any country breakdowns about affected customers, including how many of its roughly two million Canadian users were hit.
Uber also said that as of Tuesday, two of the individuals who led the response to this incident are no longer with the company.
New Yorks state Attorney General has confirmed it has opened an investigation into the breach, with state laws requiring companies to give notice if data is stolen.
The company also faces potentially higher than usual fines from British authorities because the firm did not promptly disclose the hack as required by laws in the U.K.
Canada, however, does not have laws requiring disclosure of data breaches, and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said it has not yet launched a formal investigation.
The agency is, however, reaching out to its international counterparts to discuss the matter, and has asked Uber to provide a written breach report including details on how the breach happened and the impact on Canadian, said Privacy Commissioner spokeswoman Valerie Lawton by email.
NDP public safety critic Matthew said the Uber breach is the latest reminder that Canada needs to update its laws to deal with the growing threat of data theft.
This type of hack is once again a reminder that the government needs to listen to the Privacy Commissioner and implement fines for companies who treat Canadians information this way. The law also needs to be changed to force companies to divulge these hacks and be transparent.
The spate of cybersecurity breaches from Yahoo to Equifax show that more regulation is needed and the threat of reputational damage isnt enough to force companies to act, said Benoit Dupont, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity at McGill University.
Twenty years of looking at hacks shows that the markets arent good the government is going to have to be a bit more assertive about how it directs and regulates companies to implement more stringent levels of cybersecurity.
The long-delayed announcement and lack of details so far goes against the importance of transparency in these matters, said Satyamoorthy Kabilan, director of national security at the Conference Board of Canada.
That hiding of things, or that lack of communication over the breach, that is certainly a major concern for me.
He said its important for companies to proactively disclose data breaches so that individuals can respond, so that security experts can learn from the breach, and to retain the trust of customers.
What weve seen is organizations which are up front about what happened, they tend to retain the trust of users, whereas organizations that dont can be hit very badly.
He said that its impossible to ensure that data breaches dont happen, so companies need to be prepared for when they do, including how to communicate with users.
In todays complex, interconnected world, its impossible to have 100 per cent security, so you also need to be prepared with what to do should something bad happen.
The Uber breach is only the latest disclosure of numerous major data breaches in recent years involving prominent companies.
Earlier this year, credit reporting service Equifax waited several months before revealing this past September that hackers had stolen the Social Security numbers of 145 million Americans.
Equifax also did not immediately disclose how many Canadians were affected even as it provided specifics about the number of Americans and Brits who were impacted.
It later said only about 8,000 Canadians were affected.
With files from David Hodges in Toronto and The Associated Press
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Uma Thurmans post on Instagram on Thursday was captioned with an indication that she, too, has been a victim of sexual predation in Hollywood and a pointed declaration that deposed media mogul Harvey Weinstein doesnt deserve a bullet.
The 47-year-old movie star posted a black-and-white image of her own page with this text:
I am grateful today, to be alive, for all those I love, and for all those who have the courage to stand up for others. I said I was angry recently, and I have a few reasons, #metoo, in case you couldnt tell by the look on my face. I feel its important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so . . . Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators Im glad its going slowly you dont deserve a bullet) stay tuned.
Thurman gave no further specifics. She starred in Pulp Fiction and two Kill Bill movies produced by Weinsteins old company Miramax, after he and his brother Bob had sold it to Disney but continued to operate it. Thurman is making her Broadway debut next week in Beau Willimons play The Parisian Woman.
Quentin Tarantino, who directed all three films, has conceded he knew something of Harvey Weinsteins alleged sexual misdeeds before they were made public in October through investigations reported in the New York Times and New Yorker.
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HAMILTONA southern Ontario college says its investigating two incidents in which a television reporter says she was sexually harassed by students.
In a posting on the Mohawk College Facebook page, president Ron McKerlie says campus security is looking into misogynistic words used by two students on Tuesday.
CHCH reporter Britt Dixon was reporting on students returning to class following a five-week college faculty strike and said Tuesday on Twitter that a male student yelled a lewd comment behind her in the middle of an interview. Later she tweeted Wow twice in one day.
McKerlie says he has personally apologized to the reporter on behalf of the college and says sexual harassment is a clear violation of Mohawks student behaviour policy.
He says violating the policy can result in suspension or expulsion and, at a minimum, students are required to apologize and sign a behaviour contract.
McKerlie calls the incident deeply disappointing and not reflective the colleges values.
If you somehow believe it is acceptable or humorous to demean and sexually harass women then you are not welcome at Mohawk, he said.
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Visitors to Toronto City Hall should have to walk through metal detectors, surrender bags for inspection, and watch their councillors from behind glass walls, according to a secret city staff report to councillors.
The proposed transformation of what is now a bustling, mostly open building home to a wedding chapel and daycare as well as official meeting space and wickets for parking passes and more is in a confidential report compiled with threat assessments from Toronto police and Public Safety Canada.
Some councillors are vowing to fight the proposed clampdown, calling it an affront to democracy and open government. Others say the dark realities of 2017 require heightened measures like those imposed by Edmonton. One told the Star councillors are sitting ducks ripe for attack.
The report warns that city hall, with its famous curved towers, and Nathan Phillips Square outside it, are a target for serious threats so change is required to protect the site from lone wolf terrorists, organized terror groups, and other individuals with grievances.
Possible threats include active attackers, improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne IEDs, warns the report going to Mayor John Torys executive committee next week but intended to otherwise remain secret.
An attack on city hall is not only an attack on a government building, it is an attack on a symbol of Toronto, Canada, as well as an attack on a place that many people have or will visit, city staff warn Tory and all 44 councillors who will have final say over any changes.
Currently, security officers watch over city halls front doors but the visitors who stream in most days are free to roam the atrium and offices that serve the public. Since a Parliament Hill attacker killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in 2014, additional contracted security officers have watched over secondary doors now restricted to city staff and others with access passes.
People who watch committee meetings are not screened. Those entering the city council chamber must only open their bags for inspection.
Possible changes include:
Walk-through metal detectors at the front doors. If a security officer cant determine the cause of an alarm, they would screen the visitor with a hand-held wand. Councillors and city staff would only need to present access passes in a special lane.
Bags carried by visitors would be put on a table for physical inspection, rather than undergo X-ray due to the large flow of people.
In the council chamber the waist-high glass wall that now separates the public gallery from councillors seats should be made up to 30 centimetres taller, with an angled top guard to help repel an attacker, and extended around the sides now protected by velvet rope.
Two committee rooms with no barriers should get waist-high glass walls between public seats and those for council members and city staff. The walls would give people extra time to react in case of an attack.
Nathan Phillips Square should be protected from vehicle attacks, like the deadly one on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016, with new barriers.
The recommended changes would cost $774,000 a year for extra security plus another $500,000 in one-time capital costs.
On Tuesday, after release of a public portion of the report that referred only to patron screening, Councillor Gord Perks vowed to fight any change.
Theyre not patrons, theyre citizens and this is their palace, Perks (Ward 14 ParkdaleHigh Park) told the Star.
The accessibility of city hall should be the same as the accessibility of the sidewalk.
Councillor Paula Fletcher also said city hall must remain open, noting a host of offices serving the public unlike Queens Park and Parliament Hill.
But some colleagues feel vulnerable in city hall and say beefed-up security wont stop harmless visitors from enjoying the building.
Were sitting ducks, said Councillor Jim Karygiannis, who was a Liberal MP until shortly before the Parliament Hill attack.
I cannot forget what happen at Parliament, the Ward 39 Scarborough-Agincourt councillor wrote in an email, adding he recently had to report to security a city council visitor who showed him a switchblade knife within feet of the backs of city councillors.
City hall is the first target on terrorists minds after Parliament (and) Queens Park.
Paul Ainslie, the councillor who chairs government management committee, supports the introduction of metal detectors and glass walls.
I think we do need an enhanced level of security and whats being proposed isnt that different from what people experience at rock concerts or sporting events, said Ainslie (Ward 43 Scarborough East). I think members of the public, even if they are slowed down for a couple of minutes, would feel safer too.
Here are security measures at some other city halls:
Edmonton last year introduced metal detectors and bag searches for people attending committee and council meetings, as well as a glass partition between visitors and councillors.
Montreal has police search visitors on city council days.
Ottawa has no metal detectors or bag screening but says enhanced security may be considered in the future.
Calgary has, since 2015, made visitors to the council chamber pass through a metal detector and submit bags and purses to a search.
Winnipeg requires visitors to city hall to sign in and wear identification badges at all times.
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In a courtroom packed with supporters, Desmond Cole appeared in Old City Hall on Thursday to fight a trespassing charge laid at Toronto police headquarters this summer, after the activist and freelance journalist refused to cede the microphone at a police board meeting.
Cole was escorted out of headquarters by officers in July, after he disrupted the monthly meeting by demanding that he be allowed to speak about the high-profile case of Dafonte Miller, a Black teen alleged to have been severely beaten by an off-duty Toronto police officer and his brother.
Cole says he is determined to fight the provincial charge, which comes with a $65 fine, though he calls it a waste of everyones time and money. His lawyer, Annamaria Enenajor, told the court in a brief hearing that she will challenge the charge on the basis that it violates Coles Charter rights, specifically his freedom of expression.
A judicial pretrial has been scheduled for January.
We are not going anywhere until we get the accountability that we deserve for Dafonte, Cole said outside court, prompting cheers from more than 100 supporters.
Miller was 19 years old when he was alleged to have been severely beaten with a metal pipe by an off-duty Toronto police officer and his brother in Ajax on Dec. 28, 2016. He suffered serious eye damage, a broken orbital bone, a broken nose and a fractured wrist.
Const. Michael Theriault and his brother Christian Theriault are charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. They also each face one count of public mischief based on allegations they misled investigators.
The case has prompted intense criticism about the handling of the incident by both Toronto and Durham regional police chief among them each police services failure to notify Ontarios police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), given the involvement of Michael Theriault, who was off-duty at the time.
The watchdog only became aware of the incident when contacted by Millers lawyer, Julian Falconer, months later. The SIU then began an investigation, resulting in charges against the Theriault brothers in July.
At the police board meeting just over a week later, Toronto police board chair Andy Pringle and police chief Mark Saunders acknowledged the case,announcing an unusual step to call in Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin to conduct an internal review of Toronto polices handling of the incident.
The meeting then moved on to other business, but Cole, in a deputation to the board on another matter, began speaking out about the Miller case. Pringle then attempted to tell Cole that nothing further could be said on the matter because of the ongoing criminal case and the investigation by Waterloo police.
It will come back and you will have an opportunity to speak, Pringle said, of the investigative report from Waterloo police.
Pringle had earlier warned that no disruptions would be tolerated, alluding to previous board meetings where Cole and members of Black Lives Matter loudly chanted and questioned board members, sometimes prompting the meeting to temporarily adjourn.
As Cole continued to speak, Pringle adjourned the meeting, and the board including Mayor John Tory walked out. Cole was later escorted out and charged and the meeting resumed.
Outside court Thursday, Cole questioned why the board has been silent on the Miller case in the four months that have passed since the charges were laid, a criticism also being made by Falconer, Millers lawyer.
Neither Dafonte Miller nor his family have received one iota of information, Falconer said in an interview this week, adding that there has been a bizarre radio silence on behalf of police and its board in this case.
Falconer has called for a systemic review of police conduct by Ontarios police complaints watchdog, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), saying it is a poster child for whats wrong with police oversight in Ontario.
The lawyer alleges misconduct by both by Toronto police and Durham regional forces, including attempts by Michael and Christian Theriaults police officer father to conceal his sons alleged crimes.
In a complaint filed to the OIPRD in August, Falconer alleges that John Theriault, a 30-year Toronto police veteran who currently works in the professional standards unit, repeatedly contacted (Durham police) investigators to gain information relating to the status of the investigation and provided false information about injuries suffered by Christian to aid in the concealment of the crimes committed by his sons.
The complaint also alleges Toronto police permitted John Theriault to communicate with and have access to Durham investigators.
John Theriault did not respond to a request for comment from the Star this week.
Waterloo police, Toronto police and chair Pringle confirmed to the Star this week that the internal investigation into Toronto police conduct is ongoing but it may be months before it is sent to the board.
We are currently reviewing information and will be completing the report for Toronto Police Service, Waterloo police Insp. Mike Haffner said in an email. He did not respond to a question about when that would occur.
The chiefs administrative review, known as a section 11 report, is mandatory after the completion of every probe by Ontarios police watchdog, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
Last year, following a Star series on police transparency, the Toronto police board committed to releasing, in part, these previously secret reports.
Under Ontarios Police Services Act, these reports are required to be sent to the board within 30 days after the SIU finishes its investigation.
This requirement is much simpler in cases where the SIU does not lay a criminal charge. The 30 days begin ticking down when the SIU director informs the chief from the affected police service that the directors report has been sent to the Ministry of the Attorney General.
However, in cases where a criminal charge is laid there is no such report. The Police Act regulations do not explicitly spell out when the 30-day countdown begins in this scenario.
Toronto police has adopted a practice where they aim to report to the board within 30 days of a charge being sworn in court. In Theriaults case, that period would have begun in July. However, given the fact that the case is both highly complex and currently before the courts, it may be several months before the report comes to the board.
In an interview with the Star, Pringle stressed that while it was important to let investigators from Waterloo do their job, he hopes to see the report soon.
We want to see the answers, too, and sooner, not later, he said.
Don Peat, spokesperson for Tory, reiterated in an email this week that Tory, too, wants to let Waterloo police do their job.
Mayor Tory was clear that there were unanswered questions around this case and he is waiting for the independent probe to be completed before commenting further, Peat said.
After Durham police were called to the scene on the night of the incident, officers initially charged Miller, not the Theriaults, with assault, alongside other charges. All were withdrawn by the Crown in May.
Durham police are also conducting an investigation into their handling of the incident. In September, Durham Police Chief Paul Martin announced a new policy to ensure the SIU is called in to investigate serious injuries caused by an officer in his region regardless of whether the cop was from his force or off duty.
Dave Selby, spokesperson for Durham police, said their internal investigation is ongoing.
We are co-operating fully with both the OIPRD and SIU investigations and have offered to provide them any information they might require, he said.
Theriault has been out on bail since his arrest on July 18. He is suspended with pay.
Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca
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Ontario is vowing to help community-based after-school programs comply with new regulations after parents in Torontos child-care-starved east end say government rules are leaving them in the lurch.
The ongoing child-care crunch in the area bubbled to a boil earlier this week after a popular Leslieville program offering classes in dance, art, science and technology and martial arts was deemed to be operating an illegal child care because some of the children were age 4 and 5.
If the program wanted to continue, unlicensed, it had to limit childrens participation to three days a week.
Who works three days a week? said parent Mark Fraser. His 7-year-old daughter is among almost 100 children in the program, including about half who are picked up from area schools five days a week.
How can this be helping provide families with the child-care options they need? Fraser said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, after enraged parents signed an online petition and flooded social media with complaints, Indira Naidoo-Harris, minister responsible for child care, sent ministry officials to Sprouts Growing Bodies and Minds on Carlaw Ave. to work out a solution.
We have been stepping in when (programs) are facing issues of compliance because I regard that as an important part of the job, Naidoo-Harris told the Star.
So if someone is not compliant and isnt completely aware of all of the rules and needs some assistance and support, were going there and helping them, she said.
The regulations are part of child-care legislation introduced in 2014 in response to a scathing ombudsmans report after a rash of deaths in unlicensed home daycares, including Eva Ravikovich who died after she was left in a hot car.
In addition to beefed up inspections and new rules for home daycares, the law mandates school boards to provide before- and after-school programs for families that request it, starting with full-day kindergarten in the fall of 2016 and extending to students from Grades 1 to 6 in September 2017.
School boards, such as the Toronto public and Catholic boards that dont provide the programs themselves, are allowed to contract with licensed child-care providers or authorized recreation programs.
After-school programs for 4- and 5-year-olds not run by the school board can be operated only by licensed daycares. And that is where recreation programs such as Sprouts are running into problems with education ministry inspectors, Naidoo-Harris said.
Since September, the ministry has issued 10 compliance orders. All are in the GTA, including four in Torontos east end.
Recreational programs play an important role when it comes to parents and children but they have to be safe, Naidoo-Harris said. The government needed to create clarity in the system in light of the ombudsmans recommendations, which called for more attention to children under 6, she added.
Sprouts co-owner Emily Pengelly said most kindergarten-age children come to her classes with nannies or parents who remain onsite. The few 4- and 5-year-olds who attend five days a week on their own, have older siblings, she said.
We are not here to babysit. Its not what we do. We are teachers. And if a child isnt ready to learn or isnt interested in what we offer, then they shouldnt be here, she said in an interview.
As a result of the ministry visit Wednesday, the program will continue as before but under a different corporate structure, Pengelly said.
Shiralee Hudson Hill, a member of parent group Toronto East Enders for Child Care, said Sprouts is a highly-regarded program that many of her neighbours use.
Parents understand more than anyone else the need for regulation. But we need spaces. After-care is not optional, she said.
With the cost of living in this city, its impossible to live on one income. Its just not tenable. Parents need spaces and those spaces dont exist in the way the ministry wants them to exist. So what are parents supposed to do?
Area MPP Peter Tabuns (NDPToronto Danforth) who met with Naidoo-Harris Wednesday, said if before- and after-school care was available in schools for every family that needed it, the scramble over Sprouts wouldnt be an issue.
Then we would know it is regulated and who was looking after the kids, and parents who wanted something else could go out to the private sector and deal with all those vagaries, he said.
But right now, parents are dealing with a mix of providers, including a number of small businesses, some of which are much better than others, and for parents its just a very confusing world, he said.
NDP MPP Catherine Fife blamed the government for being out of touch with the realities of working families, and for deeming recreational programs unsuitable but then not putting a contingency plan in place.
Parents are still struggling to find licensed, quality child-care that they can afford especially in Toronto and they are looking to these recreational programs to fill the gap, Fife (Kitchener-Waterloo) said in an interview.
As of September, 83 per cent of Ontario schools are offering before- and after-school programs, Naidoo-Harris noted. But in Toronto, just 74 per cent of schools offer the program and in those that do, space restrictions mean all families cant be accommodated.
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The federal Liberals new national housing strategy wont shelter middle-income residents from the increasingly unaffordable cost of owning or renting a home in the Toronto region, builders and landlords say.
The long-awaited policy, announced in Toronto on Wednesday, will invest $11.2 billion in federal funding over 11 years to help create 100,000 new housing units and repair another 300,000 homes across Canada.
But it doesnt address the needs of middle-income residents in the Toronto region making $50,000 to $70,000 a year, said Jim Murphy, CEO of the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario.
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Were increasingly concerned that those in the middle, who probably wouldnt qualify for most of these programs, are still facing hardship. They cant afford to own with an average price of $1.3 million (for a detached resale house in Toronto in October). Increasingly, rent is becoming difficult, not only in terms of price but in terms of supply and finding a place, he said.
The government has not provided an HST break for developers who build rentals something that would put more supply in the pipeline, said Murphy.
More action is needed to promote private investment in purpose-built rental, said the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT).
At about $1,600 a month, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto makes saving for home ownership difficult, said Clinton Lee, 29, a financial analyst with a downtown bank.
Im hearing of these boomerang kids. I didnt expect to be one, he said of his recent move back to his mothers home in Mississauga to save for a condo.
Lee, who earns $68,000 a year, says he makes a good living relative to what his mother made when she came to Canada from Hong Kong in 1989.
He had purchased a pre-construction condo last year in Torontos west end. But the developer cancelled the building and now Lee says he is priced out of the market. Hes not alone. A TRBOT found 83 per cent of young professionals said the high cost of housing in the region is hindering their savings for retirement and debt repayment.
My friends are all tapping into their own parents, Lee said.
While some got into home ownership straight out of school, he said the majority of his friends are still renting.
Housing affordability declined the most in the Toronto region compared to the previous year, according to a September report from RBC Economics. To own a home in the area, you need a six-figure income, it said. Recent census data shows home ownership is declining in the area.
Ottawas strategy acknowledges the value of home ownership and the role of market housing but it doesnt go far enough in addressing the lack of supply and homes that average people can afford, said Bryan Tuckey, CEO of the Building and Land Development Association (BILD).
It may make it more difficult for young families and new Canadians to achieve a dream of owning their first home, he said.
New construction condo prices, considered the regions affordable housing option, rose 36 per cent year over year in September to an average $661,188, according to BILD. Condos accounted for 80 per cent of new construction home sales this year.
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No charges are expected to be laid in the deaths of two Indigenous teenagers whose bodies were discovered in Thunder Bay waterways in May, following a coroners investigation that involved the York Regional Police.
Im not aware of any charges and Im very knowledgeable about the cases, said Ontarios Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer.
Huyer asked York Regional Police in June to investigate the deaths of Tammy Keeash, a 17-year old from North Caribou Lake First Nation, and Josiah Begg, a 14-year old from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation. York police were assisted by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.
The decision followed calls from 77 northern Ontario Indigenous leaders for the RCMP to investigate the deaths of Keeash, Begg, and one other amid concerns of systemic racism within the Thunder Bay police force.
I do feel that it was quite valuable to help have a more in-depth and better understanding of the circumstances of these two deaths, Huyer said.
Keeash and Begg are the sixth and seventh Indigenous teens since 2000 to die in the waterways in Thunder Bay, where both the local police and the civilian board tasked with overseeing them are under investigation in relation to concerns raised by Indigenous leaders.
The Thunder Bay Police determined there was no evidence to indicate criminality in Keeashs death. Her body was found in the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway on May 7 a day after she disappeared from her foster home.
APTN reported that Keeash was drinking with three family members on a hill near the floodway when she went missing.
She was still alive when they left her, Pearl Keeash, Tammys mother, told APTN.
I believe something happened to her. I still have a lot of questions, she said.
Begg, who was in Thunder Bay for medical appointments with his father, also disappeared on May 6. His body was found in the McIntyre River on May 18.
While Huyer said he is unable to publicly release the details of the coroners investigations, he hopes it has given both families a better understanding of the circumstances of their childrens deaths.
Its always tough because we cant answer every single question because sometimes if theres nobody with the person when they pass then we cant know exactly what happened, he said.
With files from Tanya Talaga.
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With another influx of Haitian refugees from the U.S. in sight, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is warning that Canada is not a viable option for them and data released Wednesday by Ottawa backs him up on that.
The federal government has been on high alert since the Trump administration announced this week it will end its temporary residency permit program that has allowed 60,000 Haitians to stay in the United States. Haitian migrants have until July 2019 to return to their country.
On Wednesday, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada released data on the outcomes of the 1,314 asylum decisions made involving those who crossed unguarded points along the border with the United States from February to October. Of those, 941 were accepted and 373 rejected. Some other 258 claims were either abandoned or withdrawn. Almost 12,900 of the 14,470 refugee claims are still pending.
Haitians, who account for 6,304 or 44 per cent of those claims, were among those with the lowest acceptance rate, at 17 per cent. Only 29 of the 168 Haitian border-crossers were granted asylum after a hearing as of Oct. 31.
On Wednesday, Hussen cited the Haitians acceptance rate as 10 per cent, using the number of cases finalized as the base which included the 130 additional claims that were either abandoned or withdrawn from the system, instead of just the total positive and negative decisions rendered by a refugee judge.
Coming to Canada first of all has to be done through regular channels, and secondly the asylum system is only for people who are in genuine need of protection, Hussen told reporters. Its not for everyone.
Critics question the timing of the release of the data as well as the refugee board collection of data by the means asylum-seekers arrived.
Its questionable why they are pulling out these claims based on where and how they entered Canada, said Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees. The information is not relevant to their claims.
The Trump administration said Monday it is ending a temporary residency permit program that has allowed almost 60,000 citizens from Haiti to live and work in the United States since a 2010. Haitian advocates quickly criticized the decision. (The Associated Press)
Since December, on the eve of President Donald Trumps travel bans against immigrants and refugees, migrants in the U.S. started trickling into Canada through unguarded points along the land border in Manitoba and Quebec to circumvent a bilateral pact that limits refugees to seeking asylum in the first of the two countries they arrive in. The bilateral pact only applies to those crossing the border at the official ports of entry.
The influx peaked in August when 6,000 people arrived in Quebec alone, the majority of them French-speaking Haitians.
While the Haitian asylum-seekers are having a tough time being granted asylum, the refugee board statistics show the overall acceptance rate of the border-crossing group at 72 per cent.
From February to October, 99 per cent of the 174 Turkish decisions were positive; Syrians were at 96 per cent; Eritreans at 99 per cent; Yemenis at 100 per cent; Djiboutians at 85 per cent and Sudanese at 79 per cent.
Both Canada and the U.S. offered temporary refuge for Haitians after the 2010 earthquake as they paused deportation to the country. Canada cancelled the special program earlier this year as conditions on the island have improved.
Dench, of the refugee council, said most of the countries with high acceptance rates fall under the refugee boards expedited program which prioritizes cases from places where the crises and conditions are so bad that most claims are likely to succeed.
Many of these asylum-seekers also have trouble securing legal representation and filing their asylum narratives in time, and risked having their claims considered abandoned, she said.
We are profiling the (outcomes of) claims based on country of origin, said Dench. It should be based on a claimants individual situation.
Meanwhile, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Canada will be ready to cope with another possible surge in asylum-seekers.
Weve had contingency planning underway now for some time, working also with provinces and municipalities to make sure that we can do two things, Goodale told reporters.
Number one, enforce all Canadian laws; and number two, meet all Canadian obligations under international (refugee) conventions.
However, the union representing border agents has expressed doubt. We dont think the government is ready to face another crisis, said Jean-Pierre Fortin, president of the Customs and Immigration Union, in September.
With files from Alex Boutilier and The Canadian Press
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In the mid-1970s, even before post-traumatic stress disorder was recognized by health professionals, a group of doctors in Toronto were already seeing those symptoms among the refugee population showing up at their practices.
On May 8, 1977, some of the doctors got together for a first meeting at Dr. Federico Allodis Toronto home to brainstorm ideas to treat and advocate for these refugee patients referred by churches, lawyers, social workers and family physicians.
They came to us with horrible stories and terrible experiences of torture, recalled Allodi in an interview. We were not used to that.
From a humble beginning as a volunteer group, they later moved to a small meeting room at the Doctors Hospital, to a small office on Major St. and to a church basement before finding a permanent home in an office building at Jarvis and Dundas Sts.
Incorporated in 1983 with $12,000 seed funding from the federal government to hire a single staff member, the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture today has 40 employees and an annual budget of $2.5 million for a wide range of programs to help heal survivors and integrate them into the community.
These people were targeted, tortured and detained for their beliefs, sexual orientation or political views. They resist and persist, and are completely broken spiritually, said Mulugeta Abai, executive director of the centre, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary at a fundraising gala at Old Mill Toronto banquet hall Friday.
They have come a long way. It is frustrating that torture keeps rising, but we cant lose hope. We have to stay motivated to help them and support them.
Dr. Donald Payne, a former volunteer with the centre, said the groups mandate was to treat torture survivors who were then not covered by Canadian health plans and write up assessment reports as part of their asylum claims.
You can do an X-ray for a broken arm but you cant prove torture because there are no physical signs of torture, said the retired psychiatrist, adding that perpetrators would often try to hide wounds by beating the victims with clubs wrapped up in towels.
We have seen a lot of refugees through the centre. Its encouraging seeing people making progress. They really inspire me about human nature. They have loads of bitterness and resentment, but yet they are resilient.
The Toronto centre was only the second centre for victims of torture after the first was established in Denmark. Not only does it treat clients psychological and physical problems, its holistic approach also offers support in housing, welfare, language learning and other settlement needs.
Abai, who has been with the organization for 27 years, said the centre now runs community mental health programs for youth and children, with seven psychiatrists and two family doctors providing free services at four locations. It also provides certificate courses on trauma care. Last year, it served more than 2,800 clients from 93 countries.
Kubra Zaifi, who worked on womens rights for international aid groups in Afghanistan and was jailed along with her colleagues, fled Kabul for asylum in Canada in 2011 and counted herself lucky for finding support from the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture.
In everyday news, you see people in Afghanistan being killed by bombs or suicide attacks. Its hard to trust anyone in Afghanistan, said Zaifi. In my first year in Canada I would cry loudly in public because I had lost everything, my home, my job and my family. I knew I couldnt go back home.
It did not help, she said, being transplanted in a new country and culture, and stressed out over the uncertainty of the asylum process.
With everything that happened to me, it was difficult to re-establish, said Zaifi, who was granted refugee status in 2013 and now works as a settlement counsellor at the centre. They have given me the strength and confidence. With my job here, I hope I can give others the strength and confidence they need.
At its annual gala, the centre will also honour Mount Sinai Hospital psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Andermann; the hospitals trauma program director Dr. Clare Pain; Rwandan Community Abroad Toronto president Caleb Mabano; and writer/actor Chas Lawther for their contributions to the community.
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By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Nov 23 (PTI) Odishas Tourism and Culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda today said that AirAsia will start direct flights to Bangkok from the Biju Patnaik International Airport here.
Thai AirAsia is slated to start the flight service early next year, the minister said.
"However, it is not decided how many times it will fly in a week," Panda said.
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Panda also said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will soon be signed between Thai AirAsia and the Odisha tourism department for starting the flight service.
The airline had started operating flights between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur with four weekly non-stop flights in April this year, he said.
At present, the airline operates a daily flight between Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, officials said the state government will provide certain facilities to AirAsia such as giving subsidy and waive value added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
Earlier, the state government had decided to slash VAT on ATF to zero from five per cent to boost international air connectivity. PTI AAM SBN
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From career entrance exams to required hands-on training, Ontario college students are left struggling to catch up after a five-week strike by faculty that has forced semesters to be extended to make up for lost time.
We are now learning that because of the extended semester, some students wishing to write their paralegal entrance exam with the law society wont be finished in time for the February exam sitting putting students behind by at least six months, NDP MPP Peggy Sattler said Thursday at the legislature.
Given the fact that the Liberal government sat on the sidelines for five weeks and did nothing to help prevent or resolve the strike, is the premier working on a solution for these students?
Sattler also said shes worried about students in co-op programs and those with on-the-job training requirements that wont be met in time.
The College Student Alliance said it has reached out to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development for answers.
But at least once college says students enrolled in its paralegal program should be okay.
The plans to recover the semester are underway. Students who have registered for the February 2018 licensing exam should still be able to write that exam if they have met all the requirements set by the law society, said Veronique Henry, who chairs Centennial Colleges Centre for Legal and Administrative Studies.
Minister Deb Matthews who noted the NDP delayed passage of the legislation forcing instructors back on the job and ending the record-long strike said colleges are working very hard to make sure that students are able to successfully complete their semester.
We have been working with students throughout the strike and following the strike to make sure that we can be there to offer as much support as possible to get students back on track, she also said.
The NDP has also criticized the government for its hardship fund from monies saved by the colleges during the strike as being inadequate to meet student needs. In a city like Toronto, the maximum $500 would not even cover rent, said Sattler.
Matthews said the student alliance is supportive of the fund a first in the history of post-secondary education strikes and the governments efforts.
This has been very, very difficult for students, for faculty members, for employers in the community who were looking forward to having those students working in their organizations, Matthews said. The strike was tough. It had a big impact. Were doing everything we can to support students to get back into the classroom and back on track for their careers.
During the strike by 12,000 faculty, classes were cancelled for as many as 500,000 students starting Oct. 16, and resumed Nov. 21.
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NEW HAVEN, CONN.A native of Ecuador living in Connecticut who took sanctuary inside a New Haven church last summer to avoid deportation can go home to his family.
An attorney for Marco Reyes Alvarez said Wednesday the Department of Homeland Security has agreed not to arrest, detain or deport Alvarez while his appeals paperwork is being processed. He will remain on GPS monitoring.
It means he can go home with his family for, we dont know how long, attorney Erin ONeil-Baker told The Hartford Courant. We know that at any point the second circuit (appeals court) could make a decision on his case, but while those are pending the Department of Homeland Security, they wont deport him.
Alvarez entered the U.S. illegally in 1997 and has been living in Meriden. The father of three was supposed to board a plane to Ecuador on Aug. 8 but instead took refuge inside the First and Summerfield United Methodist Church.
His supporters said a family member was murdered in Ecuador and he fears for his life if he returns.
Alvarez and his wife were overcome with emotion when they received the news on Wednesday. The New Haven Register reported that Alvarez had been preparing for a Thanksgiving meal in the church basement.
You know, I am very, very happy, Alvarez said. Sorry, I dont have a word right now. Im sorry.
ONeil-Baker said she filed a petition for review with the court in New York on Monday.
Were hoping the second circuit will rule in our favour and reopen his old removal order so he can pursue claims for asylum, ONeil-Baker said.
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BANGKOKBurma and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Thursday covering the return of Rohingya Muslims who fled across their mutual border to escape violence in Burmas Rakhine state.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, announced the agreement but provided no details on how many Rohingya refugees would be allowed to return home. Bangladesh said the repatriations are to begin within two months.
More than 620,000 Rohingya have fled from Burma into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when the army began what it called clearance operations following an attack on police posts by a group of Rohingya insurgents. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh said their homes were set on fire by soldiers and Buddhist mobs, and some reported being shot at by security forces.
The office of Burma civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said the agreement on the return of displaced persons from Rakhine state was signed by Cabinet officials in Naypyitaw, Burmas capital. It said the pact follows a formula set in a 1992 repatriation agreement signed by the two nations after an earlier spasm of violence. Under that agreement, Rohingya were required to present residency documents, which few have, before being allowed to return to Burma.
Were continuing our bilateral talks with (Burma) so that these (Burma) nationals (Rohingya) could return to their country, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was quoted as saying by the United News of Bangladesh news agency. Its my call to (Burma) to start taking back soon their nationals from Bangladesh.
Also Thursday, the Government of Canada announced it will spend $35 million over five years to help Bangladesh address the needs of women and girls as the country deals with the massive influx of Rohingya Muslims.
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the new spending to be directed through United Nations agencies from Bangladesh, where she was getting a first-hand look at the crisis.
Bibeau visited women and children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, currently the epicentre of the world's most pressing humanitarian crisis.
Read more:
U.S. declares Burma is committing ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims
Burma treatment of Rohingya Muslims called dehumanizing apartheid in new report
Bob Rae on Rohingya crisis in Burma: Its more than an emergency
Rohingya at a refugee camp in Bangladesh expressed deep doubts about the new agreement between Bangladesh and Burma.
They burned our houses, they took our land and cows will they give us these things back? asked Abdul Hamid from Hoyakong.
Im not happy at all. First, I need to know if they are going to accept us with the Rohingya identity, said Sayed Alom, also from Hoyakong.
Rohingya Muslims have faced state-supported discrimination in predominantly Buddhist Burma for decades. Though members of the ethnic minority first arrived generations ago, Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, denying them almost all rights and rendering them stateless. They cannot travel freely, practice their religion, or work as teachers or doctors, and they have little access to medical care, food or education.
The Burma government has refused to accept them as a minority group, and the statement issued Thursday by Suu Kyis office did not use the term Rohingya.
The human rights group Amnesty International said in a report Tuesday that the discrimination against Rohingya has worsened considerably in the last five years, and amounts to dehumanizing apartheid.
The United States on Wednesday declared the violence against Rohingya to be ethnic cleansing, and threatened penalties for Burma military officers involved in the crackdown.
The human rights group Amnesty International said in a report Tuesday that the discrimination against Rohingya has worsened considerably in the last five years, and amounts to dehumanizing apartheid.
There can be no safe or dignified returns of Rohingya to (Burma) while a system of apartheid remains in the country, and thousands are held there in conditions that amount to concentration camps. Returns in the current climate are simply unthinkable, the groups director for refugee and migrant rights, Charmain Mohamed, said in a statement Thursday.
With files from The Canadian Press
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LONDONDaesh militants have lost the last of their strongholds, but for Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad, a new battle is just beginning.
Three years after escaping militants in northern Iraq, Murad is unveiling a harrowing memoir, The Last Girl, about her ordeal as a sex slave.
Murads disturbing personal account is part of her effort, represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, to bring Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, members to justice for war crimes and genocide against the Yazidi people.
This is not something I chose, Murad, 24, said in an interview in the lounge of a posh London hotel. Somebody had to tell these stories. Its not easy.
When the Daesh swept into northern Iraq in 2014, thousands of Yazidis were killed and thousands more were kidnapped, including women and girls who were taken as sex slaves. UN officials have said the violence committed against the minority sect constituted a genocide, and the UN Security Council has created a task force to collect evidence of atrocities in Iraq.
Murad became the first UN goodwill ambassador for survivors of human trafficking in 2016, and is pressing her concerns about thousands of Yazidi women and girls who may still be captives and survivors she hopes will be moved from camps and resettled.
The goal of this book is to make sure that everyone knows what happened to the Yazidis and how they suffered, Murad said. There are other survivors who dream that one day they will testify about what (Daesh) did to them. Our stories can make a difference.
When the war began, Murad was a student living a quiet life in the village of Kocho in northern Iraq.
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Trump administration denounces Daesh for genocide of Christians, Yazidis, Shiite Muslims
Yazidi women freed from Daesh bear deep psychological scars
Everyone was poor, she said. We were satisfied with a life that was simple and humble. We were a peaceful, open people.
The militants arrived in Kocho in August 2014 and ordered everyone to the schoolhouse. The men were then forced to leave, and gunfire soon rang out. Scores of men were killed, including six of Murads brothers.
Murad was put on a bus with other young women, relatives and neighbors, and Daesh fighters began groping the women. One fighter put his hand down her shirt and tried to do things that happen between lovers when they get married. Daesh gunmen took away Murads mother to be killed. They set an elderly woman on fire.
Murad and the other young women were taken to the home of a wealthy family in the city of Mosul, where crowds of men grabbed at them.
One man extinguished a cigarette on Murads stomach. Another man chose three women, paying for them in U.S. dollars. The rest were offered up at a chaotic slave market, and Murad was dragged off by the first of her tormentors.
I put the details in the book so I dont have to tell the story every time, she said forlornly.
The Daesh leadership created a self-styled religious rationale to justify the sexual abuse of Yazidi women, and girls as young as 9.
Some Yazidi women took their own lives.
Murad was gang-raped as punishment for trying to escape.
What gave me strength was the hundreds, if not thousands, of girls in captivity, Murad said. I told myself, we will be able to survive this.
One day a Daesh gunman left her alone in a house, and Murad found an unlocked door. She stepped out into the courtyard, climbed the wall and dropped down into an empty street, terrified.
It wasnt about courage, she said. Youre scared of being put to death, or tortured. All you think about is how to survive.
Murad walked swiftly through the darkening streets of Mosul, her face covered by a long veil. She banged on the door of a house and begged for help.
The family inside let her in and eventually smuggled her out of Daesh territory, passing her off as the wife of one of the men. As they went through the last checkpoint, she spotted her photo on a flyer showing wanted escapees.
Murad made her way to a refugee camp and was accepted as a refugee to Germany in 2015. She now lives with her sister, a war widow, in an apartment in Stuttgart.
Murad is still haunted by the failure of people in Mosul to help more Yazidi women.
There were 2 million civilians in Mosul and 2,000 kidnapped girls there, she said. There were thousands of families in Mosul that could have helped other girls, but they didnt. Women had to wear veils in Mosul. It would have been easy to smuggle Yazidi women out.
Many of those who did help smuggle Yazidis demanded thousands of dollarsher sister-in-laws family paid about $25,425 to get her to safety, Murad said.
Last summer, Murad returned to her hometown for a heros welcome, and tears streamed down her face as she entered her familys destroyed home.
We hoped that our fate would be like the men and we would be killed, but instead Europeans, Saudis, Tunisians and other fighters came and raped us and sold us, she said, in an improvised speech that was videotaped by news reporters.
Murad hopes that someday she will look the men who raped me in the eye and see them brought to justice, and will be the last girl with a with a story like mine.
She has another ambition: She wants to become a makeup artist and hairdresser, or even open her own salona place that traditionally serves as a haven for women.
Maybe people will remember me for being a stylist, not a survivor of Daesh , she said. Theyll forget that.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.The worlds nights are getting alarmingly brighter bad news for all sorts of creatures, humans included.
A German-led term reported Wednesday that light pollution is threatening darkness almost everywhere. Satellite observations during five Octobers show Earths artificially lit outdoor area grew by 2 per cent a year from 2012 to 2016. So did nighttime brightness.
Light pollution is actually worse than that, according to the researchers. Their measurements coincide with the outdoor switch to energy-efficient and cost-saving light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Because the imaging sensor on the polar-orbiting weather satellite cant detect the LED-generated colour blue, some light is missed.
The observations, for example, indicate stable levels of night light in the United States, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. But light pollution is almost certainly on the rise in those countries given this elusive blue light, said Christopher Kyba of the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences and lead author of the study published in Science Advances.
Also on the rise is the spread of light into the hinterlands and overall increased use. The findings shatter the long-held notion that more energy efficient lighting would decrease usage on the global or at least a national scale.
Honestly, I had thought and assumed and hoped that with LEDs we were turning the corner. Theres also a lot more awareness of light pollution, he told reporters by phone from Potsdam. It is quite disappointing.
The biological impact from surging artificial light is also significant, according to the researchers.
Peoples sleep can be marred, which in turn can affect their health. The migration and reproduction of birds, fish, amphibians, insects and bats can be disrupted. Plants can have abnormally extended growing periods. And forget about seeing stars or the Milky Way, if the trend continues.
About the only places with dramatic declines in night light were in areas of conflict like Syria and Yemen, the researchers found. Australia also reported a noticeable drop, but thats because wildfires were raging early in the study. Researchers were unable to filter out the bright burning light.
Asia, Africa and South America, for the most part, saw a surge in artificial night lighting.
More and more places are installing outdoor lighting given its low cost and the overall growth in communities wealth, the scientists noted. Urban sprawl is also moving towns farther out. The outskirts of major cities in developing nations are brightening quite rapidly, in fact, Kyba said.
Other especially bright hot spots: sprawling greenhouses in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
Photos taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station also illuminate the growing problem.
Franz Holker of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, a co-author, said things are at the critical point.
Many people are using light at night without really thinking about the cost, Holker said. Not just the economic cost, but also the cost that you have to pay from an ecological, environmental perspective.
Kyba and his colleagues recommend avoiding glaring lamps whenever possible choosing amber over so-called white LEDs and using more efficient ways to illuminate places like parking lots or city streets. For example, dim, closely spaced lights tend to provide better visibility than bright lights that are more spread out.
The International Dark-Sky Association, based in Tucson, Arizona, has been highlighting the hazards of artificial night light for decades.
We hope that the results further sound the alarm about the many unintended consequences of the unchecked use of artificial light at night, Director J. Scott Feierabend said in a statement.
An instrument on the 2011-launched U.S. weather satellite, Suomi, provided the observations for this study. A second such instrument known as the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS was launched on a new satellite Saturday by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This latest VIIRS will join the continuing night light study.
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In North Korea, life only gets better if the state helps you. But these days, the state doesnt help. Were on our own.
The bride, now 23, from Hyesan. Escaped from North Korea in May 2017.
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When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea almost six years ago, many North Koreans thought that their lives were going to improve. He offered the hope of generational change in the worlds longest-running communist dynasty. After all, he was so young. A millennial. Someone with experience of the outside world.
But the Great Successor, as he is called by the regime, has turned out to be every bit as brutal as his father and grandfather before him. Even as he has allowed greater economic freedom, he has tried to seal the country off more than ever, stepping up security along the border with China and stepping up the punishments for those who dare to try to cross it. And at home, freedom of speech, and of thought, is still a mirage.
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In six months of interviews in South Korea and Thailand, the Washington Post talked with more than 25 North Koreans from different walks of life who lived in Kim Jong Uns North Korea and managed to escape from it. In barbecue restaurants, cramped apartments and hotel rooms, these refugees provided the fullest account to date of daily life inside North Korea and how it has changed, and how it hasnt, since Kim took over from his father, Kim Jong Il, at the end of 2011. Many are from the northern parts of the country that border China the part of North Korea where life is toughest, and where knowledge about the outside world just across the river is most widespread and are from the relatively small segment of the population that is prepared to take the risks involved in trying to escape.
Some parts of their stories cannot be independently verified because of the secretive nature of the regime and their names have been withheld to protect their family members still in North Korea. They were introduced to the Post by groups that help North Korean escapees, including No Chain for North Korea, Woorion and Liberty in North Korea.
But in talking about their personal experiences, including torture and the culture of surveillance, they recounted the hardships of daily life under Kim Jong Uns regime. They paint a picture of a once-communist state that has all but broken down, its state-directed economy at a standstill. Today, North Koreans are making their own way, earning money in an entrepreneurial and often illegal fashion. There are only a few problems in North Korea these days that money cant solve.
As life inside North Korea is changing, so too are peoples reasons for escaping.
Increasingly, North Koreans are not fleeing their totalitarian state because they are hungry, as they did during the 15 or so years following the outbreak of a devastating famine in the mid-1990s. Now, they are leaving because they are disillusioned.
Market activity is exploding, and with that comes a flow of information, whether as chit-chat from traders who cross into China or as soap operas loaded on USB sticks. And this leads many North Koreans to dream in a way they hadnt before.
Some are leaving North Korea because they want their children to get a better education. Some are leaving because their dreams of success and riches in the North Korean system are being thwarted. And some are leaving because they want to be able to speak their minds.
The U.S.-led UN command released dramatic video showing a North Korean soldier dash across border into South Korea as North Korean troops fire at him. The defector was wounded. The UN says North Korea violated the Korean War armistice by firing. (The Associated Press)
A new Kim at the helm
Korean Central News Agency Dec. 19, 2011 Standing at the forefront of the Korean revolution is Kim Jong Un, great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche (self-reliance ideology) and outstanding leader of our party, army and people.
The meat delivery guy, now 23, from Undok. Escaped in 2014:
Kim Jong Un came to power the same year I graduated from high school, and I had very high hopes for him. I heard that hed studied abroad in Switzerland. I thought he was going to be very different from his father.
The young mother, now 29, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2014:
I could see how young he was, and I hoped that maybe things were going to get better. We were given some rations through our neighbourhood association we even got meat and fish at the time he took over.
The preschooler, now 7, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2014:
I remember how fat he was. He had a very fat face like a pig.
As the regime started preparing for Kims succession, it put out a song that everyone in the country was made to learn, called Footsteps. The idea was that Kim was following in the footsteps of his father and would lead the country into a glorious future.
The money man, now 43, from Hyesan. Escaped in 2015:
We heard the song Footsteps and we were told to memorize it so (we) knew that he was going to be the leader after Kim Jong Il. We were told how great he was, that he could ride a horse when he was 5 years old and shoot a gun when he was 3. Of course, we didnt believe these things, but if you laughed or said anything, youd be killed.
The university student, now 37, from Sariwon. Escaped in 2013:
I was in my second year at the university when this person was introduced to us as our new leader. I thought it was a joke. Among my closest friends, we were calling him a piece of s--t. Everyone thinks this, but you can only say it to your closest friends or to your parents if you know that they agree.
The drug dealer, now 46, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2014:
I created some kind of fantasy in my mind about Kim Jong Un. Because he was so young, I thought he was going to open North Koreas doors, but after he took power and I lived three years under him, life became harder.
Money talks
In theory, North Korea is a bastion of socialism, a country where the state provides everything, including housing, health care, education and jobs. In reality, the state economy barely operates anymore. People work in factories and fields, but there is little for them to do and they are paid almost nothing. A vibrant private economy has sprung up out of necessity, one where people find ways to make money on their own, whether through selling homemade tofu or dealing drugs, through smuggling small DVD players with screens called notels over the border or extracting bribes.
The university student:
North Korea technically has a centrally planned economy, but now peoples lives revolve around the market. No one expects the government to provide things anymore. Everyone has to find their own way to survive.
The hairdresser, now 23, from Hyesan. Escaped in 2016:
I had to drop out of teachers college when I was 19 because my father became ill, so I needed to work. I started doing peoples hair at my house. All the women wanted perms. I charged 30 (Chinese) yuan for a regular perm or 50 yuan for a perm with better products. But it was still hard to make money. (Thirty yuan is about $4.50 U.S.)
The farmer, now 46, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2014:
We lived in the city centre, but we rented some land in the foothills of the mountains and grew corn there. During planting and harvest season, we would wake up at 4 a.m. and walk three hours to reach the farmland. Wed take a little break for lunch or a snack, then work until 8 p.m. before walking home again. Doing the weeding was the hardest because we had to get rid of them by hand. And wed buy beans from the market and make tofu that wed sell from our house. Our profit was less than 5,000 won (60 cents at the black market rate) a day. But because the bean price fluctuates, sometimes we were left with nothing at all.
***
North Koreans first learned how to be entrepreneurs during the famine, when they had to make money to survive. While men had to continue to show up for work in dormant factories, women would turn corn into noodles and keep a little for themselves but sell the rest so they could buy more corn for the following day. Homeless children would steal manhole covers to sell as scrap metal. Markets began to appear and took hold. North Koreans used to joke you could buy everything there except cats horns.
These days, you can probably buy cats horns, too.
The bean trader, now 23, from Hyesan. Escaped in 2014:
I had an aunt in Pyongyang who sold beans in the market there. I would buy what she needed from various farmers and get it to her. Id pay people to pack up the beans into sacks, pay porters to take them to the station, get them onto the train. You have to smooth the way with money. My uncle is in the military, so his position provided protection for my aunts business. Of course, my aunt was the main earner in the house. Its the women who can really make money in North Korea.
***
Tens of thousands of North Koreans now work outside the country, in lumber yards and garment factories and on construction sites, in China, Russia and other countries, earning foreign currency. Generally, two-thirds of their pay goes to the regime and theyre allowed to keep the rest.
The construction worker, now 40, from Pyongyang. Escaped in 2015:
I wanted to earn money for my family and buy a house, so I paid $100 to bribe my way into an overseas construction job. I was sent to St. Petersburg. We lived at the construction site and would work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or sometimes until midnight in the summer, then wed go back to our dormitory to eat. We worked seven days a week, but we could finish early on Sundays 7 p.m. and that was nice. My whole purpose for being there was to make lots of money and go home proud of my achievement. I still remember the first time I got paid. It was 1,000 rubles. When I finished work at 10 p.m., I went to the store and saw that a bottle of beer was 27 rubles. I thought, wow, Im rich.
***
As the economy and the rules that govern it change, there are more and more grey areas that can be exploited. That means that illegal trade and activity have blossomed, too.
The drug dealer:
I did so many things that I wasnt supposed to do. I worked as a broker transferring money and connecting people in North Korea with people in South Korea through phone calls. I arranged reunions for them in China. I smuggled antiques out of North Korea and sold them in China. I sold ginseng and pheasants to China. And I dealt ice (methamphetamines). Officially, I was a factory worker, but I bribed my way out of having to go to work. If you dont operate this way in North Korea, you have nothing.
The doctor, now 42, from Hyesan. Escaped in 2014:
The salary for doctors was about 3,500 won a month. That was less than it cost to buy one kilogram of rice. So of course, being a doctor was not my main job. My main job was smuggling at night. I would send herbal medicine from North Korea into China, and with the money, I would import home appliances back into North Korea. Rice cookers, notels, LCD monitors, that kind of thing.
***
From the biggest cities to the smallest villages, there is now some kind of market building where people can sell their wares and keep their profits. Some are state-run, some are state-sanctioned, some are ad hoc. The markets have been retroactively legalized by the regime.
Money is now needed for nearly everything even for the parts of communist life that the Kim regime crows about providing, such as housing and schooling. Bribery and corruption have become endemic, undermining the regime by loosening controls and creating incentives that may not always be in line with Kims priorities.
The farmer:
Technically, you dont have to pay to go to school, but the teachers tell you that you have to submit a certain amount of beans or rabbit skins that can be sold. If you dont submit, you get told off continuously, and thats why students stop going to school. The kids are hurt just because the parents cant afford it.
The young mother:
I used to pay the teachers at my daughters school so they would look after her better than others. I would give them 120,000 won at a time thats enough to buy 25 kilograms of rice twice a year. If you dont pay the teachers, they wont make any effort.
The fisherman, now 45, from Ryongchon. Escaped in 2017:
I lived through all three Kims, but our life was not getting any better for any of us. We all have to pay for Kim Jong Uns projects, like Ryomyong Street (a residential development in Pyongyang). We had to contribute 15,000 North Korean won per household (more than four months salary) to the government for that street.
The drug dealer:
My main business was selling ice. I think that 70 or 80 per cent of the adults in Hoeryong city were using ice. My customers were just ordinary people. Police officers, security agents, party members, teachers, doctors. Ice made a really good gift for birthday parties or for high school graduation presents. It makes you feel good and helps you release stress, and it really helps relations between men and women. My 76-year-old mother was using it because she had low blood pressure, and it worked well. Lots of police officers and security agents would come to my house to smoke, and of course I didnt charge them they were my protection. They would come by during their lunch break, stop by my house. The head of the secret police in my area was almost living at my house.
***
The ability to make money, sometimes lots of money, through means both legal and illegal has led to visible inequality in a country that has long touted itself as an egalitarian socialist paradise. This could be a potential source of disruption. Bean traders and drug dealers and everyone in between have the prospect of making a decent living. Those working only in official jobs, whether they be on a state-owned ostrich farm or in a government ministry in Pyongyang, earn only a few dollars a month and get little in the way of rations to supplement their meagre salaries.
The rich kid, now 20, from Chongjin. Escaped in 2014:
Skating rinks opened in 2013, and rollerblading became a really big thing. Rich kids had their own rollerblades. Wed carry them slung over our shoulders as we walked to the rink it was a status symbol, a sign that you have money. I bought my rollerblades at the market. They were pink, and it cost 200 Chinese yuan. Thats the same price as 30 kilograms of rice. Its unthinkable for poor kids.
The construction worker:
There were long periods where we didnt get paid. I once went for six months without getting any salary at all. We lived in a shipping container at the construction site. We were given rice and cabbage and one egg per person per day, and we had an electric coil in our container that we could cook on. We needed some protein because our work was so hard, so we started buying pigskin at the market because it was cheap. Washing was like a special occasion. But if you went to the bathhouse, you would miss out on work. Once, I didnt bathe for two months. We didnt think anything of it. It was just the way we lived.
The rich kid:
Cellphones are a big thing. To be able to afford a smartphone, you had to come from a rich family. Of course, there were some poor kids at my school, but I didnt hang out with them. I had an Arirang smartphone that cost $400. When boys came up to talk to me, Id check out their phone. If they had one of those old-style phones with buttons, I wasnt interested.
***
The markets are the distribution point not just for goods, but also for information. Chatter, rumours, illicit foreign media.
The farmer:
Women make their living in the market, and while theyre sitting there at the stalls, they talk. So the market is a great place to learn about the outside world.
The phone connector, now 49, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2013:
I watched lots of (smuggled) movies and soap operas on USB sticks from the market. I would plug them into my TV. Vendors who are selling ordinary things like batteries or rice or whatever, they hide the USBs inside under the counter. When you go into the market, you say to the vendors: Do you have anything delicious today? Thats the code. USBs are also good because they are so easy to hide, and you can just break them if you get caught.
The fisherman:
In the past, if you watched Chinese movies on USBs, you were OK. You got put in a labour camp only if you were caught with South Korean or American movies. But now, under Kim Jong Un, you get sent to a labour camp if youre caught watching Chinese movies, too. The police and the security services and government officials live better these days. The more people they catch, the more money they earn.
The teenage prisoner, now 22, from Hyesan. Escaped in 2013:
I loved the way that women were being cherished. North Korea is a very male-oriented society, men never bother about taking care of women. And I liked to look at their fancy cars and houses.
The accordion player, now 25, from Hamhung. Escaped in 2015:
My mom worked in the market selling home appliances, so she had a way to get DVDs. I watched Chinese, Indian and Russian movies, and lots of South Korean soap operas. I thought that if I got to South Korea, I could do anything I wanted.
Repression and Disillusionment
It is impossible to overstate the pervasiveness of the personality cult surrounding the Kims in North Korea. Founding president Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong Il and his grandson, the current leader, Kim Jong Un form a kind of holy trinity in North Korea. There is no criticizing them or questioning the system at least not without risking your freedom and the freedom of your entire family. Your life itself could be at stake.
The preschooler:
I learned songs about the general and about the Kim family and how great Kim Il Sung was.
The elementary schoolgirl, now 7, from Ryongchon. Escaped in 2017:
We got gifts on Kim Jong Uns birthday: candy and cookies and gum and puffed rice. I was so grateful to him for giving me all these sweets. We would stand up in class and say, Thank you, General Kim Jong Un.
The university student:
We had ideological education for 90 minutes every day. There was revolutionary history, lessons about Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un. Of course, they taught us about why we needed nuclear weapons, and they would tell us that we needed to make sacrifices in our daily lives so they could build these weapons and protect our country, keep the nation safe. I was so sick and tired of hearing about all this revolutionary history, I was so sick of calling everyone comrade. I didnt care about any of that stuff.
The young mother:
Everybody knew that Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un were both liars, that everything is their fault, but its impossible to voice any opposition because we are under such tight surveillance. If someone is drunk and says Kim Jong Un is a son of a b---h, youll never see them again.
The doctor:
Its like a religion. From birth, you learn about the Kim family, learn that they are gods, that you must be absolutely obedient to the Kim family. The elites are treated nicely, and because of that they make sure that the system stays stable. But for everyone else, its a reign of terror. The Kim family uses terror to keep people scared, and that makes it impossible to stage any kind of social gathering, let alone an uprising.
The construction worker:
We had education sessions when we would go back to the main building and into a big room where there were portraits of the leaders. Everyone had to bow and buy bunches of flowers to lay in front of the portraits. There would be a speech by the boss, who was a party member. We would hear about how Kim Jong Un had done this and this and that (he) was working so hard for the party and for the nation and for the people. I believed it up until the Kim Jong Un era, but this exaggeration was just too much. It just didnt make sense.
The money man:
Every month there was special instruction about Kim Jong Un. It came down from Pyongyang to the neighbourhood associations. We were told that Kim Jong Un wanted to know everything so that he could take proper care of everyone, help everyone. Nobody believed this because if Kim Jong Un knew we had no electricity and were eating corn rice (imitation rice made from ground corn), why wasnt he doing anything about it?
The bean trader:
There was this story going around that Kim Il Sung had asked Kim Jong Un to get him an apple. Kim Jong Un asked for a shovel because he wanted to bring the whole tree. It was the kind of joke that the secret police would create. Instead of just doing top-down teaching, they would also create stories like this (about devotion to the regime) because they thought that their propaganda would circulate better as rumours and would seem more convincing.
***
North Korea operates as a vast surveillance state, with a menacing state security department called the Bowibu as its backbone. Its agents are everywhere and operate with impunity.
The regime also operates a kind of neighbourhood watch system. Every district in every town or city is broken up into neighbourhood groups of 30 or 40 households, each with a leader who is responsible for co-ordinating grassroots surveillance and encouraging people to snitch.
The young mother:
People in each neighbourhood association are always checking up on each other. If one family seems to be living better than everyone else, then all the neighbours try to find out how they are making their money. Everybody is sensitive because if someone seems to be living well, then people get jealous of that house. Nobody has to be asked to bring that wealthy family down and make sure that this wealthy family loses their money. When you see a family lose their house, that feels good. Thats why its important not to show off how wealthy you are.
The farmer:
Of course I thought about the outside world, but if you say, I want to go to China or South Korea, then it can be reported by an informant to the security services. You can think it, but you cant say it. You never know who is going to snitch on you. We often heard and saw how Chinese people had money because Chinese people used to come to North Korea to sell things, so we thought it would be nice to live there.
The rich kid:
There were youth leaders who would patrol around, looking for things that we werent supposed to be doing. If you were wearing jeans or skinny pants, or if you had a manicure or your hair was too long, you would get in trouble. They would sometimes check your phone to see if you had any South Korean songs. I got busted for this, but I got out of it by buying them a box of 20 bottles of beer.
For those who ran afoul of the regime in ways that money could not solve, the punishment could be harsh.
Those accused of economic crimes which could involve any kind of private enterprise are sent to prisons and often made to do hard labour, such as building roads by hand. But those accused of being traitors to the nation, a broad category that includes questioning the Kim family or its system, end up in political prison camps where they have to work in mines and receive almost no food. It is not unusual for three generations of a traitors family to end up in these concentration camps under North Koreas guilt-by-association system.
The teenage prisoner:
When I was 16, I was staying at my grandmas house and there was a banging on the door late at night. Two secret police officers took me to the police station and asked me: Where are your parents? I told them I didnt know. It turned out that they had gone missing and I suspected that my moms business associates, when they realized this, planted a whole lot of stuff on her, said that she was the mastermind behind this big smuggling operation. The police yelled at me: Youre just like your mother. You probably have fantasies about China, too. They slapped my face about five times.
The phone connector:
The first time I went to prison, I had been caught helping people make phone calls to their relatives in South Korea. I was sentenced to four months hard labour, building a road on the side of a mountain that they said we needed in case there was a war. The men did the digging and the women had to carry rocks and soil.
***
Escapees from North Koreas gruesome political prisons have recounted brutal treatment over the years, including medieval torture with shackles and fire and being forced to undergo abortions by the crudest methods. Human rights activists say that this appears to have lessened slightly under Kim. But severe beatings and certain kinds of torture including being forced to remain in stress positions for crippling lengths of time are commonplace throughout North Koreas detention systems, as are public executions.
The teenage prisoner:
I was interrogated again by the secret police, and they wanted to know about my mothers business. They were slapping me around the face again. They always go for the face. I was beaten severely that time. They pushed me so hard against the wall that I had blood coming from my head. I still get a headache sometimes. While I was there they made me sit with my legs crossed and my arms resting on my knees and my head always down. If you move at all or if you try to stretch your legs out, they will yell at you and hit you. I had to stay like that for hours on end.
The money man:
In 2015, a money transfer went bad the woman Id given the money to got caught and she ratted on me and I was put in detention. I spent two months there. I wasnt treated like a human being they beat me, they made me sit in stress positions where I couldnt lift my head. Two times they slapped my face and kicked me during interrogation, but I was not beaten up badly. Maybe because I was not a nobody, maybe they feared that I knew someone who could get back at them.
***
Starvation is often part of the punishment, even for children. The 16-year-old lost 13 pounds in prison, weighing only 88 pounds when she emerged.
The teenage prisoner:
We got up at 6 a.m. every day and went to bed at 11 p.m., and in between we would be working the whole time, shovelling cement or lugging sacks, except for lunch. Lunch was usually steamed corn. I was too scared to eat. I cried a lot. I didnt want to live.
The phone connector:
Even though we were working so hard in prison camp, all we got to eat was a tiny bit of corn rice and a small potato. By the time I got out, I was so malnourished I could hardly walk.
***
It is this web of prisons and concentration camps, coupled with the threat of execution, that stops people from speaking up. There is no organized dissent in North Korea, no political opposition.
The drug dealer:
If you make problems, then your whole family gets punished. Thats why people dont want to make any trouble. If I get punished for my wrongdoing, thats one thing. But its my whole family that would be put at risk if I did something. North Koreans have seen that Kim Jong Un killed his own uncle, so we understand how merciless he can be. Thats why you cant have an uprising in North Korea.
The university student:
The secret to North Koreas survival is the reign of terror. Why do you think North Korea has public executions? Why do you think they block all communications? Why do you think North Koreans leave, knowing that they will never see their families again? It shows how bad things are. All our rights as people have been stripped away.
The phone connector:
If you speak out against the system, you will immediately be arrested. And if you do something wrong, then three generations of your family will be punished. In 2009, I heard there was a going to be some kind of coup launched in Chongjin and that all of the people involved were executed. When you hear about cases like this, of course youre scared. So instead of trying to do something to change the system, its better just to leave.
***
Some people do leave, but not that many. Its incredibly risky and logistically difficult to get around the border guards and the barbed wire. Unknown thousands cross into China each year. Some remain in China, almost always young women who get sold to poor Chinese men in the countryside who cant get a wife any other way. Some get caught and sent back to certain imprisonment.
The repatriated wife, now 50, from Nampo. Escaped for the last time in 2016:
I had lived in China for 20 years, but someone must have reported me. I was sent back to North Korea, and I spent two and a half years in a prison camp. (After she had left once more for China), I knew I couldnt be repatriated again. I thought that it would be the end of my life.
***
But each year, a thousand or so North Koreans make it to South Korea. In the 20-odd years since the famine, only 30,000 North Koreans have made it to the southern side of the peninsula.
During the late 1990s and the early 2000s, almost all the North Koreans who fled were escaping out of hunger or economic need. But the explosion of markets has improved life for many. Today, more people are leaving North Korea because they are disillusioned with the system, not because they cant feed their families.
The accordion player:
I was ambitious. I wanted to be a party member and enjoy all the opportunities that come with that. My dream was to make lots of money and be a high-ranking government official. Family background means so much in North Korea, but I had family in China and I realized that this would stop me from being able to follow my dreams. I left because I didnt have the freedom to do what I wanted to do.
The bean trader:
I wanted to progress in life, I wanted to go to university, but because my mother had defected to China, it looked like I wouldnt be able to go any further. It looked like I would be stuck in North Korea where I was. I could have moved, lived, no problem, but I felt like I didnt have any future in North Korea. Thats why I decided to leave.
The meat delivery guy:
We were told in school that we could be anybody. But after graduation, I realized that this wasnt true and that I was being punished for somebody elses wrongdoing. I realized I wouldnt be able to survive here. So for two years I looked for a way out. When I thought about escaping, it gave me a psychological boost.
The doctor:
I hoped to work abroad as a doctor in the Middle East or Africa. But to work overseas you have to pass security screening to make sure youre ideologically sound and arent going to defect. Thats a problem that money cant solve and thats where I got blocked. I was very angry, very annoyed. I cursed our society. I am a very capable person, and I was a party member, but even I couldnt make it.
The construction worker:
I worked for three and a half years, but I made only $2,000 during that time. We were allowed to work overseas for five years maximum, and I was hoping to save $10,000 and return home proud. I realized it wasnt going to happen, so I started looking for a chance to escape.
The university student:
I was so disgusted with the system. I didnt have freedom to speak my mind, or to travel anywhere I wanted, or even to wear what I wanted. It was like living in a prison. We were monitored all the time by our neighbourhood leader, by the normal police, by the secret police. If you ask me what was the worst thing about North Korea, Id say: Being born there
The bride:
After graduating from high school, she worked in the cornfields for two years but just sat at home after that. So when she heard that her friend had been sold to a Chinese man as a wife, she asked to be introduced to the broker so that she could be sold, too. At least shed be able to earn money in China. She has just arrived in South Korea.
The meat delivery guy:
Because his mother was a traitor who had defected to South Korea, he was blocked from going to college or joining the military. Instead, he was put to work doing manual labour with criminals and low-lifes, for almost no salary. He made money by delivering meat from his fathers butchery to local restaurants. He is now a university student in South Korea.
The young mother, now 29, from Hoeryong. Escaped in 2014:
She came from a good family background, but her father was violent. She married young, to a truck driver, and they lived comfortably in North Korea. But her aunts lived in the South, and they told her she should bring their sister, her mother, to them. So she defected with her husband and their two daughters, a 4-year-old and a 1-month-old. She is now an office worker in South Korea.
The preschooler:
She doesnt remember much of her life in North Korea, just her friends from preschool and a few songs that they used to sing. She is now in elementary school in South Korea.
The money man:
He had been a border guard but bribed his way out. He then started working as a money transfer broker, moving cash from families in China or South Korea to relatives in North Korea, all for a hefty fee. But one day a deal went bad when a customer in North Korea was caught with a large amount of Chinese currency and turned him in. He now works at a factory in South Korea.
The university student:
He came from an ordinary family but had big dreams. He kept thinking about escaping to China and becoming successful, doing a job that he found rewarding. One day his parents told him he should chase his dreams. So he did. He is now a reporter in South Korea.
The drug dealer:
After bribing his way out of his factory job during the famine, he got involved in all sorts of illegal activities, from smuggling antiques to selling ice, a methamphetamine, in both China and North Korea. He is now a construction worker in South Korea.
The hairdresser:
She had been at teachers college but had to quit when she was 19 to earn money for the family after her father became sick. She started doing hair at her house, but then got an opportunity to work at a restaurant in China and earn much more. So off she went, with a broker. But she discovered there was no restaurant. Instead, she was sold to a Chinese man for $12,000. She has just arrived in South Korea.
The farmer:
After her husband defected, she had to make ends meet. She made tofu from scratch, grew corn in a plot of land several hours walk from her home and raised pigs in her yard. It was hard to make ends meet, but it became even harder when she hurt her back and struggled to work. She still has a bad back and cannot work in South Korea.
The bean trader:
He came from a privileged family and lived well, until his grandfather got in trouble with the regime and his mother defected. So he worked as a trader, sourcing beans and sending them to his aunt, who would sell them at the markets in Pyongyang. He is now a university student in South Korea.
The construction worker:
He worked and bribed his way into a construction job in Russia, a potentially lucrative posting. But despite working long hours, he often went months without being paid. Watching South Korean television opened his eyes to the lies of North Korea. He now works in South Korea.
The doctor:
He worked at a hospital in Hyesan and was a member of the Workers Party. He dreamed of being sent to the Middle East or Africa, where he could make much more money. But he was blocked from leaving. He now works as a doctor at a hospital in South Korea.
The fisherman:
He earned a good living, fishing for a state company and using his access to China to smuggle goods across the river. But his exposure to Chinese capitalism and South Korean radio broadcasts made him want to escape. He has just arrived in South Korea.
The rich kid:
She was a high school student, the daughter of a successful businessman who was flourishing in the emerging private economy. She wanted for nothing. She is now a university student in South Korea.
The phone connector:
Using her Chinese cellphone, she worked arranging phone calls between North Koreans and relatives on the outside, either in China or South Korea. But she got caught and was forced to do hard labour in prison. She was caught a second time but paid a huge bribe to get off. She fled before she was caught again. She now works in South Korea.
The teenage prisoner:
She was a high school student and was staying with her grandmother in another city when the rest of her family suddenly escaped to China, apparently because one of her mothers business deals went bad. She was imprisoned, tortured and made to do hard labour. She is now a university student in South Korea.
The accordion player:
She volunteered for the military as a way to improve her prospects in North Korea. She hoped to become a member of the Workers Party and be the mayor of her city one day. But she was thwarted from advancing because she had family in China. She is now a university student in South Korea.
The elementary:
She loves pink and a doll she was given after escaping North Korea. Shed never owned a doll before. She has just arrived in South Korea.
The repatriated wife:
She escaped to China during the famine and had been living with a Chinese man. They have two children. But in 2014, she was repatriated to North Korea and spent two and a half years in a prison camp. When she was released, she escaped again but this time didnt stop in China. She has just arrived in South Korea.
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Its common for prominent conservatives to attack identity politics despite the belief that the right won the 2016 election by appealing to specific identity groups such as evangelicals, rural voters and the white working class. But for some, the idea that certain groups look at political issues through the lens of one demographic is sometimes interpreted as divisive on the right.
Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon said the lefts embrace of identity politics is ammunition for his goals.
The race-identity politics of the left wants to say its all racist, he told the New York Times. Just give me more. Tear down more statues. Say the revolution is coming. I cant get enough of it.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said identity politics exploits fear and ignorance by dividing Americans for personal gain.
I think identity politics has gotten out of control in our country, Ryan told CBSs This Morning. That is how you disunify a culture, a society and a country.
And even Mark Lilla, a Columbia University professor and historian who identifies as liberal, blamed the left for the election of Donald Trump because of their support for identity politics.
This partisan, divisive form of liberalism alienated the working class and helped create the conditions for the rise of Donald Trump, he wrote in the New Statesman, a British politics and literary magazine.
But multiple conservatives over the past week proved that they do value identity politics as long as people belong to the correct identity group: the Republican Party.
Lawmakers from both parties have deemed GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama unfit for the office after his alleged sexual misconduct with teenage girls. But Trump and other supporters have responded to questions about the candidates qualifications by pointing to his identity group.
We dont need a liberal person in there a Democrat, the president told reporters Tuesday when asked about the allegations.
His response is similar to that of White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway, who, when asked about Moore, highlighted that his opponent was not a Republican.
Doug Jones is a doctrinaire liberal, she said on Fox News Channel.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey rose to office after replacing another Republican lawmaker accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour. She told reporters that her support for Moore is rooted in his political identity group.
We need to have a Republican in the United States Senate to vote on the things like Supreme Court justices, she said.
And when an ABC reporter asked Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks whether he believed Moores statement that he did not assault underage girls, the congressman replied while running away from the reporter:
I believe that the Democrats will do great damage to our country.
Its hard to make a case that identity politics are unique to the left when the primary explanation for supporting a controversial candidate is his identity which is how many Republicans are responding to the Alabama race.
The argument that appealing to ones identity prevents unity already has been dismissed by those who understand that there can be diversity within unity. But the argument is even more difficult to accept when its adherents use it only against their political opponents.
Perhaps using Moores political identity is a move to unify a party that has experienced much division this year. But it can be challenging to promote unity beyond ones identity group when the main reason for supporting a divisive candidate who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and has made disparaging statements about minority groups, such as Muslims and gays is, Well, at least hes on my team.
Read more: Trump picks another fight with a Black sports figure. Thats no coincidence
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Finding a decent place to live isnt easy in an expensive city like Toronto. For those near the bottom of the income scale, it can mean putting up with substandard housing or ending up on the street.
The Trudeau governments brand-new national housing strategy could be a game-changer for many if it actually delivers on this ambitious plan. And in this case, its an awfully big if.
On the face of it, the strategy amounts to a welcome sea-change in federal policy. For many years, especially during the Harper years, Ottawa largely abdicated its role in housing. Now its jumping back in with both feet.
The headline promise is a pledge to spend $40 billion over 10 years on building more affordable housing, renovating the existing stock, making it easier for lower-income people to pay the rent, and reducing chronic homelessness by half.
These are bold promises, backed up by ringing rhetoric from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who proclaimed on Wednesday that housing rights are human rights everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.
This is an admirable commitment. But governments including Liberal governments have made big statements about housing in the past and then failed to carry through. The question now is whether this government will stay the course.
At this point, there are some big question marks over the plan.
To start with, its not entirely clear how much of the promised $40 billion is new money. Some of it is accounted for by $11.2 billion the government included for housing in its 2016 budget. Part of it is money repurposed from other housing programs. And some depends on provinces and territories matching federal money; they will have to reach detailed agreements and come up with their share of the funding.
Its also not clear how the money will be spread out over the next decade. If it doesnt kick in until years down the road, the chances are that much greater it will be derailed.
And the most innovative part of the strategy wont appear for another three and a half years until April, 2021. Thats when the government plans to bring in a new Canada Housing Benefit that would give eligible people an average of $2,500 a year for housing costs. By 2028, says the government, it will help some 300,000 families a year pay the rent.
This is the kind of portable benefit that housing advocates have long been calling for. But under the federal strategy it wont kick in until after the next federal election (scheduled for 2019), and it will be contingent on provinces agreeing to pick up half the cost. Trudeau says it will take that long to figure out the details and negotiate agreements. Fair enough, but a lot could go off the rails while all that is being worked out.
Overall, says the government, its strategy would remove 530,000 households from housing need by making sure they have access to decent, affordable shelter.
The prime minister is promising $40 billion over the next decade to help Canadians afford housing. Justin Trudeau says the government is looking at a "realistic horizon," with much of the money being spent after the 2019 election. (The Canadian Press)
A key element is a $15.9-billion housing fund that will build 60,000 new affordable housing units and provide loans and grants to repair another 240,000 units across the country.
From a policy point of view this isnt as sexy as a brand-new housing benefit, but it cant come soon enough in a city like Toronto. Its a scandal that Toronto Community Housing has had to board up hundreds of units simply because there isnt enough money to make them habitable.
City council has ordered a halt to such closures, but Toronto needs $1.6 billion for repairs over the next decade and its not clear where that will come from. Mayor John Tory should be at the head of the line, making sure the province is tapping into these new federal funds and directing them to the city.
Still, even with all these questions its refreshing to see a federal government thinking big and finally putting housing back on the national agenda.
It will take a lot of work to make sure the promises turn into reality. But without the political will to get it done, even more families would find decent housing out of reach. Finally, theres a government showing leadership in this vital area.
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AG delivers blistering report on pay fiasco, Nov. 22
How is it possible that every major IT project initiated by governments turns into a financial fiasco/boondoggle? The Phoenix non-pay system, the now scrapped Gun Registry and the unhealthily expensive eHealth come to mind.
Billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on high-priced IT consultants and companies that seem to produce a mile-high pile of very expensive dreck. Do we keep using the same experts? Maybe its a Russian/Chinese/North Korean hacker plot to bankrupt Canada?
Apparently, Phoenix needs another $500 million or so to hire more experts to fix what the other experts developed. Or perhaps were rewarding the first experts with an extra $500 million to get it right this time. Luckily, we dont need that money for housing, poverty programs or transit.
Either way, not a peep from the sheeple. A collective shrug from the voters. Financial fiascos have effectively been normalized.
In Parliament, fun was had by all playing political ping pong with the blame ball and our tax dollars. No one resigns or is fired or called out as being responsible. Business as usual in the halls of power.
David Matoc, Toronto
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Were not criminals, says Amalia Loyzaga, We work here. We follow the rules here. What else do they want from me?
Although she has been in Canada since 2008 and fulfilled the requirements of the live-in caregiver visa, Loyzagas application for permanent residency was denied because of her daughters autism.
Under section 38(1)c of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Immigration Canada can refuse any applicant who might cause excessive demand on health or social services.
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced Wednesday that the government will be looking at how to let go of the excessive demand provision. At a Commons committee, Hussen said, From a principled perspective, the current excessive demand provision policy simply does not align with our countrys values of inclusion of person with disabilities in Canadian society.
Thanks to the advocacy of caregivers like Loyzaga, this overdue change is finally being made.
According to a report by Global News this summer, immigration authorities deny between 900 and 1,000 applications on the basis of excessive demand per year; of those 200 to 300 cases are denied for special education needs. That reporting also pointed out that the Immigration Canadas per-person monetary threshold for excessive demand was flawed in that it excluded provincial spending on social services and the cost of the Canada Social Transfer.
Amalias family isnt the only one. York University professor Felipe Montoyas familys application was denied because his son Nicholas has Downs syndrome.
Kara and Alaistair Sharp were told by Immigration Canada that they had to put their son Sebastian who has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder into a private school in order to decrease the burden he placed on the public school system.
While some migrants are better able to fight the battle, the excessive demand provision amounts to discrimination against kids with disabilities. It is unreasonably taxing for parents who already have to navigate a world that is not designed with their children in mind. It is even more so for caregivers whose kids are oceans away.
Unable to bring their children to Canada with them, they miss out on important moments. After her first few years here, Amalia returned to the Philippines to find that her children didnt know who she was. I spoke to her by phone on Tuesday. At one point, she broke down in tears saying, They used to be my kids. From then on, I said I have to go home every year to win back my childrens love for me.
While technology has made staying connected easier, there are moments no parent wants to miss. This February, her husband passed away, leaving her three kids without the father who had been their primary parent.
The barriers for entry under the new caregiver systems are high, says Ethel Tungohan, a professor at York University who studies the caregiver migrant class. For a lot of people who are waiting in the queue, its simply the uncertainty of not being able to plan for their family and their familys futures.
Amalia and her three kids have lived in this suspended reality since at least 2012. Many of changes to the caregiver system were made in 2014. Since then, the processing time for permanent residency applications has gone from 26 months in 2013 to 56 months as of this year.
In that time, says Tungohan, more applicants of all migrant classes have received rejections based on excessive demand. For caregivers who dont have the emotional support of family or the economic resources of other applicant group, they generally bear it alone.
Progress has come from when families have gone public. Publicity winning out over political will is an indictment of the immigration system. Says Tungohan, I think it shows that the system is flawed. What were seeing is a whole host of people being discriminated against because of disability.
The provision has authorized immigration authorities to discriminate against disabled persons. Repealing the excessive demand provision must be the first choice.
As her children grow older, Amalia is only more insistent in bringing her kids here.
She just wants whatever time she can get.
If I had a chance to talk to the immigration officer, Id say can you give me these four years to bond with my sons before they get married and before they have their own careers.
Give me these four years.
Vicky Mochama is a co-host of the podcast, Safe Space. Her column appears every second Thursday. She also writes a triweekly column for Metro News that mixes politics, news and humour.
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By India Today Web Desk: Another exciting Bigg Boss episode awaits the viewers as fights are going to get ugly, all thanks to the captaincy task. Hiten and Priyank will have an argument regarding the task, and Akash will get super-upset.
Captaincy task
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Bigg Boss will announce a brand new task for the housemates. The captaincy task will require contestants to spray black paint on the posters of the the five contenders for captaincy. The contestant's poster with minimum damage would be declared the winner of the task.
Hiten and Priyank's argument
Hiten and Priyank, who have had a good relationship in the house will face some difficult time together, as their friendship will go through a rough patch, all thanks to Arshi Khan. According to the task, participants who performed in the luxury budget task well would get a chance to contend for the captaincy task. Hiten will be of the opinion that Arshi should be allowed to participate in the captaincy task as she had done well in the luxury budget task, however Priyank will disagree, and they will part on a bitter note.
Akash Dadlani is deeply offended! What caused him to lose his calm? Find out tonight at 10:30 PM. #BB11https://t.co/sWfllia2QX pic.twitter.com/EOYx9MSKZc- Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) November 23, 2017
Akash wants to quit the show
Housemates will force Puneesh to spray on Akash's poster, but Puneesh will refuse to distort the poster, claiming that Akash is his good friend. But something big will happen that will upset Akash, and he will yell at the housemates for targeting him. Most likely, Puneesh will spray paint on Akash's poster. Your guess is as good as ours.
All in all, another dhamakedaar episode of Bigg Boss 11 is in offing.
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Every political party gets out the vote on voting day.
Their vote. And only their vote.
GOTV, as its called, is an axiom of democracy. And yet the better that parties get at GOTV, the less democratic the turnout tends to be. From one election to the next, a political movement masters the technique or musters the technology to outhustle all rivals on voting day. But do we really want elections decided on the strength of a well-oiled electoral machine rather than a well-honed democratic impulse?
What if we got out the full vote (GOTFV) with a full pull motivated not by partisanship but participation?
Thats what the Canadian Muslim Vote tried in the last federal election and plans again for the coming provincial ballot. Mindful that Muslims vote far less than others, the groups volunteers focused on their own faith group but without trying to divine anyones partisan loyalties.
We didnt care who theyd vote for, said Seher Shafiq, part of the leadership team at the non-partisan, non-profit organization.
As long as they voted for someone. For too long, too many of Canadas 1.3 million Muslims voted for no one, she told a panel on democratic engagement that I moderated at Ryerson University on the weekend because this issue is crucial for me. Her group tried to understand how Muslim participation in the 2011 election was a mere 35 to 45 per cent in key ridings, compared to the national turnout of 61 per cent.
We were shocked by this research . . . and we wanted to know why, Shafiq told a couple of hundred democracy activists at the conference sponsored by Ryersons Leadership Lab and the Open Democracy Project.
The reasons were both banal and discouraging; people didnt know who to vote for, how to vote, how to master the issues, and how to get engaged. In short, how they could make a difference.
Focused mostly on ridings in the Greater Toronto Area where most volunteers, and most Muslims, happen to live the group attended hundreds of grassroots events, paid for robocalls, mounted a social media push, and knocked on thousands of doors. Celebrity endorsements were part of the campaign, including Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri.
The bigger stars, however, were influential imams at local mosques. Her group persuaded them to praise the virtues of civic engagement and democracy in their regular sermons.
For the first time ever, people saw the Muslim community was organizing politically, she told the audience. We really felt the buzz.
It added up to a dramatic increase in the Islamic turnout 79 per cent in the 2015 election versus 45 per cent in the previous vote, according to public opinion research commissioned by the group. In nine GTA ridings targeted by the group, the Islamic turnout averaged 88 per cent.
The Canadian Muslim Vote doesnt take full credit for the improvement. Community concerns were bubbling up over perceived anti-Islamic rhetoric after the Stephen Harper government talked about banning religious face coverings, and proposed a barbaric cultural practices snitch line.
But I asked Shafiq if lessons learned from the Muslim mobilization could be transferable to other groups in the next provincial election. She is already comparing notes with Black Vote Canada and other organizations that motivate voters.
Without talking to them and having people who look like them talk to them I dont think they will be as engaged as they could be.
Fellow panelist Dave Meslin, a grassroots activist trying to reform the electoral system, dismissed traditional GOTV as a scam that merely harasses people on election day, with little evidence that it improves democratic outcomes.
Are we really building these lists (of supporters) to make sure we increase engagement, or are the lists designed to make sure we dont pull the wrong people that the Liberals dont pull Conservatives, that Conservatives dont pull New Democrats he asked rhetorically.
Our third panelist, ex-MP and mayoralty candidate Olivia Chow (full disclosure: like me, she is a visiting professor at Ryerson), talked about the power of motivation in democratic engagement. Participatory movements are fine in theory, but a top-down approach may leave the grassroots as unmoved and unmotivated as ever.
We talk about winning hearts and minds, not minds and hearts, Chow reminded the activists. Hearts come first.
But Shafiq won a round of applause when she projected an image onscreen of her grandmother voting for the first time in the 2015 election at age 85. And then came a public confession from Shafiq about herself the great persuader.
It turns out that she had never taken an interest in politics before she took on the role with the Canadian Muslim Vote. But at the age of 25 she finally joined her 85-year-old grandmother in focusing on the election, figuring out the issues, and making up her own mind.
Because a vote from anyone, of any persuasion is a terrible thing to waste.
Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn
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Police officers will no longer be posted in any Toronto high schools, Canadas largest school board has decided.
Trustees at the Toronto District School Board voted Wednesday night to pull the plug on the decade-old school resource officer (SRO) program.
The move, greeted with cheers from a boardroom full of spectators, was in response to feedback from students, parents and the community who warned the regular presence of armed police officers on school grounds has undermined some of the citys most vulnerable youth.
I think its a really important moment, trustee Marit Stiles said after the vote, which was not unanimous.
The community has been telling us for some time that this program has been problematic, added Stiles, who supported the motion to discontinue it.
One vocal opponent who for years has been advocating an end to the SRO program, called it a transformative and courageous change by the board.
The TDSB has taken a bold stance for equity, said Andrea Vasquez Jimenez, co-chair of Latinx, Afro-Latin America Abya Yala Education Network (LAEN).
The decision means officers posted to 45 TDSB high schools last year will not return there for regular duties. They had not been in schools this year because the board suspended the SRO program in August pending its review.
Ten years ago our board made a mistake by not consulting the public, and not listening to the voices in the community, trustee Tiffany Ford told the meeting.
The program was launched after the shooting death of student Jordan Manners at C.W. Jefferys, a school in Fords ward.
But she said the SRO program was flawed because it focused on having police at schools in only the most racialized and marginalized areas.
Our schools are meant to reinforce the power of education and not the power of stigmatization, she said.
The decision Wednesday followed recommendations earlier this month from TDSB staff, who called for termination of the program based on results of a six-week review and input from thousands of students, staff, parents and community members. It included surveys completed by 15,500 students with police in their schools.
While a majority of teens reported being satisfied with the SRO program, or had no opinion, staff concluded the thousands who did say that having officers at school made them feel uncomfortable, intimidated and targeted were far too significant to dismiss.
While 57 per cent said having police in school made them feel safer, 46 per cent said they werent sure they wanted the program to continue. But 1,715 (11 per cent) said the presence of an officer intimidated them and 2,207 or 14 per cent said they felt watched and targeted as a result.
The staff report, applauded by groups like Black Lives Matter, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and others who wanted officers removed from schools, was unanimously endorsed by the TDSBs planning and priorities committee last week following a parade of delegates who appeared before them to support the move.
They argued the presence of armed police was detrimental to many Black youth, undocumented teens who felt threatened even though they have a legal right to education, and other marginalized groups. Many proposed that instead of having police on school property, the board should put more resources toward hiring youth counsellors, social workers and launching anti-racism programs.
At that meeting, TDSB director John Malloy acknowledged staff had generated backlash over its recommendations, and especially from those who believe the SRO program helps build relationships between youth and police and serves as an important preventive measure. But he said the decision was not based on majority rules, because every student deserves to feel comfortable and safe in school.
Malloy said that despite having no officers present this fall, there have been no challenging circumstances to report from high schools in the last three months. And while there is not necessarily a correlation, he said, the number of suspensions and expulsions have also declined significantly.
The program is still operating in about two-thirds of the Toronto Catholic District School Boards secondary schools and similar programs are in place in other Ontario cities.
Those unhappy with the push to end the SRO program include Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack, who has said ending it will be a big loss for students and community policing because officers arent there to lay charges but to resolve issues and keep people out of the justice system.
Mayor John Tory called the TDSB staff recommendations unfortunate because they were made in advance of the yearlong review of the program being undertaken by Ryerson University for Toronto police.
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By PTI: (EDs: Adding quotes of BJP, legal expert)
Lucknow, Nov 23 (PTI) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today asked the Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government to lodge an FIR against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav for ordering the police to fire on karsewaks in Ayodhya in 1990 when he was the chief minister.
"The SP founder has repeatedly claimed that he got the security personnel to open fire on karsewaks in Ayodhya in 1990 and the Yogi Adityanath government needs to take cognisance of this statement and get him immediately arrested after lodging an FIR," media incharge of the VHP Sharad Sharma said in a statement here.
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He said the family members of those devotees of Lord Ram who lost their lives in the police firing will be contacted and an appeal will be made to the UP government as well as in the court for lodging a case against the SP patron.
Drawing a parallel with General Dyer, who had opened fire on innocents in the Jallianwala Bagh during the British rule, Sharma said the "same act of cowardice" was committed by Mulayam Singh Yadav for saving his government and increasing his vote share.
He is giving the same advice to his son Akhilesh Yadav, he said.
"The VHP in its three-day dharam sansad slated for November 24 to 26 in Karnataka will, besides the Ram Janmabhumi issue, deliberate on Mulayam Singh Yadavs acceptance for this "heinous crime," Sharma said.
Asked about the VHPs demand, BJP state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that he did not want to comment on it.
"Mulayams statement came to polarise Muslim votes during the ongoing civic polls. He has proved unsuccessful politically and is making such statements to establish his son Akhilesh Yadav," Pathak claimed.
Former advisor to the state governor and legal expert CB Pandey when asked said that while the authorities may lodge an FIR but unforeseen complications may spring up during the probe.
He, however, said that it would be difficult to comment on "technical complexities that may crop up during such a probe".
During his 79th birthday celebrations here yesterday, Mulayam Singh Yadav had justified his order to the Uttar Pradesh police to open fire on karsewaks (volunteers), who were marching towards Ayodhya, when he was the chief minister.
"Had even more people been killed for the sake of the countrys unity and integrity, the security forces would have done that," he had stated.
The former chief minister said that 28 lives were lost in the police firing at Ayodhya on October 30, 1990.
The firing had earned him the nickname of Mullah Mulayam in the Muslim community, which accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the states population. PTI ABN SAB SMI ADS
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Valvoline Inc. manufactures, markets, and supplies, engine and automotive maintenance products and services. It operates through two segments, Retail Services and Global Products. The company offers lubricants for passenger car, light duty, and heavy duty; antifreeze/coolants for original equipment manufacturers; functional and maintenance chemicals, such as brake fluids and power steering fluids, as well as specialty coatings for automotive and industrial applications; and oil and air filters for light-duty vehicles. It also provides batteries, windshield wiper blades, light bulbs, serpentine belts, and drain plugs. In addition, the company operates Valvoline instant oil change service centers. As of September 30, 2021, it operated and franchised approximately 1,594 quick-lube locations under the Valvoline Instant Oil Change brand in the United States and the Great Canadian Oil Change brand in Canada. The company also serves car dealers, general repair shops, and third-party quick lube locations, as well as through distributors and licensees. It has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.
By Anvita Singh: National leader Subhash Chandra Bose's death has been a mystery for decades. A mystery that many have tried to solve, a mystery which has given birth to numerous conspiracy theories. Bose was declared dead and it was reported that he was involved in a plane crash, and succumbed to his injuries in Taiwan in 1945. But there are many who have a strong reason to believe that Bose lived for a number of years after 1945, and that his death was staged for the world.
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Ekta Kapoor and Hansal Mehta's new web series is based on the aforementioned subject. Directed by Pulkit, and written by Reshu Nath, Bose: Dead/Alive has been adapted from writer Anuj Dhar's book titled India's Biggest Cover-up.
Anuj Dhar in an interview earlier to Firstpost had claimed that the Congress has been trying their best to hide the truth about Bose's death. His book cites 200 documents, 90 of which are classified to make the claim that the Congress party had their motives to not reveal the actual facts about Bose's death.
#BoseDeadorAlive @patralekhaa @hansalmehta @ektaravikapoor #Bose Coming out today. A post shared by Raj Kummar Rao (@rajkummar_rao) on Nov 19, 2017 at 9:38pm PST
The series' first episode feels a bit tacky, a little all-over-the-place. Each episode is about 20 minutes long, and the question really is, how much can you pack in that time? Not a lot, is the obvious answer. As a result of which you get a smattering of history, a dollop of politics (personal and otherwise), and then there is the context. What stands out is of course lead actor Rajkummar Rao's portrayal of the leader. The body language, the enunciation, and the all-over delivery is on point. Bose is not the actor's best performance, nevertheless, being the skillful actor that he is, Rajkummar does grab your attention.
The writing is intriguing; sometimes falling flat, sometimes jumping up like a scared dog, as if it suddenly remembered that it is supposed to keep things pacy for the viewers.
#Bose. Trailer out tomorrow. @ektaravikapoor @hansalmehta @patralekhaa @altbalaji A post shared by Raj Kummar Rao (@rajkummar_rao) on Aug 17, 2017 at 4:35am PDT
The first episode titled Dead/Alive begins with Rajkummar's voice-over as Bose, who talks about paying for freedom with blood.
The narrator, Darbari Lal (played by a well-cast Naveen Kasturia of the TVF series Pitchers fame), who is a part of the police force of the British Raj, then takes over and we are led into the world of Bose, his childhood, his early days at university, his youthful, rebellious period. The show doesn't follow a linear narrative, as in another scene we get a glimpse of Bose's German wife Emilie (played by a convincing Anna Ador), and from there on the pace is set, moving back and forth to 1945 pre-1945 era.
Edward Sonnenblick as Stanley, the head of the armed force, plays his part; a man obsessed with Bose and his whereabouts. The actors do what they are required to do, but the music by Neel Adhikari distracts and spoils the setting with a weird mix of Hindi, English, and Bengali. As far as the narrative goes, it just about manages to stick to its job-- to keep the audience at the edge of their seats.
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Helping the hungry: Food boxes distributed at Bedford church
The fourth Tuesday of each month, food boxes are given away at the Bedford Sherwood Oaks Christian Church.
Batelco, a leading digital solutions provider in Bahrain, has begun work to build a number of world-class TIER III datacentre facilities to ensure the highest level of business continuity for the Enterprise and Government sectors.
The project is central to the overall datacentre plan for the Kingdom of Bahrain in line with the Kingdoms vision to be a leading Data Hub in the region.
Batelco has embarked on this ambitious project to meet the growing demand from businesses across all sectors for cutting edge colocation services. In todays data intensive business environments, the TIER III facilities will provide higher levels of overall capacity and redundancy to meet the increasing demand for datacentre and colocation services.
Batelco is developing a number of datacentres which will form the basis of the infrastructure to enable the growth of enhanced cloud based ICT services and global data movement, said Batelco Bahrain CEO Mohamed Bubashait.
The TIER III datacentres are designed to extend the very latest in hosting and colocation services alongside Batelcos suite of cloud services to support the enterprise and government segments of Bahrain.
The new datacentre facilities will enhance the Kingdoms digital infrastructure significantly and further align Bahrains hosting and colocation facilities with global standards. Batelco is the recognised leader in the Kingdoms ICT industry and continues to lead in the development of relevant infrastructure for the countrys future needs. Such provisioning also helps to position Bahrain as a regional Data hub of choice for international businesses, Bubashait added. TradeArabia News Service
On the CFTAs scope: Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe highlighted the fact that historically, the CFTA would be the largest trade agreement in terms of members and potential since the coming into force of the WTO Agreement in 1995.
Featured infographic, @Yann_Sefacil: 70% of container trade flows to Eastern/Southern Africa are concentrated on Mid East-Asia routes. Intra-Africa cabotage weights few percent only.
Concluding today, in Livingstone: The PMAESA meeting targets land-linked countries as key facilitators of trade, investments in the development of the maritime sector in East and Southern Africa. Addressing delegates, PMAESA Chairperson and CEO of the Namibian Ports Authority, Mr Gerson Bisey Uirab, described land-linked countries as part of the architecture of the maritime sector which must be fully integrated. The maritime sector offers several opportunities and a future that can support the transformation of African economies. However, this demands that the region develops a comprehensive view of what the maritime sector could be and what it could offer. The DBSAs Mr Davies Pwele revealed that the DBSA will soon sign a MoU with PMAESA to become the preferred financier for the development of port infrastructure in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Starting today, in Nairobi: 2nd ESA Regional Research Conference on the impact and implication of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the WCO Mercator Programme to the ESA region. The conference will cover the following topics: Impacts of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement; Data analysis for effective border management; Best practices in digital customs; E-commerce as a driver for economic growth; Securing and facilitating trade in East and Southern Africa, and regional integration, addressing levels of intra-regional trade in East and Southern Africa. [For twitter updates: @KESRA_KRA, #2ndESAConference]
Today in Lusaka: Training on Zambias export and investment potential, using ITCs Export Potential Map
African Trade Information Portals: updates
(i) Harnessing transparent trade information for effective trade facilitation in the EAC: Nairobi workshop. The workshop (which concluded yesterday in Nairobi) provided a forum for EAC member states to share current status, challenges and achievements on the implementation of Trade Information Portals. The workshop will further formulate a regional Trade Facilitation Index and measurable targets for the online publication and simplification of trade procedures. The workshop was organised by the EAC Secretariat, in collaboration with TMEA and UNCTAD.
(ii) Information for Trade in Kenya web portal launches: Principal Secretary, State Department of Trade, Dr. Chris Kiptoo noted that the InfoTradeKenya platform was complimentary to the Kenya Trade Portal which was launched in October 2017. The latter, he clarified, is aimed at promoting Kenyan suppliers to the international market by linking them to global traders. On the other hand, the InfoTrade Kenya portal was intended to increase access to information on international trade procedures and regulations, cut back unwarranted penalties resulting from documentation errors and enhance trade efficiency. Dr. Kiptoo said that the two portals will be integrated in order to offer seamless information to traders.
Trading up: the benefits of exporting for small firms (IGC)
SMEs employ a large proportion of the labour force in developing countries. Compared to large firms, however, few SMEs export direct exports represent just 3% of total SME manufacturing sales, compared to 14% for large enterprises. Recent research has found that exporting provides important gains for small firms. An innovative project in Egypt found that exporting raised rug firms profits by 26%, with similarly dramatic rises in productivity. By learning new skills from intermediaries and foreign buyers, exporting firms increased the quality of their products as well as their efficiency. Demonstrating the importance of this process of learning by exporting and the resulting increases in profitability makes the case for increases in trade finance and better policies to facilitate trade for SMEs.
Extract (pdf): The barriers small firms must overcome to begin trading internationally are often so high as to be prohibitive. Any firm looking to start exporting must first find foreign buyers to sell to, know how to create a successful trading relationship, and understand what regulations to comply with. Atkin et al. enabled SMEs to export by matching them directly with buyers. The costs of matching buyers and sellers are commonly referred to as matching frictions. They constitute up to half of total trade costs. For small firms, it could be an even higher share. Therefore, supporting small firms in their efforts to find buyers by reducing such costs is a key goal for governments and export promotion agencies. There are several reasons why these costs can be high, and why they may particularly affect smaller firms. A number of actions can be taken by policymakers to lower them: [The authors: David Atkin, Amanda Jinhage]
Launch of Jack Mas eFounders Initiative (UNCTAD)
Alibaba Business School and UNCTAD have brought together 24 Africa-based entrepreneurs to participate in the inaugural eFounders Initiative. The eFounders Initiative is the first step to fulfilling the commitment Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma made as UNCTAD special adviser for young entrepreneurs and small business to help empower 1,000 entrepreneurs in developing countries over the next five years. The young e-commerce pioneers travelled from seven African countries to attend the programme at Alibabas global headquarters in Hangzhou and learn from Chinas experience in building an e-commerce ecosystem. The two-week intensive course included capacity-building in e-commerce, from inventory management and rural commerce to logistics and mobile payment systems, as well as how to use data to best capture consumer preferences. In the future, we will need more than the G20 and the B20 to create the kind of inclusive development the world needs, Mr. Ma said.
Tananzia: Value of digital money services increase by 78trn/- in four years (IPPMedia)
The value of transactions in the national digital payment system at the end of 2016 soared to almost 119trn/-, which was about three times more the electronic payments made in 2012. During the four year period, the value of the digital money services increased tremendously by nearly 78trn/-. New data from the Directorate of Banking Supervision (pdf) at the central bank show that the transactions increased by about 189% from 40.95trn/- in 2012 to 118.61trn/- last year. In 2015, the value of electronic payments made in the country amounted to about 88.88trn/-.
Zambia is exporting jobs to South Africa and importing poverty - Dr Chanda (Lusaka Times)
Ruling PF Bwana Mkubwa Member of Parliament in Ndola, Dr Jonas Chanda, says Zambia needs a strong national trade policy which protects Zambias interests first centred around free and fair trade with other countries. Dr Chanda said this will enable the country to be competitive with its trading partners. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday evening in support of the 2018 budget vote for the Ministry of Commerce, Dr Chanda said it was high time Zambia developed a very assertive National Trade Policy so that the country is not turned into a dumping ground for cheap imports from its main trading partners like South Africa, China and others. Dr Chanda stated that the total bilateral trade between Zambia and South Africa in 2016 was $3.8bn, with the balance tilted in favour of South Africa with a trade imbalance of over $2bn. Dr Chanda said the current situation where 95% of Zambias exports to China was unfinished copper products was not good for the economy since the country was not exporting value added goods to China. In fact China has created an industry of copper refineries, smelters and other value-adding industry around copper and other minerals, exporting back finished products to Zambia at a much higher price.
Namibia: President Hage Geingobs opening address at SWAPO elective congress
Even during the current economic downturn, where debt was permitted to exceed our self-imposed ceiling, Namibias debt, as a ratio to GDP at 42% remains lower than the SADC benchmark of 60%. In addition to this, the Namibian economy continues to be vibrant with economic growth projected to pick up in line with the global economic recovery. Our external position, at 5 month of import coverage, is strong; price pressures are well contained; there is ample liquidity and subscriptions to Government bonds have been well received, showing that Namibia remains credit worthy. Going forward, we will ensure the economy is managed in a responsible manner, by remaining far from IMF bailouts and ensuring the limited resources we have at our disposal, are spent in an inclusive, pro-poor and pro-growth manner.
The impact of infrastructure shocks on agricultural markets: evidence from the Zambezi river in Mozambique (UNU-WIDER)
The aim of this paper was to add to the literature on the impact of infrastructure investments on economic performance in developing countries. We noted that poor provision of road infrastructure can significantly increase costs to firms and make potential market opportunities unprofitable. Investment in transport infrastructure is widely seen as crucial to overcoming natural barriers and mitigating connectivity problems, in turn enhancing market integration. For this purpose, we used a quasi-natural experiment based on the construction of a new bridge across the Zambezi river that connected markets in Mozambique.
Tanzania: Country results brief 2017 (pdf, AfDB)
This Tanzania Country Results Brief demonstrates the Banks recent progress in moving the country toward its goal of reaching middle-income status by 2025. It also highlights the Banks responsiveness to Tanzanias needs, in moving closer to the field and providing the best value for money. Today the Bank has a Tanzania portfolio of 21 operations valued at $1.8 billion, which builds on the record of development results it has achieved in Tanzania since 2006. [Twaweza report on Tanzanians experiences and views of corruption]
WTO agriculture talks intensify as Buenos Aires Ministerial approaches (ICTSD)
As trade talks in Geneva enter the final stretch, WTO negotiators have tabled new proposals on agriculture for the Buenos Aires ministerial that begins in just over two weeks. They have also put forward suggestions for a work programme to deal with unresolved topics after the conference takes place. A new paper from Mexico has put forward proposals for a limit on trade-distorting farm support, while Norway and Singapore have tabled a draft ministerial decision on public stockholding for food security purposes. These two subject areas have dominated the WTOs agricultural talks in recent years, including this one. Two other proposals seek to spell out in more detail how WTO members would continue negotiations after Buenos Aires on topics that are not seen as top of the agenda for the ministerial. While some negotiators told Bridges that they were not optimistic about the prospects for achieving an outcome on agricultural trade issues at the ministerial, others said they believed that progress was possible if ministers could reach agreement on a package of measures to adopt at the conference. [US blocks work on WTO ministerial statement ahead of meeting]
UNIDO publications on trade, investment and innovation
Effective efforts in trade, investment and innovation can provide the conditions to end poverty within a generation. In full consultation with public and private partners, UNIDO designs and implements holistic interventions that are tailored to specific country needs. The interventions actively identify and combine complementary services from across six strategic thematic areas: [Six downloads available]
By PTI: By K J M Varma
Beijing, Nov 23 (PTI) China, which is constructing many hydropower projects in Tibet, plans to focus on dam building on rivers close to its provinces and not on the Brahmaputra which sparked concerns in India, state media reported today.
China had last month rejected as "false and untrue" a media report that it was planning to build a 1,000-km long tunnel to divert water from the Brahmaputra river in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradesh to the parched Xinjiang region.
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India, as a riparian state, had flagged its concerns to China about various dams being built by it on the Brahmaputra river, which is known in China as Yarlung Tsangpo.
An article in Global Times said that "the Jinsha, Lancang and Nujiang rivers are famous waterways in Tibet with enormous hydropower potential, but they do not run through India.
"This does not necessarily mean hydropower stations in transboundary rivers flowing from China to India, such as the Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra), will be isolated from the plan to transfer Tibets electricity out, but they may be not the first choice," the article said.
The Zangmu dam over the Brahmaputra, which became partially operational in 2014, raised serious concerns in India as the first major hydropower project among few more planned by China on the trans-border river in Tibet.
The dams reservoir capacity of just 86.6 million cubic meters of water accounts for a tiny portion of the average annual runoff of the Brahmaputra, the article said.
"In any case, India does not need to be oversensitive to Tibets hydropower development plan," it said.
Tibet wants to accelerate water-resource exploitation and make it a new source of economic growth by selling excess hydropower to economically prosperous regions, it said.
"But there are still a number of challenges. Once hidden costs of transmission are considered, sending electricity over long distances is inherently inefficient.
"To transfer Tibets electricity out, the exploitation of hydropower resources in the region is likely to be mainly concentrated on the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nujiang River, which are located close to the border area between Tibet and other Chinese provinces," it said.
Indias concerns figured in the official media coverage of the USD three-billion Suwalong project over the Jinsha river which state-run Xinhua news agency is proceeding smoothly.
The Jinsha is a tributary of the Yangtze river. The Suwalong project is located at the junction of Mangkam county of Tibet and Batang county of Sichuan province in southwest China. It will be the largest power station in Tibet upon completion, bigger than Zangmu dam over the Brahmaputra.
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The power station has a designed capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts and will be able to generate about 5.4 billion kwh of electricity per year.
A 112-meter-high dam will be built to form a reservoir that can store about 674 million cubic meters of water. Generators are expected to start operations in 2021. PTI KJV CPS AKJ CPS
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We will be ending our two week trip to CR with a 4 night stay at the Westin resort on Playa Conchal. My question is..... we have a 12:10pm flight from Liberia airport. So, do I check out of the Westin the day before and stay somewhere close by the airport overnight? - I may also have to return a car if I decide to rent one. OR do I stay the last night at the Westin and drive or get the hotel airport transfer service to the airport. I will be flying to Canada if that makes a difference for customs/check in.
Any suggestions for a nice hotel in Liberia - I was thinking of the Hilton.....
I have booked my return from Costa Rica, but am having trouble with my arrival.
I have a house reserved in Santa Elena on Saturday (3/3). I can arrive in SJO on Friday at 3pm. In another post I was told that there was nothing in particular between the two. So what do I do? I don't really like cities, so going into San Jose isn't all that interesting, but if I did that, would I rent a car at the airport and drive in, or get a shuttle of some sort and rent a car in San Jose the next day?
My other option is to arrive into LIR at 9:35PM, stay near the airport, and drive to Santa Elena the next day. Is that practical? Would I rent my car at the airport, or the next day? Where would I want to stay Friday night?
Would there be time to visit Rincon on the drive to Santa Elena on Saturday?
Sadly, I can't get into LIR any earlier in the day on Friday; that would be perfect.
Any advice on this dilemma would be appreciated.
The Trang An is a much longer tour. Went on one recently and instead of 2.5 hours it was more like 3.5
A great trip. Three break stops at two temples and another at a refreshment place. Excellent value at 200kVND
The Tam Coc trip is much shorter but the same price.
Go to Trang An.
I'm not American but hold a 12 month business visa, I dont have to leave every 90 days nor do I have to report to immigration every 90 days. I do need to register with the local police when I renew my visa.
I know a few Americans here and the same process applies to them as well.
Hi all,
First time in Tokyo, solo female traveller - scared but excited!
I am thinking of going mid to late May, as my birthday is on the 29th. Length would depend on final itinerary. General plan is to stay in Shinjuku or Ikebukuro and see
Sunshine City
Shinjuku National Garden
Cat cafe
Butler cafe and maybe a few other themed cafes
Harajuku
Anything else exciting in the city
Onsen (can anyone recommend one? Googled and there seems to be so many to choose from!)
Bullet train (I kind of just want to do this for the experience, but think Kyoto is also worth seeing. Is this advisable for a day trip?)
I also originally planned on going to Mt Fuji, but a few other things on here seem to say it's not worth it, and that it is better just to view from a distance. Thoughts?
What would you guys say is a reasonable timeframe for the above? I feel like I should give myself plenty of time as I'm sure to get lost and things won't go to plan, and don't want to run out of time!
If anyone could recommend useful apps for Japan as well, that'd be great. So far I have DuoLingo, and I'll get a voice translator one and a Japan train and metro one, as this was recommended on other posts. Anything else, or any other tips in general?
If anyone could also recommend a good pocket wifi or similar I'd be really grateful.
Thanks a lot in advance. Will post how I got on after the trip.
Edited: 4 years ago
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By PTI: Chennai, Nov 23 (PTI) The Customs department today seized 500 gram of gold bars worth Rs 14 lakh at the foreign post office in the airport here, an official release said.
The foreign post office at the airport handles the clearance of post parcels that arrive from various countries.
The officials, during scanning of a consignment that was mentioned as gift set kitchenware, sent from Rishad Thamil, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, to Minhaj in Chennai found some metal objects concealed in a jug, the release said.
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The officials sent a call-memo notice to the receiver of the gift for examination. When he failed to appear, the parcel was opened in front of the independent witnesses at the airport, it said. "The parcel contained jug, face powder and plastic flowers," the release said, adding the metal objects concealed in the jug were gold rods measuring 0.5 cm in diameter and 5 cm in length.
"The gold rods were found to be of 22 carat purity weighing 498 gram valued at Rs 14 lakh," the release said.
The gold bars were seized under the Customs Act, 1962, and further invesgtigation into the matter was on, the release added. PTI VIJ KJ
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By PTI: Geneva, Nov 23 (PTI) Dark matter and dark energy may not actually exist, according to a study which suggests that accelerating expansion of the universe and the movement of the stars in the galaxies can be explained without these concepts.
For close to a century, researchers have hypothesised that the universe contains more matter than can be directly observed, known as "dark matter".
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They have also posited the existence of a "dark energy" that is more powerful than gravitational attraction.
These two hypotheses, it has been argued, account for the movement of stars in galaxies and for the accelerating expansion of the universe respectively.
However, according to a researcher at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Switzerland, these concepts may be no longer valid: the phenomena they are supposed to describe can be demonstrated without them.
The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal, exploits a new theoretical model based on the scale invariance of the empty space, potentially solving two of astronomys greatest mysteries.
The way we represent the universe and its history are described by Einsteins equations of general relativity, Newtons universal gravitation and quantum mechanics.
The model-consensus at present is that of a Big Bang followed by an expansion.
"In this model, there is a starting hypothesis that has not been taken into account, in my opinion," said Andre Maeder, professor in UNIGEs Faculty of Science.
"By that I mean the scale invariance of the empty space; in other words, the empty space and its properties do not change following a dilatation or contraction," said Maeder.
The empty space plays a primordial role in Einsteins equations as it operates in a quantity known as a "cosmological constant", and the resulting universe model depends on it.
Based on this hypothesis, Maeder is now re-examining the model of the universe, pointing out that the scale invariance of the empty space is also present in the fundamental theory of electromagnetism.
When Maeder carried out cosmological tests on his new model, he found that it matched the observations.
He also found that the model predicts the accelerated expansion of the universe without having to factor in any particle or dark energy.
In short, it appears that dark energy may not actually exist since the acceleration of the expansion is contained in the equations of the physics, researchers said.
In a second stage, Maeder focused on Newtons law, a specific instance of the equations of general relativity.
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The law is also slightly modified when the model incorporates Maeders new hypothesis.
It contains a very small outward acceleration term, which is particularly significant at low densities.
This amended law, when applied to clusters of galaxies, leads to masses of clusters in line with that of visible matter: this means that no dark matter is needed to explain the high speeds of the galaxies in the clusters. PTI SAR SAR
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- Elgeyo Marakwet senator Kipchumba Murkomen and law professor Makua Mutua engaged in a twitter fight over the current Kenyan political situation
- The two lawyers were debating the legitimacy of Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential legitimacy on the micro blogging site
- Murkomen is an ardent Jubilee politician while Mutua is a strong supporter of Raila Odinga
Lawyers Kipchumba Murkomen and Makau Mutua engaged in a twitter fight treating their followers to a heated legal debate just days after the Supreme Court validated Uhuru Kenyatta's reelection.
In the debate which TUKO.co.ke followed keenly, the two lawyers delved into the legitimacy question and touched on the political strength of both Jubilee and NASA.
Murkomen is an ardent Jubilee supporter while Mutua supports the ideologies of opposition leader Raila Odinga.
READ ALSO: Mkutano wa Raila na Magufuli walipua wasiwasi mwingi kambi ya Uhuru
Senator Kipchumba Murkomen during a past function. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen/Facebook
READ ALSO: Raila courts regional leaders as NASA rejects Uhurus presidency
Mutua said that Uhuru's presidency was illegitimate but he was countered by Murkomen who dismissed that notion.
READ ALSO: Govt of Zanzibar not aware of Raila's tour-Zanzibar's minister
Lawyer Makau Mutua who is an ardent supporter of opposition leader Raila Odinga. Photo: Makau Mutua/Facebook
Referring to court rulings made before in the US and examples of Apartheid in South Africa, the two stood their ground with Murkomen defending Uhuru's election in the disputed and controversial October 26 repeat poll.
Mutua suggested a sit down with the senator to engage further to which Murkomen agreed but said he would also love to use that chance to teach Mutua some politics.
While reacting to Mutua's arguement that Uhuru lacks legitimacy because not all constituencies voted in the repeat poll, Murkomen dismissed it by claiming NASA is just but a family outfit which lacks national appeal.
READ ALSO: Kisumu governor Anyang' Nyong'o sued and TUKO.co.ke has the details
As the debate became heated, a cheeky follower called for 'ceasefire' and said that injured Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch be called to calm the 'situation'.
The legislator engaged in a fist fight with his Jubilee counterparts at Panafric hotel after Murkomen had jokingly said he had bought the NASA MPs tea.
NASA women leaders and victims of police brutality - on TUKO TV
Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Kenyans on social media platforms are up in arms against a man who has threatened to assault top KCPE girl Goldalyn
- The man is notorious for posting messages indicating he finds it thrilling to prey on small girls
- Kenyans want the police and the director of public prosecutions to act and apprehend the man before he harms an innocent young girl
A dangerous man on the loose has angered Kenyans after he threatened to abuse 14-year-old top KCPE girl Goldalyn Kakuya after he posted his intentions on a popular Facebook group.
The young brilliant and beautiful girl hailing from Kakamega county is basking in glory after scooping 455 in the 2017 KCPE exams.
READ ALSO: Mkutano wa Raila na Magufuli walipua wasiwasi mwingi kambi ya Uhuru
Goldalyn, fondly referred to as Golda by her friends, is living with albinism but that did not deter her as she continues to prove her worth in media interviews.
Top KCPE candidate Goldalyn Kakuya poses with Citizen TV's Lilian Muli. Photo: Lilian Muli/Instagram
READ ALSO: TV queen Lilian Muli returns fire for fire after claims she asked top KCPE student a silly question
The man using the name Donald Njiru Njaaga on Facebook, posted the offensive remarks on Kilimani Mums and Dads Uncensored - original where he also declared he fancies young girls.
READ ALSO: We will deal with you harshly - Uhuru's govt warns NASA
A campaign calling on the police and the office of the director of public prosecutions to swing into action dubbed #ArrestDonaldNjiruNjaaga was used by Kenyans on social media and at the end of the day, a major step was achieved.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko at a past function. Photo: Nation
The office of the director of public prosecutions Keriako Tobiko said it had taken up the issue and promised to keep the public informed about the next steps it would take.
TUKO.co.ke which is against child abuse noted that the man had in a series of posts, earlier, alluded to the fact that he can molest minors if left alone with them.
Kenyan laws also protect the girl child against such men.
NASA women leaders and victims of police brutality -on TUKO TV
Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Governor Mike Sonko has given KSh 1.2 million to traders who lost their property during NASA-police chaos
- Most of the traders had their businesses based along Jogoo Road
- They are 48 in number including a woman who was sexually molested by the NASA supporters
They will share the money among themselves
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has continued his philanthropy by dishing out KSh 1.2 million to the victims of the clashes between National Super Alliance supporters and the police.
Sonko on Thursday, November 23, met representatives of the victims, majority of them traders, at City Hall where he donated the money.
The victims totaled 48, among them a woman who was sexually brutalised and at least KSh 200,000 stolen from her M-Pesa shop.
Sonko has dished money to victims of NASA-police chaos Photo: Facebook/Mike Sonko
READ ALSO: You can go ahead and swear in Raila Odinga-Govt tells NASA
The traders incurred at least KSh 5 million losses when their businesses were vandalised and looted by the said NASA supporters.
The incident happened when the supporters thronged the JKIA to welcome back Raila Odinga from the United States.
Sonko urged the traders not to allow perceived political differences to divide them. He also pledged more financial support to the victims.
Sonko donated KSh 1.2 million to the victims Photo: Facebook/Mike Sonko
READ ALSO: What Kenyans should expect during Uhuru's swearing in ceremony
As reported by TUKO.co.ke, there was drama in Nairobi on Friday, November 17, when police battled thousands of NASA supporters who came out to welcome Raila.
Several of them were killed and others injured in the running battles that lasted the better part of the day.
Millie Odhiambo warns Mike Sonko on TUKO TV
Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Tanzanian police have denied detaining NSIS officials from Kenyan who were reportedly trailing Raila Odinga's movements during his tour in Zanzibar
- Tanzania Inspector of Police Simon Sirro denied any knowledge of Kenyan officers ' arrest
- His statement followed some viral photos of the NASA leader alongside a lady who is a director of a tours company in Tanzania
Tanzanian authorities have strongly denied reports that Kenyan officials from the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) have been arrested.
Earlier reports had indicated that Inteligence officials had trailed Raila Odinga while he was on tour in Zanzibar on private endeavours.
However Tanzania Inspector of Police Simon Sirro on Thursday, November 23 denied the claims of spies being sent to tail Raila.
Tanzania Inspector of Police Simon Sirro on Thursday, November 23 denied the claims of spies being sent to tail Raila. Photo: AllAfrica.com
READ ALSO: 20 presidents confirm attendance during Uhuru's swearing in - Govt
According to Sirro, he was not aware of any arrests made against NSIS officials from Kenya.
I am not aware of that and what is being speculated about is not true, Sirro was quoted by The Citizen Tanzania.
Raila's Zanzibar tour was however tainted on Wednesday when photos of the opposition leader and a travel company director hit the interwebs. Photo: Raila/Facebook
READ ALSO: Raila to hold fundraising for supporters who died when welcoming him
NASA leader Raila Odinga had been on tour in Zanzibar since Monday, November 20 in what was believed to be a short holiday stint.
His Zanzibar tour was however tainted on Wednesday when photos of the opposition leader and a travel company director hit the interwebs.
Photos of Raila Odinga and a pretty lady on Wednesday, November 22 took the internet by storm. Photo: Sasha Seraphine/Facebook
The government of Zanzibar had however explained that they were not aware of Raila Odingas trip.
Have anything to add to this article or suggestions? Share with us on news@tuko.co.ke
NASA women leaders and victims of police brutality on TUKO TV:
Source: TUKO.co.ke
By India Today Web Desk: Bollywood's wild child Ranveer Singh and the beautiful Deepika Padukone seem to be the perfect example of how opposites attract. Ranveer's public display of affection can make any guy seriously envious. Women love him, and men want to be like him. Unlike his contemporaries, who keep their private life under wraps, the 32-year-old Ranveer has always remained vocal about his love for Deepika.
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The love which began on the sets of the 2013 film Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela has only grown stronger by the day. However, rumours of break-up made headlines recently, however, Ranveer and Deepika shut their detractors when they hosted Padmavati's trailer success party recently.
And now Deepika in an interview to Filmfare spoke at length about her marriage plans, relationship with Ranveer and low points in her life.
Here's what she said:
On beau Ranveer Singh
Their love story is one of the favourites among Bollywood fans. They fell in love on the sets of a film, and four years down the line, their bond is still strong. Talking about her equation with Ranveer, Deepika told the magazine, "When we're with each other, we don't need anything or anyone else. We're comfortable in each other's presence. Sometimes it's intelligent conversation, sometimes just silence, sometimes there's a childlike innocence. We keep each other grounded. We are good in that sense."
On marriage
Bollywood fans have been awaiting Deepika and Ranveer's wedding. The two have been going steady for a while, and everyone is waiting for them to take the next step. But Deepika is in no hurry. "Hmmm...and what would the next level be? It's not obvious. I don't know if marriage per se... Because I believe every relationship has its natural progression. I'm discovering that myself," she added.
On plans to settle down in 2018
Deepika revealed that she wants to become a homemaker and start her family, but when, she has no idea. "I can't put a year to it. Honestly, I've never been able to do anything that is time bound. I believe relationships have their way of unfolding. As far as my equation with him is concerned, I am sure that will unfold in its own manner. I can't wait to be a homemaker. Because from the time I was a little girl, I've always wanted to be that. I've always wanted to start a family," said Bajirao Mastani actor.
On low points in her life
She is one of the few Bollywood actors who spoke openly about her battle with depression in 2015. Talking about the low points in her life, Deepika said, "A broken relationship and depression."
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She added that it took her a lot of time get over that low phase. "Well, time and a lot of work on myself helped me overcome it. It came with an amazing support system, my friends and family. My friends and family keep me grounded. They keep me rooted. They anchor me. Also, today my work is everything. My work is me. I have created it. I am responsible for my success and failure. No one else can take that away from me. That's on what I have focussed all my energies and efforts. It's my baby," added the 31-year-old actor.
ALSO WATCH: Ranveer Singh says his outlook on romantic relationships have evolved
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Russian-backed militants launched 12 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas in last day.
This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.
"Over the past day, illegal armed groups violated the ceasefire 12 times. The Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on the enemy 9 times. As a result of fighting, two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and another one sustained injury," the statement reads.
In Luhansk direction, terrorists used 120mm mortars to launch attacks on Ukrainian positions near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk). ATO troops also came under enemy fire outside Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk), Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk). Militants also fired at the outskirts of Popasna (90 km north-west of Luhansk), using weapons on infantry fighting vehicles and heavy machine guns. The small arms were used to shell Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).
In Donetsk direction, illegal armed formations fired mortars near Pavlopol (30 km northeast of Mariupol). In addition, illegal armed formations used grenade launchers and small infantry weapons to launch attacks on Ukrainian strongholds outside Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk) and Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk).
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The influential U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation, dubbed by a number of observers and media outlets as the Donald Trump administration think tank, has released a report urging to provide Ukraine with weapons.
"In the coming weeks, President Trump will decide whether to approve the sale of U.S. weapons, including advanced anti-tank weapons, to Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia illegally occupies Crimea. Russia provoked and now supports a separatist movement in eastern Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim. Every country has the right to self-defense," the report reads.
Apart from the arms deliveries to Ukraine, the analysts also suggest that U.S. trainers and mentors should be able to operate across the whole country.
"The people of Ukraine have shown a commitment to the transatlantic community, and the U.S. should provide advanced weapons and other tactical enablers, such as secure communications, to the Ukrainians. Doing so should not be viewed as a silver bullet in solving the crisis and ending Russian aggression. While the future success of Ukraine will rest in large part on the shoulders of Ukrainians themselves, U.S. leadership is essential for counteracting Russian aggression and supporting reform," the Heritage Foundation experts believe.
The author of the report is Luke Coffey, the director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation.
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The National Police of Ukraine and the Microsoft Ukraine have signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of information and cyber security.
"The agreement was concluded as a result of the meeting of Deputy Chief of the National Police of Ukraine Kostiantyn Bushuyev with CEO of Microsoft Ukraine Nadiya Vasylyeva," the press service of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine reports.
Bushuyev noted that such cooperation would help elaborate comprehensive solutions for the technical support of our activities on the scale of the state, apply innovations in the public administration and optimize the existing resource to reduce the impact of the human factor on police activities."
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Instructors from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army will train Ukrainian servicemen at the Yavoriv training area in Lviv region.
On November 22, they solemnly took command from their colleagues from the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. National Guard, Radio Liberty reports.
Servicemen of the 45th Infantry Brigade folded their battle flag. Instructors from one of the best U.S. divisions in the State of Oklahoma spent almost ten months, in Ukraine, training Ukrainian fighters, the report says.
Meanwhile, servicemen of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the State of New York unfolded their combat flag, which will be flying at the training area until August next year. It is the time that 250 military instructors from this brigade will spend with their colleagues from Canada, Poland, Britain, Lithuania, and Denmark. In general, over 400 people will train Ukrainian servicemen who serve in the zone of military operations in Donbas. At the same time, NATO soldiers will adopt Ukrainian combat experience.
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Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded, and another four soldiers were injured in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"Two servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were wounded as a result of the enemy shelling in the area of Kamyanka [62km south of Donetsk] and Katerynivka [64km west of Luhansk]. One more Ukrainian soldier was injured near Katerynivka," he said.
In addition, three more servicemen were injured as a result of the explosion of an unknown device in the area of Taramchuk (30km south-west of Donetsk).
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Zaporizhzhia region in January-September 2017 increased exports of goods by almost 30% - to $2,122.7 million, Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration reports with a reference to the regional main state statistics department.
Zaporizhzhia region over the nine months exported goods worth $2,122.7 million, imports totaled $ 884.5 million, a positive balance of foreign trade in goods - $ 1,238.2 million. Export supplies increased by 27.7%, import supplies - by 20.6% compared with the same period last year, reads the report.
According to the regional statistics department, foreign trade operations were conducted with partners from 143 countries.
Among the most exported goods were: ferrous metals - 53.3%, mechanical equipment - 12.2%, and grain crops - 6.0%.
In 2017, the region increased exports of goods to the countries of the European Union - by 31.8%, having delivered products worth $ 636.7 million. In particular, the region increased exports to Poland 5.6%, Italy 5.1%, Bulgaria - 4.3%, Germany - 2.5%, and the Czech Republic - 2.4% of total exports.
Goods exported to the Russian Federation totaled - 19.2%, Turkey - 12.1%, Egypt - 3.4%, India - 3.3% of total exports.
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The girl's mother has alleged that the school management did not take the matter seriously and neither acted on the parents' complaint.
4-year-old boy has been accused of sexually assaulting his classmate in school. Photo for representation.
By Munish Pandey, Tanseem Haider: Delhi Police has booked a four-year-old boy for 'raping' his classmate, the same age, in a reputed school in Dwarka.
The alleged incident took place last Friday and according to the girl's mother the four-year-old returned from the school and narrated the ordeal to her. Later, she told her father about the incident over phone.
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The girl's mother has alleged that the school management did not take the matter seriously and neither acted on the parents' complaint. As a result, the parents of the four-year-old girl approached the police and registered a complaint with them.
The mother of the four-year-old girl alleged the boy used his finger and a sharpened pencil to assault her daughter sexually. She alleged that the assault has resulted in wounds in her daughter's private parts.
POLICE BOOK ACCUSED UNDER POCSO
Deependra Pathak, Delhi Police's chief spokesperson confirmed the incident and told India Today that a case has been registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the four-year-old victim's family approached the local police.
"In such cases, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provides children below seven years of age certain protections against prosecutions. We are taking help from legal experts examining those provisions even as we are handling the matter with utmost sensitivity," Pathak said.
In her statement to police, the victim's mother said that her daughter complained of pain in her lower abdomen after returning from school on Friday. Since she kept complaining sporadically, the mother ignored it thinking it was "one of her tantrums".
According to the four-year-old girl, a boy from her class unbuttoned her pants and used his fingers to assault her.
FAMILY CRIES NEGLIGENCE BY SCHOOL
As per the FIR lodged by the victim's mother, she complained to the school authorities about the incident the same night through text messages. The next day, she again tried to speak with the authorities but received no cooperation from them. She was asked to file a written complaint only on Monday.
With her daughter incessantly complaining of pain and discomfort, she rushed her to a hospital for treatment. A medico-legal case was first made at the hospital and then a police case was registered.
The mother alleged that there was neither a teacher nor a help present in the classroom or in the washroom when the alleged assault happened.
ALSO WATCH: Haryana: Girl alleges rape by school staff in letter to PM Modi
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Ukraine has a huge potential to attract alternative energy sources but still does not use it.
Vice Prime Minister Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadiy Zubko stated this at the ninth international business forum Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Industry Modernization in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Solar energy, wind power, energy production from domestic waste is a huge potential for the energy industrial complex, which is not being used," Zubko said.
He noted that the laws on the gas market and electricity market offer new opportunities to use alternative sources but much work still needs to be done.
"I would also like to say that Ukraine has the highest tariff for green energy, which allows us attract investments," Zubko said.
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Denmark plans to continue supporting the implementation of energy saving projects in Ukraine, Danish Ambassador to Ukraine Ruben Madsen has said.
He stated this during the ninth international investment business forum "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Modernization of Industry," an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The role of my little country Denmark is quite significant in the development of renewable sources. We are pleased to be involved in the development of such projects in Ukraine. In Ukraine, we have very close cooperation that lasted for a couple of years with the government through the Ukraine-Denmark Energy Center, which we formed together," Madsen said.
He noted that Denmark had joined the development of an interactive map of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and that an agency overseeing energy efficiency projects would begin its work next year.
"We will share our experience, because it is the most valuable thing we can offer. Ukraine is a priority for us," the ambassador said.
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Ukrainians will have access to cheaper natural gas through an increase in domestic gas production and de-monopolization, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.
He stated this at a briefing on Thursday during his working visit to Poltava region, where he visited several facilities of the Ukrgazvydobuvannia state enterprise, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"In 2020, we have to produce 20 billion cubic meters of Ukrainian gas and buy nothing abroad... Ukraine will be energy independent. We will extract more Ukrainian gas, and Ukrainians will have access to cheaper gas than today," Groysman said.
The prime minister recalled that on November 21, the government decided to form a new supervisory board of Naftogaz and one of its tasks would be de-monopolization of the gas market in Ukraine.
"The new supervisory board consists mostly of professional people in the oil and gas sector, and the task before the supervisory board is the following de-monopolization of the Ukrainian gas market... De-monopolization will also influence the price of gas inside the country, that is it will be lower," Groysman added.
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Ukraine has postponed some official visits to Belarus after charges of espionage were brought against Ukrainian journalist Pavlo Sharoiko and diplomat Ihor Skvortsov.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus Ihor Kyzym said this in an interview with Euroradio.
"After this incident, even certain visits have been postponed. If a PACE meeting is held [in Belarus], then our deputies may decide to limit the number of delegates. It can be said that some government officials have decided to refrain from traveling to Belarus," Kyzym said.
In his opinion, Sharoiko's detention could be a response to the detention in Chernihiv in June 2017 of a Belarussian citizen who was accused of espionage in favor of Russia.
It was on November 20 that Belarus had declared adviser of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus Skvortsov persona non grata. Minsk accused him of conducting intelligence activities.
In addition, on October 25, the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) detained Ukrainian Radio correspondent Pavlo Sharoiko.
Earlier, on August 24, Pavlo Hryb, a 19-year-old son of a Ukrainian State Border Service officer, disappeared in Belarus. It was later reported that the Russian special services had transferred him to a detention facility in Krasnodar (Russia).
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President Petro Poroshenko has departed for Brussels (Belgium) to attend the European Union's Eastern Partnership Summit.
Ukrainian president's press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote this on Twitter.
The president has departed for Brussels, where he will participate in the Eastern Partnership Summit and hold talks with leaders of some countries, reads a report.
As earlier reported, the Eastern Partnership Summit will take place in Brussels on November 24.
The implementation of the Association Agreement should be a political priority for the European Union, therefore, EU-Ukraine relations cannot and will not be limited to the Eastern Partnership, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.
"The implementation of the Association Agreement should be a political priority for the EU, not a 'technology.' Therefore, Ukraine-EU relations cannot and will not remain only within the framework of the Eastern Partnership," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
As reported, on November 22, Klimkin said that no breakthrough political decisions should be expected from the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels on November 24, but the summit could become valuable in terms of the approval of the so-called Vision 2020 for Ukraine, developed by the European Commission.
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Germany has allocated EUR 23 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine this year.
Head of the working group on Ukraine at the Foreign Ministry of Germany Andreas Protman said this in a commentary to a Berlin-based Ukrinform correspondent.
"Of course, Germany does not forget about this conflict. Since the beginning of 2017 and up to the present moment, the Federal Republic of Germany has allocated EUR 23 million for humanitarian activities," the diplomat said.
According to Protman, the funds have been transferred to different regions of Ukraine with major share to the eastern regions, both to government-controlled and temporarily occupied areas. "We are active on both sides of the conflict line, we are trying to help and support humanitarian projects on both sides," the German Foreign Ministry official stressed.
Protman is convinced that Berlin will continue to support humanitarian activities to help Ukraine. He stressed the need to adhere to the ceasefire in the Donbas, especially in view of the approaching winter, to provide unfettered access to the region for the humanitarian organizations and to lift the economic blockade.
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Over 1,300 foreign citizens, including nearly a hundred artists and cultural figures, have been refused entry to Ukraine due to their visits to Russia-occupied Crimea, the press office of the State Border Service of Ukraine has reported.
"Since the beginning of the year, over 2,000 administrative protocols have been drawn up under Article 204-2 of the Code on Administrative Offences for violating the order of entry into and exit from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. In addition, over 1,300 decisions were made to ban foreign citizens from entering Ukraine for such violations, including with respect to nearly a hundred artists and cultural figures. Also, according to the results of the monitoring, over 800 people, who could have stayed on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, have currently been identified," the statement reads.
It notes that according to the legislation, in case of violation by foreigners of the rules of crossing the administrative border with Crimea, entry into Ukraine is not allowed and a respective decision is made. In addition, the State Border Service draws the attention of citizens of Ukraine and other states that violation of the order of entry into the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea through the checkpoints closed by the Ukrainian government, depending on the circumstances, envisages criminal (Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and administrative (Article 204-1 and Article 204-2 of the Code on Administrative Offences) accountability.
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Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said he believes that the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) may begin its work in half a year.
He said this in an interview with the 112 Ukraine television channel, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"Everything that concerns budget financing, administrative support in creation, we [the government] will provide it. I understand that in six months this structure [SBI] could begin its work and engage in the investigation of crimes," Groysman said.
He also said that the SBI should become an effective law enforcement agency. "Law enforcement bodies do not have sufficient trust in society, and trust can be won by one thing - actions, and if they promised publicity and transparency, they have to do it," Groysman said.
On Thursday, November 23, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree appointing Roman Truba as SBI director.
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A photo exhibition, which reflects the stages of development of changes in the Ukrainian society and army since the times of the Revolution of Dignity, was opened at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States.
"Each photo, exhibited at the entrance to the main hall of the Embassy, features a special story and conveys a particular symbolism of sacrifice, courage and indomitable aspirations of the Ukrainian people and, most importantly, reminds of the emergence of a new Ukraine which we continue to build every day," the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA posted on Facebook.
However, as the diplomatic mission stresses, the most valuable exhibit is the blue-and-yellow flag which was signed by the Ukrainian servicemen from the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade and sent to the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States as a gratitude for the support and assistance to the army.
The photo are published on the Facebook page of the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States
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By India Today Web Desk: Dil Se Dil Tak Sidharth Shukla is again in the news, this time for holding up a shoot. Yes, you read that right. The shoot of the show (Dil Se Dil Tak) was stalled as the actor was taken ill in the morning his scenes were to be shot, and the actor apparently stayed in his vanity van till evening, according to a report in India Forums.
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The actor was recently in the news for picking up fights with co-stars, Jasmin Bhasin and Kunal Verma. In fact, things with former co-star Kunal Verma had turned rather ugly, with Verma alleging that Shukla is arrogant and short-tempered.
However, the feud with Jasmin Bhasin was just a rumour, as both Sidharth and the actress claimed that they are on perfectly cordial terms with each other, and that they have no control over gossip, but all is well between them.
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According to the Special Investigation Team, the Malayalam actress told Manju Warrier, ex-wife of Dileep, about his affair with Kavya Madhavan. This reportedly led him to hatch a conspiracy and get her abducted and molested.
By India Today Web Desk: There is a new twist in the Dileep-Malayalam actress abduction case.
The special investigation team, which submitted the chargesheet in the case on Wednesday, has established that actor Dileep, had conspired with first accused Pulsar Suni, to trap and rape the actress, on the basis of circumstantial evidence.
The final report filed at the Angamaly judicial first class court said that Dileep had a grudge against the actress, who had handed over digital evidence proving an extramarital affair between him and actress Kavya Madhavan, to his ex-wife Manju Warrier.
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SIT sources have confirmed that only Dileep and Pulsar Suni were involved in the conspiracy to harm the actress. According to the recorded statements while interrogation, the actor had been nursing a grudge against the rape survivor for several years.
The chargesheet also states that Dileep tried to sabotage the actress's film career.
The Malayalam actress was abducted and allegedly raped on February 17 night, on her way back from Kochi. Suni and the second accused, Vigeesh were arrested while trying to surrender before a magistrate court in Kochi on February 23. Dileep was arrested on July 10. He got bail on October 3.
ALSO WATCH: Dileep's bail rejected, more trouble for the Malayalam actor
--- ENDS ---
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday said that the recent dissolution of the countrys main opposition party, the resignation of three elected officials in protest at the move, and possible cuts in western aid will not affect the general election, planned for July 2018.
He also blamed the banned opposition to the ensuing international pressure faced by the regime and for any possible sanctions western governments impose.
He mocked the opposition as losing double after members of the National Election Committee (NEC) who were seen as sympathetic to its cause resigned in protest at the Supreme Court decision to ban the Cambodia National Rescue Party last week.
In these few days, there have been some stupid actions. They want to crash the National Election Committee by asking officials to resign, he said. Please note, we will not delay anything.
During the nearly two-hour speech, Hun Sen said that foreign recognition of the 2018 election was not necessary for it to be legitimate.
The election still goes on. February 25 will be the date of the Senate election, while July 29 will be the date of the National Assembly election, he said. With or without electoral observers, it does not matter.
Without observers, it doesnt mean the election is not legitimate and the Cambodian constitution or around the world doesnt state that one country needs another countrys president or the U.N. Secretary General to acknowledge its election is legitimate.
The speech came days after three election officials -- Kuoy Bunroeun, NEC vice president; and members Rong Chhun and Te Manirong -- resigned in protest at the Supreme Courts decision to ban the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Hun Sen has said that the three former NEC officials will be quickly replaced by officials from Cambodias minority parties.
Chhun said that recruiting new NEC members in this way could violate the election law -- a charge levied against the now-dissolved opposition on numerous occasions.
The [National] Assembly will likely amend the [election] law to accommodate those parties, he said.
Meas Ny, a social analyst, said without election observers the 2018 election would lack recognition, but added that nothing can stop the government because nowadays they just do whatever they want.
The international community has heavily criticized the decision to dissolve the opposition, which is widely seen as a purely political move. Two major donors to Cambodia, the United States, and Sweden have announced the will reduce aid to the country.
Meanwhile, the European Union, Cambodias largest export market at about $5 billion annually, on Thursday asked Cambodia to respect fundamental human rights for it to continue to benefit from the blocs preferential trading scheme, called Everything But Arms.
Hun Sen blamed the CNRP for any sanctions that may be placed on Cambodia. The opposition party has gone abroad to call on foreign countries to stop buying goods from Cambodia. They committed a crime. They violated the law. When we punished them, they appealed [to foreigners].
Please remember, kids, if there is any reduction in orders of goods from Cambodia, it is all because of the opposition party. Hun Sen will not die, he told a crowd of garment workers in the capital, claiming the oppositions lobbying for sanctions was killing garment workers.
The current political crisis is the worst since government security forces killed at least five people, some of whom were factory workers, during a period of strikes and protests in the aftermath of the 2013 election.
Despite the protests from the west, Cambodia has received strong backing from China, its largest donor, and lender. On Wednesday, Prak Sokhon, a foreign minister, met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Myanmar. Yi reportedly reiterated Chinas commitment to support Cambodias efforts in maintaining political stability.
Cambodia could lose economic privileges granted by western powers and face further visa bans on officials if it chooses to ignore calls to reinstate the countrys main opposition party, analysts say.
As well as being officially banned, the Cambodia National Rescue Party had 118 officials banned from political activity for the next five years. Thousands of positions on local authorities won by the CNRP at local elections in 2017 will be handed to smaller parties.
Political analyst Ou Virak said he thought the United States would end preferential trade with Cambodia, while the European Union could move to exclude the country from its Everything But Arms scheme.
Last week, two influential U.S. Congressmen, Steve Chabot and Alan Lowenthal, described the Supreme Court ruling against the CNRP as a dark day for the fledgling democracy of Cambodia, while the White House issued a rare statement, saying it had significantly set back Cambodias democratic development, and warned that Cambodia has now placed its economic growth and international standing at risk.
The White House stated that the US will take concrete steps to respond to the deeply regrettable actions of the Cambodian government and terminated its $1.8 million funding to the National Election Committee.
Hours after the court ruling was announced in Phnom Penh, the U.S. Senate passed Resolution 279, which considers adding senior Cambodian government officials to a list of foreign officials who have their assets blocked and suffer from travel bans.
In order to avoid this outcome, Cambodia will have to release the jailed opposition leader, Kem Sokha, who faces spurious treason charges; reopen radio stations closed as part of a crackdown on independent media; allow civil society groups to operate freely, and organize free and fair elections in 2018.
The Resolution was co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Dick Durbin.
Ou Virak, founder, and president of the Future Forum, a think tank, said that sanctions will also be placed on the economy.
I predict that if there is no easing of tensions or negotiation, the US will also terminate its GPS, which is ... preference status, given to a poor country to export their products to the US, he said.
Cambodia has befitted from a General System of Preferences status since 1997 and has exported hundreds of millions dollars worth of products to the US since. In 2016, Cambodia exported $179 million under the program.
The Office of United States Trade Representative is currently reviewing the program and Cambodia is also under review, according to a Facebook post by the US embassy on November 15.
Cambodias major markets are the EU and US with an annual export volume of over $7 billion. In 2016, Cambodia exported $4.5 billion worth of goods to the EU.
At stake is the EUs Everything but Arms scheme similar to the US GSP, that Cambodia has benefited from.
If they cut the [tax preferences], they will not give them back because Cambodia is not a poor country like in the past, Virak said. This will affect our economy.
The European Union considered the CNRP dissolution a significant step away from the path of pluralism and democracy and urged Cambodia to swiftly restore the situation in which all parties, including the CNRP, their leaders, and their supporters are able to carry out freely their legitimate functions.
Respect of fundamental human rights is a prerequisite for Cambodia to continue to benefit from the EU's preferential Everything But Arms scheme, EU statement added.
Sweden is now reviewing its engagement with Cambodia. The announcement came as it decided to stop initiating new government-to-government development cooperation agreements.
Former opposition leader Sam Rainsy said this all can be avoided and called his compatriots to demand Prime Minister Hun Sen step down.
If Mr. Hun Sen remains in power and continues to do these bad things there will be sanctions, there will be economic sanctions, Rainsy told VOA Khmer. So if Mr. Hun Sen continues to do these bad things, we wont have freedom, we wont have economic prosperity.
Sam Rainsy added that Hun Sen has to change his politics, to end suppression of the CNRP, to return basic rights and freedom to the Cambodian people and free all political prisoners, including Sokha.
This is a dilemma for the ruling party: to choose between competing with the opposition at the next years election and dealing with international pressure on both economic and political fronts.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has chosen the path of economic pressure.
I very much welcome the US cut off its funding to the National Election Committee, Hun Sen said recently on state television. This means that you talk about democracy and you cut funding to the National Election Committee. You take part in killing democracy in Cambodia.
Ratko Mladic, the former general in charge of Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkans war in the early 1990s, has been found guilty of genocide and other crimes against humanity. He is sentenced to life in prison by the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Although the verdict was welcomed by many Bosnians, Mladic is still seen as a hero by some ethnic Serbs and justice may do little to reconcile the regions still divided populations. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
A former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to seven counts of sexual assault. He has been accused of molesting and sexually abusing more than 100 women and girls, including three Olympic gold medalists. The case of former doctor Larry Nassar reveals serious failings on the part of the authorities who seemingly did little to protect the girls from a known predator. VOA's Zlatica Hoke has this report.
Two years ago, VOA's team visited the Achin district in the Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan when it was a stronghold if the Islamic State in Afghanistan. They found evidence of human rights abuses that forced many in the local population to flee. Since then, Afghan security forces, helped by the United States and NATO, have cleared much of the area. VOA Correspondent Ayesha Tanzeem went back to see what life after IS is like. Here's what she found.
An Istanbul court ruled Wednesday that Amnesty International's Turkey director should remain in jail. The anti-terror case includes 10 other human rights defenders and is drawing increasing international condemnation.
The decision by the Istanbul court to continue detaining Taner Kilic pending trial on charges of seeking to overthrow the government has drawn swift condemnation by human rights defenders. The case has become an international focal point of growing concern over the prosecution of human rights activists in Turkey.
Andrew Gardner, a Turkey researcher for Amnesty International, criticized the court's decision.
"Really this flies in the face of all reason. There is a wealth of evidence that he was innocent of all the charges," he said. "There was frankly nothing to suggest he was guilty. But despite this, he is again spending another night in a Turkish prison. He already has been detained for six months. The next hearing is going to be on 31st January, 2018. Really, it's a pretty desperate day for justice in Turkey."
Kilic also is accused of being linked to those involved in a failed coup last year. The Turkish Amnesty chief is only person currently being held in pre-trial detention after the other 10 human rights activists were released following a hearing last month.
Among those currently on trial are two foreign nationals and other leading members of Turkeys civic society.
Addressing the court, Kilic said he was being held in an eight-person cell with more than 20 people.
The case has drawn international condemnation. Ahead of the Wednesday hearing, more than 70 leading musicians and artists from around the world called for his release in an open letter. Numerous international human rights groups and European parliamentarians attended the hearing.
Critics say the case is aimed at silencing human rights activists in Turkey. But the government has strongly defended the prosecution, saying the judiciary is independent and that the country is continuing to face an unprecedented threat after the failed military takeover.
A state of emergency remains in force and a crackdown continues against those accused of being involved in last years coup attempt, with more than 50,000 people being jailed.
The four Arab countries boycotting Qatar added 11 more individuals and two other entities, including a major group of Islamist scholars, to their "terrorist" blacklists for the Gulf state, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.
The lists now include the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) which was formed in 2004 mostly by clerics belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and is chaired by the influential Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi.
A statement issued by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain said they also blacklisted the International Islamic Council (IIC).
"The two entities listed are two terrorist organizations that promote terrorism by using Islamic rhetoric as a cover to facilitate terrorist activities," the statement said.
The move deepened the rift between the four countries and Qatar, the world's top gas exporter and host to the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East. The countries cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of financing militants in Syria and allying with Iran, their regional foe.
The Saudi-led quartet also added 11 individuals to their lists, including the acting Brotherhood leader Mahmoud Ezzat Ibrahim.
The Muslim Brotherhood movement led the Arab Spring protests in 2011 that toppled some autocrats in the Middle East and North Africa. The Gulf States' rulers see the group, whose political ideology challenges the principle of dynastic rule, as a security threat.
The IUMS membership includes the Saudi cleric Salman al-Awdah, who was arrested by Saudi authorities in September, the Tunisian Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda party, and Moroccan scholar Ahmed Raissouni.
Mediation efforts of the Qatar crisis led by Kuwait and shuttle diplomacy by Western officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have failed to end what has become the worst rift between Gulf Arab states in years.
The Bollywood film Padmavati, a period epic depicting the story of a 14th century Hindu queen and a Muslim ruler, was one of the years most awaited movies.
But the films producers have indefinitely delayed its release amid fierce protests and violent threats by right-wing Hindu groups who charge the movie distorts history and depicts a romantic scene between Muslim king Alauddin Khilji and Padmavati, the Hindu queen, who historians say is fictional.
A regional legislator of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced a $1.5 million reward to behead the heroine, actress Deepika Padukone, and acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The group spearheading the protests, Rajput Karni Sena, has attacked a cinema that showed the film's trailer, threatened to cut off the heroines nose and vowed to block the film.
The violent protests have raised questions about an assault on the right of artistic and creative expression and concerns that Hindu fringe groups have been emboldened with the Hindu nationalist BJP in power.
The filmmakers have repeatedly said the protesters should watch the movie before concluding that it hurts Hindu sentiment and denied that it depicts a romantic scene between the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji and Padmavati the rumor that fanned the protests.
Those arguments have cut no ice: the opponents insist that the film will hurt the honor of Rajputs, a warrior caste of North India for whom Padmavati is a symbol of pride and honor.
While the BJP government in New Delhi has distanced itself from the controversy, several leaders of BJP-ruled states have joined the chorus of protest with three chief ministers announcing the movie will not be screened in their states. We believe in freedom of speech and expression, but any foul play with our great culture is not tolerated," said the chief minister of Gujarat state, Vijay Rupani.
Political analyst Satish Misra with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi questions why authorities have not acted against those threatening violence. It is the governments responsibility to keep the environment secure so that people can be creative, whether it is poetry or filmaking, he said.
Historians have been taken aback by claims that the film distorts history and point out that there is no clear evidence that Padmavati existed.
They say she became the stuff of folklore after she was extolled in a 16th century Sufi epic poem, Padmavat, as a beautiful queen who committed Jauhar, a medieval practice in which women of royal households walked into funeral pyres to avoid being taken captive.
But their repeated assertions have made no impact on the Karni Sena, whose members belong to the caste claiming its lineage from queen Padmavati.
Am I a ghost? I'm a descendant. Then how can anyone even question the existence of our family? said the group's head, Lokendra Singh Kalvi.
Earlier this year the group vandalized the sets during the film's shooting and assaulted the director.
Puzzled by the outcry over the movie, historian Rana Safvi said people have stopped investigating. They just like to believe whatever they have heard. Venting their anger at a filmmaker or maybe a story teller, or a writer, these are very easy targets, soft targets, she said.
Protests over books, films and writings which Hindu or Muslim groups find offensive are not new in India. American Indologist Wendy Donigers book, The Hindus: An Alternative History, was pulled off the shelves in 2014 by a publishing house after protests by a Hindu right-wing group. Salman Rushdie's book "The Satanic Verses" is banned in India since many Muslims consider it blasphemous.
Political analysts say the controversy has assumed larger-than-life proportions because it erupted ahead of a string of crucial state elections, when caste and identity politics always come into sharper focus.
But Misra said the raging debate over the Bollywood film has reinforced perceptions that fringe Hindu groups have gained a bigger voice with the BJP in power both in New Delhi and in as many as 18 states.
Today India is speaking in voices of caste and narrow political interests because this controversy had nothing to do with historical facts. It [such controversies] has been happening in the past also, but it is growing, he said.
A subsidiary chargesheet filed by the SIT says Dileep offered Rs 1.5 crore to Pulsar Suni in the Kerala assault case
By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: The Special Investigation Team probing the Kerala actress assault case has submitted a subsidiary chargesheet that includes popular Malayalam super star Dileep.
The copy of the chargesheet accessed by India Today says that the actor planned the attack to seek vengeance. Dileep had offered 1.5 crores to the first accused Pulsar Suni to carry out the attack.
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The subsidiary chargesheet have added 8 new accused to the case. Dileep and the victim had worked together in many films. But at one point the victim informed Manju Warrier, Dileep's first wife about his relationship with Kavya Madhavan a Malayalam actress.
The victim also has audio evidences to prove the same. This lead to the divorce between Manju Warrier and Dileep which lead to enmity between Dileep and the victim.
In 2013, during the rehearsal of a channel programme, Kavya Madhavan complained that the victim had been making derogatory comments about her and Dileep. This lead to an argument between Dileep and the victim.
Following the incident, Dileep made many attempts to expel the victim actress from the industry.
Chargesheet says that Dileep conspired with Pulsar Suni to carry out the assault so as to teach her a lesson. The conspiracy and criminal planning was carried out at hotel rooms and locations of various films.
Dileep asked Suni to shoot a gangrape video of the victim. He was offered a ransom of 1.5 crores for the same. Suni also received over a lakh from Dileep as advance.
Though, Suni and co accused tried to attack the victim in Goa while she was at the shooting set of another movie, it didn't succeed. After multiple attempts and clear planning the team carried out the attack on February 17, 2017 after abducting the victim while she was returning home from Thrissur.
After the incident Suni visited 'Lakshya' a boutique shop run by Dileep's present wife Kavya Madhavan, says the chargesheet.
First 7 accused have been charged with sections of gang rape. Dileep and the remaining 4 have been charged with criminal conspiracy along with gangrape.
The detailed chargesheet have 385 witnesses and 12 confidential statements. More than 50 film professionals are in the list of witnesses.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that Venezuelan-American executives at refiner Citgo who were arrested in a corruption sweep this week would be tried as "corrupt, thieving traitors" despite a request by the United States to free them.
Five of six executives of U.S.-based refiner Citgo who were arrested in Caracas this week are U.S. citizens, according to a source familiar with the matter, possibly complicating Venezuela's corruption sweep of the oil industry.
The six executives included acting Citgo President Jose Pereira, who has Venezuelan citizenship and U.S. permanent residency, the source said. Citgo did not respond to requests for comment.
Late on Wednesday, Maduro tapped Asdrubal Chavez, a former oil minister and cousin of the late president Hugo Chavez, to replace Pereira.
Military intelligence agents detained the Texas-based executives during an event at state oil company PDVSA's headquarters in Caracas on Tuesday, two sources told Reuters.
U.S.-based Citgo Petroleum Corp (Citgo) is a Venezuelan-owned refiner and marketer of oil and petrochemical products.
Maduro said the U.S. embassy had requested that its nationals be freed. He mocked the demand and vowed that the men, who are also Venezuelan, would pay for alleged wrongdoing in a financial deal.
"These are people born in Venezuela, they're Venezuelan and they're going to be judged for being corrupt, thieving traitors," Maduro said in a televised broadcast during which he also sang and danced salsa. "They're properly behind bars, and they should go to the worst prison in Venezuela.
Relations between Caracas and Washington have long been tense. They have further soured under President Donald Trump since his administration imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials including Maduro, and economic sanctions that have impeded the OPEC nation's access to international banks.
Venezuela has defaulted on sovereign debt and bonds issued by PDVSA after failing to make timely payments, a New York-based derivatives group ruled on Thursday.
Late on Wednesday, a U.S. State Department official said, "We have seen media reports of the arrest of U.S. citizens in Venezuela. Venezuela is required under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to provide consular notification to the U.S. upon request of a detained U.S. citizen, and to provide consular access.
"When a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we immediately request permission to visit him or her. We have no additional information to offer at this time.
Venezuelan state Prosecutor Tarek Saab has declared a crusade against organized crime in Venezuela's oil industry.
Saab told a news conference on Tuesday that his office had uncovered a roughly $4 billion planned deal with foreign companies, offering the refiner as guarantee in a detrimental deal for Venezuela.
According to Saab, the deal was with U.S. investment fund Apollo Global Management LLC and Dubai-based Frontier Management Group LTD, and also included a Swiss-based intermediary, Mangore Sarl. He added there was a "presumed" link between Mangore Sarl and the Citgo executives.
Opposition leaders have attributed the arrests to in-fighting among government factions and the cash-strapped government's desire to gain control of money-making companies rather than a genuine desire to root out corruption.
Venezuela has whipped out much of Citgo's top brass at a delicate time for the OPEC nation, which has been declared in selective default after some late payments. But as Venezuela is making efforts to pay, bondholders of some of the worlds highest yielding debt have so far been tolerant of the delays.
The five other arrested executives are: Tomeu Vadell, vice president of refining operations; Alirio Zambrano, vice president and general manager of Corpus Christi refinery; Jose Luis Zambrano, vice president of shared services; Gustavo Cardenas, vice president of strategic shareholder relations, government and public affairs; Jorge Toledo, vice president of supply and marketing.
Lys Isma was brought to the U.S. illegally as a 9-month-old baby when her parents moved from Haiti. But she says she never felt undocumented.
I didnt have memories about living anywhere else, Isma said.
Isma has been receiving protection under the security program known as TPS, or Temporary Protected Status, since she was 15. TPS has allowed Haitians, who were in the U.S., to legally live and work after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the island nation. Almost 60,000 Haitians are TPS holders.
Trump administration ends TPS
But on Monday, the administration of Donald Trump announced that TPS will be ending for Haitians because the U.S. government says Haiti has recovered enough to welcome its citizens back. The government gave Haitian TPS holders until July 2019 to return to Haiti or apply for another kind of legal status.
Isma says she has been thinking a lot what would it mean to live in a place she has no memories of.
Ive never had to navigate the world as an undocumented adult, Isma said. Every time I went to that job interview and they asked for work permit, Ive had it. Every time I drove, I drove legally with a license. Every time I went past a law enforcement officer, I knew that I had the ability to be here legally present and thats going to change in a year and a half, she said.
Isma at 22 is no longer a child, but her story is representative of thousands of children who have Haitian parents in the TPS program. Many, like Isma, were brought to the U.S. from Haiti by their parents. In addition, the Center for Migration Studies estimates that Haitian TPS holders have 27,000 children who were born on U.S. soil.
Toll on children
Stress, fear of losing parents or being forcibly relocated to Haiti while experiencing elevated levels of anxiety can leave long-term impacts, said Lawrence Palinkas, professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California.
You will likely see instances of anxiety, depressed aspects, disruption in behavior, and [low] performance in school. There will be a period of stress in terms of the relocation itself. The quality of life Haiti is going to be very different than it has been in the United States, Palinkas told VOA.
After many years in the U.S., Palinkas said moving away from school, recreation activities, and friends would be a major disruption.
The separation of those networks and sources of support will undoubtedly be stressful. That in turn will require a new set of adjustments in addition to an elevated level of stress and strain on the family as they try to cope with both the relocation and residence in Haiti from a very different Haiti than the one which they left, he said.
When ending TPS, government officials said conditions in Haiti had significantly improved such that they no longer prevent nationals of Haiti from returning safely.
But Archange Antoine, executive director of Faith in New Jersey, a faith-based community organization, says the community is nervous and in total shock after the announcement.
Youre talking about a country thats been through back-to-back natural disasters over the last five to six years, and has been devastated with flooding as well as hurricanes. And a government that is still trying to mobilize and deal with people still from the earthquake, Antoine said.
Right now, we are not taking consideration the real reason of why they were given protection. And were making political decisions that are hurting families, and its just terrible, he added.
US born children
For Haitian parents who may be thinking of taking their U.S. citizen children back to Haiti when TPS ends in 18 months, the State Department offers some advice.
A State Department official said in an email to VOA that American embassies and consulates overseas stand ready to provide appropriate consular services for U.S. citizens.
The official, speaking on background, said they encourage parents to apply for a passport for their U.S.-born children, before leaving the United States, to document citizenship and identity.
U.S. citizen children in Haiti will need to have sufficient documentation to meet local authorities requirements for access to education and social services. A childs Haitian citizenship should be documented in order to facilitate such integration, the official wrote.
State said to refer to the government of Haiti for more details on what is required to enter school and access health care and other services.
But Isma, a student who works in a biology genetics lab at her university in Florida, says her community is willing to fight to keep its children in the U.S.
In my community, we are not the kind of people to break up our families and leave our children behind. And I know that that is going to be very hard. [but] they are going to fight to stay here for their kids. And they are not going to have their families separated, Isma said.
Facebook Inc. said Wednesday that it would build a web page to allow users to see which Russian propaganda accounts they have liked or followed, after U.S. lawmakers demanded that the social network be more open about the reach of the accounts.
U.S. lawmakers called the announcement a positive step. The web page, though, would fall short of their demands that Facebook individually notify users about Russian propaganda posts or ads they were exposed to.
Facebook, Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Twitter Inc. are facing a backlash after saying Russians used their services to anonymously spread divisive messages among Americans in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. elections.
U.S. lawmakers have criticized the tech firms for not doing more to detect the alleged election meddling, which the Russian government denies involvement in.
Facebook says the propaganda came from the Internet Research Agency, a Russian organization that according to lawmakers and researchers employs hundreds of people to push pro-Kremlin content under phony social media accounts.
As many as 126 million people could have been served posts on Facebook and 20 million on Instagram, the company says. Facebook has since deactivated the accounts.
Available by year's end
Facebook, in a statement, said it would let people see which pages or accounts they liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017 that were affiliated with the Internet Research Agency.
The tool will be available by the end of the year as "part of our ongoing effort to protect our platforms and the people who use them from bad actors who try to undermine our democracy," Facebook said.
The web page will show only a list of accounts, not the posts or ads affiliated with them, according to a mock-up. U.S. lawmakers have separately published some posts.
It was not clear whether Facebook would eventually do more, such as sending individualized notifications to users.
Lawmakers at congressional hearings this month suggested that Facebook might have an obligation to notify people who accessed deceptive foreign government material.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who had asked for notifications, said Facebook's plan "seems to be a serious response" to his request.
"My hope is that it will be a responsible first step towards protecting against future assaults on its platform," he said in a statement.
Representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, called it a "very positive step" and said lawmakers look forward to additional steps by tech companies to improve transparency.
The former face of Chinas Great Firewall, Lu Wei, has become the first tiger to come under the Communist Partys corruption investigation since President Xi Jinping began his second term last month.
Analysts say the graft probe into Lus corruption practices is widely believed to be legitimate and long overdue.
But Lus downfall has highlighted the simmering discontent among the countrys netizens, many of whom have been frustrated with tougher internet regulations imposed by him.
It has also made a mockery of so-called Xi Praise, a flattery culture centering on the building of the Xi cult, analysts add.
Graft probe
Late Tuesday, Chinas top anti-corruption agency announced on its website that 57-year-old Lu, who formerly served as deputy chief of the party propaganda department, has been detained in an internal graft probe.
Along with six of his colleagues and family members, Lu was reportedly taken away by investigators late last week.
Lu, who served as the head of Chinas cyberspace administration between 2013 and 2016, was the key person in implementing Xis cyberspace policies.
In that role, he wielded great power over what the countrys 730 million internet users could access and acted as the gatekeeper for foreign technology companies seeking to enter the Chinese market.
Because of that, Time magazine named him one of the worlds 100 most influential people in 2015.
Just a cat
But his political career ended when he was stripped of the title as Chinas internet censor and was replaced by Xu Lin, a Xi protege, in June 2016.
Actually, he ceased to be a tiger long ago. Hes not a fly, but hes now just a cat instead of a tiger because he already lost his power in June 2016, Hong Kong-based China watcher Willy Lam told VOA.
In one of its two other statements, Chinas anti-graft body Wednesday explained why Lu became the first tiger under graft investigation after the partys 19th National Congress.
The cyberspace administration with Lu at the helm was found to have not been staunch enough in executing Xis instructions, lacked political responsibility and integrity while being operated by a network of small circles, the statement said.
Offenses of bygone
The other statement warned not to expect [criminal] offenses of bygone will be bygone today, lessons learned from the fall of Lu Wei.
No details about Lus corruption offenses were revealed.
Chinese media reported that investigators would be mainly looking into corruption charges against Lu during the period when he worked for state-run Xinhua News Agency from 1991 and 2011.
Media speculation is also rife that Lu had angered Xi when the top leader discovered that the former internet censor had hired foreigners to masquerade as CEOs of multinational tech companies attending the World Internet Conference held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, in 2014.
Xi praise
But Lam said that Xi, who he said is a macromania, has no one but himself to blame for the trend of Xi Praise, a flattery culture in Chinese politics.
This is the art of survival in the Chinese empire, so to speak. The officials have to be seen as bending forward and backward to please Xi Jinping, Lam said.
But Li Datong, managing director of Freezing Point, a weekly that reported on all aspects of contemporary life in China, said Xi Praise is an act of self-deception.
If Xi Jinping knows how to surf on the Internet, he will see from a bevy of [online] chat rooms that many [netizens] not only made fun of him, but also lashed out at Xi Cult. Its a game for government officials themselves to play, Li said.
Discontent with internet controls
Chinese internet users, however, are happy to see Lu go, venting their frustrations over Internet controls.
But on Wednesday, a report in the state-run Global Times pointed out, while news of Lus removal has made a buzz on the internet, his corruption investigation isnt aimed at addressing dissatisfaction expressed by a minority of people over tighter internet controls. Neither is it a signal that internet controls will be re-evaluated as some have expected.
Li said netizens are aware of the fact that the countrys internet controls wont be eased following Lus downfall.
Everybody knows that there wont be a change of policy. But they are still happy to see the executioner [Lu], who has done all evils, being taken down. [Internet] policies are national policies, which wont be easily revised as a result of personnel reshuffle, Li said.
On Thursday, Lu Wei was the top-trending topic on freeweibo.com, a website that captures censored social media posts. On SINA Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like microblogging platform, online comments posted by users in response to news reports were mostly erased.
French president Emmanuel Macron is hosting Poland's prime minister for talks ranging from Europe's security to workers posted by their employer in another country, a contentious issue between the two European Union nations.
Bilateral ties are tense after Poland canceled a major deal to purchase French-made helicopters and after Macron criticized the government of Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and bypassed Poland during a visit to the region in the summer.
Macron gave Szydlo a warm welcome at the Elysee Palace on Thursday. Their talks are to include terms for workers from Eastern Europe working in richer EU countries; defense cooperation and armaments; the future of the EU after Britain leaves the 28-member bloc; and Poland's concerns over Russia's plans for a second gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea bed.
When Gonzalo Perez bought the Castlewood Restaurant last December, it was one of the few outposts among the nearby corn and soybean fields hungry farmers could depend as a place to dine out.
It could become much more than that for Perez.
Its my lottery ticket, he told VOA.
Thats because one of the largest economic development projects in the United States is moving in right next door.
Taiwanese company Foxconn plans to build a massive flat screen manufacturing and technology facility in nearby Mount Pleasant, employing thousands of workers when completed.
Its only a few kilometers away from Perezs restaurant, and he hopes to start cashing in... soon.
I hope I get a lot of business from construction people in the beginning, he told VOA from the dining room of another restaurant he owns in a neighboring town which could also benefit from the economic boom the project could bring to the entire region.
WATCH: Foxconn deal
You are going to probably bring a lot of hotels to the area, bring a lot of chain restaurants to the area. This is a big industry, Perez explained.
As they build this facility they are going to require 10,000 construction employees, plus around another 6,000 indirect employees, says Mark Hogan, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, or WEDC.
When this ecosystem is up and running in the state of Wisconsin it will be an additional 13,000 employees to the state, and another upwards of 20,000 indirect or induced jobs.
Hogans WEDC is one of the chief institutions in the state that worked on the deal to attract Foxconn to Wisconsin.
We passed special legislation which really created a pathway for the company to be successful in the state. And that had to do with environmental regulations. It had to do with incentives. It had to do with a lot of different things that just kind of cleared a pathway. All things that every other company in the state would have to comply with, but we wanted to create a faster lane for the company to be able to operate under.
In the package offered to Foxconn is approximately $3 billion dollars in tax incentives if the company invests around $10 billion dollars in its facility and workforce. But those incentives meant to entice the company were also a concern among its critics.
This is the largest in U.S. history, and it was somewhat surprising because Wisconsin does not generally play this game, says Steven Deller, Professor of Applied Economics and an Economic Development Specialist with the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Deller says one of his concerns, not just as an academic but also as a taxpayer, is the potential for the state to actually owe money to Foxconn.
But there is the Wisconsin Agricultural and Manufacturing Tax Credit, he explained to VOA. The way that the taxpayers may be on the hook for paying some money, if Foxconn is not paying taxes, and they have a tax credit, that means the state is paying Foxconn. So a lot of it is going to hinge on how big that facility becomes. Right not its starting at 3,000 - it could go up to 13,000. We have no idea how big it will actually become.
For Gonzalo Perez, who came to the U.S. from Mexico 30 years ago and worked his way up from being a laborer in restaurants to now owning two of them, his biggest concern isnt the size of the plants workforce or the tax incentives its the potential increase in the number of his customers.
Right now he says about 200 people visit his restaurant on a good day.
I hope to triple that, he says.
He may not have to wait long to see an uptick in business.
Groundbreaking on the new facility is planned for 2018, and as many as 1000 Foxconn employees could be working in the state later that year.
France is seeking an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the alleged sale of African migrants as slaves.
President Emmanuel Macron called the video footage aired last week by U.S. news network CNN "scandalous" and "unacceptable."
"It is a crime against humanity," Macron said after meeting with African Union chief Alpha Conde. "I hope we can go much further in the fight against traffickers who commit such crimes, and cooperate with all the countries in the network to dismantle these networks."
CNN aired footage of an apparent auction where black men were presented to buyers as potential farmhands and sold off for as little as $400. The video sparked international outrage, with protests erupting across Europe and Africa.
WATCH: Libyan Government Says It Is Investigating Slave Trade Reports
The UNSC meeting will likely be next week, a French diplomat said.
On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified and that the auctions should be investigated as possible crimes against humanity.
Criticism of EU
Human rights groups have criticized the European Union for pressuring Libya into stopping the flow of migrants to Europe.
Conde also put the blame on the European Union, accusing it of encouraging the Libyans to keep migrants in the North African country despite there being no single, universally recognized government.
"What happened in Libya is shocking, scandalous, but we must establish the responsibilities," Conde said. "In Libya, there is no government, so the European Union can not choose a developing country and ask that country to detain refugees ... when it doesn't have the means to do so."
Human rights groups have said the increased vigilance by Libyan maritime forces has forced the migrant smugglers to look for ways to unload their human cargo that can't be transported to Europe.
On a day that marked both the return of Lebanon's vanished Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanon's Independence celebrations, supporters of the Sunni politician were out in force. But with his resignation - made in Saudi Arabia amid suspicions he had been forced into it - now put on hold following a meeting with Lebanon's president, joy at his return was tempered with uncertainty. John Owens reports from Beirut.
A leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that he would pay a reward roughly equivalent to $1.5 million to anyone who would behead an Indian actress and a film director.
Surajpal Singh Amu, a member of the BJP in northern Haryana state, is apparently upset about an upcoming movie, Padmavati, starring actress Deepika Padukone as the 14th-century Hindu queen Padmini.
The movie is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Amu alleged that the movie is misleading, not based on truth and offends Hindu sentiments in the country.
"We will reward the ones beheading them, with 10 crore rupees, and also take care of their family's needs," Amu said in an interview with India's Asia's Premier News (ANI) earlier this week.
Threats against movie
Amu also vowed not to allow the release of the movie and warned movie theaters to avoid playing the movie or risk being torched.
The movie was set to be released during the first week of December.
Rights activists have reacted strongly to the threats and urged the government to take action.
"This is pretty outrageous that you announce publicly and no action takes place at a time when people are being arrested for most trivial reasons in this country," Gotum Naulakha, an Indian-based civil liberties activist, told VOA.
An official complaint has been registered against Amu, but many are criticizing the stance of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party which controls the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.
"I've not heard any official stance from the central government or the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting," Vinod Sharma, an Indian-based analyst, told VOA.
Anil Jain, a local BJP spokesperson, told ANI that the law applies to everyone in the state of Haryana and no one can threaten others. The central government has yet to react, however.
Bollywood actress Padukone stood her ground and said the movie would be released despite the threats.
"Where have we reached as a nation? We have regressed. The only people we are answerable to is the censor board, and I know and I believe that nothing can stop the release of this film," Padukone told Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) last week.
Controversy
Padmavati was controversial right from the start. Opponents of the movie stormed the filming of one scene and destroyed the film sets. They were upset that the director of the movie was distorting facts by alleging romance between the Hindu queen and the Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji.
Film director Bhansali, however, denies the allegations and maintains the story is based on a Sufi and medieval-era poem written about the Hindu queen. In the poem, the Hindu queen chooses death before the Muslim conqueror could capture her.
Some experts say the poem is centuries old and there is a possibility the Hindu queen might be purely a fictional character found only in folklore.
"There's a lot of debate in India whether Padmavati was actually a living being many, many years ago or whether she was just an imagined person in a poem," analyst Sharma said.
Rights activists maintain that if government fails to draw clear lines around the threat made by the politician, and discourage a growing sense of impunity for some, incidents like this will only increase and threaten the freedom of expression in the world's biggest democracy.
"By letting loose and giving [a] sense of impunity to the goons of the ruling party or people who're connected or close to the ruling party, we're paving the ground for much bigger and [worse] things to happen in the near future," Naulakha told VOA.
The movie is awaiting approval from India's Central Board of Film Certification.
Hungary's parliament has banned a camerawoman from working on the premises after she insulted a lawmaker during an interview.
Parliament press chief Zoltan Szilagyi said Thursday in a statement that Petra Laszlo's ban would be enforced for the rest of the current legislative period, which ends in mid-December.
In January, Laszlo was sentenced to three years' probation for disorderly conduct after she was filmed kicking and trying to trip migrants on the border with Serbia in 2015.
Laszlo, who works for a pro-government website, could be seen on video arguing Monday with Gyorgy Szilagyi from the far-right Jobbik party.
Szilagyi said he did not want to talk to reporters from pestisracok.hu because he considered them government "propagandists.''
During the 2015 incident, Laszlo was working for N1TV, which is close to Jobbik.
By PTI: Balasore (Odisha), Nov 23 (PTI) A woman drug peddler was arrested and 150 grams of brown sugar seized from her by Excise sleuths at Balasore town here today.
Acting on a tip-off, the Excise personnel raided a house at Arar Bazar area and seized the brown sugar, valued at around Rs 15 lakh, an Excise official said.
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The peddler, identified as Suhela Bibi and aged around 40 years, was arrested.
She confessed to have brought the contraband from a middleman dealing with drugs from a village on West Bengal-Odisha border, he said.
Excise officials along with police are investigating the matter to find out details about the network involved in drug trafficking in the region. PTI COR SKN MM
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Zimbabwes incoming president returned to the country Wednesday to loud cheers after spending about two weeks in exile following his dismissal by then-President Robert Mugabe. Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in this Friday.
In a speech that lasted fewer than 15 minutes, the 71-year-old leader adopted a reconciliatory tone.
Today we are witnessing the unfolding of a new unfolding democracy. I appeal to all genuine Zimbabweans to come; we work together," he said. " No one is more important than the other. We are all Zimbabweans. We want to grow our economy. We want peace in our country. We want jobs. Jobs. Jobs.
Mnangagwa said he would reach out to the West and other African countries to help the battered economy recover.
Mnangagwa becomes Zimbabwes second leader in 37 years following Mugabes resignation on Tuesday amid pressure from the army and street protests.
Deprose Muchena, the director of Amnesty International in southern Africa, said he hoped Mnangagwa - a former longtime Mugabe ally - would improve Zimbabwes human rights record.
"The resignation of President Mugabe signals a tragic end to a long reign of both rule and misrule," Muchena noted. "Zimbabweans have an opportunity now to chart a new path in which a new society can be built based fundamentally on accountable governance, a complete rejection of impunity, a systematic compliance with human rights standards and ensuring that peaceful co-existence of varied political opinion is allowed, including a vibrant media."
Muchena also said it is hoped the new leadership will accurately read the mood of the population and see "the tolerance levels for autocratic leadership and repression will be very low."
On several occasions, rights groups said Mugabes government was disregarding human rights. Now it remains to be seen if Zimbabweans are entering a new era under Mnangagwa.
In Photos: Robert Mugabe Retrospective
Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe have been granted immunity from prosecution.
An official in the ruling ZANU-PF party and a Harare journalist confirmed the development to VOA's Zimbabwe service on Thursday.
Mugabe has been negotiating terms of his retirement with Zimbabwean generals and political leaders who forced him to step down Tuesday after 37 years in power.
The military took over state institutions after Mugabe, who is 93, fired vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa on November 5 and suggested he would appoint his much younger wife to the post.
Human rights groups have accused Mugabe of rigging elections, allowing large-scale corruption and being responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of political opponents during his long rule.
Mnangagwa's return
Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe Wednesday after spending about two weeks in exile. The speaker of parliament says Mnangagwa will be sworn in as the country's new president on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has urged Zimbabwe's new leaders to ensure the country holds free and fair elections. "The people of Zimbabwe must choose their own leaders," he said Tuesday.
Some Zimbabweans told VOA they have concerns about Mnangagwa, who is known as "The Crocodile" and was a close ally of Mugabe for decades. They are concerned he will run Zimbabwe in the same ruthless fashion as his predecessor.
Its like the person who is coming was there before, and we dont know what he is thinking because of the previous things that he and the other ZANU people were doing. I dont know if those things are going to change, or if were going for the worse," said Phillippa Mukumba, 37, a Harare business owner.
WATCH: Zimbabweans on their country's future
Mnangagwa, and the government before its the same. So what did they change? ... If Im looking at it, we are going to struggle the same way. So we want something in Zimbabwe which is better," said Terrence Mawere, a flag seller.
Mawere, incidentally, said he has enjoyed a brisk business this week, selling 350 Zimbabwean flags for prices from $2 to $10.
John Campbell, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said because Mnangagwa played such a key role in Mugabe's administration, he does not anticipate a dramatic change in the style of governance in the short term.
"Nevertheless, the fact that there has been a coup, the fact that Mugabe has resigned, opens the range of possibilities." Campbell told VOA. "Whether or not the Zimbabwean people will take advantage of that it is too soon to tell."
Ntungamili Nkomo and Anita Powell contributed to this report.
Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, according to officials from both countries.
Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary with Myanmar's Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, said a memorandum of understanding had been signed Thursday, but gave no other details. More than 600,000 people have fled across the border to camps in Bangladesh, which said the repatriations are to begin within two months.
Reports said the deal was signed following talks in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Bangladesh's foreign minister, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali. The French news agency AFP quoted Ali as saying, "This is a primary step. [They] will take back [Rohingya]. Now we have to start working."
The development came one day after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said violence in Rakhine state targeting the Muslim Rohingya qualified as ethnic cleansing.
Wednesday's announcement marked the first time the State Department had designated the violence as ethnic cleansing. Officials briefing reporters called the designation a descriptive term.
In a written statement, Tillerson said, "After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya."
Tillerson also noted in his statement he had visited Myanmar November 15 and met separately with Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. In referring to Myanmar as Burma, Tillerson said he "reaffirmed the United States strong commitment to Burmas successful democratic transition as the elected government strives to implement reforms, bring peace and reconciliation to the nation, and resolve a devastating crisis in Rakhine State."
Tillerson went on to say those responsible for the atrocities must be held accountable.
Myanmar's military repeatedly has rejected accusations that atrocities, including rape and extrajudicial killings, are occurring in northern Rakhine, the epicenter of violence the U.N. has qualified as "textbook ethnic cleansing."
The latest unrest erupted after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar on August 25, prompting a military crackdown.
The government in mainly Buddhist Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya, referring to them as "Bengali" to imply origins in Bangladesh. Officials in Bangladesh say the Rohingya are "Myanmar nationals" and that it is a mistake to refer to them as Bangladeshis.
Aung San Suu Kyi has faced criticism for her response to the crisis. She initially maintained there had been "a huge iceberg of misinformation" about the plight of the Rohingya.
Amnesty's reaction
Human rights group Amnesty International said earlier this week that discrimination against the Rohingya had worsened considerably in the last five years, and that it amounted to "dehumanizing apartheid." In response to Thursday's announcement, the rights group said Rohingya returns in Myanmar were "unthinkable" until the "apartheid system" was dismantled.
A statement from Charmain Mohamed, Amnesty's director for refugee and migrant rights, said, "While precise details of this deal have not yet been revealed, talk of returns is clearly premature at a time when Rohingya refugees continue to trickle into Bangladesh on an almost daily basis as they flee ethnic cleansing in Myanmar."
Mohamed also said, "There can be no safe or dignified returns of Rohingya to Myanmar while a system of apartheid remains in the country, and thousands are held there in conditions that amount to concentration camps."
Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh beginning next week.
1 Smoke rises following a reported airstrike on the rebel-held besieged town of Arbin, in the Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria.
Syria opposition representatives meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital called Thursday for direct and unconditional negotiations with the Syrian government over the more than 6-year civil war that would lead to the launch of a transitional period.
The opposition didn't condition its participation in upcoming U.N-based negotiations on the departure of President Bashar Assad from office, signaling a degree of flexibility. The issue has always been the sticking point in previous rounds of talks, deepening division among an already fragmented opposition.
However, in the final communique obtained by The Associated Press, opposition representatives said a peaceful and unbiased transition period will not be possible without Assad first leaving office.
"We set our negotiation goals. We didn't put down conditions," said Ahmed Ramadan, an opposition member of the Syrian National Council said.
Ramadan said different opposition groups with divergent view points on Assad's role in the transition period have found common ground. A unified delegation for the Geneva talks will be announced later Thursday.
It is now up to the government to show seriousness, Ramadan added.
"The message today is that we have a unified vision when it comes to negotiations," he said, speaking from Riyadh.
After major military victories, made possible by his allies Russia and Iran, there seems to be a consensus that the 52-year-old Assad is not going to step down easily after more than six years of war that has killed an estimated 400,000 people and left the country in ruins.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, the host of the opposition meeting, said an international consensus is building for a political agreement, urging the different groups to find a united vision before the talks. Moscow and opposition members it backs have called for an "unconditional" process.
Russia, which provides decisive military support for Assad's troops, has also announced it plans to host separate government-opposition talks next month. Some in the opposition feared it was as an attempt to create a track parallel to the U.N. negotiations.
Ramadan said "there is no excuse now" for the Russia meeting, adding that the opposition wants to operate under the U.N. and its resolutions.
The meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh brought together opposition groups backed by Gulf countries who have been major backers of the anti-Assad rebellion as well as Russia, Assad's main backer, and Egypt, which had kept contacts with the Syrian government.
Some from the Moscow-backed groups, who call for reforms under Assad, withdrew from the Riyadh meeting Wednesday.
In their statement Thursday, it was the first time the opposition called on the U.N. to arrange for direct talks with the government.
"This would avoid time stalling and prevent attempts to go around the negotiations," Ramadan said.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said "there is a real chance" to end the conflict, noting that political settlement will require concessions from all sides, including Assad's government. Assad had made a surprise trip to Sochi late on Monday for talks with Putin, which the Kremlin said were intended to lay the groundwork for Wednesday's trilateral meeting.
Putin spoke after a meeting with the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Sochi where they said they will continue to work together to promote a peaceful settlement in Syria.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the groundwork for a political settlement in Syria has been laid. Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a "consensus" for an inclusive, free, fair and transparent political process was reached.
On Thursday, Mahir Unal, the spokesman of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, said Turkey supports a political solution for Syria but retains its "red lines" on the subject of Assad remaining in office.
But Unal said there must be negotiations between Assad and the opposition, which Turkey has supported since the start of the war in 2011.
3 President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, greets and hands out sandwiches to members of the U.S. Coast Guard, at the Lake Worth Inlet Station, on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, 2017, in Riviera Beach, Florida.
The wife of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says her husband hasn't taken a single breath without pain since what she calls "a deliberate, blindside attack" by a Kentucky neighbor earlier this month.
Authorities say the Republican was attacked Nov. 3 by Rene Boucher while mowing his lawn. Kelley Paul writes in an essay published by CNN that her husband suffered six broken ribs and fluid in his lungs. Paul says he was diagnosed with pneumonia after returning from Washington last week.
Boucher is charged with misdemeanor assault. His attorney blames the attack on a "trivial" dispute and says it wasn't politically motivated.
Kelly Paul says neither she, nor her husband, have spoken to Boucher in 10 years. She writes that the only 'dispute' existed solely in the attacker's troubled mind.''
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton told a woman that he would complain to the U.S. Capitol Police if sexually explicit photographs of him and other material from their relationship were to be exposed publicly, according to a published report.
The Washington Post reported the threat Wednesday after Barton, a North Texas Republican, apologized for a nude photo of him that circulated on social media.
The photo of Barton appeared on an anonymous Twitter account. It was not immediately known who posted the photo or when it was taken.
Barton issued a statement saying that while separated from his second wife, before their divorce in 2015, he had sexual relationships with other mature adult women. The 68-year-old Republican said each relationship was consensual and had ended.
I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down, said Barton, the longest-serving member of Congress from Texas.
Womans story
However, a woman whom The Post did not identify told the newspaper of Bartons threat over the sexually explicit photographs, videos and messages he had sent to her. The woman described sexual encounters and contact extending over five years, beginning with her posting of a message on Bartons Facebook page in 2011.
She also shared with The Post a secretly recorded telephone conversation with Barton in 2015 in which he warned her against using the material in a way that would negatively affect my career.
The Post reported the woman, who is not married, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy.
A message left by The Associated Press at Bartons district office in Arlington, Texas, also was not returned. The voicemail for his office in Washington was full.
Barton: Capitol Police investigating
In a statement to The Post, Barton said a transcript of the telephone conversation provided by the newspaper may be evidence of a potential crime against me. He also said that Capitol Police had informed him Wednesday that they were opening an inquiry.
Capitol Police did not respond to a request by the AP for comment late Wednesday.
Bartons spokeswoman told The Dallas Morning News that the congressman has no plans to step down.
Barton, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, announced his re-election bid this month. His district includes several counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
He is currently the vice chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce committee. He was the committees chairman from 2004 to 2007.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy about $7 billion worth of precision guided munitions from U.S. defense contractors, sources familiar with the matter said, a deal that some lawmakers may object to over American weapons having contributed to civilian deaths in the Saudi campaign in Yemen.
Raytheon Co. and Boeing Co. are the companies selected, the sources said, in a deal that was part of a $110 billion weapons agreement that coincided with President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia in May.
Both companies declined to comment on the weapons sale.
Arms sales to the kingdom and other Gulf Cooperation Council member states have become increasingly contentious in the U.S. Congress, which must approve such sales.
The U.S. State Department has yet to formally notify Congress of the precision guided munitions deal.
"We do not comment to confirm or deny sales until they are formally notified to Congress," a State Department official said, adding the U.S. government will take into account factors "including regional balance and human rights as well as the impact on the U.S. defense industrial base."
The Yemen civil war pits Iran-allied Houthi rebels against the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Nearly 4,800 civilians have been killed since March 2015, the United Nations said in March.
Saudi denials
Saudi Arabia has either denied attacks or cited the presence of fighters in the targeted areas and has said it tried to reduce civilian casualties.
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, Prince Khalid bin Salman, declined to comment on the specific sale, but said in a statement his country will follow through on the agreements signed during Trump's visit.
He said that while the kingdom has always chosen the United States for weapons purchases, "Saudi Arabia's market selection remains a choice and is committed to defending its security."
Trump, a Republican who views weapons sales as a way to create jobs in the United States, has announced billions of dollars in arms sales since taking office in January.
A U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the agreement is designed to cover a 10-year period and it could be years before actual transfers of weapons take place.
The agreement could be held up in Congress, where Bob Corker of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced in June that he would block arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the GCC, over a dispute with Qatar, another U.S. ally in the Gulf.
In November 2016, the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat, halted the sale of $1.29 billion worth of precision guided weapons because of concerns about the extent of civilian casualties in Yemen.
18,000 bombs
That sale process started in 2015 and included more than 8,000 laser-guided bombs for the Royal Saudi Air Force. The package also included more than 10,000 general purpose bombs, and more than 5,000 tail kits used to inexpensively convert "dumb" bombs into laser- or GPS-guided weapons.
U.S. lawmakers have grown increasingly critical of the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. The coalition had briefly banned naval, air and land transportation to Yemen following a missile fired by the Houthis that was shot down over the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Senate in June voted 53 to 47 to narrowly defeat legislation that sought to block portions of the 2015 package.
David Des Roches, a senior military fellow at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies in Washington was aware of the deal but said the Saudis "are one errant strike away from moving five or six senators over to the other side."
Denying Saudi Arabia precision guided munitions was unlikely to change their behavior, he said.
"Saudi Arabia has shown they will fight in Yemen and they're going to keep on fighting in Yemen regardless of what we think," Des Roches said.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen said Wednesday that it would reopen the country's main international airport and a vital Red Sea port to humanitarian traffic.
The easing is supposed to begin Thursday.
The airport in the capital of Sanaa will reopen to U.N. aircraft, and the seaport of Hodeida will be able to receive urgent humanitarian aid, the coalition statement said.
The port of Salef is also expected to reopen, deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York, citing information that U.N. humanitarian and political officials had received from their Saudi counterparts.
The coalition announced the closure of Yemen's air, land and sea borders on Nov. 6, two days after a ballistic missile fired from the rebel-held territory in Yemen was intercepted over the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The United Nations has said millions of Yemenis are in dire need of food aid and fuel for pumping clean water.
About 7 million people in Yemen, out of a population of 27 million, depend entirely on food aid, and 4 million rely on aid groups for clean water.
A disruption of water supplies could reverse recent gains in containing the spread of cholera; there have been about 900,000 suspected cases of the disease over the past year.
Airstrikes and ground fighting have left more than 10,000 people dead and driven 3 million from their homes since the coalition intervened in the war between forces loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels.
International aid groups describe Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions at risk of famine.
WATCH: US Says It is Working with Saudis to Try to Get More Food and Aid to Yemenis
The EC today decided that AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol belongs to the united AIADMK faction led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: The Election Commission today decided that AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol belongs to the united AIADMK faction led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. It was a major setback to the faction led by jailed VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaaran.
The Election Commission's order comes within a week of an earlier one in a similar tussle between two factions over Janata Dal (United)'s [JD(U)] election symbol.
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In that order, the poll panel recognised the faction led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the real JD(U), rejecting the claims of rebel party MP Sharad Yadav.
There are a couple of similarities and differences in the two cases.
Here's how:
RULING PARTIES
In both the cases, the factions which were awarded the symbol and recognised as the real party are ruling in their respective states - Edappadi K Palaniswami? of AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and Nitish Kumar of JD(U) in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar is in power since 2005, with a short break when he had installed Jitan Manjhi after the JD(U)'s not so impressive performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Palaniswami is in power since February after he replaced O Panneerselvam on the chair. The latter had been installed after the death of AIADMK's founder and then chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
After the Election Commission's ruling, Palaniswami said his faction is "very happy." "Majority of party workers supported us," he said.
It is a fair verdict by EC. We submitted affidavits to prove that majority of cadres are with us. Based on this, EC has delivered a fair decision. #TwoLeavesSymbol- Edappadi K Palaniswami (@CMOTamilNadu) November 23, 2017
PROXIMITY TO BJP
JD(U) is the BJP's ally at the centre and in Bihar. The two parties share power at the centre.
Though AIADMK is not an ally of the BJP, it is considered close to the party ruling at the centre.
Asked by mediapersons today on allegations that the ruling came in their favour due to "proximity with the BJP", Palaniswami said, "It is wrong. We had facts on our side and majority of MLAs, MPs and party workers were with us. All this was taken into consideration."
REBELS VS CONFORMISTS
If there may have been similarities between the AIADMK and JD(U), there also is a difference.
While the losers in the JD(U) were the rebels, the losers in the AIADMK were those who were part of the mainstream party.
The split in JD(U) took place after Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Yadav, along with Gujarat MLA Chhotu Bhai Vasava and Upper House MP Ali Anwar, objected to Nitish Kumar breaking ranks with grand alliance partners, the RJD and Congress, to form government in the state with the BJP.
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In March, Yadav made Vasava the working president and Anwar as one of the vice-presidents.
They moved the Election Commission to claim the party's 'arrow' symbol. After several rounds of hearings, the Election Commission finally decided in favour of the Nitish Kumar's camp on November 17.
As far as the AIADMK is concerned, the party's fate went through a complex roller coaster ride. Panneerselvam (OPS) was replaced with Palanisami (EPS).
However, OPS revolted and the party split. A floor test was also conducted. EPS was declared victorious.
Enter Dinakaran.
This forced EPS and OPS to join hands and oust Dinakaran as well as Sasikala. But this also led the two factions to move the Election Commission to stake claim over the party symbol of two leaves.
After a prolonged battle, the commission decided the matter in the EPS-OPS faction. This camp had rebelled against Sasikala and Dinkaran who had control over the party till then.
WHAT NEXT?
Feeling aggrieved over the Election Commission's order, the Sharad Yadav faction has challenged it in the Delhi High Court.
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It is not yet known whether the Sasikala-Dinakaran faction of the AIADMK will also follow suit and challenge the commission's order in the court.
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Search and rescue operations continued Thursday for three sailors still missing after a U.S. Navy transport plane crashed Wednesday into the western Pacific Ocean.
The Navy said the twin-propeller C2-A Greyhound aircraft plummeted into the sea about 925 kilometers (575 miles) southeast of Okinawa while it was on a routine mission taking passengers and cargo from a U.S. base in Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.
It said eight of the 11 people aboard were rescued about 40 minutes later and taken to the Reagan where they were reported in good condition.
The Navy said several U.S. and Japanese naval ships and aircraft have, so far, covered more than 320 nautical miles in their search for the missing.
There was no immediate explanation for the crash, and the Navy said the incident is being investigated.
Military exercises
U.S. President Donald Trump, at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the Thanksgiving weekend holiday, said via Twitter that he is monitoring the situation.
Prayers for all involved, he said.
The Reagan was operating in the Philippine Sea as part of joint exercises with Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force, part of 10 days of training designed to increase defensive readiness and interoperability in air and sea maneuvers between the two countries.
More than 14,000 U.S. personnel are participating in the drills, which also include the guided-missile destroyers USS Stethem, USS Chafee and USS Mustin, and a maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron.
Fifth Navy incident this year
Wednesdays crash was the fifth major Navy incident in Asian waters this year.
Two fatal accidents left 17 sailors dead and prompted the Defense Department to remove of eight top Navy officers from their posts, including the 7th Fleet commander.
The destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in August off Singapore, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead and five injured. The USS Fitzgerald, another destroyer, collided with a container ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors.
After investigations, the Navy concluded the collisions were avoidable, resulting from widespread failures by commanders and crew members, who did not recognize and respond quickly to the emergencies as they unfolded. The Navy has called for improved training, and increasing sleep and stress management for sailors.
Separately, in January, the USS Antietam ran aground near Yosuka, Japan, and the USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in May.
Carla Babb contributed to this report.
The U.S. Attorney General says federal agencies must do a better job of keeping track of criminals who are not supposed to be able to buy guns.
On Wednesday, Jeff Sessions ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to investigate an administrative foul up that allowed felon Devin Kelley, who committed the recent mass shooting in Texas, to buy weapons. Kelley shot to death 26 people in a church.
Kelley had received a bad conduct discharge from the U.S. Air Force after he was tried, convicted and briefly imprisoned for severely beating his wife and stepson. Yet the military failed to inform officials who manage a nationwide database, which gun dealers are legally required to check before they sell weapons.
The felony conviction should have prevented Kelley from legally purchasing firearms.
In a note to journalists, Sessions says once the FBI and ATF figure out what went wrong, they are supposed to recommend ways to prevent future problems.
Pentagon officials say they are already investigating the lapse and members of Congress are proposing legislation to encourage federal agencies and states to improve reporting of this important data to the central government.
Pumpkins, squash, beets and collard greens are just a few of the more than 50 different crops that Garner's Produce in Virginia grows and sells at farmers markets about two hours away in Washington, D.C.
At a small soup shop in the northwest section of the District of Columbia, cooks are chopping Garner's fresh squash and sweet potatoes for Soupergirl! vegan and kosher soups.
"We are trying to save the world one bowl of soup at a time," said Sara Polon, a Soupergirl! founder.
Polon's farm-to-table business model means that she buys produce to use in her soups from farmers markets around D.C. or wholesale from local growers like Garner's Produce in Warsaw, Virginia.
"We need to think more about where our food comes from," Polon said. "Where it was grown, who grew it, how it was picked, how it was prepared."
Much of the produce that is sold in grocery stores is grown in other parts of the world and spends days in a shipping container before reaching a table.
"I didn't know how corrupted our food system had become," Polon said, adding that she thinks food should come from just a few miles away. "Why do we need to get apples from New Zealand, if they grow in Virginia?"
Bernard Boyle, farm manager for Garner's Produce, agrees.
"You don't know exactly" how farmers elsewhere are producing their crops, Boyle said. If the food is grown by a neighbor, "you know you're going to get what you're supposed to get."
Polon's mission is to make vegan and kosher soups using local produce to promote a healthful lifestyle. This model has sustained her business for over nine years. Sarah uses only vegetables that are in season, and she says that soup is always in season.
"Soup is not a fad, it's not a trend. It's classic, it's not going anywhere," she said.
Soupergirl! sells chilled soups in the summer using ingredients like Garner's Produce watermelons and tomatoes. In the fall, the menu features fall-harvested produce such as lentils, butternut squash, collard greens, kale and potatoes from farms in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Polon embraced her Soupergirl! alter ego nine years ago, when she and her mother started delivering soups they had made with local produce to individuals and businesses. She and her mom, whom she calls "the chief anxiety officer," were making about 10 gallons of soup a day at that time.
Now, Soupergirl! produces 300 to 500 gallons of soup a day for its two D.C. locations, as well as grocery stores across several states and at farmers markets. Polon has even started a soup "cleanse" a three-day or five-day healthful-eating plan to eat four Soupergirl! soups a day.
"It's basically everything every doctor says you should be eating delivered right to your door," she said.
Polon met the family in charge of Garner's Produce at a Washington farmers market about five years ago, and they have been growing together ever since.
"She's like family," said Bernard Boyle. His wife, Dana Boyle, is the daughter of the man who started Garner's Produce. She now runs the family farm.
Because Polon won't use produce that's out of season, she relies on her relationship with the Boyles to build her menu.
"I know that I have a farmer I can count on to get me the high-quality seasonal ingredients and I can rely on to deliver on time," Polon said.
Polon also wants to know who is picking her produce and that they're being treated fairly.
Garner's Produce has the ability to grow produce throughout the winter, not only to help supply Soupergirl! but also to create work for their employees. They use heated tents to grow produce into February, whereas in the past they were done harvesting by late November.
"We treat everybody like family who works with us," Bernard Boyle said. "We want them to make it through the winter."
Last year, Garner's Produce was able to produce 2,000 to 4,000 pounds of butternut squash and sweet potatoes per month. In the past couple of months, Polon has received 300 to 400 pounds of collard greens per week.
Arash Arabasadi contributed to this story.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said on a visit to Russia Thursday that his country needs protection from the U.S. and could serve as a gateway to Africa for Moscow.
Al-Bashir, speaking at the start of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, accused the U.S. of fomenting the conflict in Sudan. Al-Bashir added that "we need protection from the U.S. aggressive actions.''
The Darfur region has been the site of violent conflict since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in the capital, Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect. The United Nations estimates 300,000 people have died in the conflict and some 2.7 million have fled their homes.
Al-Bashir, who rose to power in 1989, is on the International Criminal Court's wanted list for committing crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. ICC prosecutors issued two warrants for al-Bashir's arrest, in 2009 and 2010.
Asked about it, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from comment, saying that Russia sees him as "the legitimate president."
The Sudanese leader told Putin that his country could help Russia develop contacts with other African nations. "Sudan could become a key to Africa for Russia," he said in remarks released by the Kremlin.
Al-Bashir said that he had a "very good" meeting with Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu earlier Thursday to discuss modernization of the Sudanese military. "We agreed with the defense minister that Russia will offer assistance to that," he added.
Al-Bashir noted that Sudan is concerned about the situation in the Red Sea and sees the U.S. as a problem there, adding that "we would like to discuss the issue from the point of view of the use of bases in the Red Sea."
It wasn't immediately clear from al-Bashir's statement if the Sudanese leader meant to offer the Russian navy use of its facilities. Russian officials haven't commented on the issue.
Al-Bashir said that his government is also looking forward to cooperating with Russia in oil exploration, as well as transport and agricultural sector.
Putin similarly noted good prospects for cooperation in the energy sphere. He mentioned that Sudan has been a large importer of Russian grain, voicing hope that shipments will increase.
A suicide blast in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 8 people Thursday and wounded 16 others.
Officials said the explosion in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, ripped through a crowd outside the residence of a former district police commander.
A provincial government spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, said the victims were supporters of the commander and demanded his reinstatement.
Islamic State, through its propaganda media wing of Amaq, took credit for the bombing, saying it killed and wounded more than 50 people.
The attack came hours after Khogyani confirmed to VOA that self-proclaimed Islamic State members had beheaded 15 of their own fighters in Nangarhars volatile Achin district.
He said the slaying took place overnight in the remote Momand Dara area and the decapitated corpses could still be seen lying there. Khogyani suggested the incident was the outcome of internal rifts.
Afghan media reports said the men were murdered for intending to quit IS and join a government peace process.
IS militants have their strongholds in Achin and adjoining Afghan districts, and the terrorist locations have come under routine attacks by Afghan security forces backed by U.S. airpower. The terrorist group has not yet offered any comments about the incident.
Meanwhile, Afghan officials and Georgias Defense Ministry have confirmed three Georgian soldiers were wounded when their convoy was hit by a suicide bomber near the Bagram airfield north of Kabul.
The bombing of a convoy of NATO-led Resolute Support mission took place Wednesday evening in the Qarabagh district just 20 kilometers from Bagram, the largest U.S.-run military base in the country.
The soldiers were receiving medical treatment at the base, and their condition was stable and their life is not under threat, according to the Georgian ministry.
The Afghan government in a statement expressed its deepest sympathy to the government and family members of Georgias security personnel.
With 885 troops, Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the military mission tasked to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces. Georgia has lost 32 soldiers, and about 280 others have been wounded in conflict-related incidents in Afghanistan since joining the U.S.-led military mission in 2001.
A separatist leader in Ukraine's east on Thursday accused a former official of trying to unseat him as a showdown between the two entered its third day.
Breaking almost a week of silence, Igor Plotnitsky, leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, claimed that former Interior Minister Igor Kornet "tried to seize power by force."
"It seems that a small man harbored big ambitions," Plotnitsky said on the separatist television station, adding that he intended to "resolve the conflict with the help of the law."
More than 10,000 people have been killed and a million displaced in a long-simmering conflict between separatists in Luhansk and in parts of the neighboring Donetsk region since 2014. Parts of the two regions have been under separatist control since spring 2014, and the area has been plagued with infighting among various armed groups and warlords.
Suspicious deaths
Several high-profile commanders have been killed in the region in suspicious circumstances in what was widely viewed as power struggle. While the unruly commanders were dying in car bombings, the leadership of the rebel-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions came to be dominated by bureaucrats with ties to ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
The showdown between Plotnitsky and Kornet began on Tuesday with dozens of armed people loyal to Kornet surrounding the main administrative buildings in the regional capital, Luhansk. A convoy of armed vehicles entered the city in the middle of the night in a show of support for Kornet.
In a video released on Thursday, the ousted interior minister lashed out at Plotnitsky, suggesting that "the republic's leadership" was under the influence of Ukrainian spies. Kornet also acknowledged that he was receiving military support from the neighboring separatist Donetsk People's Republic.
The rebels originally sought to join Russia but the Kremlin stopped short of annexing the area or publicizing its military support for the rebels. It is widely assumed that Moscow provides the rebels with weapons and funding.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the violence against the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar is "ethnic cleansing." The written statement comes after weeks of pressure from U.S. lawmakers and international human rights groups for the Trump administration to make firm its position on the crisis that has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Myanmar, also known as Burma. Jesusemen Oni has more.
As Zimbabwe on Thursday prepared to swear in a new leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, after 37 years, attention turned to the fate of Robert Mugabe and the wife who just days ago was poised to succeed him.
The 93-year-old Mugabe, who resigned on Tuesday as lawmakers began impeaching him, has not been seen outside a few photographs since his stunning speech to the nation on Sunday night in which he defied calls to step down.
Mugabe was said to remain in the capital, Harare, with former first lady Grace but it was not clear under what terms. Some wondered whether the former president had secured guarantees of protection, including immunity from prosecution.
A photo circulating on social media, said to be taken this week, showed Mugabe and his wife sitting on a sofa with a trio of advisers standing behind them. A dejected-looking Grace Mugabe, who earlier this month was likely to replace Mnangagwa after his firing as vice president, looks off camera while Robert Mugabe's eyes are closed. The photo could not immediately be verified.
Mnangagwa is set to be sworn in Friday after making a triumphant return to the country. He had fled shortly after his firing, claiming threats to his life.
He greeted a cheering crowd Wednesday night outside ruling party headquarters and promised ``a new, unfolding democracy.'' He also reached out to the world, saying international help is needed to rebuild the shattered economy.
Mnangagwa, who fled Zimbabwe upon being fired as vice president on Nov. 6, returned a day after Mugabe resigned. Mugabe's departure followed a week of intense pressure _ from the military that staged a government takeover, from members of parliament who started impeachment proceedings and from citizens who protested by the tens of thousands in the streets.
While Mnangagwa spoke about "working together,'' he also recited slogans from the ruling ZANU-PF party that are unlikely to attract Zimbabweans in the opposition.
A new leader
Mnangagwa, a former justice and defense minister with close ties to the military, served for decades as Mugabe's enforcer, a role that earned him the nickname "Crocodile.'' Many opposition supporters believe he was instrumental in the army killings of thousands of people when Mugabe moved against a political rival in the 1980s.
Mnangagwa was in hiding during the political drama that led to Mugabe's resignation. His presence Wednesday, flanked by heavy security, delighted supporters who hope he can guide Zimbabwe out of political and economic turmoil that has exacted a heavy toll on the southern African nation of 16 million.
The 75-year-old said he had received messages of support from other countries. "We need the cooperation of the continent of Africa,'' he said. "We need the cooperation of our friends outside the continent.''
WATCH: Support for Mnangagwa
After meeting with South Africa's president, Mnangagwa flew home in a private jet. He said his inauguration on Friday is "when we finish this job to legally install a new president.''
Mnangagwa will serve Mugabe's remaining term until elections at some point next year after the ruling party's Central Committee voted to remove Mugabe from his party leadership post. Opposition lawmakers who have alleged vote-rigging in the past say balloting must be free and fair, a call the United States has echoed.
Mugabe's firing of his longtime deputy as the first lady positioned herself to succeed her husband led the military to step in, sending tanks into the streets and putting the president under house arrest. That opened the door for the party and the people to turn against the man who took power after the end of white minority rule in 1980.
Mugabe's resignation has been met with wild celebrations by people thrilled to be rid of a leader whose early promise was overtaken by economic collapse, government dysfunction and human rights violations.
On Thursday, an editorial in the privately run NewsDay newspaper said Mnangagwa has "an unenviable task'' and that he should set up a coalition government that represents all Zimbabweans.
"Arguments by some sections of society are that indeed Mnangagwa was part of the failed Zanu PF regime until two weeks ago, and may not have been the right person for the job, given the political and economic errors of the past,'' the editorial said. "The new president will come under significant pressure to perform miracles to prove his critics wrong and revive the sinking economy.''
For 37 years, Emmerson Mnangagwa was Robert Mugabes right-hand man and one of his staunchest defenders.
Zanu-PF is a sacred party, he told a crowd at a ZANU-PF rally earlier this year in central Zimbabwe. It will rule and rule. Those barking will continue doing that while Zanu-PF remains in power ... Forward with Zanu-PF.
What a difference a few months make. This month, deposed Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa nicknamed the Crocodile for his cunning guerrilla tactics in Zimbabwes independence war led the effort to oust the longtime president and is expected to be sworn in as president Wednesday or Thursday following Mugabe's resignation.
I told the President that the current political and constitutional crisis in the country is not a matter between him and myself but between the people of Zimbabwe and President Mugabe, he said in a statement sent to journalists Tuesday. The people of Zimbabwe have clearly spoken on this matter. To me the voice of the people is the voice of God and their lack of trust and confidence in the leadership of President Mugabe has been expressed.
Last week, the military put Mugabe under house arrest, demanding Mnangagwas reinstatement and Mugabes resignation. The catalyst for that drastic move came earlier in the move, when Mugabe fired Mnangagwa who is well-liked by the military accusing him of treachery. The move was widely seen as an chance for Mugabe to fill the position with his unpopular, 52-year-old wife.
But Mnangagwa is no young buck. Since 1980, hes served in a handful of cabinet positions, including as intelligence chief, and was made vice president in 2014 after Mugabe fell out with his predecessor, Joice Mujuru, now also a bitter Mugabe critic.
Mnangagwas investiture, in fact, would settle a bitter generational power struggle within the ruling party. One faction, of liberation-era fighters turned politicians, is led by Mnangagwa, who earned his nickname in 1965, the year Grace Mugabe was born. The other, the G40 faction, of younger Zimbabweans, was led by Grace and enjoyed privileged access to Mugabe.
Chris Mutsvangwa, head of the influential war veterans association, said they are supporting Mnangagwa. He blamed the nations spiraling economy on the poor leadership of the younger faction.
They have no idea of how to run a modern state, so theyve run a scorched-earth policy on the economy, he said. ...But what we have done with my leadership of the war veterans is to give back the people of Zimbabwe their conscience, because they look to the people who fought and liberated them for guidance. And when we then said theres something wrong with this man and his wife, the team, the cabal called the G40.
But is Mnangagwa a breath of fresh air? Zimbabwe scholars are quick to note he is widely credited with being the architect of Gukurahundi, a series of army-led massacres of political and ethnic rivals in the 1980s.
In many ways hes worse, said David Moore of the University of Johannesburg, who noted that Mnangagwas actions were viewed internationally through the cynical lens of the Cold War, when the Communist-aligned African National Congress was flexing its muscle in Southern Africa and forging alliances with Mugabes rivals.
Look, he planned, he did, a lot of Gukurahundi, he told VOA. And why was he allowed, why did he get away with, Gukurahundi? Because the British and everybody else was really, really worried about the ANC getting a foothold in Zimbabwe, and the ANC was aligned with ZAPU. And Margaret Thatcher and her friends of course thought the ANC was run by the SACP and Russia. So it was a good thing to crush ZAPU, for the West. He was flavor of the month for a long while, and he might still well be.
Mnangagwa has maintained a low profile since his firing. But his statement Tuesday, he criticizes the regimes corruption, incompetency, dereliction of duty and laziness, social and cultural decadency.
But why only now? Perhaps Mnangagwa let his cards show in an interview two years ago with local media, in which he spoke proudly of his nickname, the crocodile.
It never goes in the villages or in the bush looking for food, he said. It strikes at the appropriate time.
Sebastian Mhofu in Harare contributed to this report.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney during an Oval Office meeting on Oct. 19. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Congressional Republicans have implanted nearly 50 expiring provisions in their tax-cut bills that, if left unaddressed, would transform what Republicans promised would be middle-class tax relief into a law that raises taxes for tens of millions of Americans.
More than 80 percent of the tax breaks set to go away would be taken from households. The perks for corporations are generally permanent, including the biggest single benefit in the bill: a permanent reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent.
Democrats have accused the GOP of offering only illusory benefits for families, but White House and Republican leaders in recent days have repeatedly insisted that lawmakers in future sessions of Congress would extend the cuts or make them permanent. Future lawmakers, they argue, would be unwilling to let large-scale tax increases targeting the middle class take effect.
We have a lot of confidence that Congress will do the right thing, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News. And, again, the priority for the moment is middle-income tax cuts.
But in Congresss current polarized state, no congressional action can be guaranteed, even if both parties agree on its merits. And if Congress were to let the cuts expire, the total bills aimed at individuals would be massive.
The issue, since it came to light a week ago, is causing consternation with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who thinks the party has designed the bill to get around Senate rules but in a way that could add much more to nations debt in the future.
Because of these concerns, Flake told Fox News Radio on Wednesday that he is undecided on whether he will support the bill.
He said he is uncomfortable with the design of a five-year tax break on new investments for companies that will expire in 2022. The tax break saves companies between $10 billion and $40 billion a year, the Joint Committee on Taxation has found.
It will likely be extended, Flake told Fox News Radio. We do that all the time. . . . And if we do extend that thats a big expenditure that wouldnt do well for our debt or deficit. So Im looking for ways to be more honest, frankly, about that expensing provision.
In the GOP bill the Senate is considering, many of the tax breaks for families are set to expire in 2025. Over a decade, the phased-in tax increases would add up to nearly $700 billion. And by 2027, half of American households would pay higher taxes under the Senate tax bill than they would if the current tax code were left in place, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
In the House bill, a $300 per-person tax credit expires after 2022, a change that would drive up taxes on tens of millions of Americans.
Republicans set the individual cuts to expire to comply with procedural rules limiting how much a tax bill can add to the deficit and still pass in the Senate with 50 votes, rather than the 60 typically needed.
The GOP kept the corporate rates permanent, they say, to encourage companies to make the type of investments that create economic growth.
If you are a business, you have a 10-year plan because you have to make business decisions and you want to be certain what your costs are, said Rohit Kumar, a former top tax adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and now leader of the tax policy services practice at PwC. If you are an individual, you arent going to say, Im not going to take this job, because in five years my taxes are going up.
Democrats argue its a ploy to game Senate rules that would leave future political leaders with vexing decisions about whether to allow sharp tax increases on Americans or continue adding hundreds of billions of dollars each year to the debt.
It was a gimmick, said Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), who has opposed the bill. This is to try to keep within the budget constraints but what they have done in effect is set up a whole new set of fiscal cliffs.
The perks set to expire are some of those Republicans touted as key to helping families. And their expiration would more acutely affect low- and middle-income families, who face drastic tax increases if political brinkmanship thwarts a compromise to extend them.
In the Senate bill, lower tax rates and the ability to double the standard deduction would expire for individuals and families at the end of 2025, eliminating more than $265 billion in annual tax breaks and driving up taxes on families.
Extending those benefits, however, would create a set of problems for the GOP as it tries to keep its plan in line with Senate rules.
Republicans control only 52 seats in the chamber, and to move their measure with a simple majority, they cant add more to the debt than theyd agreed to in a budget resolution. In this case, thats $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
Another Senate restriction, known as the Byrd rule, also requires that the tax bills cannot add anything to the debt after 10 years unless 60 senators agree to bypass the rule.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania found that the Senate GOP tax bill would add $1.3 trillion to the debt in the first decade, complying with the first Senate rule, and contains enough expiring provisions that it could avoid violating the Byrd rule as well.
Its politically brilliant, and thats infuriated the left, said Steve Moore, one of President Trumps top economic advisers during the campaign, adding that it was the only way for Republicans to get all the tax cuts they wanted in one package.
How else are you going to fit a $3 trillion tax cut into a $1.5 trillion box? he said.
The expiring provisions would set up a series of future fiscal cliffs, Washington shorthand for an abrupt change in tax or spending policy that has the potential to disrupt economic growth.
Past cliffs have created high-tension negotiations over which perks to be extended and which would go away. Lawmakers often wait until the final days before tax benefits expire before deciding whether to extend them, waiting for a moment of maximum political leverage.
The last time Congress had a major showdown over expiring tax breaks came at the end of 2012, when President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress clashed over what to do with expiring Bush-era tax cuts. Obama wanted to allow taxes to increase for upper-income Americans, and many Republicans tried to oppose him, worried that allowing taxes to rise on wealthy Americans would violate pledges many of them made not to support a tax increase.
They eventually reached an agreement, but not until Jan. 1, 2013, the day the higher taxes were set to go into effect for everyone.
White House officials and Republican leaders have mostly brushed off concerns about the expiring provisions, saying they are confident Congress will step in to ensure that the expiring tax cuts are extended in the future.
One of the ways to game the system is to make things expire, White House Office of Management and budget director Mick Mulvaney told NBC on Sunday.
He added that What we tell folks is this: If its good policy, it will become permanent. If its bad policy, it will become temporary.
There are examples of lawmakers allowing tax cuts to expire.
Obama successfully pushed for a payroll tax cut in 2011 and 2012 that lowered taxes, but it expired after that. But that package was more narrowly designed. The House and Senate GOP tax plans are broader, and they have described the temporary cuts as placeholders that they expect will be made permanent.
These expiring tax breaks are just some of the many elements of the GOP tax plans that would require future congressional action to stave off severe tax and spending changes that would affect the middle class, low-income people and the elderly.
The House GOP tax bill would, as currently designed, trigger $136 billion in spending cuts in 2018 because the changes widen the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This is because the tax plan would violate a 2010 law that prohibits new tax cuts from adding to the debt without offsets.
Of those spending cuts, roughly $25 billion would come out of Medicare, the government-run health-care program for older Americans.
Democrats have used this CBO finding to say that the GOP plans would cut taxes for the wealthy in exchange for spending cuts that affect the elderly. Republicans have tried to dismiss these concerns, saying Congress will move to waive the spending-cut rules, as they have in the past. But waiving the automatic spending cuts would require support from Democrats, as 60 votes are needed.
If both parties become further entrenched, or a bill to waive the spending cuts is tacked onto a partisan bill, passage is not assured.
If there is a deficit, and that happens, and it very well could, well, Congress will have to work its will. Thats what Congress is for, and we will, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said last week as his panel debated the bill.
Senate Republicans hope to pass their bill next week, and GOP lawmakers have said they plan to introduce an amendment that would make the temporary tax cuts permanent. That would require Democrats to vote along with Republicans to waive Senate rules, something they have not signaled they would do.
Warner, for his part, said he would not support waiving the spending-cut rules.
They will have to own the results of this, he said.
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ARLINGTON, VA - HANDOUT IMAGE: Anne Rowland displays one of her photographs that are installed on Arlington's "Art on the Bus" program on July 13. Curator Cynthia Connolly is pictured right. (Mark Jenkins)
Arlington might not be quite as photogenic as the city across the Potomac, but two of the areas best art photographers have made striking vistas of the countys suburban landscape. Frank Hallam Day and Anne Rowland will discuss their Arlington-commissioned projects Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the lobby of Courthouse Plaza, where some of the photos will be displayed.
Both artists photos have been visible for a while, if not in the most accessible places. Five of Days ghostly nighttime views of Rosslyn are permanently installed in Courthouse Plazas first-floor conference rooms, and Rowlands 15-photo tour of Arlingtons Potomac shoreline is partway through a year-long trip on one of the rolling galleries dubbed Art on the ART Bus. (The Arlington Transit vehicle will stop in front of the building for a peek Tuesday at 6:39 and 7:49 p.m.)
Its fitting that Rowlands pictures have been in motion since July, because they began on a boat. The photographer took to the Potomac in the spring, shooting the waterfront with an iPhone and a point-and-shoot camera attached to a 20-foot bamboo pole. (This means the pictures hail from the District, because the river itself is not in Virginia.) The finished panoramas were constructed thats Rowlands term from multiple frames with photo-editing software.
Rowland is not a documentary photographer, and she acknowledges the influence of Romantic-period painting on her style. Her Potomac pictures dont entirely exclude the modern: Airplanes fly overhead, and graffiti garnishes a bridge. But anyone who encounters the photos on the ART bus will find a pastoral vision quite unlike what they can see out the window.
Day makes pictures that imbue the everyday with vivid strangeness. This is true of both his Rosslyn photos and his current Addison/Ripley Fine Art show, Please Pay Here. His recent work promises a more casual approach. Day no longer uses big serious gear, he writes, and most of these prints are smaller than his usual ones. But theyre still eerie, with a film-noir vibe that comes from shooting after dark and through streaky glass, scratched plastic or various sorts of water vapor.
A world traveler, Day often focuses on humid, neon-smeared Asian scenes. This selection includes glances at Bali, Bangkok and Singapore, but also Berlin, Sudan and New York. Multiple layers and surfaces are typical of the pictures, which gaze through as well as at. Some benefit from exotic locations, but Day can find the uncanny in things as commonplace as an elevator button, glowing red as though beckoning to another dimension.
Through the Lens of Frank Hallam Day and Anne Rowland: Two Photographers' Perspectives of Arlington Through Jan. 31 at Arlington Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, and through summer 2018 on Art on the ART Bus. publicart.arlingtonva.us. Frank Hallam Day: Please Pay Here Through Dec. 2 at Addison/Ripley Fine Art, 1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-338-5180. addisonripleyfineart.com.
One of Bridget Sue Lamberts photo tableaux, on view at Civilian Art Projects. (Bridget Sue Lambert/Civilian Art Projects)
Bridget Sue Lambert
A 3-D visual pun greets visitors to Civilian Art Projects, explaining why Bridget Sue Lambert named her show Seal the Deal. The D.C. artist photographs tableaux that she has staged with miniature props in dollhouses and then enlarges the pictures so the scenes approach life-size. One of these photos features a tiny toy seal on wheels, an object Lambert then replicated at a larger scale with painted foam board. The four-foot-high plaything, which the artist calls a totem, presides over the room.
Thats not the shows only game piece. Wrapped around a corner is a massive scene that can be customized with magnetized cutouts of consumer products. The movable items are as varied as Velveeta, a Jello mold, condoms and whiskey.
Lambert often contrasts the little-girl milieu of the dollhouse with insinuations of grown-up life. This photographic suite, however, evokes morning-after melancholy less than mortality and decay. Although many of the props appear fresh and new, their setting is rusted and stained. Thus Seal the Deal suggests not just childhoods end, but the eventual decline of everything.
Bridget Sue Lambert: Seal the Deal Through Dec. 2 at Civilian Art Projects, 4718 14th St. NW. 202-607-3804. www.civilianartprojects.com.
Works from the Metaphrase installation at the MU Ballston Center Gallery. (MU Ballston Gallery)
Metaphrase & Ulterior Perspective
Color and line define space in at least six different ways in parallel shows at two Marymount University locations. At the schools new Ballston Center, Metaphrase hangs Jeremy Flicks hard-edge paintings alongside Jon Maliss high-tech abstractions. At the main campus, Ulterior Perspective juxtaposes work by J.T. Kirkland, Chee-Keong Kung, Anne Smith and Monica Stroik.
Flick and Malis turn digital simulation into physical reality. Flick draws on 20th-century color-field painting, but toys with his predecessors styles. He staggers green and gray bands to make a static-like jangle, and slips a barely perceptible shape into the purple bar of a Gene Davis-like stripe sequence. Malis bases his spectrum-spanning compositions on the international standards for computer-represented hues, and prints them on shaped aluminum panels or 3-D plaster stone. Both artists offer intriguing shapes and patterns, but their colors are what really zings.
If the inspiration for Ulterior Perspective appears more architectural, thats partly because three of the artists work with wood. Stroik leaves bare areas on the wooden panels on which she paints building details and contours, sometimes outlined on sky-blue backdrops. Exposed plywood grain is integral to Kirklands work, although two recent paintings on shaped panels entirely cover the surface with bright (and not always geometric) forms.
Smiths Hedron I arranges patterned wood panels, some blackened with graphite. Her other pieces, which include allover black drawings punctuated by vestigial white lines, are one-dimensional. But her two prints of colorful overlapping polygons conjure a strong sense of depth. So do Kungs drawing-paintings, in which lines and rectangles jumble amid tornadoes of abstraction. Kungs pictures are the stormiest in either show, but even they feature straight lines and right angles.
Metaphrase Through Dec. 2 at Marymount University Ballston Center Gallery, 1000 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington. marymount.edu/ballston-center-gallery.
Ulterior PerspectiveThrough Dec. 1 at Barry Gallery, Marymount University, 4728 N. 26th St., Arlington. 703-284-1561. marymount.edu.
Attorney and former police officer Gene Gibbons at his office in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 20. Gibbons represents nine police unions in Florida. (Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post)
FIRED/REHIRED : In this series, The Washington Post explores how police chiefs are often forced to put hundreds of officers fired for misconduct back on the streets.
In 2013, homicide detectives in Miami were finally closing in on suspects in the robbery and killing of a manager at a cellphone store six years earlier. A break in the case had led them to a colleague: police officer Adrian Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had been employed at the cellphone store before joining the Miami Police Department and was working there the night the manager was ambushed and shot to death. Investigators had come to suspect that the crime was an inside job, possibly involving Rodriguez, his brother and his father.
When Rodriguez refused to cooperate with detectives, the police chief fired him. Rodriguez then did what many other South Florida police officers have done to get their jobs back he turned to Fort Lauderdale labor attorney Gene Gibbons.
Gibbons, who represents officers in job appeals on behalf of police unions across Florida, has over the past eight years won reinstatement for more than 22 fired officers, often returning them to work over the objections of police chiefs who say they are unfit for duty.
A former cop, Gibbons has prevailed by finding the weak point in a departments case, no matter how severe the alleged misconduct. He frequently capitalizes on the mistakes of police officials, attacking sloppy investigations and hammering departments over missed deadlines.
The city gives me ammunition to win, Gibbons, 47, said of his strategy.
In May, Gibbons won again persuading an arbitrator to order Rodriguezs return to the Miami police force.
Hes not fit to be a cop, said Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes of Rodriguez. How could we face the victims family if we didnt fire him?
Llanes claims Gibbonss success is undermining his effort to hold his officers accountable. Gibbonss efforts have forced Miami to reinstate six of the 12 officers the chief has fired since 2014.
The work of labor lawyers like Gibbons helps explain why hundreds of officers nationwide have won back jobs through a quasi-judicial process known as arbitration. In August, The Post reported that since 2006 police chiefs at 37 of the nations largest police departments have been forced to rehire more than 450 officers, or nearly a quarter of the officers they have fired for misconduct. Often the officers conceded some aspect of the underlying misconduct, but arbitrators, swayed by union attorneys, overruled the firings.
[Police chiefs are often forced to put hundreds of officers fired for misconduct back on the streets]
[Philadelphia police were forced to rehire officer Cyrus Mann, who fatally shot an unarmed man in the back]
For Gibbons, an affable, barrel-chested man, the path to becoming an advocate for embattled police officers began when he was a teen growing up outside Philadelphia in the early 1980s.
Then 16, Gibbons was driving home in the family station wagon when a Philadelphia police officer pulled him over. Gibbons sat quietly while the officer ran his license. When he returned, the boy asked the officer why he had been stopped. Gibbons said the officer abruptly punched him in the face and told him to go home.
I was stewing mad, he said. The police had tremendous power.
Gibbons wanted to be a police officer himself. He studied criminal justice at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania and then moved to Florida to become an officer at the Coral Gables Police Department. When the city threatened to reduce pension benefits for officers, Gibbons ran for president of the Coral Gables officers union and won.
I thought Id enjoy the fight, he said.
Labor lawyer Gene Gibbons represented his officers union in Coral Gables, Fla., during brutal contract negotiations with the city. (Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)
Eventually, Gibbons realized he could do more to advocate for the rank-and-file officers as an attorney working for the police unions. He obtained a law degree from Floridas Nova Southeastern University, left the force and started his own firm. He and his partner now represent about 3,200 officers on behalf of nine police unions across Florida.
Gene Gibbons gave me back my life with his diligent fight, said Mike Muley, an officer in Miami Beach who was fired after he developed a drinking problem and unholstered his gun in a club. In a job appeal, Gibbons forced Miami Beach to rehire Muley and provide him with treatment.
On occasion, the attorney has won cases against seemingly insurmountable odds. He sent back to work a Miami Beach detective who in 2013 tested positive for cocaine by arguing that the results came from a home remedy for erectile dysfunction.
Gibbons said its important that officers be held accountable, but police chiefs are too quick to fire officers over misconduct. In job appeals, Gibbons tries to show arbitrators that the officers are duty-bound people, humbled by a terrible mistake.
Im on top of you
In Plantation, the police chief felt that Officer Pete Saglios conduct had crossed the line: While at work, Saglio used police department equipment to send a 26-second masturbation video to a woman whose case he was investigating.
The episode began in January 2015 when Saglio, working as a detective, began to look into anonymous flower deliveries to the womans home. One of the deliveries included a potentially threatening message.
Saglio reached out to the woman by text to discuss the case. Over the next two months, he sent hundreds of messages, around the clock, some of them salted with suggestive comments, according to copies of the messages, which were among the internal affairs files obtained by The Post in an open records request.
Im on top of you, he wrote in one. Seconds later, he added: OMG, I meant it.
He joked in several texts about wearing a tightfitting superhero outfit: I know secretly you want to see those tights.
He told her that he was giving her case extra attention.
I cant remember ever doing the things I did for you, he wrote in another text. For anyone Lol.
None of the messages explicitly suggested a sexual relationship, but the woman said she felt that Saglio was testing her boundaries.
The officer was creeping me out with some of his comments, the woman said in an interview. (The Posts policy is to not identify victims of sexual assault or abuse.) He told me I owed him.
But the woman said she was afraid to confront Saglio or his supervisors about the troubling messages because she did not want to jeopardize the investigation.
That changed on March 3, 2015, when Saglio sent her the video.
I opened it, and I started screaming, Oh my god. Oh my god. He sent me a video and hes masturbating! she recalled. My friend said, Oh my god, honey, call the police! and I said, He is the police.
Minutes after she received the video, Saglio called her and said he had inadvertently sent something that wasnt meant for her and not to open it, according to a statement Saglio later gave internal affairs investigators.
The woman immediately called her attorney. He reported it to Plantation city officials and called and told Saglio not to contact the woman further.
Saglio then destroyed the mobile device he used to send the video and told supervisors he had mistakenly sent a video, according to his statement.
Chief W. Howard Harrison fired Saglio in April 2016 after he concluded that the detective violated three department policies, including one that requires officers be of moral character.
Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes, shown at the department on June 20, says Gibbonss success is undermining his ability to hold officers accountable. (Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post)
Saglio appealed, and Gibbons argued in the December 2016 arbitration hearing that firing was too harsh because Saglio meant to send the video to his wife. Florida law, he added, does not specify masturbation as a moral character violation for police officers.
This case is about something that everybody in this room has done, and Im not talking about masturbation, Gibbons said in the hearing. Im talking about accidentally sending something on their phone to the wrong recipient.
Harrison said officers should not be sending pornographic videos at work and that he could no longer rely on Saglios judgment as an officer.
He sent a video of him masturbating, while on duty, using the city WiFi, and youre going to tell me thats not a moral character violation? Harrison said in the hearing.
In March, arbitrator Mark Scarr sided with Gibbons. He reduced the firing to a suspension and ordered that Saglio be demoted and retrained, according to the ruling.
Had there not been arbitration or some similar process, here is an individual that would have been strung out, without a job, I think unjustly, Scarr told The Post.
Saglio did not respond to requests for comment. His wife declined an interview.
The department removed Saglio from his detective assignment and returned him to duty as a patrol officer.
What kind of message does the arbitrators decision send? asked a Plantation police legal adviser, Melissa Zelniker-Presser, in an interview with The Post. We have to remember that through all of this there is a victim. A very real victim whose life will forever be affected by what Officer Saglio did.
Patterns of misconduct
In the city of Miami, the officers who have been fired can have long records of misconduct. Many have been returned to work, however, after Gibbons has convinced an arbitrator that a pattern of problems doesnt justify a firing.
Over the past 12 years, Officer Jean-Marie Jean Phillipe has been reprimanded for alleged misconduct 12 times, including four suspensions, according to police disciplinary records. His offenses have ranged from using his badge to pressure a pawnshop employee for a better deal on a computer to mishandling criminal evidence.
In 2012, Jean Phillipe disobeyed department orders not to drive because his license was suspended. According to police disciplinary records, he has failed to show up for a court appearance twice, failed to come to work on two occasions without explanation and has been involved in two avoidable crashes in his patrol car, records show. He also was disciplined after he was allegedly caught dozing at the front desk of a police station and sleeping in his patrol car behind a warehouse.
In 2015, police said they discovered Jean Phillipe sleeping on his shift a third time. Just after midnight, a patrolman found him in his police cruiser on a quiet road. According to the officer, Jean Phillipe was sleeping so deeply that the officer could not wake him with a police siren. When a supervisor arrived and finally rousted Jean Phillipe, the officer ignored him and drove to the police station, records show.
The police department had had enough and Llanes fired him in August 2015.
Gibbons, center, speaks during a collective bargaining hearing between his client, the Fort Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Police, and Fort Lauderdale city officials on Nov. 14. (Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post)
Is he a killer cop? No, Kevin Jones, assistant city attorney for Miami, who represented the department in the firing, said in an interview. Is he an incompetent cop? Yes.
In an interview, Jean Phillipe, 47, generally disputed his disciplinary record and said supervisors have reprimanded him without reason.
I can tell you, my records show that Im among the best police officers in Miami, Jean Phillipe said.
Am I perfect? No. But I come to work and do exactly what Im supposed to do. I go out there and do my job with honesty and integrity with great passion for the city of Miami.
When Jean Phillipes firing went to arbitration in November 2016, Gibbons and the officer offered various explanations for the behavior. Jean Phillipe testified that a few sips of an energy drink rendered him semiconscious.
Gibbons also argued that the firing was too harsh. He pointed out that the two instances of misconduct cited by the department to show disciplinary options had been exhausted were under appeal or overturned, including the case when police said he was sleeping in his car behind the warehouse in 2012. (The citys disciplinary action was recently upheld on appeal.)
In the 2016 case, the arbitrator said he thought the officers explanation for his behavior was contradictory and/or illogical but agreed with Gibbonss assertion that the department had gone too far in firing him. In February, the arbitrator ordered Jean Phillipe reinstated, ruling that there was just cause for a severe disciplinary penalty, namely, a lengthy suspension.
Its difficult to explain to citizens how its possible that somebody gets their job back after exhibiting this kind of conduct, Llanes told The Post.
Jean Phillipe has been returned to patrol.
When he was fired, he said he worried about providing for his family and feared that he would land in poverty, conditions he knew growing up in Haiti.
But he said Gibbons assured him, Look, Jean, there is a good chance youre going to get your job back. Just go with the flow.
He was right all along.
A robbery and a homicide
The firing of Adrian Rodriguez dates to Oct. 28, 2007, when he was 20 and working at a Miami cellphone store. He had recently applied to become an officer with the Miami Police Department.
That night, a security camera at a nearby restaurant recorded Rodriguez, store manager Yosbel Millares-Vega and two other employees after they had exited the back of the store into an alley.
Two gunmen suddenly appeared and demanded money, according to witnesses. Millares-Vega, a 27-year-old former Marine who had served in Iraq, threw a bank bag containing about $30,000 to the ground. He was shot anyway. The gunmen then fled down the alley. Millares-Vega later died.
The crime scene offered little evidence aside from two bullet casings.
People walk past a Metro PCS store, the scene of the robbery and homicide in 2007. (Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post)
Detectives interviewed Rodriguez for 10 hours that night at police headquarters, according to Gibbons. He gave a description of the potential suspects, which led to the arrest of two people, who police later determined had no involvement. The investigation stalled.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, was hired by the department in 2009 and eventually assigned to a patrol district.
In 2011, detectives got a break in the case. Someone gave them a recording of a conversation between Rodriguezs younger brother Brian and a relative, who was in jail.
On the call, Brian told the relative that he knew the relative had been talking to people about something Brian wanted kept quiet, according to a transcript.
Hey, bro. I had told you something a long time ago, remember? Brian said.
The relative said he remembered the conversation and had kept it confidential. Brian Rodriguez, however, said two people had told him about details of the conversation.
Im not a rat, and I dont tell on people, the relative replied.
The call, although cryptic, convinced detectives the men had information about the crime. They interviewed the relative.
He told detectives that Brian Rodriguez had confided to him that Brians and Adrians father had allegedly planned and carried out the robbery and that Adrian was the inside man, according to an account later given by a homicide detective in a deposition.
The new information seemed to resolve details that had puzzled detectives. The security cameras in the store had been disabled that night, and a few minutes before the robbery, Rodriguez moved his car and parked it behind the managers, blocking his exit.
The source/sources and evidence also gave Homicide investigators reason to suspect that other members of Adrian Rodriguez family could be involved and, therefore, were persons of interest in the investigation, according to the later reprimand of Adrian Rodriguez.
In 2013, they brought the officer in for another interview.
During the interview, Homicide detectives notified Officer Rodriguez that his father, Norberto Rodriguez, was potentially a person of interest in the case, the reprimand noted. Police said Rodriguez refused to talk about the case and left the interview.
Officer Rodriguez unwillingness to provide information via a witness interview shows his unwillingness to cooperate with investigators, and ensures that he remains a suspect in the case, the reprimand said.
The department placed Rodriguez on paid leave and ordered him to stay at home and check in twice a day with supervisors.
When confronted by detectives, Brian Rodriguez denied that it was his voice on the jailhouse recording. He was charged with felony perjury and eventually struck a deal to defer the prosecution if he admitted to the recording. The father has not been charged in the robbery or homicide.
This is crazy they are going after my family like that, Rodriguezs father, Norberto, said in a phone call with The Post. Asked if he was involved, he said, This conversation is over.
In April 2016, Llanes, the Miami police chief, fired Rodriguez.
Former Miami police officer Adrian Rodriguez was fired from his job after investigators suspected he had knowledge of a 2007 robbery turned homicide. (Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)
The officer had attended three of his brothers court hearings, unaware that internal affairs investigators were watching him. Llanes claimed that by going to the court hearings without permission and on city time, he was stealing pay, and by refusing to help with the investigation, he was violating his oath as an officer.
The times that Adrian lied about his whereabouts was to meet with the people who we think are responsible for this crime, Llanes alleged in an interview with The Post. It wasnt like he took a sick day to go to the beach.
Rodriguez appealed and the union brought in Gibbons.
During the February hearing, Rodriguez declined to answer most questions on Fifth Amendment grounds. Gibbons said Rodriguez had nothing to do with the robbery and had been charged with no crime. The lawyer said the department wrongly fired the officer to counter the intense publicity the case had drawn. Gibbons said he could not be fired for refusing to cooperate.
It cant get any clearer than that they fired the man because he exercised his constitutional right, Gibbons said in an interview.
In May, arbitrator Donald J. Spero, a former labor lawyer for Sears, ruled that the department must reinstate Rodriguez.
Spero declined to discuss the details of the case but said he stands by his decision. You have someones life in your hands. You have to give each party whats due, he said.
The city is appealing the decision to a state circuit court and has not returned Rodriguez to patrol.
Rodriguez, through Gibbons, declined to comment. The Post could not reach his brother Brian Rodriguez for comment.
If the department loses, Llanes said, I would relieve him of duty again and send him home, so the taxpayers could be looking at paying his salary for 20 years.
The killing remains unsolved.
Kimbriell Kelly contributed to this report.
John Sullivan is a reporter on The Posts Investigations team, an investigative reporter in residence at American University and a senior editor at the Investigative Reporting Workshop.
The Districts school leaders are decrying a D.C. Council proposal that would limit administrators authority to suspend and expel unruly students, saying it could endanger teachers and usurp their ability to discipline students.
D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) wrote the measure , which would prohibit out-of-school suspensions for what he calls minor offenses. Grosso described it as an effort to push schools to adopt alternative disciplinary practices. Critics of suspensions say they derail a child's educational progress while doing little do address underlying causes of misbehavior.
What were trying to do is getting people in K though 8 to invest in accountability mechanisms like restorative justice, said Grosso, referring to a practice of getting students to talk out conflicts with teachers or students. He also worries about disparate use of suspensions: Black students in the District are seven times as likely as their white peers to face suspension.
Were really afraid that this disparity in suspensions is a result of racial bias, said Grosso, whose measure is co-sponsored by three other members of the 13-member council.
School leaders called the bill shortsighted and onerous, saying it impinges upon their ability to effectively deal with students who disrupt learning. They point out that they have made progress in reducing school suspensions.
The D.C. schools chancellor, Antwan Wilson, said the bill could have unintended consequences. Schools barred from suspending children for more than 20 days, as the bill outlines, may instead expel them.
Requiring a one-size-fits-all approach could lead to some challenges for schools that have other approaches that work, Wilson said.
The District has recorded a drop in student suspensions and expulsions in recent years. A January report from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education found that about 7,300 students were suspended in the 2015-2016 school year in the District's schools, including traditional and charter schools. A year before, the district recorded 8,400 suspensions. The numbers were not entirely comparable because different methods were used to count suspensions, but officials at the time said they represented a significant decline.
Wilson and Scott Pearson, executive director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said the numbers show they are addressing school discipline issues and do not need the D.C. Councils intervention.
Pearson said discipline decisions need to be made by the people who are best situated to make those decisions.
[Suspensions and expulsions in D.C. schools decrease, but racial disparities persist]
D.C. Public Schools faced scrutiny after a Washington Post investigation found that seven high schools had hidden suspensions by using do not admit lists, sending students home and barring them from campus without officially suspending them. At some schools, students were not allowed to return unless they came with a parent, which led to extended absences for students whose parents were unable to get time off work. Grossos measure would bar that requirement.
[Some D.C. high schools are reporting only a fraction of suspensions]
Wilson said Wednesday that he has made clear to schools that they are to properly document suspensions. He has also called for an audit of a sample of schools to ensure that they are complying with the Districts discipline policies.
Grossos bill would bar schools from suspending students until high school. An exception would be made if a child threatens or causes significant bodily injury or emotional distress.
Under Grossos proposal, high schools would be given more latitude to suspend students than elementary and middle schools have, but they would be prohibited from kicking students out of high school for infractions such as dress code violations, tardiness, rowdiness and insubordination.
Patrice Wedderburn, a staff attorney with Advocates for Justice and Education, a group that helps special-education students and their families, said many schools have stopped suspending children unnecessarily. But the proposed measure could force what she calls the bad actors to change their ways.
We really want to see pressure on schools to create alternatives to suspensions, she said.
Marylands Board of Elections has fined Republican Gov. Larry Hogans reelection committee for an email soliciting donations on behalf of the campaign during the annual legislative session, when fundraising for state elections is prohibited.
The board, which explained its decision in a letter to the campaign on Monday, said it found no evidence that the Governor or his authorized candidate campaign committee approved the solicitations or had knowledge of their content or timing.
While we strongly disagree with the decision, we are pleased they acknowledge that the campaign committed no violation whatsoever, said Hogan campaign manager Jim Barnett.
Elections officials determined that Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, who was not on the campaigns staff but had agreed to organize a fundraiser for the governor, violated state law by emailing a fundraising invitation for the campaign eight days before the April 10 end of this years legislative session.
Redmer, who served 12 years as a state delegate, including as House minority leader, argued that the email was an effort to organize the fundraiser rather than solicit donations.
But elections officials pointed out that the invitation told recipients they could become members of the host committee by making financial commitments to the campaign.
Although the board acknowledged that the campaign explicitly told Redmer he could not distribute the invitations during the legislative session, it said state law requires them to hold the campaign responsible because it benefited from the solicitation.
Elections officials said Redmers actions were on behalf of Hogans campaign regardless of whether the solicitation resulted from Mr. Redmers inattention, or to his conscious decision to skirt the in-session fund-raising restrictions.
The board, which sought advice on the matter from the office of Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), fined Hogans campaign $250 for the offense.
The governors reelection committee has 30 days to contest the decision. Barnett said the campaign is considering its options.
Redmer, who left the legislature in 2003 to serve as insurance commissioner under former governor Robert L. Ehrlich (R), is running for Baltimore County executive in 2018.
THE DISTRICT
Deer will be culled
in Rock Creek Park
The National Park Service said Wednesday that its annual program to reduce the white- tailed deer population in Rock Creek Park will begin Dec. 1 and run through March 31.
Trained firearms experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be working . . . to conduct reduction actions at night when the park is normally closed, the Park Service said in a statement.
Over the past 20 years, the deer population in the park has exploded, and the animals have been devouring plants and seedlings. The deer, which have no natural predators in the park, have also been seen wandering through nearby neighborhoods.
A population of 15-20 deer per square mile is needed to allow regeneration in a healthy . . . forest, the statement said. Spokeswoman Megan Nortrup said the Park Service is counting the number of deer in the park.
She said that for safety reasons, officials do not announce the particular nights that the sharpshooters will be hunting. But roads will be closed and access to the park will be restricted at those times.
Michael E. Ruane
Police seek suspects
in seven robberies
D.C. police are searching for three young men suspected in seven robberies and attempted robberies that occurred Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 in Northeast and Northwest Washington.
In several of the attacks, police said the men assaulted victims, including knocking them to the ground. In one case in downtown Washington, a video shows that at least one of the men escaped on a red Capital Bikeshare bicycle.
The first robbery occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. Oct. 30, when a person walking along the Metropolitan Bike Trail near S Street NE was assaulted from behind, police said. One of the men took property from the victims pockets, police said. Another robbery occurred about 2 a.m. Nov. 1 in the 700 block of First Street NE during which the victim was assaulted, police said.
Later on Nov. 1, police said, the three men robbed or attempted to rob five people in a matter of hours, starting at 8:15 p.m. in the 2200 block of N Street NW in the West End. Police said that was followed by attacks at 8:55 p.m. in the 1400 block of 21st Street NW; at 9 p.m. in the 2100 block of Q Street NW near Dupont Circle; at 9:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of 20th Street NW; and at 9:50 p.m. in the 900 block of F Street NW.
Peter Hermann
MARYLAND
Man is fatally shot;
police seek motive
A man died after being shot in a wooded area behind a townhouse development in District Heights on Tuesday, police said.
Officers were called to the 6300 block of Sunvalley Terrace at 9:18 p.m. and found the man, who was in his 20s, suffering from gunshot wounds, District Heights police said in a statement.
The man, whom authorities have not identified, was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, police said.
No suspect has been identified, and police are trying to determine a motive in the case. Prince Georges County homicide detectives have taken over the investigation.
Authorities ask anyone with information to call 301-772-4925 or 866-411-TIPS.
Lynh Bui
Hamburglar suspect is charged in theft
She was dubbed the Hamburglar after a surveillance video showed how she crawled through a McDonalds drive-through window on Nov. 5, poured herself a drink and then stole $1,400, food and some Happy Meal toys. Now she has been caught, authorities say.
Police in Howard County arrested and charged Jessica M. Cross, 27, of Springdale with burglary and theft. She was taken into custody last Thursday after the surveillance video went viral on social media.
The video has had millions of Facebook views since it was posted on news outlets across the country and in Britain.
Dana Hedgpeth
Ambassador Chester Bowles delivers an award to Foreign Service officer Howard Schaffer at the embassy in New Delhi in the mid-1960s. (Courtesy of Schaffer family)
Howard B. Schaffer, a leading South Asia specialist who served as ambassador to Bangladesh in a 36-year career in the Foreign Service and who formed a then-rare "diplomatic couple" with his wife, a fellow ambassador, died Nov. 17 at a hospital in Washington. He was 88.
The cause was complications from congestive heart failure, said a son, Washingtonian magazine editor Michael Schaffer.
Howie, as he was often known, was considered the dean of South Asian diplomats a veteran whose expertise on conflict in the disputed region of Kashmir, or on the turbulent relationship between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, was often called upon by other diplomats and academics.
He entered the Foreign Service in 1955 and worked as a political and economic officer, holding posts at embassies in India and Pakistan before serving two stints as deputy assistant secretary for South Asia in the 1980s.
Mr. Schaffer was one of 29 diplomats to sign the 1971 "Blood telegram," a first-of-its-kind State Department dissent cable that criticized U.S. complicity in a brutal Pakistani crackdown in East Pakistan, which soon became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Mr. Schaffer and his wife, Teresita C. Schaffer, at a wedding in Bangladesh in 1985. (Family photo)
He was named ambassador to the country in 1984 and, during three years in the position, helped to organize the distribution of U.S. aid, encouraged the Bangladeshi government to shift from martial law toward democracy and participated in lengthy trade negotiations.
"I spent far more time than I had ever expected to do on negotiations with the Bangladeshis on their garment exports to the United States," he quipped in a 1997 oral history.
Mr. Schaffer and his wife, fellow diplomat Teresita C. Schaffer, were among the first couples to maintain dual careers in the Foreign Service, where nepotism rules sometimes prevented them from working at the same embassy. For many years, Mr. Schaffer told the New York Times in 1975, their motto was: "Her time will come."
There were a couple of jobs I lost out on, or didnt even seek because we thought what Tezi could do was either unclear or undesirable, Mr. Schaffer said, referring to his wife by her nickname.
After he retired in 1991, she became ambassador to Sri Lanka.
Howard Bruner Schaffer was born in Manhattan on July 21, 1929. His father ran a business that manufactured light fixtures.
Mr. Schaffer studied American history and literature at Harvard University, graduating with a bachelors degree in 1950, and developed an interest in foreign policy while serving in the Army during the Korean War.
In addition to his wife of 46 years, the former Teresita Currie of Washington, survivors include two sons, Michael Schaffer of Washington and Christopher Schaffer of Miami; a sister; and five grandchildren.
Mr. Schaffer was director of studies at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and wrote biographies of diplomats Chester Bowles and Ellsworth Bunker. A 2011 volume he co-wrote with his wife, "How Pakistan Negotiates with the United States," is now used to train diplomats assigned to Pakistan, according to a State Department spokesman.
The duo also ran a blog, South Asia Hand, that former ambassador Thomas Pickering described as "one of the premier commentaries on the region."
He and Tezi, he said, were the two people that anyone would call if they wanted to know what was happening in South Asia.
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) French President Emmanuel Macron, who was scheduled to visit India next month, will now be coming early next year, the countrys envoy Alexandre Ziengler said today.
Macron was scheduled to visit India next month to attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit, but that has been now deferred.
The visit is expected to take place in March.
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"The French president is coming to India in early 2018," Ziengler told reporters in response to a question.
The French ambassador was speaking on the sidelines of a digital exhibition showcasing various facets of the Indo- French relations.
M J Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, was also present at the event.
Ziengler said 4,000 sq ft digital exhibition on the lawns of the India Gate is based on the "past, the present and the future" of the Indo-French ties and showcases the "long history" of cooperation between the two countries. PTI PR KJ
--- ENDS ---
A Baltimore police detective was shot in the head with his own gun at close range while struggling with a man and died with his radio still clutched in his left hand, the citys top law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Detective Sean Suiters death came a day before he was set to testify before a grand jury in an ongoing federal investigation of police corruption and drug shakedowns by an elite gun recovery unit.
Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said he was assured by prosecutors and the FBI that Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the force, was not a target of the investigation that has led to the indictments of eight current officers. Four have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.
Davis said Suiters testimony was to have been about an incident several years ago involving some of the indicted officers. The commissioner sought to dispel notions Suiter was targeted the afternoon of Nov. 15 and said evidence gathered so far refutes the notion of a conspiracy.
The encounter with a man was a spontaneous observation of a man behaving suspiciously and a spontaneous decision to investigate his conduct, Davis said. But, he said, I understand the speculation that exists.
Members of the Baltimore Police Department gather near the scene of the shooting death of Detective Sean Suiter. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Suiter and his partner were in the Harlem Park neighborhood canvassing about a December 2016 triple killing when they happened to twice notice a man acting suspiciously within a span of about 20 minutes, Davis said.
The departments chief spokesman said Suiter, 43 and a married father of five, was not lured to Bennett Place, where he was shot, and that he had no appointment set there. Davis said Suiter confronted the man in an empty lot between two rowhouses but did not say what made him stand out.
[Baltimore police detective fatally shot investigating triple killing]
The mystery surrounding Suiters death continues after a week with no arrests, no detailed description of the shooter and the fact that it appears only one gun was involved. A funeral for Suiter, who is originally from the District, is scheduled for Wednesday.
Davis said there was evidence found on Suiters shirt that indicated a struggle he called brief and violent and lasted mere seconds. Suiter made a radio transmission before he was killed that included what Davis said he believes are gunshots in the background. The commissioner said the words in that call have not been deciphered but that the recording is being analyzed with help from the FBI.
He was clearly in distress, Davis said of the sounds on Suiters radio call.
Authorities have previously stated that investigators found three shell casings that matched Suiters weapon, which was recovered at the scene. An autopsy Sunday ruled the death a homicide, Davis said, and also provided information about the trajectory of the bullet that caused police to return to the crime scene for another search. That repeat search recovered the bullet that killed Suiter, Davis said Wednesday.
Suiters partner, who has not been named publicly by the department and is considered a police witness in the shooting, Davis has said, took cover at the sound of gunfire and called in the shooting on his cellphone.
The partner has been continually talking with detectives, Davis said, and provided the spare description police said they have of the suspect as a black male wearing a black coat with a white stripe.
A reward for information leading to Suiters killer has reached $215,000, and Davis urged people to come forward.
In the days since the shooting, police have focused on Harlem Park, a small and violent patch of depressed real estate west of downtown in a city that ranks near the nations top in homicides per capita. Police kept the crime scene active for five days, restricting residents movements as they searched for the killer. The neighborhood is marked by more vacant houses than occupied homes.
There is nothing we wont consider, Davis said. Right now, the evidence thats available to us is indicative of a homicide. He said it would be entirely plausible for it to be coincidental that Suiter was killed in a random encounter unrelated to his pending grand jury appearance.
Its a very dangerous area, Davis said. He was following up on a brutal murder in 2016. Detective Suiter was not interviewing schoolteachers and mailmen.
The commissioner said conspiracy theories swirling around the investigation are certainly a distraction for leadership and are very hurtful for the Suiter family and friends.
Suiter was a U.S. Navy veteran who had grown up in Washington and lived with his wife and family in Pennsylvania.
The commissioner said he met with homicide detectives Monday night on the investigation and that they are determined to get it right.
A Prince Georges County police officer was injured Wednesday night while responding to an incident on the inner loop of the Capital Beltway, when a sedan clipped the police cruiser and initiated a chain reaction crash, county police said.
The collision involved four vehicles in total and forced authorities to shut down two southbound lanes of the Beltway, near the intersection with Ritchie Marlboro Road on the highway the evening before Thanksgiving.
Police reported slow traffic in both directions through the area as rescue crews had to extricate the injured officer from the police car.
The officer was driving with emergency lights and siren to respond to a request for assistance from Maryland State Police about 6 p.m. when the accident happened, said Cpl. Tyler Hunter, a county police spokesman. The police officer was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The police cruiser was struck by a four-door sedan, which caused the officer to lose control and then hit a mini-van and a pickup truck.
An adult and three juveniles inside the van suffered non-life threatening injuries, while four adults in the pickup truck sustained similar injuries, Hunter said.
A regional fugitive task force arrested a Northwest man Wednesday on a warrant that charged him in the killing of a 16-year-old earlier this month along the Georgia Avenue corridor, in a case police believed may be linked to gang activity.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 20-year-old Kevin Sorto on a charge of first-degree murder while armed for the killing of Yoselis Regino Barrios, D.C. police said in a statement.
The teenager was fatally wounded in a double shooting in the 1300 block of Rittenhouse Street NW, near his home in Brightwood, just after 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. A man who also was wounded in the incident survived the attack, police said.
After the killing, authorities said they were investigating the possibility that the homicide was connected to a fatal shooting the next day inside the Lucky Corner Market in 16th Street Heights, about a mile way.
Jonathan Vilchez, 22, of Northwest Washington collapsed in the stores doorway and died at the scene, in the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue about 11:50 p.m., police said. Officials said officers also found a second wounded man, 23-year-old Mario Alfaro, of Northwest Washington. Police found Alfaro two blocks away in front of an apartment building on Kennedy Street NW with gunshot wounds in his arm, stomach and leg.
Detectives believe Alfaro shot Vilchez and authorities charged him with second-degree murder while armed.
The incidents rattled many neighborhood residents. Since then, police have announced arrests in both cases.
Officials declined to identify any gangs or crews they were investigating, and did not release information on how the two shootings could be connected.
Maria Sifontes, left, helps serve desserts at the Community for Creative Non-Violence homeless shelter in Washington on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, 2017. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)
La-Tina West checked on the giant pots of sweet potatoes burbling away on her stove as Kevin Barbera scooped three mounds of butter onto a large tray of green beans next to a turkey on the counter.
This was just a sliver of the Thanksgiving bounty they had planned. There would be 10 turkeys and seven hams from West, 10 roast chickens from her friend, and nearly 100 other dishes of meat, potatoes, pies and sides from volunteers Barbera organized on social media.
The feast was delivered to a shelter in Northwest Washington so that hundreds of homeless men and women could have a hot Thanksgiving dinner.
Its remarkable, Barbera said outside the shelter, where a steady stream of volunteers poured through Thursday morning with donations of water, coats and food. Youd never expect that many people to be so caring and loving.
Barbera and West rounded up about 100 volunteers to help serve meals or donate food for the nearly 1,000 who live at the shelter run
by the Community for Creative Non-Violence.
Lena Epps, center, sings, "Greens, greens, good for your bones!" while she helped to serve about a thousand homeless people for Thanksgiving at the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)
The Thanksgiving meal was planned by the federal government co-workers, who combined their charitable efforts after discovering during an impromptu chat in their office break room that they each separately planned to spend the holiday feeding those in need.
Just that one conversation sparked up this event to blow up even bigger than I can imagine, West said.
Barbera had simply posted a message on social media asking people whether they were interested in helping him feed the hungry that day. What started a few weeks ago with Barberas vision to have about 50 volunteers prepare and serve enough for 100 people in Franklin Square Park, in downtown Washington, exploded.
It just kind of took off, said Barbera, who coordinated dozens and dozens of strangers from throughout the Washington region to cook and drop off food.
Joining the group that West and Barbera had recruited to help at the shelter were volunteers from individual families, high school groups and churches and other nonprofits.
Fida Reuter came by with enough plates and utensils for 1,000 after seeing Barberas post looking for help on Facebook by happenstance.
Its a good feeling to give, Reuter said. A lot of people really want to help.
Kevin Barbara and La-Tina West make food at West's home in Bowie, Md., on Nov. 22, 2017, to serve to about a thousand homeless people on Thanksgiving. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)
After going through the maze of food that filled a huge basement of the shelter, Deby Spicuzza, 36, left carefully balancing a plate of steaming food in one hand while carrying a lunch bag and soda with the other. Spicuzza has been waiting for her disability payments to start and has been living at the shelter for three weeks.
The people who donate to these shelters have been extraordinarily generous, Spicuzza said. They provide without a second thought.
West and Barbera said theyve always felt the need to share their good fortune with others who might not be so lucky.
West, 44, who is starting a nonprofit called the King of Ace Foundation, said she spends every other Sunday making sandwiches and driving to distribute them, with chips and water, to people on the street. Growing up, shed always see her mother feeding strangers. These days, West pays for peoples groceries if she notices theyre short and encourages her children to give up one of their toys from Christmas to donate to another child.
It is about helping, because we dont know what a person is going through, West said. That one little gesture can change a persons day.
Barbera, 30, who is starting a nonprofit called the Barbera Foundation, said that in college he would pick up a few extra sandwiches while buying his lunch and give them to homeless people he'd pass on the sidewalk.
He has made bag lunches with friends to hand out during the holidays and recently served Halloween meals to families at a shelter in Reston.
The main idea with the foundation is to inspire people to get out to volunteer, said Barbera, who is also a personal trainer and real estate agent.
The Thanksgiving feast enjoyed Thursday was the most people West and Barbera have ever fed, and the culmination of weeks of planning.
West, who is also a caterer, went to restaurants throughout the region, asking them to donate meat, rolls, vegetables and other foods.
Barbera organized a food and supply drive, where earlier this month volunteers in Virginia collected blankets, canned food, toiletries, socks and other items for care packages donated to the shelter.
Rico Harris and Bernard Williams, both with the Community for Creative Non-Violence, said the nonprofit operates on donations, so the efforts of Barbera, West and other volunteers save the organization money and doubled the amount of food that D.C. Central Kitchen provided the shelter for Thanksgiving.
Look at all the smiles, Williams said, surrounded by lines of volunteers and sitting before a towering cart full of cakes and pies.
Aaron Spann walked out of the shelter with his meal as West and her family had just finished unloading food from their car. Spann, 60, smiled and thanked the group for their contribution.
Its nice, Spann said, holding up his plate full of ham, greens and stuffing. Thats what you call a blessing.
Virginia's Gov.-elect Ralph Northam (D) during a campaign stop at Burke Farmer's Market on Nov. 4, 2017, in Burke, VA. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
Liberal dream bills, once considered dead-on-arrival in Virginias overwhelmingly Republican House of Delegates, face better odds in a reshaped Richmond after Democrats swept state elections earlier this month.
Democrat Ralph Northam will be sworn in as the 73rd governor after running on one of the most progressive platforms in recent Virginia history including a $15 minimum wage, expanding Medicaid to nearly 400,000 low-income people and imposing new gun-control measures.
[Read a list of Ralph Northams campaign promises]
Unlike outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Northam will take office in January alongside a General Assembly where Republican clout has been significantly diminished. The GOP has lost its two-thirds majority in the House of Delegates and may lose control of the chamber entirely, depending on the outcome of three races that have yet to be settled. One thing is for certain the election flipped 15 GOP seats, so that the current count is 49 Democrats to 51 Republicans.
The Senate remains 21 Republicans to 19 Democrats with Democrat Justin Fairfax breaking any ties in his capacity as the newly elected lieutenant governor.
Workers continue to build bleachers and the reviewing stand as they prepare for the January inauguration of Virginia Gov.-elect Ralph Northam at the Capitol in Richmond on Nov. 20, 2017. (Steve Helber/Associated Press) )
Progressive groups see the shifting balance of power as an opportunity to advance legislation that had floundered when Republicans had a stronger majority.
There are advocacy groups in Virginia where there are cobwebs everywhere because they are pushing things that would never fly with Republicans in control, said Josh Stanfield, who leads a PAC devoted to electing progressive House members. Now they can have real tangible demands. Every constituency can come and say, Look, theres no longer an excuse not to get this done.
[Potential chaos ahead as control of Virginia House hangs in balance]
For immigrant advocates, its issuing drivers licenses to undocumented Virginia residents. LGBT groups want to expand anti-discrimination laws in employment and housing to include sexual orientation and gender identity. And abortion rights advocates want to repeal the requirements that women undergo ultrasounds and wait 24 hours before terminating pregnancies.
While its certainly not a downhill slide into progressive policy victories, it is exciting and invigorating to contemplate the things we can find the one or two Republican votes to get done in 2018, said Anna Scholl, executive director of the liberal Progress Virginia group.
The Blue Virginia blog recently published a list of 54 bills that it says should be part of a progressive offense in the House of Delegates.
But Del. David J. Toscano (Charlottesville), the Democratic House leader, wants the focus on economic and health-care issues, such as paid family leave and Medicaid expansion.
View Graphic The latest stories and details on the 2017 Virginia general election and race for governor.
[Virginia gubernatorial race takes unusually sharp turn to the left]
The Republicans have been guilty in overreach and arrogance in how they tried to push a conservative agenda, and it backfired, Toscano said. Our new legislators should learn from the experience of their Republican counterparts, so they hit the sweet spot for what people in the commonwealth really need and not get too much into socially divisive issues that Republicans have pushed for so long.
Toscano is mindful that every seat in the General Assembly is on the ballot again in 2019 a year that may be more favorable to Republicans without a statewide race to boost turnout.
[Why Democrats suddenly care about Virginias normally sleepy House races]
After winning the governorship, Northam listed Medicaid expansion and gun control, as well as fighting the opioid epidemic and promoting government efficiency and renewable energy as his priorities.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), set to be speaker if Republicans keep control, has vowed House Republicans would be a check against an extreme liberal agenda.
The House is eager to work with the administration where we can, but we are also going to stand up for the things we believe in, said Parker Slaybaugh, a spokesman for Cox, in a statement. We can work across the aisle on things like keeping taxes low, making college more affordable, and fighting the opioid crisis, and those are the things we should focus on.
If the House of Delegates ends up in a 50-50 split, Democrats and Republicans will have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement.
Quentin Kidd, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University, said that even slim Republican majorities present major hurdles for Democrats.
For example, a Republican speaker can assign lawmakers to committees in a way to keep legislation from reaching the full floor for debate. Some moderate House Republicans who may have crossed party lines lost their seats on Nov. 7. And Democrats may not be united on contentious issues with tough reelection battles just two years away.
People in the progressive side of Virginia politics shouldnt get their hopes up too high, Kidd said. We are still sort of coming down from the amazing election, and we are thinking What can Democrats accomplish now? The reality is without the majority, they still cant accomplish any more than they already have.
The battle for the majority continues outside the election cycle. Northam can offer incumbent GOP lawmakers jobs in his administration, creating pickup opportunities for Democrats. Then-Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) used that tactic in 1998 to erode Democratic majorities in the legislature.
Even if politicking and parliamentary maneuvering puts Democrats over the top, some of the more liberal members of the General Assembly say they are realistic about the prospects of far-left legislation.
A lot of the more moderate goals that people see as more attainable can be used as a first step for more progressive legislation, said Lee Carter, a democratic socialist who unseated House Majority Whip Jackson Miller (R-Prince William) after campaigning on single-payer health care and repealing Virginias right-to-work laws.
[Diverse candidates in Prince William hope to chart Democrats path to power]
And Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Falls Church), who has sponsored $15 minimum wage bills, concedes its unlikely to pass next year because of pro-business Democrats. Neither Toscano nor Northam would commit to a $15 wage in post-election interviews.
Kim Propeack, a leader of the pro-immigrant group CASA in Action, said Virginia Democrats should resist the urge to be overly cautious.
The worst thing that could happen after the kind of election we saw in Virginia is that voters do not see real results, said Propeack, whose organizations top priority is advancing a bill authorizing drivers licenses for undocumented Virginians that has already attracted some Republican support.
All the time we are told to go for small and shallow reforms, she said. This election proved people want big and bold.
PENNSYLVANIA
Fraternity found guilty in fatal hazing case
A Baruch College fraternity has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and other offenses for the 2013 hazing death of a pledge in a rented home in Pennsylvanias Pocono Mountains.
Jurors announced the verdict Tuesday against the Pi Delta Psi fraternity after six days of testimony in the death of freshman pledge Chun Michael Deng of New York.
The fraternity was also found guilty of aggravated assault, hazing, hindering apprehension and conspiracy. It was acquitted of the most serious offenses it faced, third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Its lawyer told the Pocono Record the fraternity plans to appeal.
Four members of the now-closed fraternity chapter from the New York college previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and await sentencing.
Authorities have said Deng was knocked unconscious and suffered a fatal head injury during a gauntlet ritual in which he was blindfolded and carried a weighted-down backpack across a yard in the home about 100 miles west of New York.
The newspaper said Deng had to get past groups of fraternity brothers who shoved or tackled him, and witnesses said he was subjected to the most violence because he fought back.
Court records indicate fraternity members tried to revive him on their own, changed his clothes and searched online for information about his symptoms before driving him to a hospital an hour later. He died the next day of a brain injury.
Prosecutors are seeking a fine and a statewide ban when the fraternity is sentenced.
Associated Press
NEW MEXICO
Sheriff says body cam video unfair to officers
The sheriff of New Mexicos most populous county will not require his deputies to use body cameras because he said the media would use the footage to unfairly criticize the officers.
Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales told KOAT-TV in a story Tuesday that the video gives a lopsided, one-sided story, which I think is a disservice to the whole community.
His stance has drawn criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government.
Deputies from Bernalillo County which includes Albuquerque, the states largest city have been involved in nine shootings in the last four months. In the most recent, 50-year-old Matthew Scudero was fatally shot after authorities said he opened fire on deputies on Nov. 10.
A family member of Scuderos has questioned the sheriffs office for why it doesnt have video of the encounter.
Deputies do record audio during their interactions with people. The sheriffs office has not yet released the audio related to the shooting from earlier this month.
Associated Press
OHIO
Two men guilty of murder, arson
An Ohio homeowner and his nephew were convicted Wednesday of murder and arson for a 2015 blaze that led to a firefighters death.
Butler County jurors found Lester Parker and William Billy Tucker guilty after getting the case late Tuesday in Hamilton, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. A judge sentenced both men to life in prison, with a minimum of 15 years before either one is eligible for parole.
Parker and Tucker were charged in the Dec. 28, 2015, fire that started in the basement of the home owned by Parker and resulted in the death of Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman, who died after falling through a floor in the burning home.
Prosecutors said that Parker, 67, was having financial problems and solicited Tucker to set the fire to collect insurance money. Parker and Tucker, 50, of Richmond, Ky., both pleaded not guilty to murder and aggravated arson charges. They testified in their own defense, denying any involvement in the fire.
Associated Press
Thieves steal 1,800 gallons of vodka from distillery: Police are searching for thieves who swiped more than 1,800 gallons of vodka from a Los Angeles distillery. Investigators say the suspects sawed through deadbolts to get inside a storage room at the Fog Shots distillery. A company representative said the thieves made away with about 90 percent of its holiday inventory, worth about $278,000. KABC-TV reported Wednesday that detectives are examining surveillance footage that shows three men behind a razor wire fence. One of them climbed the fence and knocked the camera over before the break-in.
Associated Press
By PTI: ties, claims expert
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) India and Russia have good relations, but the "mutual trust" the two sides enjoy is in the future likely to "hinge" on various geo-political developments, including Chinas growing influence in the South China Sea, an expert on Indo-Russian ties claimed today.
Petr Topychkanov, a fellow in the Carnegie Moscow Centers Non-proliferation Programme, at an interactive session here, also said India and Russia are on the "same page" on the issue of Taliban.
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"Ties between India and Russia are good. There is trust from the two sides. But in the future that trust will hinge on on various geo-political developments, which includes Chinas growing influence in the South China Sea, among other factors," he said.
Topychkanov was speaking at the session hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) on India-Russia: Enablers and Limits.
"As long as you have nuclear weapons, there would be nuclear threats. North Korea was on the top of the list when it came to nuclear threat globally, followed by South Asia, i.e., India-Pakistan-China and then Russia-US and the West," he said on the sidelines of the interaction.
Topychkanov, also author of a number of papers, including Nuclear Weapons and Strategic Security in South Asia (2011), praised India, saying "India has never crossed the red line".
On a question on the role of Russia in Afghanistan, he said, "Russia and India are same on the same page on the issue of Taliban."
In fact, Russia is still committed that the Islamic State is declared a terrorist organisation globally. "The Russian Supreme Court has already declared it a terrorist organisation," he said. PTI KND BUN GVS
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YEMEN
Saudi-led coalition to reopen key airport, port
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen said Wednesday that it will reopen the war-torn countrys main airport and a vital Red Sea port to some humanitarian aid shipments, easing a blockade imposed after rebels fired a missile toward the Saudi capital earlier this month.
The easing is to begin Thursday. The airport in the capital, Sanaa would reopen to U.N. aircraft, the coalition said, and the port of Hodeida would be able to receive urgent humanitarian aid.
It was not immediately clear, however, whether port operations would return to the pre-blockade level.
It is good news, but we are still waiting to see the specific details, Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. humanitarian chief for Yemen, said of Wednesdays announcement.
In an interview just before the coalition made the announcement, McGoldrick said a continued blockade would make Yemens long-suffering population even more vulnerable to cholera and famine.
About 7 million people in Yemen which has a population of 27 million depend entirely on food aid, and 4 million rely on aid groups for clean water.
It was not clear whether fuel imports, crucial for supplying clean water, would resume as part of the easing of the blockade, McGoldrick said.
Associated Press
PAKISTAN
Court orders release of alleged Mumbai plotter
A Pakistani court on Wednesday rejected the governments plea to extend for three months the house arrest of a U.S.-wanted militant who founded a banned group linked to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The United States has designated Hafiz Mohammad Saeed a terrorist and offered a $10 million bounty for him.
Saeed ran Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an organization widely believed to be a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, which was behind the attacks in Mumbai. The attacks killed 166 people.
Pakistan put Saeed and four of his aides under house arrest in Lahore in January.
His spokesman said a three-judge panel dismissed the governments extension plea. Saeeds detention ends Thursday. His aides were released earlier.
It is unclear whether Wednesdays development could open the way for Saeeds extradition to India or the United States.
Associated Press
ITALY
Berlusconi, government spar in European court
Attorneys for Silvio Berlusconi and the Italian government sparred Wednesday in Europes human rights court in an unusual, high-profile case that could help the 81-year-old tycoons attempted political comeback.
Berlusconi, a three-time Italian prime minister, says Italys government violated his rights by barring him from public office over a tax fraud conviction. He is appealing to the France-based European Court of Human Rights, though he said Wednesday that he is determined to weigh in on Italys upcoming electoral campaign regardless of what the court decides.
Berlusconi, who has emerged from the political shadows in the run-up to the 2018 elections, has asked Italys president to delay general elections until late spring in hopes that the court will make a decision in time to allow him to run on his Forza Italia ticket.
His attorney argued Wednesday that Italy violated Berlusconis human rights in multiple ways, notably by means of a 2012 law preventing anyone sentenced to more than two years in prison from holding or running for public office for at least six years.
Berlusconi in 2013 was stripped of his Senate seat and barred from holding public office after a tax fraud conviction.
An attorney for Italys government insisted that the eligibility rules were not introduced to persecute, and there was nothing personal about it.
Associated Press
Philippines to extradite priest accused of molesting U.S. boys: The Philippines is preparing to extradite to the United States a Philippine Catholic priest accused of sexually molesting two boys in North Dakota churches in the 1990s, an official said. Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras said Fernando Laude Sayasaya was arrested over the weekend and will be flown back to the United States. He was charged in a North Dakota court over alleged sexual advances toward two underage siblings from 1995 to 1998 in two churches, according to Philippine Court of Appeals documents that cited a U.S. investigation.
From news services
GERMAN CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel has quietly served as one of the checks and balances on Donald Trumps presidency. While cultivating a cordial relationship with Mr. Trump who has boasted about his good relationship with her Ms. Merkel has assumed leadership in areas from which the United States has stepped back. She has stoutly opposed Russian aggressions and championed humane treatment of refugees and action on climate change. She has appeared to keep Europes most powerful country on a centrist course even while other Western democracies were riven by populism.
All that means that Ms. Merkel's failure to form a new governing coalition following September's elections, which has plunged Germany into an unprecedented postwar political crisis, is a problem for Americans as well. Though there is little danger that the result will be an extremist government, it could very well be a weak one which is the last thing the West needs at a time when Britain and the United States are both hamstrung by political turmoil.
Ms. Merkel's own future may be in doubt after a dozen years in power. Having failed to form a four-party coalition including the leftist Greens party and pro-business Free Democrats, she faces unpalatable choices, including a minority government or a second election after failing to form a government neither of which has happened in stability-craving Germany since 1945. She said on Monday that she favored a new election and would run again for chancellor. But a rebellion by her Christian Democratic Union party cannot be ruled out.
Her departure would almost certainly be a blow to transatlantic relations. Raised in East Germany, Ms. Merkel is instinctively pro-American and skeptical of Russia qualities that many German leaders, including her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, decidedly lack. Though her governance has been marked by moderation and caution, she took a moral stand in welcoming refugees to Germany in 2015. More than a million came, and the resulting political backlash did much to create the present political impasse. While the Christian Democratic vote slumped in this year's election, that of the far-right Alternative for Germany spiked . Coalition negotiations foundered in part over disagreements about how much to limit future flows of refugees.
The crisis reveals that Germany, too, is vulnerable to the polarization that is infecting Western politics. Where once two big parties and a couple of smaller ones encompassed its politics, seven now have seats in Parliament including former Communists as well as the far right. The extremes collected only about 20 percent of the vote in the last election compared with more than 40 percent in France but that has proved enough to destabilize the system.
The uncertainty in Berlin could go on for months. If new elections are held, they won't be scheduled before next year, and current polls show they might produce similar results. No doubt the enemies of Western democracy, led by Vladimir Putin, will seek to take advantage of the situation. As for those Americans who have looked to Ms. Merkel as an ally against the excesses of Mr. Trump, it may be time to scale expectations back.
I appreciated the Nov. 17 news article "Some common ground in contentious gun debate" and fully support any bipartisan attempt at gun regulation. But we will never find consensus so long as those who defy gun control believe that the Second Amendment is on their side. This falsehood is too often reinforced by the media. Responsible reporting on the Second Amendment and gun issues should recognize the debate is over its original intent and not promote that one-sided interpretation.
In an excellent paper in the Journal of Constitutional Law, Nathan Kozuskanich noted, "Whatever one may think about originalism as a theory, there is little question that any evaluation of its potential depends on the degree to which it accurately reflects history." He documented, through an exhaustive search of newspapers, pamphlets and public records of the time, that the term "bear arms" was reserved for militia action and never used in the context of an individual's right to own a gun for hunting or personal defense. For example, Rhode Island required that men ages 16 to 50 "bear Arms in the respective Trained Bands whereto by Law they shall belong."
Mr. Kozuskanich's paper was published just before the Supreme Court's decision in the District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the "originalist" Justice Antonin Scalia prevailed in a 5-to-4 decision to restrict the District's right to regulate guns. Just because someone calls himself an originalist doesn't make it so. The framers of our Constitution never intended to limit states' rights to regulate guns.
Gary Krauss, Fairfax
The Nov. 20 Metro article "Trial to begin in Jan. 20 protests," about the first of many trials of Inauguration Day protesters, unfortunately propagated a common misunderstanding. The more than 200 people including protesters, as well as journalists, legal observers and other citizens who were arrested that day were confined by the police in a tactic known as "kettling" before 11 a.m. Much later that afternoon, around 4 p.m., a limousine was set on fire. Although the initial charging indictment pointed to this limo fire as justification for the mass arrest, the superseding indictment does not mention it. Presumably the prosecution realized that the limo was not set on fire by a group that was at the time confined by police without access to food, water or bathrooms. It shouldn't matter, because guilt by association is not how our system works, and 200 people did not light a vehicle on fire. But the image has been falsely used to paint these protesters in a bad light.
Beth Kingsley, Washington
David Von Drehle was correct in his Nov. 19 op-ed, "We're at cyberwar, and the enemy is us," that the United States and its allies are engaged in cyberwar with the Russians. He also was right that we are our own worst enemy, and one of the reasons is that the United States and Russia define the battle space for cyber-conflict differently.
For the United States, cyberwar must involve physical damage to computers and networks and contain an element of violence. Russia, in contrast, focuses on the information space, which includes cyberspace but is much broader and includes all sources of information that influence how people think. We no longer recognize information war to be part of cyberwar and, thus, are stymied in developing an effective response. By waiting for a cyberattack equivalent to Pearl Harbor before we engage in cyber-conflict, we have outsmarted ourselves and given the Russians a significant advantage in their ongoing efforts to use information as a weapon to disrupt the United States and other Western governments. While waiting for cyberwar, we are losing the information war.
Terry L. Thompson, Clarksville
The writer teaches global cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
David Von Drehle provided an invaluable overview of various cyberwar issues that face us: foreign, domestic, political, technical and social, as well as leadership voids in the White House and Congress. We have not had a Pearl Harbor or 9/11 to unite and rouse us to this threat. I fear that by the time we encounter an equivalent cyber-event, it will be too late.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin baffles me. He runs a kleptocracy that thrives on the success of the West. If the West fails, what happens to the value of all of his and his cronies properties in New York, London and around the world? What happens to the Russian economy if he were to send us into a depression and there were no need for his oil and gas? Why would he kill the goose that lays his golden eggs?
I fear Russian leadership is using new technologies to fight an old war. But it appears that leadership on both sides is failing the nations and people of the world by wishing it were 1950.
Robert Pokras, Silver Spring
Driverless cars and trucks rule the road, while robots man the factories. Super-smartphones hail Uber helicopters or even planes to fly their owners across mushrooming urban areas. Machines use algorithms to teach themselves cognitive tasks that once required human intelligence, wiping out millions of managerial, as well as industrial, jobs.
These are visions of a world remade for the most part, in the next five to 10 years by technological advances that form a fourth industrial revolution. You catch glimpses of the same visions today not only in Silicon Valley but also in Paris think tanks, Chinese electric-car factories or even here at the edge of the Sahara.
Technological disruption in the 21st century is different. Societies had years to adapt to change driven by the steam engine, electricity and the computer. Today, change is instant and ubiquitous. It arrives digitally across the globe all at once.
Governments at all levels on all continents are suddenly waking up to how social media and other forms of algorithms and artificial intelligence have raced beyond their control or even awareness. (See the Trump campaign and Russia, 2016, for one example.)
This realization that American lives are on the cusp of technological disruptions even more sweeping than those of the past decade was driven home to me by being part of a research project on technology and governance at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University this year. Autonomous (i.e., driverless) cars, the cloud, and swarming drones that deliver goods to your doorstep or transform naval and ground war-fighting strategy are well-known concepts. But the reality that they are breathing down my and your neck came as something of a surprise.
So did the startling visions of change outlined in the cozy confines of Silicon Valley that were also on the agenda here on Africas Atlantic shoulder when Frances Institute of International Relations held its annual World Policy Conference this month.
The usual suspects global balance-of-power politics, the European Union's woes, President Trump's foreign-policy brutishness, Brexit shared pride of place with the Internet of Cars (the on-wheels version of the Internet of Things) and the vulnerability of the 5,000 military and civilian satellites now in orbit.
These were not abstract subjects for the conference's host country. Morocco this month became the first African nation to launch a spy satellite into space. And the kingdom is a key player in U.N.-sponsored efforts to organize a global containment strategy for climate change.
Chinas policies toward Taiwan and India were not dwelled upon here. Instead it was noted that China produces more electric-powered automobiles than the rest of the world combined in a determined campaign to reduce pollution. China is becoming a global laboratory as well as a global factory, said one speaker, pointing to Beijings surging development of artificial intelligence in all civilian and military forms.
The worlds major powers offer sharp contrasts in harnessing technological change to their national interests and histories. The result is a new bipolar world based on technology rather than nuclear arsenals. Todays superpowers are the United States and China.
The U.S. government has kept out of the way and let market forces develop giant technology companies with global reach. China has chosen to compete head to head, keeping Facebook, Google and others out of its markets while capturing U.S. intellectual property for its national firms. Europe lets U.S. technology companies in and regulates them rather than competing. Russia has weaponized information technology, adding social media to its arsenal of troops, missiles and tanks.
Diplomats and strategists have begun to patrol this expanding intersection of technology and international affairs, hoping to find ways to adapt the Cold War rules of deterrence and arms-control agreements to threats from cyberspace. Some experts shudder at the thought of artificial intelligence being incorporated into national command-and-control systems, further reducing the time humans have to respond to hostile missiles or laser beams.
There were also calls for governments to begin to grapple with urgent earth-bound problems created by the disruptive impact of technology on domestic labor markets and increasingly fragile political systems.
The jobs that artificial intelligence and automation create while destroying outmoded ones often require constant retraining and multiple career and location changes. U.S. employers report that 6.1 million jobs currently sit vacant largely because applicants lack either the skills or mobility needed.
And there was clear recognition from Palo Alto, Calif., to Marrakesh that the communication revolution embodied in social media has hollowed out the political parties in democracies, enabling demagogues to whip up mobs by remote control.
The world turns, as always. But now it turns on a dime, or rather a computer chip.
The reduction in the Nov. 19 front-page article "At the Museum of the Bible, first public visitors walk between the covers" of the Bible to the book "at the center of three religions and two millennia of conflict," while tightly constructed prose, was unfair to readers of faith and to history.
The Bible is the center of three religions, but how does one miss the centrality of the Bible to the moral foundations of our civilization and reduce it solely to a source of conflict? Historian Paul Johnson described the impact of the second half of the Bible when he suggested "the salient virtues of the message Jesus conveyed . . . percolated through society, leaving precious traces of love and neighborliness, mercy and forgiveness, courage in suffering and faith in goodness."
Or, sticking to the "center of three religions" theme, author Bruce Feiler described an interfaith conversation in which the participants realized "they needed a foundation that all three traditions revered equally, that embodied the monotheistic ideals of faith in God and righteous behavior toward humanity, and that existed before the religions themselves existed." They found that in the Abraham of the Bible. There are any number of things that divide society, precious few that unite us. The Post should leave room for them.
Keith W. Mines, Alexandria
By PTI: it: Yashwant Sinha
Pune, Nov 23 (PTI) Without mincing words, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha today said the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in India was a "textbook example" of how it should not be introduced.
"The GST is the best indirect tax regime globally and there is no doubt about it and that is why it is adopted in most of the countries. But the way GST was implemented in India is a textbook example of how the tax reform should not be implemented anywhere," he said.
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"It should be a case study at Harvard and other universities," the former finance minister said.
Sinha, who has targeted the Narendra Modi government on many occasions in the past, had been invited to deliver a lecture on the GST and demonetisation by a city-based organisation.
Incidentally, disgruntled BJP MP from Maharashtra, Nana Patole, too was present.
Sinha said the government is bringing some changes in the GST slabs, but these are "ad-hoc" measures. "All these ad-hoc measures are not enough," he said.
The government should urgently rope in economist Vijay Kelkar, the original architect of the GST in India, and make positive reforms in the GST to steer the economy out of trouble, Sinha said.
He said multiple tax slabs had resulted in "lobbying" for lower rates.
On demonetisation, Sinha said no rich people suffered hardship and it was the poor who stood in the queue and lost their lives.
"Factors like non-performing assets of banks and stalled projects are still making adverse impact on the economy," he said.
International prices of crude oil dropped in a big way since the present government came to power, but common people did not get its benefit, Sinha said.
Democracy in India is very deep-rooted. "If (Robert) Mugabe has to go, nobody is secure. The roots of democracy in India are so deep that no one can move them and if someone attempts to do so, he will be destroyed," he said. PTI SPK KRK GVS
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HERE IS how President Trump responded Tuesday to questions about Roy Moore, the Alabama GOP nominee for U.S. Senate accused of sexually molesting, assaulting and harassing teenage girls when he was in his 30s:
President Trump: I can tell you one thing for sure: We dont need a liberal person in there, a Democrat . . .
Q: Is Roy Moore, a child molester, better than a Democrat? Hes an accused
President Trump: Well, he denies it. . . . He denies it. And, by the way, he totally denies it. . . . Forty years is a long time. Hes run eight races, and this has never come up.
Here is what a presidential president might have said:
"I cannot in good conscience support Roy Moore. As Marc Short, my director of legislative affairs, put it earlier this month, 'There's no Senate seat more important than the notion of child pedophilia.' I have many policy disagreements with Mr. Moore's opponent, Democrat Doug Jones, but none of them can matter more than basic human decency.
"Americans enjoy the presumption of innocence in criminal cases. But in the court of public opinion and at the ballot box we all get to make our own judgments. The allegations against Mr. Moore have only become more credible, and Mr. Moore's denials less believable, since Leigh Corfman accused him of inappropriately touching her when she was 14 years old and he was 32. The volume and consistency of complaints that have emerged since, along with comments from those who knew him at the time, such as a colleague who said 'it was common knowledge that Roy dated high school girls,' have only bolstered their stories.
It is true that Mr. Moore has strongly denied the allegations. But vociferousness and bluster do not translate into innocence. If those accused of sexual misconduct were judged on the vehemence of their denials, then only the contrite would suffer consequences, and very few victims would ever see justice.
The nation is experiencing a long-overdue moment in which women are recounting upsetting stories that they have hidden, sometimes for many, many years. The age of their stories does not discredit them. It can be hard for women to speak up. They often have nothing to gain and much to lose, particularly when powerful people have hurt them.
As one revelation follows another, it becomes ever more obvious that existing practices have not protected women. That is why today I am establishing a presidential commission to draw up recommendations to systemically fight the too-pervasive problem of sexual harassment and assault, especially in the workplace. I will expect a report with concrete recommendations in three months.
And lets be clear: This is not a partisan issue, as recent revelations in Congress show, and none of us should seek partisan advantage from it. Instead, we should thank Leigh Corfman and all the others who have had the courage to come forward and we should honor their bravery by insisting on higher standards of behavior in public life. That starts with making sure that a predator such as Roy Moore never takes a seat in the U.S. Senate.
In this July 2, 2017, file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, uses the beach with his family and friends at the governor's summer house at Island Beach State Park, when the state park was closed to the public during a government shutdown in New Jersey. (Andrew Mills/AP)
Future New Jersey governors couldn't, like Gov. Chris Christie (R) this year, enjoy the July Fourth holiday on a state beach while it was closed to the public during a government shutdown under a proposal advancing through the Democrat-led Legislature.
A Senate committee recently advanced the bill that would require state parks and beaches to stay open during government shutdowns. The measure already passed the Assembly without any opposition.
The bill stems from a three-day government shutdown ahead of the July Fourth holiday when the term-limited governor and lawmakers failed to enact a budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The legislation calls for keeping state parks and recreation areas open for up to seven days after a state government shutdown.
This years shutdown is mostly remembered for photos of Christie lounging on the beach at the state-owned governors mansion on Island Beach State Park, which he had ordered closed to the public because of the budget impasse.
The photos were captured by an NJ.com photographer who had rented a plane and found the governor and his family on a mostly empty stretch of beach.
The photos became a sensation online, inspiring Halloween costumes and memes, including one that showed the lounging governor in the surf in a From Here to Eternity-style image.
The impasse ended after the photos surfaced, although Christie said they had nothing to do with his finding a resolution with lawmakers. He defended his use of the house as a perk of the job and said he had long promised his family the vacation.
Lawmakers say the episode was a factor in their authoring the bill.
Families were grossly inconvenienced by the unexpected government shutdown and that should never happen again, said Democratic Assemblyman John McKeon, who authored the bill in the Assembly.
The governors beach mansion became a factor in the race to succeed him this fall. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R), distancing herself from the unpopular Christie, said she would sell the property if elected. Gov.-elect Phil Murphy (D) has not taken a position on selling the beach house but said he is open to considering it.
Neither Christies nor Murphys offices have responded about whether they would sign the proposed legislation.
Murphy succeeds Christie on Jan. 16. Hell be responsible for enacting a balanced budget by June 30.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), who apologized Wednesday for a lewd photo of him that circulated on the Internet, told a woman to whom he had sent sexually explicit photos, videos and messages that he would report her to the Capitol Police because she could expose his behavior, according to a recording reviewed by The Washington Post.
The woman spoke to The Post after the lewd photo was published Tuesday by an anonymous Twitter account. She shared a secretly recorded phone conversation she had with Barton in 2015 in which he warned her against using the explicit materials in a way that would negatively affect my career.
The woman described encounters and contact spanning a five-year period that began online after she posted a message on Bartons Facebook page in 2011, leading to the sexually explicit exchanges and ultimately a pair of physical sexual encounters in Washington and Texas. Over time, she said, she became aware of and corresponded with multiple other women who engaged in relationships with Barton, who represents a suburban Dallas district and is one of the most senior Republicans in the House.
The woman, who is not married, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy.
In the 2015 phone call, Barton confronted the woman over her communications with the other women, including her decision to share explicit materials he had sent. In that context, he mentioned the Capitol Police, a comment the woman interpreted as an attempt to intimidate her.
I want your word that this ends, he said, according to the recording, adding: I will be completely straight with you. I am ready if I have to, I dont want to, but I should take all this crap to the Capitol Hill Police and have them launch an investigation. And if I do that, that hurts me potentially big time.
Why would you even say that to me? the woman responded. The Capitol Hill police? And what would you tell them, sir?
Said Barton: I would tell them that I had a three-year undercover relationship with you over the Internet that was heavily sexual and that I had met you twice while married and had sex with you on two different occasions and that I exchanged inappropriate photographs and videos with you that I wouldnt like to be seen made public, that you still apparently had all of those and were in position to use them in a way that would negatively affect my career. Thats the truth.
In a statement late Wednesday, Barton said a transcript of the recording provided by The Post may be evidence of a potential crime against me.
He said that he received word Wednesday that the Capitol Police are opening an inquiry. While there is no federal law prohibiting the disclosure of intimate photos of adults without consent, the Dallas Morning News on Wednesday reported that the Twitter photo of Barton could violate a 2015 Texas law banning so-called revenge porn, which is the portrayal of another persons intimate body parts and distributing the images without consent.
This woman admitted that we had a consensual relationship, Barton said. When I ended that relationship, she threatened to publicly share my private photographs and intimate correspondence in retaliation. As the transcript reflects, I offered to take the matter to the Capitol Hill Police to open an investigation. Today, the Capitol Police reached out to me and offered to launch an investigation and I have accepted. Because of the pending investigation, we will have no further comment.
The woman said she never had any intention to use the materials to retaliate against Barton.
A request for comment from the Capitol Police was not immediately returned late Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, Barton acknowledged sexual relationships with other mature adult women that he said took place while he was separated from my second wife, before the divorce.
Each was consensual, he said in a statement. Those relationships have ended. I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down.
Barton, 68, is the fifth-longest serving Republican in the House, now in his 17th term. He is a former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and now serves as vice chairman of the panel.
The Texas native has built a reputation on Capitol Hill as a fierce advocate for the oil and gas industry and a reliable vote for conservative legislation. A member of the Freedom Caucus, Barton regularly receives top scores from socially conservative groups such as the Family Research Council that analyze members stances on positions such as abortion and gay rights.
But he is not known as an outspoken culture warrior. In 1998, amid the scandal over President Bill Clintons affair with a White House intern, Barton was quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying, I personally dont care a fig about what he does in his bedroom with his wife or any other sexual partners he may have, but I do care if he lies under oath.
Barton was still married to his second wife when his relationship with the woman began. His wife filed for divorce in April 2014, according to court records; the divorce was made final in February 2015. A spokeswoman for Barton did not respond to a question about when his separation began.
Besides the recording of the phone call, the woman shared text and social media messages she exchanged with Barton, as well as a 53-second cellphone video Barton recorded of himself while masturbating. The conspiracy theory website Infowars obtained a copy of the video and published it Wednesday night, though the video appeared to have been removed from the site later.
The lewd Twitter photo that Barton acknowledged on Wednesday appears to have been captured from that video. The woman said she did not post the image herself. She shared phone numbers for Barton that match his personal and government-issued cellphones. Barton was not abusive or coercive in his interactions, the woman said, but said she felt he was manipulative and dishonest and misleading in his dealings with her and other women.
Its not normal for a member of Congress who runs on a GOP platform of family values and conservatism to be scouring the Internet looking for a new sexual liaison, she said, explaining her motive for coming forward.
The woman said Barton first reached out to her in 2011 after she posted a comment about politics on his Facebook page. As the two struck up a friendship, they would exchange messages for hours, including when he was on the House floor or in committee meetings, she said.
Soon, Barton began flirting, making suggestive comments and sending explicit messages, she said. She described feeling uncomfortable with his advances at first.
He says to me, Do you want me to send you a picture of myself? I said, Oh no, no. Please do not do that. It kind of started there, she said.
In the spring of 2012, the woman flew to Washington, where he gave her a tour of the Capitol building, she said. The two slept together during that visit, and he reimbursed her in cash for her flight, she said.
In 2014, she visited him in Texas, where the two slept together for the second and final time, she said. He again paid for her travel, she said. "I was in it for the politics connection," the woman said of their relationship."I was kind of unwittingly drawn into it with him because of just the amazement of having a connection to a congressman," she said.
Read more at PowerPost
Alice Crites, Julie Tate and Michelle Ye Hee Lee contributed to this report.
Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the 13th Asia Europe Foreign Ministers Meeting in Naypyidaw, Burma, on Nov. 20. (Lynn Bo Bo/European Pressphoto Agency/EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)
During the three months that Burma has been rocked by a refugee exodus the United States has now deemed "ethnic cleansing," de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the most part has remained hunkered down in her office in this capital city, hewed out of the jungle just over a decade ago by the military regime.
Witnesses have alleged that the military and Buddhist mobs raped women, executed civilians and burned more than 200 villages in a crackdown that followed an attack by Rohingya extremists Aug. 25, causing more than 600,000 Muslim Rohingya to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
But in interviews here, officials and party leaders close to her not only deny the magnitude of the crisis but that civilian killings and other atrocities took place at all. This, Western observers say, could complicate the staggering task before them carrying out a deal struck Thursday with Bangladesh to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees, many of them terrified to return to an area where they have clashed violently with their Buddhist neighbors.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who visited Burma and met with Suu Kyi and its top general Nov. 15, strongly denounced the "abuses" of the Burmese security forces and local mobs as "ethnic cleansing." Burma also is known as Myanmar.
No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued, Tillerson said in a statement. These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering. . . . It is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.
Suu Kyis spokesman said in response that Tillersons statement failed to mention the killings of Hindus and other innocent civilians by Rohingya militants and that conclusions were made without any proven facts.
The government has repeatedly asked the United States to support its assertions and has not received any meaningful help in response, said Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Suu Kyis office. However, he added, the government will work to try to find a durable solution to the problem.
In recent days, Suu Kyis advisers have denied any atrocities occurred.
Weve seen some Muslim people leaving to Bangladesh, and I believe that the main reason they were leaving is because they were afraid to be killed by extremists, said Win Myat Aye, Burmas minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement. The Tatmadaw [Burmese military] did not attack innocent villagers.
The United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Burma, Yanghee Lee, says she finds Suu Kyis position worrying.
Its one thing for the military to exonerate itself, but when the civilian government denies all this, Myanmar will never know what happened, she said. She owes it to all the people, they know the truth.
Rohingya refugees continue after crossing from Burma into Palang Khali, near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
In the weeks since the crisis began, Suu Kyi, 72, has gone about her official duties as Burmas leader with doggedness, seemingly impervious to any threat to her legacy as a Nobel Peace Prize winner once compared to Mohandas Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.
She has been widely condemned for not using her moral authority to speak out on the Rohingyas plight, and she has been stripped of honors and awards by the international community, which once lionized her. Most recently, the musician and humanitarian Bob Geldof called her a handmaiden to genocide.
[Analysis: The shameful silence of Aung San Suu Kyi]
When she has ventured out this month helicoptering to the site of the violence in Rakhine state for the first time, for example she has seemed woefully, or willfully, out of touch, gently chiding both sides not to "quarrel" with each other.
In September, in her first major speech on the crisis, she asserted that military clearance operations had ceased even as smoke from burning villages was still visible in the sky at the Bangladeshi border.
She has fairly limited sources of information, said analyst Richard Horsey, stating also that her government is in crisis mode. They were blindsided by the severity of this and the speed at which it has moved.
Suu Kyi has regular daily contact with just a handful of advisers from her National League for Democracy party and a few foreigners. Her relationship with Burmas generals remains frosty.
Even her party leadership cannot approach her easily, so shes a little bit isolated, said Nyo Nyo Thinn, a former politician who now heads a civil society group. Suu Kyi and her party leaders often complain with exasperation that there are many more problems in Burma that need fixing than just the Muslim refugees, Nyo Nyo Thinn said.
Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest under Burmas military regime, has been long embraced by Washington politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Hillary Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who even today consider her Burmas best hope for democracy.
But recent events have strained the goodwill. A bipartisan group of senators led by John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) have sponsored legislation calling for renewed sanctions against Burmas military in the wake of the violence, and a similar effort is underway in the House.
[Washington begins to sour on Aung San Suu Kyi amid ethnic violence]
While McConnell and others still support her publicly, others have been disillusioned by what they see as her callous indifference to the plight of the stateless Rohingya.
I sense a very distinct lack of empathy for anybody, said one Obama administration official who spent time with her and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. I found myself wondering whether all those years of separation from her family and the loss of her husband had an impact on her.
Suu Kyis husband, Michael Aris, was fighting prostate cancer and denied a visa while she was under house arrest; she refused to return to Britain for fear the military would not allow her back into Burma. Aris died in 1999 without being able to say goodbye.
Many of her critics have alleged she shares the view of much of her core constituency in Buddhist-majority Burma who consider the Rohingya, who have lived in the country for centuries, to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
This is the first moment in the last 50 years that everyone without exception in Myanmar is united, Horsey said. The military, civilian leaders and the vast majority of the population are all on the same page on this. This isnt about ethnic cleansing. Its about, We dont trust these people. Theyre not registered, and they should go back to Bangladesh.
A Rohingya child runs between tents at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh on Nov. 19. (Wong Maye-E/Associated Press)
There were scant details available about the agreement Burma and Bangladesh reached Thursday for the return of the Rohingya. Before the accord was announced, many expressed doubts about returning refugees to Burma.
Who will be overseeing the return? The security forces that drove them out? asked Lee, the U.N. human rights rapporteur. There is a danger that they may end up in permanent detention camps rather than returning to their own homes, she said.
But Suu Kyi remains popular in her home country. When Oxford removed her portrait in September and placed it in storage, dozens of copies of the Chen Yanning painting of a young Suu Kyi with red flowers in her hair flooded the streets in Burma.
People really support Aung San Suu Kyi. She suffered a lot. She was arrested in her house for more than a decade the military repressed her, and she could not see her family. So we feel very sympathetic to her, Nyo Nyo Thinn said. Whatever she does, we can forgive her.
Read more
We are going to kill you: Villagers in Burma recount violence by Rohingya Muslim militants
Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh face another threat: Land mines
My whole world was my village: Rohingya refugees share what they left behind
Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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Islamic State militants have lost the last of their strongholds, but for Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad, a new battle is just beginning.
Three years after escaping militants in northern Iraq, Murad is unveiling a harrowing memoir, The Last Girl, about her ordeal as a sex slave.
Murad's disturbing personal account is part of her effort, represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, to bring Islamic State members to justice for war crimes and genocide against the Yazidi people.
This is not something I chose, Murad, 24, said in an interview in the lounge of a posh London hotel. Somebody had to tell these stories. Its not easy.
When the Islamic State swept into northern Iraq in 2014, thousands of Yazidis were killed and thousands more were kidnapped, including women and girls who were taken as sex slaves. U.N. officials have said the violence committed against the minority sect constituted genocide, and the U.N. Security Council has created a task force to collect evidence of atrocities in Iraq.
Murad became the first U.N. goodwill ambassador for survivors of human trafficking in 2016, and is pressing her concerns about thousands of Yazidi women and girls who may still be captives and survivors she hopes will be moved from camps and resettled.
The goal of this book is to make sure that everyone knows what happened to the Yazidis and how they suffered, Murad said. There are other survivors who dream that one day they will testify about what [the Islamic State] did to them. Our stories can make a difference.
When the war began, Murad was a student living a quiet life in the village of Kocho in northern Iraq.
Everyone was poor, she said. We were satisfied with a life that was simple and humble. We were a peaceful, open people.
[The year after ISIS]
The militants arrived in Kocho in August 2014 and ordered everyone to the schoolhouse. The men were then forced to leave, and gunfire soon rang out. Scores of men were killed, including six of Murads brothers.
Murad was put on a bus with other young women, relatives and neighbors, and Islamic State fighters began groping the women. One fighter put his hand down her shirt and tried to do things that happen between lovers when they get married. Islamic State gunmen took away Murads mother to be killed. They set an elderly woman on fire.
Murad and the other young women were taken to the home of a wealthy family in the city of Mosul, where crowds of men grabbed at them.
One man extinguished a cigarette on Murads stomach. Another man chose three women, paying for them in U.S. dollars. The rest were offered up at a chaotic slave market, and Murad was dragged off by the first of her tormentors.
I put the details in the book so I dont have to tell the story every time, she said forlornly.
The Islamic State leadership created a self-styled religious rationale to justify the sexual abuse of Yazidi women and girls as young as 9.
Some Yazidi women took their own lives.
Murad was gang-raped as punishment for trying to escape.
What gave me strength was the hundreds, if not thousands, of girls in captivity, Murad said. I told myself, we will be able to survive this.
One day, an Islamic State gunman left her alone in a house, and Murad found an unlocked door. She stepped out into the courtyard, climbed the wall and dropped down into an empty street, terrified.
It wasnt about courage, she said. Youre scared of being put to death or tortured. All you think about is how to survive.
Murad walked swiftly through the darkening streets of Mosul, her face covered by a long veil. She banged on the door of a house and begged for help.
The family inside let her in and eventually smuggled her out of Islamic State territory, passing her off as the wife of one of the men. As they went through the last checkpoint, she spotted her photo on a flier showing wanted escapees.
Murad made her way to a refugee camp and was accepted as a refugee to Germany in 2015. She now lives with her sister, a war widow, in an apartment in Stuttgart.
Murad is still haunted by the failure of people in Mosul to help more Yazidi women.
There were 2 million civilians in Mosul and 2,000 kidnapped girls there, she said. There were thousands of families in Mosul that could have helped other girls, but they didnt. Women had to wear veils in Mosul. It would have been easy to smuggle Yazidi women out.
Many of those who did help smuggle Yazidis demanded thousands of dollars her sister-in-laws family paid $20,000 to get her to safety, Murad said.
Last summer, Murad returned to her home town for a hero's welcome, and tears streamed down her face as she entered her family's destroyed home.
We hoped that our fate would be like the men and we would be killed, but instead Europeans, Saudis, Tunisians and other fighters came and raped us and sold us, she said in an improvised speech that was videotaped by news reporters.
Murad hopes that someday she will look the men who raped me in the eye and see them brought to justice, and will be the last girl with a story like mine.
She has another ambition: She wants to become a makeup artist and hairdresser, or even open her own salon a place that traditionally serves as a haven for women.
Maybe people will remember me for being a stylist, not a survivor of the Islamic State, she said. Theyll forget that.
Read more:
I thought, this is it: One mans escape from an Islamic State execution
Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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With just days to go for the Gujarat Assembly election, it's now time for the star campaigners to do their bit.
By India Today Web Desk: Gujarat is all set to witness carpet-bombing of election campaigners. With the process of nomination of candidates for the first phase of Assembly election complete, now it is the turn of the star campaigners to do their bit.
The first phase of the Gujarat poll will be held on December 9 while voting for the second phase will take place on December 14.
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The result will be declared on December 18.
The last date for filing nominations for the first phase of election is November 24.
PM MODI'S CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE
On the same day Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi descend upon Gujarat to campaign for the party candidates. He will campaign also on November 25.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will canvass for the BJP candidates on November 27 and 29.
Gujarat BJP in charge Bhupendra Yadav today announced Modi's campaign tour details here today.
Yadav said each public meeting of the Prime Minister will involve six or more nearby Assembly seats.
He said more dates and programmes of Modi's campaign will be shared when details are worked out.
On November 27, the prime minister will hold four public rallies. They are in Bhuj, Jasdan, Dhari in Amreli and Kamrej in Surat.
On November 29, Modi will be in Morbi, Prachi near Somnath, Palitana in Bhavnagar and Navsari in South Gujarat.
Besides the prime minister, about 20 Union ministers and several chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states will also make frequent visits to the poll-bound state.
WATCH | EXPOSED: How black money is funding Gujarat's high-stakes Assembly polls
--- ENDS ---
Three American and three South Korean soldiers were recognized by senior military leaders Thursday for their roles in rescuing a North Korean defector who was shot multiple times while fleeing the country last week.
Video footage of the defector's daring escape which shows him running across the border that divides the two countries while being pursued by North Korean soldiers captured global attention when it was released Wednesday by the U.S. military command in South Korea.
The man made it to the South Korean side of the border before he collapsed from his wounds and was dragged to safety by U.S. and South Korean personnel.
You were all in the range of North Korean fire, Gen. Kim Byeong-joo, deputy commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, told the troops during a ceremony at Camp Bonifas. It was a precarious situation . . . [and] a showcase of great leadership.
[Dramatic video shows North Korean soldier making a run for freedom]
Video taken Nov. 13 shows a North Korean defector running from a jeep at the Joint Security Area of the Korean demilitarized zone. (United Nations Command )
The dramatic scene, which unfolded shortly before 4 p.m. on Nov. 13, occurred as tension among the three countries has soared in recent months, with the threat of conflict being driven by the often volatile exchanges between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In striking video footage of the escape, the defector can be seen driving a jeep through the demilitarized zone, the strip of heavily protected land that has long separated the two nations. After his vehicle became stuck in a ditch, the man jumped out and fled south on foot as four North Korean soldiers gave chase and opened fire on him.
Hit at least five times, he collapsed on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area, the only place where North and South Korean soldiers directly face each other. Two soldiers from the joint command then crawled out to the man, while others in the unit monitored the situation.
In his remarks, Kim lauded the unit's officers for taking the lead during the rescue instead of sending in their subordinates. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, who oversees U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command, also credited the soldiers for de-
escalating an incident that "threatened the 64-year-old armistice."
U.S. Army Commendation Medals were awarded to Sgt. 1st Class Noh Yeong Soo, Sgt. 1st Class Song Seoung Hyeon, Sgt. Robert Hartfield, Maj. Jeffery Schmidt, Lt. Col. Kwon Young Hwan and Lt. Col. Matthew Farmer, according to U.S. Forces Korea.
You made a difference, Brooks said as he presented the medals.
The ceremony came just as new details about the North Korean defector began to emerge. On Thursday, the Reuters news agency reported that the man has said he is 24 and that his family name is Oh. He remains in serious condition at Ajou University Hospital, where he is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds as well as tuberculosis, hepatitis B and intestinal worms.
The event came as the soldiers at Camp Bonifas a military post just south of the DMZ prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving. The medal ceremony took place in a hall festooned with holiday banners and decorated with ornamental gourds and other autumnal trimmings.
Happy Thanksgiving, Kim said, his only remarks in English. And thank you for your service in Korea.
Rohingya women carry blankets and other supplies they collected from aid distribution centers in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh on Tuesday. (Wong Maye-E/AP)
The United States on Wednesday declared the violence and atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma to be a campaign of ethnic cleansing, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that U.S. sanctions may be forthcoming.
Tillerson blamed the Burmese military and security forces as well as local vigilantes for what he called horrendous atrocities that have caused more than 600,000 Rohingya to flee Burmas western Rakhine state for the safety of neighboring Bangladesh. But he placed most of the criticism on the government, demanding the security forces respect human rights and punish the guilty.
Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable, he said in a statement, reiterating his call for an independent investigation into what has caused a refugee crisis in which Rohingya men have been executed, women raped and their babies murdered.
The United States will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions, he added, suggesting sanctions might be directed against specific Burmese officials.
Many members of Congress and human rights groups had been urging Tillerson for months to adopt the "ethnic cleansing" terminology. And others have used even stronger language. French President Emmanuel Macron has called it genocide. Amnesty International has called the violence in Burma "dehumanizing apartheid," and Human Rights Watch has termed it crimes against humanity.
State Department officials noted that ethnic cleansing is not recognized internationally as a crime and triggers no punitive measures against Burma, which is also known as Myanmar.
But it sets the stage to exert more pressure on Burmese officials if they fail to take actions such as giving humanitarian groups and the press access to Rakhine state and guaranteeing safety to those who voluntarily return home.
[Aung Sun Suu Kyi was bright light for Rohingya. That dream has faded.]
Tillerson made a brief visit last week to Burma, where he talked with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the head of the armed forces.
The Burmese military has denied committing atrocities during clearance operations to battle Muslim insurgents in the predominantly Buddhist nation. An internal investigation cleared the military of any wrongdoing.
On Aug. 25, militants belonging to the extremist Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked outposts of Burmese security forces. According to human rights groups, those forces responded with a brutal and indiscriminate crackdown on Rohingya communities, drawing in local Buddhist mobs as they went.
No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued, Tillerson said in his statement.
[Rohingya misery: My whole world was my village]
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, as well as many who remain in Burma, have provided chilling testimony of the campaign, which they say was accompanied by widespread arson, rape and summary executions.
Human rights groups applauded Tillersons decision to start using the term ethnic cleansing, but they said more action was needed.
Eric P. Schwartz, president of Refugees International, said the move could be used by Washington to pressure other countries to take stronger measures, including a global arms embargo and the end of military-to-military relations.
Secretary Tillersons statement is a necessary first step, he said. However, until the abuses against the Rohingya people end and full access is given to the international humanitarian aid and the U.N. fact-finding mission, such pressure and requisite actions will continue to be essential.
Joanne Lin, head of advocacy and government relations for Amnesty International USA, said Tillerson's acknowledgment of ethnic cleansing sets an example for how to respond.
"The time for outrage and condemnation has passed," she said. "The international community must impose a comprehensive arms embargo and targeted financial sanctions against senior Myanmar military officials responsible for crimes against humanity."
Lin also urged the United States to introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an embargo and sanctions, and to pressure Bangladesh to loosen its registration rules so humanitarian groups can get more aid workers on the ground.
The term "ethnic cleansing" is largely descriptive and dates from the conflict in the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. At the time, a U.N. commission defined it as "rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove people of given groups from the area."
The Obama administration declared the Islamic State had committed genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims. In 2005, the George W. Bush administration labeled the killings in Darfur, a region of Sudan, to be genocide and tightened sanctions. But no policy was mandated by law.
Ultimately these things come down to the politics of it, said David Bosco, an associate professor at Indiana Universitys School of Global and International Studies and author of a number of books on international law.
Even if the United States declared a genocide in Burma, Bosco added, its really just a question of whether that helps generate pressure for action.
[Srebrenica holds painful lessons for victims of other ethnic-cleansing campaigns]
The timing of Tillerson's statement was rife with symbolism. It coincided with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia's sentencing of former Bosnia Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, to life in prison.
The U.S. government should find more facts to declare the persecution against Rohingya is genocide, said Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya blogger and activist based in Europe. Myanmars military commanders must be punished as Ratko Mladic was.
Adam Taylor and Brian Murphy contributed to this report.
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Bus conductor Ashok Kumar, arrested by the Gurgaon Police for the murder of Pradyuman Thakur, broke his silence after being released on bail and alleged he was tortured by the local cops.
By India Today Web Desk: 75 days after he was arrested by Gurgaon Police for allegedly murdering seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, school bus conductor Ashok Kumar is finally back home after being released on bail.
Kumar, who was arrested hours after the September 8 murder, walked out of a Gurgaon jail last evening after the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is now probing the killing, said it had not found any incriminating evidence against him.
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Speaking to India Today soon after his release, Kumar confirmed what reports had alleged all along - that he was tortured by the Gurgaon Police and forced to 'confess' to killing Pradyuman Thakur.
Ashok, whose health remains really poor, wasn't able to speak much, but his wife claimed the local cops beat up her husband and gave him electric shocks in order to get him to confess to the sensational crime.
The wife added that Ashok getting bail was a form of justice for the family. "We knew from the beginning that he wasn't involved in the murder. The Gurgaon Police did not carry out a proper investigation. We have faith in the judiciary," she said.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the wife also said, "Police beat him (Kumar) up, hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him to make him confess."
Bus conductor Ashok thanks the media for his return to his family, says he is in a lot of pain. His wife says, 'Police beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him & even sedated him to make him confess.' #PradyumanMurderCase pic.twitter.com/Q6ca7emBYW- ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
And, confess he did. On September 8 evening, hours after Pradyuman Thakur was killed inside a washroom of the Ryan International School's Bhondsi branch, Gurgaon Police claimed a major breakthrough and said Ashok Kumar had confessed to the murder.
The next day, the cops even paraded Kumar in front of the media and the bus conductor admitted to killing Pradyuman in front of cameras. Kumar later backtracked, once a lawyer took up his case.
The CBI, which was handed the probe after sustained pressure from Pradyuman's parents, too claimed Gurgaon Police had tortured Ashok. At the same time, the agency opposed Kumar's bail plea in court saying it could not give him a clean chit until its probe was complete.
The Gurgaon court, however, went ahead and granted Kumar bail.
Ashok Kumar's bail followed the CBI's startling revealataion that it was a Class XI student of Ryan who had committed the murder. Completely rejecting the Gurgaon Police theory, the CBI said it had found no evidence to connect Kumar to the murder.
The police theory that Kumar had killed Pradyuman after attempting to sexually abuse the boy too was refuted by the central agency, which claimed the juvenile accused committed the crime in order to get a scheduled examination and a parent-teacher meeting postponed.
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(With inputs from Parbina Purkayastha and Chirag Gothi in Gurgaon)
WATCH | Cops tortured tortured him, applied electric shock: Ashok Kumar's wife
--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2017 (1820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
There was nothing unusual about American recruiters coming to Manitoba last week to try to hire nurses, Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen insisted on Wednesday.
The NDP blamed Goertzen and his overhaul of the health-care system, which includes closing three Winnipeg hospital emergency rooms, for the visit.
This is another sign the private sector is telling them nurses are fearful for their jobs, NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Minister of Health Kelvin Goertzen.
During question period, NDP health critic Andrew Swan asked, How many nurses does this minister intend to export to the U.S.?
To which, Goertzen pointed to Canadas highest wait-times under the former NDP government.
And how many people had to leave an emergency room because they couldnt get service? (Swan) can stay up all night trying to scare people; Ill stay up all night trying to make things better, he said.
Goertzen later told reporters that Manitoba representatives go to career fairs to hire doctors, nurses and teachers, and that others come to the province to do the same.
I dont think its uncommon in North America, he said
Nevertheless, Kinew said, the recruiters said they were in Manitoba last week because they saw an opportunity created by government decisions.
Goertzen maintained the governments position that there will be a job for everyone currently working in health care after all the changes are complete.
Thats still our expectation. I recognize, at times, there are temporary dislocations, he said.
Goertzen did flesh out some details of a brief mention during Tuesdays throne speech: Manitoba Health is exploring the idea of making an emergency room doctor available 24 hours a day to consult on whether a patient needs to be brought to Winnipeg for treatment.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Premier Brian Pallister, who was injured in a fall while hiking in New Mexico last week, the NDP repeatedly demanded the government spell out which civil service jobs in the premiers transformation plan will be lost, and when.
How many more jobs will be lost, and when will their families get the bad news? NDP finance critic James Allum said.
When will mom or dad be out of a job?
Allum said Pallisters transformation plan for the civil service is a Transylvania plan.
Hes attempting to bleed the public service dry, he said.
Finance Minister Cameron Friesen didnt answer directly, but responded to say that the transformation will attract the best and brightest young people.
The Tories reject the NDPs doom and gloom, he said.
nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/11/2017 (1819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA The federal government unveiled Wednesday a major reform of public housing programs, emulating how Manitoba funds rental units while calling on the province to boost its spending.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted what he called Canadas first-ever national housing strategy during an afternoon announcement at a Toronto construction site.
The strategy earmarks $40 billion of federal dollars for housing, including $15 billion that Ottawa had already pledged. In addition, it proposes an additional $4.3 billion on the condition the provinces match that number.
Chris Young / The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits a housing development in Torontos Lawrence Heights, ahead of his housing strategy announcement Wednesday.
Its the most dramatic federal investment in housing since Ottawa largely offloaded the file to the provinces in the 1990s though most of it takes effect well after the 2019 election.
This is a breakthrough for cities and communities, said Winnipeg Deputy mayor Jenny Gerbasi, who was in Ottawa as part of her role leading the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
The strategy aims to halve the number of Canadians relying on homeless shelters, by securing affordable options for 530,000 households that lack them. It takes a particular focus vulnerable populations such as people fleeing family violence, seniors, veterans and those with disabilities or addictions.
This is a problem that has seemed intractable for far too long, Trudeau said.
Jino Distasio, director of urban studies at the University of Winnipeg, said advocates have long pushed for long-term funding.
Its such an enormous amount of money, said Distasio, who has studied the issue for two decades. I have never seen anything this big.
While the strategy includes the typical funding for buildings, it also introduces a portable housing credit, which is when rental support is tied to a person and not the building they live in. That allows people to move for work or personal reasons without grappling with finding a public-housing complex.
The Manitoba government is one of the few in North America that already offers such a program, called Rent Assist. More than 30,000 Manitobans are enrolled in the program, most automatically through the welfare system.
Wednesdays announcement would have all the provinces administer such a plan, with federal support.
The program would start in April 2020, and aim to support rent bills for 300,000 people by 2028.
The entire strategy is backloaded, according to a breakdown the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provided the Free Press. The current fiscal year amounts to $3.5 billion, rising to $5.2 billion by 2027-28.
Trudeau justified the delay, saying it provides time to craft funding arrangements with the provinces.
Well take some time to determine what exactly the right way is, he said, adding buildings will need to be finished while pointing at the construction site behind him.
The prime minister said the aim is to have 100,000 new housing units built in the next decade, quadruple the amount built between 2005 and 2015.
The strategy also provides a decade of stable funding for various public-housing and co-op buildings, whose expiring mortgages and funding agreements have been described as a ticking time bomb for 24,000 rental units.
This will keep families in their homes, and that is super important, Gerbasi said. Its a big day for the local levels of government.
Her only concern Wednesday was whether the feds will tap on municipalities expertise in crafting funding plans with the provinces.
Part of the funding includes $8.6 billion to upgrade and build mixed- and low-income housing, though half of that must come from the provinces.
In a Wednesday phone conference, CMHC officials told reporters they had no estimate of how much each province would be asked to contribute to make up their $4.3-billion share.
Manitoba makes up 3.6 per cent of Canadas population, suggesting the austerity-minded provincial government may be asked to provide $157 million.
Provincial Families Minister Scott Fielding said the feds briefed the provinces on the housing strategy before Wednesdays public announcement, and theyll also meet early next year.
He wrote in a email he was encouraged by the announcement: But the devil is in the details. We look forward to learning more about the national plan in the weeks ahead.
The Manitoba government led by Premier Brian Pallister pledged in Tuesdays throne speech to release its own provincial housing strategy, but it also aims to avoid adding taxes and deficits.
The province has previously declined to fund infrastructure projects in and around Winnipeg because of budget controls, leaving the city to shelve projects after already securing municipal and federal funding.
Trudeau said he isnt worried provinces and cities will leave federal funding on the table.
There is not a single mayor or premier across this country that doesnt recognize that housing represents a real challenge for Canadians, he said. Were all serving the same citizens.
Distasio said Winnipeg could pony up more funding for projects, as Toronto has done. The province has been shouldering the financial burden for the last decade, plus. We have to have everybody all-in, to address homelessness.
The Social Planning Council of Winnipeg estimates 3,000 Manitoba households are unaffordable, overcrowded or in poor repair.
Josh Brandon, a community animator with the group, noted Canada has been the sole industrialized country to lack a housing strategy. He said it has left provinces creating a patchwork of programs that will now have to align with Ottawa.
Its going to be extremely tricky to implement it. Weve had 25 years of the federal government being absent from the scene on housing, he said.
Brandon said Manitoba tends to get little more than four per cent of federal funds for housing, more than its proportionate share of the population. He hopes the federal funding continues that role, and tops up provincial spending, instead of replacing it.
The federal government also aims to table legislation next spring that would have Ottawa update its housing plans every three years, starting in 2020.
Housing rights are human rights, Trudeau said. The federal government is not only back in housing, but were here to stay for the long term.
Wednesdays strategy does not include a plan for housing Indigenous people in Canada. Trudeau said he will reveal a plan next spring that spans issues from urban Aboriginal homelessness to overcrowding on First Nations reserves.
Gerbasi said mayors have raised these issues with Ottawa through FCM meetings, and she noted Winnipeg in particular grapples with a large number of homeless Aboriginal people. The province says its also in talks with Ottawa on the issue.
Census data released a month ago showed almost half of households in Peguis First Nation reported being in major disrepair, which 42 per cent of homes in Cross Lake were overcrowded.
dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
National Housing Strategy
Opinion
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This article was published 23/11/2017 (1819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
There are smoke signals coming from the Manitoba Club.
Smoking signals, actually.
No, not cannabis.
BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS According to the Manitoba Clubs website, a cigar room is being planned for its top floor, but general manager Graham Davis says hes not sure the plan has legs.
Cigars.
Last Saturday night, before members gathered at the annual presidents gala, I caught the pungent scent of cigars in the future of the historic private club.
Word is the pricey private clubhouse is planning to build a cigar room on the top floor thats used for storage.
If theres another such private club smoking place in Canada, a search of some of the countrys similar posh places didnt turn up even one.
As most Winnipeggers of certain age know, not so many years ago before societal pressures and smoking laws dictated a change the Manitoba Club was a mens-only place where cigar-smoking was a signature element of the citys original private man cave.
Women are welcome now and a woman presides as club president this year but one can imagine a private club cigar room as a place where gentlemen could go back to being among gentlemen; if not exclusively, at least the majority of the time.
But how in this world of legislated smoke-free indoor environments where provincial law allows few specific exceptions could even the likes of our establishments most established private place find a loophole for lighting up a hand-rolled Havana?
That was one of my questions.
So on Tuesday morning, after calling Manitoba Club general manager Graham Davis and not receiving a response, I dropped by to see if I could find him at the club.
He was there, but instead of inviting me into his office, he decided we should stand in the lobby.
Obviously this was going to be a short chat, so I got right to it. So whats this about a cigar room being planned for the third floor?
Davis said he didnt think it was at a stage where it was ready to be talked about.
No?
Before dropping by, I had done an online search of Manitoba Club cigar that turned up a page from the clubs website devoted in much detail to the subject Davis didnt think it was time to talk about.
The website page opens, well, quite openly.
The Manitoba Club is in the final stages of introducing a new and exciting benefit to membership in the club Manitoba Club | Cigar. Manitoba Club | Cigar will be a brand-new space within the club dedicated to offering the finest quality cigar and cigar related products to Manitoba Club members. In addition to retail cigar sales and private humidor rentals, Manitoba Club | Cigar will include a 1,000-square-foot cigar-testing and sampling lounge.
Of course, there will be a lounge. What would a good cigar be without a single malt to swirl and sip?
There would be an additional monthly cost of being a member of what amounts to a cigar club within the club.
But, for any non-member cigar aficionado who is feeling left out, there is comforting news.
As much as half of the seating will be available to club guests for private group use. At least thats part of the plan. So is this:
The new enterprise is expected to be ready for enjoyment in late 2018. the website states about the topic thats not ready to be talked about. The cigar room would, the website says, be constructed with world-class air exchange technology.
That top-floor world-class air exchange I mused to myself should put the construction cost through the roof.
Anyway, Davis acknowledged all of that publicly available private club news he said wasnt ready to be talked about, but then put it another way; the club wasnt at the point where a capital project was going to happen.
Davis wasnt sure the plan has legs, as he put it.
No? Well, perhaps the reluctance to initiate a capital campaign where presumably all members could be called upon to contribute is because, as I was suggesting, cigar-smoking isnt for everyone, so not everyone would be willing to make a contribution. Davis declined to comment on that possibility.
Whatever the case, the cigar crowd at the Manitoba Club is going about finding construction contributions in its own way.
There are 20 opportunities for lead donors that make capital contributions of $10,000 to the construction of this unique new offering, the website says.
Donors will be recognized on a plaque that will be installed within the room. Donor plaques can be engraved with personal and/or corporate name(s). All donors that contribute at the $10,000 (or greater) level will receive a private humidor with no additional capital charge.
Oh, as for how the Manitoba Club could legally build an indoor smoking place when Manitoba law generally forbids it, the hint is in something else stated on the club website: Note that as per the Non-Smokers Health Protection Act and the conditions of the Tobacco Retail Sales Act, only cigar products sold by the Manitoba Club | Cigar space will be permitted to be tested and sampled within the space.
In other words, organizers have located an exemption by creating it as a tobacconist store, wherein the law permits on-premises sampling of the cigars it sells.
How clever.
As a one-cigar-a-year smoker who enjoys the company of guys as much as the next guy, I wish the guys at the Manitoba Club well in their pursuit of creating a new private man cave within what was once the citys most exclusive men-only cave.
Just one more thing.
Youll find Daviss name and contact information at the bottom of the cigar room website page where he is supposed to be taking comments or questions.
Maybe now hell be ready and open to talk, if you call.
gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2017 (1820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manitoba homicide rates were the second highest among provinces last year despite a decline in murders.
There were 42 homicides in the province in 2016, or 3.19 per 100,000 people, a drop from 2015 when there were 47 homicides for a rate of 3.63 per 100,000, according to Statistics Canadas latest survey on homicide rates released Wednesday.
By comparison, the national homicide rate came in at 1.68 per 100,000 people.
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
You did indeed have the second highest homicide rate; however, keeping that in mind, it also was a decrease of 12 per cent from 2015. You were already high and you decreased, Stats Can spokesman Warren Silver said by phone Wednesday.
Saskatchewan had the highest percentage rates of homicides in Canada last year with 54 homicides, or 4.69 per 100,000 people. In 2015, the province has 44 homicides for a total of 3.89 per 100,000 people, according to the document Homicide in Canada 2016.
Alberta also saw a dip in homicide rates compared with 2015, but among the provinces it was still the third highest, at 2.73 per 100,000, meaning the Prairie provinces held the top three spots nationally.
In 2016, police reported 611 homicides in Canada, two more than the previous year, but the national rate actually fell slightly by one per cent despite the two additional cases thanks to a small increase in the countrys population over 2015.
Homicide numbers and rates were higher for the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, although a drop in Nunavut homicide numbers actually made history, giving Nunavut the lowest homicide rate since it became a territory in 1999.
Statisticians generally separate out the territories because their small populations make for volatile jumps year to year in crime rates, even when the actual numbers change very little. That means crime rates in the territories dont reflect demographic trends the same way the provinces do with their higher populations.
For example, three additional homicides in the Yukon sent that territorys rates soaring to over 10 per 100,000 people in 2016, compared to a rate of just 2.6 per 100,000 in 2015.
Meanwhile, on a strictly numerical basis when percentages were removed, homicides involving Indigenous victims were highest in Saskatchewan in 2016 with 36, followed by Alberta with 31 victims and Manitoba with 27 victims.
Percentage wise, Saskatchewans rate of 18.8 per 100,000 Indigenous people was highest in the country, followed by Manitoba at 11.7 per 100,000 Indigenous people, Silver said, adding that despite the high numbers, they represented a substantial statistical drop from 2015.
Even though Manitoba the second highest, it was still a 24 per cent decrease, Silver said.
If you factor in the territories, the highest rates of homicides involving an Indigenous victim were reported in the Yukon, a rate of 22.3 per 100,000, followed by Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories with 12.6.
The picture changed dramatically where the accused was identified as Indigenous, the study showed.
In Manitoba, the number of homicides in 2016 where the accused was identified as Indigenous was 84.6 per cent, compared to 76 per cent in 2015. Nationally, that number was 35 per cent in 2016.
Winnipeg remained in fifth place among Canadas metropolitan centres in homicide rates in 2016 with 25 cases, up slightly from the year before when there were 22 murders.
The highest homicide rate per population was in Thunder Bay, making it the countrys homicide capital proportionately speaking. That city saw eight homicides in 2016, compared to three the year before.
Edmonton, with 47 homicides in 2016, had far more, but by population its rate (3.4 per per 100,000 people) was nearly half that of Thunder Bay, which was 6.6 per 100,000. Regina had the third highest rate of homicide followed by Abbotsford, B.C.
The study showed that police reported an rise in gang-related homicides with 141 murders across the country attributed to gangs, 45 more than in 2015. The number represented a quarter of the years homicides, with most of the increase occurring in Ontario and British Columbia. Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa accounted for 42 per cent of gang homicides in the two provinces.
For the third year in a row, gun-related homicides rose, with 223 gun slayings reported in 2016. That was up less than one per cent, 0.61 per 100,000 population, but it was the highest rate since 2005.
Homicide rates for Indigenous women dropped nationally. A total of 142 Indigenous women and girls were murdered, down six from the 2015 when there were 148 Indigenous women murdered in Canada.
The proportion of Indigenous female homicide victims previously reported as missing also dropped.
In 2016, 10 per cent of Indigenous women and girls reported missing were found murdered, a drop from the year before when the rate was 17 per cent.
Thats also true of non-indigenous women and girls who accounted for 13 per cent of missing persons who were found to be victims of homicide, compared to 19 per cent the year before.
In 2016, there were 50 victims, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and girls, on record as missing at the time their homicides became known to police eight per cent of all homicides.
Homicides remain relatively rare in Canada, accounting for less than 0.2 per cent of violent crimes police reported in 2016.
alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
30-year rigorous imprisonment for the woman who hacked her husband into eight pieces in 2016.
By Ajay Kumar: The Jhajjar district court in Haryana on Wednesday awarded 30-year rigorous imprisonment to a woman for murdering her husband in 2016.
The woman's boyfriend who had helped her in the crime was also sentenced the same punishment.
Accused Puja, 30, had an extramarital affair with her neighbour. She chopped her husband Baljeet Singh into eight pieces and concealed the parts in different locations of the house at Asanda village in April 2016.
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Additional sessions judge HS Dahiya after hearing both the sides said it has been proved that both the culprits murdered Baljeet in well-planned manner and had made love in front of his body in the house.
The case came to light after Baljeet's brother Kuljeet Singh filed a missing complaint on April 26, 2016. His two sisters also found foul smell emanating from the house and suspected Puja to be behind the disappearance of their brother.
"We had suspected that Puja could be involved in disappearance of Singh. Hence her name was included in the FIR.
"When cops had quizzed her, she had failed to give any satisfactory reply," said one of the deceased's relative. Police also found discrepancies in her answers.
The FIR named six people, including the convicted lovers. While police kept probing into the case, the victim's relatives started their own investigation in the house.
Soon after, they understood that their brother was murdered and they rushed to inform police.
Puja was grilled and she admitted to committing the crime with her lover.
While Puja and her lover were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment, the court, however, acquitted the four others named in the FIR, saying the lover duo was responsible for the gruesome murder of Baljeet.
--- ENDS ---
Opinion
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/11/2017 (1819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It was surreal, really. About 30 women gathered for a Thursday luncheon at the Manitoba Club, enjoying a chicken caesar salad while their guest speaker held the floor with a PowerPoint presentation to underscore his main points.
Suddenly, the screen was filled with a photo of male genitals covered in ulcers, or chancroids, the more technical term. This was not your usual meal for ladies who lunch and this wasnt your usual luncheon speaker.
Allan Ronald cheekily smiled at us as he powered through his talk, unfazed by our discomfort. His international career, it would seem, all started because of those chancroids. He was there to outline the important work on HIV and AIDS, and he certainly got our attention.
GREG PENDER/STAR PHOENIX FILES Dr. Allan Ronald is internationally recognized for his work in the fight against AIDS.
The Order of Canada recipient and inductee into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame got his start internationally as an infectious-disease expert working with the University of Nairobi. He was asked to help out by the head of microbiology, who was dealing with Kenyas outbreak of chancroids.
What grew to become the University of Manitoba/University of Nairobi clinic for research on sexually transmitted diseases eventually attracted experts from all over the world. In 1984, AIDS would become a focal point and by 1986, they had set up an HIV unit in Nairobi.
Ronald has been recognized internationally for his contributions in the fight against AIDS.
The research from the clinic team has led to groundbreaking findings regarding how AIDS is transmitted.
HIV and AIDS are no longer viewed with the same trepidation they once were. People with HIV are living almost-normal lives in Kenya and in Canada. Its no longer a death sentence, and individuals with the disease are no longer forced to leave their jobs, their homes or their communities.
But according to CATIE, an organization that tracks HIV and hepatitis C infections in Canada, there were seven new diagnoses of HIV in Canada every day in 2014 and there were 75,500 people living with AIDS in Canada at the end of 2014.
Globally, its estimated 36 million people have AIDS and of those, 1.8 million are children. Africa is the region most affected by HIV/AIDS.
Ronald is adamant, looking back on his career as an expert in infectious diseases, that science is vital in fighting the next epidemic. Good science, good technology. Anything that can reduce transmission and anything we can do to get important information out there, he says.
And he says that even though HIV and AIDS do not forecast an early death, those who are involved in risky behaviour should still get tested regularly for HIV and use a condom during sex. Risky behaviour includes having multiple partners or engaging sexually with sex-trade workers. Ronald says, Im telling you what you already know, but as a reminder, if youre having risky sex, you must use a condom, which 95 per cent of the time will prevent HIV transmission. If the condom breaks, you get tested for HIV.
At the age of 79, Ronald continues to teach, although now it involves smaller seminar classes at the University of Manitoba (and, thankfully, no marking). But hes a consummate cheerleader for the researchers in Manitoba who are currently working in the field of HIV/AIDS and public health for mothers and children.
For example, Ronald was quick to share an article in Science magazine featuring two U of M researchers, lead author Adam Burgener and Lyle McKinnon, that provided a breakthrough on how vaginal bacteria metabolize the anti-AIDS drug tenofovir. This allows HIV to persist and gain access through the vagina despite the insertion of tenofovir vaginal suppositories to kill the virus.
In other words, just like our guts, womens vaginas have certain kinds of bacteria that have an effect on the efficacy of medication. This provides even more answers to why certain women become infected with HIV, while others do not, even when taking the same anti-HIV medication.
There are other mysteries about the disease Ronald and his colleagues have tried to understand as well, including how to avoid HIV infection when living with an infected partner. Ronald says studies have indicated that when the male partner is found to be infected, his female partner leaves the relationship about 20 per cent of the time. However, when the female partner is found to be infected, the male partner leaves 50 per cent of the time.
In 2003, their research teams longitudinal analysis in Kenya and Uganda, funded with help from a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant, yielded findings that helped keep marriages together and prevented transmission in 97 per cent of both women and men.
As we approach the 29th World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, much of what is known about AIDS and HIV is understood because of the important research, which first began in Nairobi, by an unassuming Manitoban who hails originally from Portage La Prairie and who occasionally likes to shock unsuspecting ladies at lunch.
And its a better world because of people like him.
Shannon Sampert is an associate political science professor at the University of Winnipeg and the director and editor-in-chief of EvidenceNetwork.ca.
s.sampert@uwinnipeg.caTwitter: @paulysigh
The US media this week broadcast videos provided by the Pentagon purporting to show American airstrikes against Taliban-run drug labs in Afghanistans Helmand province. Parroting claims by the top US military commander Gen. John Nicholson, television news broadcasters reported that Washington is attempting to stop the Islamist insurgency from profiting from narcotics trade and other criminal activities.
The bombing raids in Helmand announced on Monday are merely part of a sharp escalation in the US air war in Afghanistan that is claiming increasing numbers of civilian casualties. Statistics released Tuesday by the US Air Force Central Command establish that the Pentagon is on track to drop more than triple the number of bombs and missiles on the impoverished country this year, compared to 2016.
According to the US militarys own figures, it has dropped 3,554 weapons on Afghanistan during the first 10 months of this year and, at the current rate, is expected to top 4,000 before years end. Last month, it recorded 653 bombs and missiles used against Afghan targets, the highest number since November 2010 at the height of the Obama administrations surge, when over 100,000 US troops were deployed in Afghanistan.
The latest raids included strikes by advanced F-22 stealth fighters, which the Pentagon claimed were employed in order to carry out precision bombing designed to avoid civilian casualties. This assertion was undercut by the fact that B-52 strategic bombers dropping 2,000-pound bombs were used in the same operation.
Under the new rules of engagement unveiled by the Trump administration in August, the military brass has been given a free hand to escalate the conflict as it sees fit. A total of 16,000 American troops are slated to be on the ground in Afghanistan by the beginning of next year, while the air war is expected to continue escalating
The claims by the Pentagon and the US media that the latest attacks were designed to combat drug trafficking are a patent fabrication aimed at evoking public sympathy for the more than 16 year-old war--Americas longest--that has killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of Afghans, while turning millions into homeless refugees.
The reality is that poppy cultivation and drug trafficking from Afghanistan--which were banned by the Taliban regime--have grown exponentially since the US invaded the country in 2001. In the 16 years of US war and occupation, there has been a 20-fold increase in the territory under poppy cultivation, and the amount of opium produced in the country is 25 times that of 2001.
According to conservative UN estimates, opium production accounts for some 16 per cent of Afghanistan GDP and more than two-thirds of the entire agricultural sector of the country. Not just the Taliban, but government officials, from the top of the US-backed regime of President Ashraf Ghani to local police, are heavily involved in the trafficking of drugs, as are the collection of warlords cultivated by US imperialism as a counterweight to the Taliban.
Local leaders in Helmand province condemned the US raids, saying that they targeted rudimentary sheds in rural areas and did nothing to stop the production and trafficking of opium.
Moreover, among the victims of the airstrikes, unseen in the video-game style footage broadcast on US television news, were Afghan civilians, men, women and children. The entire family of a Helmand resident identified by local authorities as Habibullah was wiped out when a bomb struck their home on the western outskirts of the Musa Kala district center. A total of 12 were killed, including the man, his wife and their children.
The number of civilian casualties is today higher than at any time since the 2001 invasion, with the sharpest increase in deaths caused by air strikes and artillery barrages carried out by US and Afghan puppet forces.
The buildup of troops and airstrikes in Afghanistan is part of a broader US military escalation that is being carried out from the south Asian country, through the Middle East and into ever growing territory on the African continent.
Figures released by the Pentagon indicate that the number of US troops and contractors deployed in the Middle East has risen by 33 percent in the last four months alone, going from 40,517 to 54,180. This is undoubtedly a significant undercount, as the US military often fails to include forces that are rotated in and out of the region on a supposedly temporary basis.
This troop buildup has been carried out without any public announcement, much less debate, and is being decided by the cabal of current and former US generals who largely control US foreign policy. Sharp increases in the number of American troops deployed in a number of Persian Gulf countries are indications of Washingtons preparations for a war against Iran.
According to the latest quarterly reports from the Pentagon, between June and September, the US military deployment increased in the areas two active war zones; in Iraq, from 8,173 to 9,122 and in Syria, from 1,251 to 1,723.
Far larger increases have been registered in neighboring countries. In Turkey, the number went from 1,405 to 2,265; in Qatar from 3,164 to 6,671; in Bahrain from 6,541 to 9,335; in the United Arab Emirates from 1,531 to 4,240 and in Kuwait, from 14,790 to 16,592. Further increases have been registered across the region, including in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen and Oman.
Yesterday, the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran met at a summit in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi to discuss the future of Syria, as a military victory against the Islamic State (IS) and other Islamic forces is imminent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued a joint statement calling on representatives of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition to constructively participate in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress. The three presidents also restated their commitment to protecting the national sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Describing the talks as constructive and businesslike, Putin said the presidents discussed in detail the basic aspects of the Syrian settlement and agreed to continue taking the most active efforts to solve the main task: to establish peace and stability in that country, preserve its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
About the idea of convening a pan-Syrian foruma Syrian National Dialogue Congress, Putin said: It has been agreed to arrange for this most important event at the proper level and to ensure participation in it of the wide strata of Syrian society. The foreign ministries, special services and defense ministries were instructed to work on a date and composition of the Congress to be held here in Sochi.
Irans President Hassan Rouhani welcomed the proposed Syrian National Dialogue Congress, saying, The congress will become a new step towards peace and stability in Syria and towards free elections in Syria on the basis of a new constitution.
While seeming to share the satisfaction of his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Turkish President Erdogan sounded a skeptical note. In his speech, he emphasized that the success of their efforts depends on the attitude of the parties, first of all the regime and opposition. This means, he added, that continuation of the sense of respect and consensus for mutual sensitivity of the three guarantors i.e. Ankara, Moscow and Tehranthat would play a critical role in this process.
He raised a central point of conflict, the Kurdish issue: In this regard, political unity and territorial integrity of Syria and exclusion of the terrorist elements, which threaten the national security of our country, will continue to be among our priorities. No one should expect us to be together under the same roof, to share the same platform with a terror organization. If we express our commitment to the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria, we cannot regard a bloody gang as a legitimate actor.
Ankara has long considered Syrias Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist group and stressed that its militia, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), should withdraw from Afrin, a multi-ethnic region in northern Syria bordering Turkey, where Russian troops are also stationed. Erdogan repeatedly asked Putin to withdraw Russian troops from the region, so that the Turkish army could take its own measures to secure the borders. Recently, the Turkish army deployed additional troops near Afrin.
It is not only Ankara that opposes Kurdish autonomy in Syria for fear of provoking separatist moods within its own Kurdish population. For decades, Iran also fought Kurdish separatist groups.
The policy of Ankara and Tehran towards Kurdish people is utterly reactionary, both at home and in Syria and Iraq. They have bloodily oppressed their Kurdish population and deprived them of political and cultural rights for decades, and threatened the Kurds of neighbouring countriesi.e., Iraq and Syriawith military intervention. They initiated and joined in the Astana talks, along with Russia, not to establish peace and stability in Syria and in the Middle East, but based on their own domestic and regional interests, amid the ongoing imperialist carve-up of the region.
This applies to the policy of Moscow, as well. Under pressure from its two regional partners, the Russian government, which supports PYD participation in the projected Syrian National Dialogue Congress, may well take a step back. This, however, does not exclude the possibility of a Russian-US agreement over talks with the Syrian Kurds for a political settlement against the wishes of Ankara and Tehran.
Beyond the conflicts over how to handle the Kurdish issue, the essential contradiction underlying the Sochi talks is the deep hostility of the NATO imperialist powers, particularly Washington. As NATO proxy forces retreated in Syria, US President Donald Trump traveled to Saudi Arabia in May for talks and issued a blank check to Saudi Arabia for military escalation against Iran. The NATO powers do not intend to tolerate a defeat in the Middle East, and are doubtless preparing their next escalation, amid explosive war tensions with Russia in Eastern Europe.
Under these conditions, Moscow is clearly seeking to balance between its partners at the Sochi conference and the more openly pro-US regimes in the region. On Tuesday, the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin held an hour-long phone call with Trump, in which Syria, where both the US and Russian military are deployed, was a principal point of discussion. He also called the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel to discuss recent developments in Syria and cooperation on various projects, including in the security and energy sectors, according to a Kremlin statement.
Citing the statement, Sputnik news reported that Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed interest in the further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, including contacts between security services A substantive exchange of views was held on the prospects for the development of the situation in the Middle East region, primarily in the context of the final stage of the fight against international terrorism in Syria.
Putins press service added that the Russian president had informed the Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah Sisi in detail about Russian assessments of the latest developments in the situation in Syria in the context of the final stages of the military operation to destroy terrorists in that country and discussed the results of the recent talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In their phone call on Tuesday, Putin and Saudi King Salman continued the exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East region and discussed issues related to the prospects for a long-term settlement of the Syrian conflict in light of recent successes in the fight against terrorist groups there, the statement continued.
There seems to be little hope, however, of reconciling the Russian and Saudi positions amid escalating Saudi-Iranian tensions and the Saudi offensive against Yemen. Indeed, Saudi officials wasted no time in making clear their basic hostility to the proposals being made in Sochi.
While the Russian, Iranian and Turkish governments tried to further their own solution to the Syrian war in Sochi, a Saudi-sponsored Syrian opposition conference took place on the same day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It decided to stick to the demand for Assads withdrawal from power as a precondition for any political solution. About 140 opposition members took part in the conference to discuss the formation of a single delegation and agree on a common position in upcoming peace talks in Geneva, on November 28.
Quoting from an official from the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, commonly known as the Syrian National Coalition, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday that the US and Saudi-sponsored opposition called on Arab countries to form a coalition against interference by Iran in the region.
The Ministry of External Affairs has sought a sovereign guarantee from Pakistan to ensure the safety and well-being of Kulbhushan Jadhav's family during their visit.
By India Today Web Desk: Responding to Pakistan's offer of arranging a meeting between Kulbhushan Jadhav and his wife, India today sought a sovereign guarantee from its neighbour to ensure safety of Jadhav's family during the visit.
India informed Pakistan that Jadhav's wife and mother would like to meet him and will be accompanied by an Indian High Commission representative.
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The Ministry of External Affairs also sought assurance from Pakistan that Jadhav's family will not be harassed or interrogated during their Pakistan visit. Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, is serving death sentence in Pakistan over allegations of "spying".
"You are aware that there was a longstanding request from the mother of Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav to visit Pakistan and meet her son. Although this request was pending, India still responded positively to the offer made by Pakistan to arrange meeting of Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav with his wife. In our response, we have conveyed that the wife of Mr. Jadhav would like to travel along with her mother-in-law for the meeting," said Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs of India.
An Indian High Commission diplomat in Islamabad will accompany Jadhav's mother and wife.
"We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and well-being of the wife and the mother of Mr. Jadhav and that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their visit and stay in Pakistan. We have further asked that a diplomat of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting," Kumar added.
He further added, "Let me underline that such a meeting offer does not absolve Pakistan of the violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Human Rights and not following the due process in treating Mr. Jadhav who remains incarcerated in Pakistan and faces death sentence through a farcical process and on concocted charges. While the Government hopes that Pakistan would facilitate visit by the wife and mother of Mr. Jadhav, we are determined to pursue all measures with full vigor so as to secure the final release of an innocent Indian."
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A 27-year-old Florida man was found dead in his burning car and two people have been charged with murder in connection with his Nov. 14 death, according to a series of police news releases.
The Broward County Sheriffs Office says its unclear whether the fire that engulfed Darren Butlers car in North Lauderdale killed him. They have not revealed a motive in his killing.
On Saturday, police arrested Rougiena Deriveire, 18, and on Tuesday, they arrested Johntavis McCoe, 26. Both were charged with first-degree murder in connection with his death.
Johntavis McCoe
Rougiena Deriveire
Authorities have yet to disclose whether Butler may have known either of his alleged killers, and have not released information about a connection between the two defendants.
Firefighters responded to North Lauderdales Bicentennial Park after receiving calls about the fully engulfed car, which Butler had only purchased a month ago.
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When the flames were extinguished by North Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the 27-year-olds body was discovered in the car, reads a police statement.
Neighbors say they heard gunshots shortly before the fire was discovered raging at around 5 a.m. the morning of Nov. 15.
Investigators, according to the statement, are not commenting on the case further.
McCoe and Deriveire have not appeared before a judge to enter pleas to the charges against them.
It was also unknown Wednesday if either had retained an attorney who could comment on their behalf.
PEOPLE was unable to contact any of Butlers relatives Wednesday.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Butler became a father three months ago.
By the time David Cassidy turned 21, he had made his first million.
The actor had won hearts worldwide as the hunky, young star of The Partridge Family in the 1970s. Despite unbelievable fame, the decades that followed were marked with turmoil for Cassidy, who died Tuesday from organ failure. He was 66.
Cassidy revealed exclusively to PEOPLE in February that he was battling dementia and stepping back from touring as a musician to enjoy life and love.
At the peak of his early career, Cassidy played some 350 concerts in 17 countries while releasing 10 Partridge albums, eight solo albums and 17 singles, PEOPLE reported in 1983. Cassidy would fight off aggressive fans things at one point got so out of control that he had to be smuggled into his own concerts.
Cassidy in 1970
Cassidy in 1972
I was a kid, not a man, he told PEOPLE in 1983 of having to semi-retire, exhausted, at only 24. A friend, Samuel Hyman, noted at the time, If David hadnt done all those years of seven-day weeksacting, touring, recording he might not have been driven to the edge. I think he had to stop for his mental well-being.
Cassidy was more than happy to leave Keith Partridge behind. He told PEOPLE in 1973, Theres a lot more to me than the public has seen and Im going to make sure they see it. Now Im free. Its as if a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel Ive finished on top.
The Partridge Family
Cassidy disappeared, traveling alone to visit friends. While he was gone, his estranged father Jack Cassidy died in 1976. Said Cassidy of the loss: I just wish I could have talked to him before he left. I didnt have a chance to say I love you.
The next year, Cassidy wed actress Kay Lenz. The marriage fell apart, however, with Cassidy telling PEOPLE amid their separation in 1983 that Kay had her own life, and I had different needs.
Cassidy and wife Kay Lenz
Soon, he was engaged to horse breeder Meryl Tanz, who told PEOPLE that same year of her fiance: A lot of people in rock have died or been impaired by drugs or whatever. He is sane, normal and clean-living. They wed the next year, but the marriage was also short-lived.
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By 1986, Cassidy was a first-time dad, welcoming daughter Katie Cassidy with on-again-off-again girlfriend Sherry Williams. With another television series under his belt (the short-lived David Cassidy: Man Undercover), a Broadway stint and a new studio album, Romance, Cassidys return to prominence was underway.
Cassidy with daughter Katie
Another marriage, to songwriting partner Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, would follow; as would the birth of son Beau in 1991. Soon Cassidy was drawing crowds again, this time as he costarred with brother Shaun Cassidy in Broadway musical Blood Brothers.
Cassidy with wife Sue Shifrin-Cassidy
Cassidy with wife Sue and son Beau
For Cassidy, the show and marriage marked a re-emergence from a couple of really dark, dark years, he told PEOPLE in 1993. He added, Ive made a tremendous metamorphosis.
After a decade marked by success with Las Vegas productions and a brief return to television on the late 2000s with series Ruby & the Rockits, Cassidy was again plagued with personal issues.
In 2010, Cassidy was arrested for a DUI in Florida. In August 2013 and January 2014, he was charged with the same offense.
He was on his way to the airport to return to his home in Florida and to transitional rehabilitation. He plans now to return to rehab in an undisclosed facility, the statement said.
The next month, Shifrin-Cassidy filed for divorce after 23 years of marriage. By 2015, Cassidy had filed for bankruptcy and was charged with a hit and run in October of that year.
Cassidy in 2012
On. Feb. 20, 2017, Cassidy announced that he would retire after performing a few, final concerts ending a nearly 50-year career. In a Facebook message to his fans, Cassidy wrote on Feb. 7, I will always be eternally grateful for the love and support youve shown me.
On Nov. 21, 2017, Cassidy died from organ failure in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 67.
On behalf of the entire Cassidy family, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, our uncle, and our dear brother, David Cassidy, his family said in a statement to PEOPLE. David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long. Thank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years.
The actor had been in intensive care since he was hospitalized for liver and kidney failure the week before his death.
Robert ONeill, the Navy Seal from SEAL Team Six, better known as the guy who shot Osama Bin Laden, joined comedian Jim Jefferies on The Jim Jefferies Show to fire off some very serious artillery. Jefferies said, In honor of my guest, I ordered a buffet of giant dangerous weapons. Robs a perfect shot of course. But I need to try them out. Then I find the biggest, funnest, and most deadly one to protect myself from a tyrannical government.
Jefferies jokingly posted a picture of Zombie Bin Laden for ONeill to shoot while he aimed at a picture of the Second Amendment. Jefferies has been outspoken on the incredible lack of gun control in the United States, while ONeill has a bit more of a conservative background, but there was one thing they agreed on: Guns are fun. Jefferies spoofed ads for the guns they fired off. This is the HMK-416. Its an assault rifle similar to the AR-15, he said. The manufacturer calls it user-friendly. In stores for hunting. Yeah, lets say its for hunting this time.
But when Jefferies challenged ONeill to a watermelon shootout with the biggest gun he could find, a .50 caliber sniper rifle, something kind of unexpected happened. Jefferies hit his watermelon and ONeill did not! Though an American hero who shot Bin Laden got bested by a comedian from Australia, Im sure his fellow SEAL Team Six members wont give him any grief for that. Jefferies said, Maybe Bin Laden would have been OK if he was dressed as a watermelon.
The Jim Jefferies Show airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
Check out Jim Jefferies has #MeToo realization that he needs to do better:
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Pregnant Kate Middleton Goes Off-Roading With Prince William in Chic Maternity Look: Pics! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a car manufacturing plant in Birmingham, England.
Buckle up! Kate Middleton and Prince William took a drive on the wild side on Wednesday. The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge joined her husband at the Jaguar Land Rover's Solihull manufacturing plant in Birmingham, England.
Clad in a loose black peacoat, Kate expertly hid her baby bump, accessorizing the look with knee-high boots.
Photo: Getty Images
The couple met with staff at the plant before trying their hands at an off-roading driving exercise. Each taking a turn behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery, the Duke and Duchess both completed the course.
Photo: Getty Images
After the test drive, Kate met with children from the Topcliffe School who showed her their model race car which won the Jaguar Primary School Challenge.
Photo: Getty Images
Following a rough patch with acute morning sickness, Kate has been making a series of public appearances. Shes due to give birth to her third child in April.
For more on Kates pregnancy, watch the clip below!
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The Code, which became operational in December last year, provides a market-determined and time-bound insolvency resolution process.
By PTI, India Today Web Desk: President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent Thursday to an Ordinance to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, ANI reported.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Wednesday that the Cabinet had approved bringing in an Ordinance to make "some changes" in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The Ordinance aimed at tightening the current framework amid rising number of insolvency cases.
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The Code, which became operational in December last year, provides a market-determined and time-bound insolvency resolution process. Over 300 cases have already been approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to be taken up under the law, implemented by the corporate affairs ministry.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Jaitley said some changes are proposed in the Code and it is being done by way of an Ordinance.
He did not divulge specific details about the proposed Ordinance.
The proposal for ordinance also comes at a time when there are concerns in certain quarters about various aspects of the Code, including the possibility of promoters wresting back control of a company under the insolvency process.
"The whole process (about the ordinance) is at an advanced stage and therefore you want the process to go on the right track," Jaitley said without providing further details.
He was responding to a query as to why the government was promulgating an Ordinance when Parliament session is to be convened next month.
14-MEMBER COMMITTEE
The corporate affairs ministry has already set up a 14-member committee to identify and suggest ways to address issues faced in implementation of the law.
The Insolvency Law Committee, chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas, will take stock of the implementation of the Code.
More than 300 cases have been admitted for resolution under the Code by the National Company Law Tribunal.
A case is taken up for resolution under the Code only after receiving approval of the NCLT for the same.
Advisory KPMG India's Partner Sanjay Doshi said that insulating the insolvency process from undue influence is very critical for its success.
"One of the key aspects will be to ensure wilful defaulters do not get control of the company. Also, certain other matters especially around tax efficiency, exchange compliances etc which could be an impediment to the process would need amendment," Doshi said.
(Inputs from agencies)
WATCH | SO SORRY | King of good times Vijay Mallya's, journey from kinghood to bankruptcy
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(Photo: Ji Sub Jeong/Huffpost)
Flight attendant Caroline Bright was kicking off her last shift of the day when she realized one of the pilots on board reminded her of someone.
I was trying to figure it out, was it a celebrity? she told HuffPost. Who does he remind me of? He looked like her dad, she realized.
When we landed and were waiting for the van to the hotel, I told him Id figured it out, she said. I told him, You look like just my dad. I had a picture of him on my phone, which I showed to the first officer. Doesnt he look just like my dad? she recalled asking him. I think they look so similar.
The pilots response? Its been a long time since a girl like you called me daddy, she said.
I felt so grossed out. I turned and looked at the officer and gave him an expression like, What just happened? And he just looked at me and shrugged. I remember thinking at the time that I must have said something inappropriate.
Based on accounts shared with HuffPost from both current and former flight attendants, Brights story is among many instances of sexual harassment and assault in the skies. As more and more stories of sexual assault across industries come to the forefront, its impossible to ignore the dynamics of the airline industry, which are inherently gendered with origins in the sexualization of women.
From unwanted advances to groping and forced physical contact, assault and harassment are realities seemingly accepted as commonplace by the flight attendants we spoke with, all of whom attested to various levels of unwanted physical contact during their time on the job.
Its what drives some people, like former flight attendant Lanelle Henderson, out.
Henderson worked for now-defunct Kiwi Airlines in the 90s and again for a little under a year for now-defunct Airtran in 2004. She told HuffPost that it was her experience in the 2000s that turned her off from remaining in the industry.
Once, a male passenger whod been drinking began making advances toward her throughout a flight to DallasFort Worth, she told HuffPost.
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He would first grab my hand and compliment me, which in the beginning was flattering, she said. But then he grabbed and rubbed my leg. It was mostly embarrassing because the man behind him was looking at me as if to say, What are you going to do? And I was just startled and a newbie and trying to be polite.
Henderson aboard an AirTrain flight during training for her time as a flight attendant for the airline in 2004. (Photo: Lanelle Henderson)
Henderson said that the customer blocked her in the galley from moving between cabins. He eventually grabbed her butt. The man behind him said, Sir, enough already. This girl is not here for your pleasure. she said.
Flight attendants told HuffPost that the customer is always right attitude mandated by much of the service industry often prevents many flight attendants from confronting in-flight harassment themselves, Henderson said.
Dawn Arthur also became disillusioned during eight years working as a flight attendant in both the commercial and private sector.
I was really excited [before I became a flight attendant], she said. I thought it was so cool. But then you find out that there is no support in the industry. The pilots arent trained to handle assault and they dont want to hear it. Its not their job.
Arthur, who told HuffPost shes been pushed into a corner and felt up by passengers, said flight attendants may feel discouraged from taking action in order to avoid an in-flight delay or disturbance.
If someone grabs you or threatens you, nothing is going to happen. Theyre on a tight timetable. Theyre not going to stop the plane. And then everyones going to be mad at you; youre not a team player, youre difficult.
If there is a trend of keeping assault to oneself in the airline industry, former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis has broken it in a big way. She has not only spoken about her own alleged assault but is in the midst of a lawsuit against her former employer, Canadian airline WestJet, in part, she said, for firing her as a result.
According to Lewis, the company neglected to adequately handle not only her experience with sexual assault in 2010, but with a group of women she is now representing in her case.
Lewis recounted her assault to HuffPost, which happened during a layover in Maui in 2010. She said the incident ultimately led her to firing and discovery of other women who made claims against the same pilot who she said attacked her.
We were on a layover in Maui, and the whole crew went out for dinner and drinks, totally standard, she said. The captain invited people up to his room. It was my second year of being a flight attendant and I was down to go up to the room and have a drink. I ended up going by myself. The first officers room was right next door and their door was open a bit.
Lewis said the pilot had been acting very father-like up until that point, when the two of them went on the balcony. There was nothing inappropriate and I didnt send him any signals, she said. On the balcony, he started asking me really inappropriate questions: do I touch myself privately, do I masturbate, things like that.
Lewis outside of a Vancouver court during the strike hearing. (Photo: Mandalena Lewis)
When she turned to leave, thats when she said the pilot started to attack her. It started almost like horseplay, gradually becoming more aggressive, she said. Lewis said he attacked her three times. The first and second involved grabbing her from behind, squeezing her arms and commenting on how strong she was.
The third time, he grabbed me and put me on the bed and got between my legs, she said. He touched my face and told me I wanted it and how strong I was.
Lewis said she got her heels underneath him and kicked him off of her. He fell backward into the TV stand. I was shaking, tears were coming down my face. Lewis said that the airline took her off of flights with the pilot but did not take action to fire him.
It was in 2015 when she says she spoke up about the lack of training surrounding sexual assault during a crew resource management class. She said her concerns were brushed off by the person leading the training, but there were a few people who came over afterward and thanked her for speaking out.
A few months later, I was on a layover in Toronto and I got a Facebook message from a woman who told me she was in the room during the training, she said. She asked if she could call me to tell me her story.
Sure enough, she told me that she was raped in 2008 by the same pilot. We didnt know each others stories and we didnt know each other, she said.
Lewis told HuffPost both hired lawyers pretty quickly after that, but the other woman later settled with the company. We dropped the class-action suit and I went forward as an individual case for wrongful dismissal and negligence in early 2016.
The airline has disputed the claims as recently as Nov. 9, saying employees should be bringing their cases to human rights tribunals and workers compensation boards instead of filing a lawsuit, according to Global News. Robert Palmer, manager of public relations for WestJet, declined to comment on ongoing legal proceedings, but said the company is committed to fostering a harassment-free workplace where all employees are treated with respect and dignity.
While the demographics for flight attendants vary slightly by airline and have shifted over the years, the industry is still majority female about 80 percent. But men in the field say theyve also dealt with unwanted advances.
A male JetBlue flight attendant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told HuffPost he has been grabbed inappropriately multiple times by both men and women. Passengers commonly make comments referring to the mile-high club and getting him in the back of the plane.
In the event that a situation escalates, flight crew can notify the pilot, who will decide whether it is necessary to take action, either by speaking to the passenger themselves or, in extreme cases, removing the person from the flight. Ten out of 10 times they have our side, but diverting and removing a person from the flight is obviously our last option, he said.
For the people we spoke to, shrugging inappropriate behavior off had become commonplace. Many said even if they wanted to do something about it, the training isnt there.
Sara Nelson is the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA as well as a 21-year flight attendant with United Airlines. She told HuffPost that in her experience along with the experience of some of the 50,000 flight attendants across the 20 airlines the association represents there is no exact protocol on how to handle it.
There is very little training. Its nonexistent, actually, she said. There is training on how to handle assault and aggressive behavior on a plane, but there is no recognition of sexual assault as a unique crime.
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Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and a 21-year United Airlines flight attendant. (Photo: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA)
She added that for a flight attendant tasked with getting a job done, its easier to just keep things moving than to confront a passenger or bring it to the pilots attention.
One, its a confined space, where flight attendants are charged with de-escalating conflict every single day, she said. I had a conversation with a group of flight attendants ranging from six months seniority to 10 years on Friday and the conversation basically was, We have to de-escalate everything and sometimes I just choose not to say anything. If someone grabs my butt or pulls me onto their lap, I tell them to knock it off and keep going.
If allegations in other industries have pushed the conversation forward to put an end to assault, it has also emboldened people who Nelson say feel like theyre out of the public eye in the air.
A flight attendant relayed a situation this week where a guy in the last few rows spoke up and said, When can we get some drinks around here, honey? she said. While the flight attendant was still in earshot, Nelson said he loudly added, You can probably get sued for calling someone honey nowadays, laughing with the men sitting around him.
Nelson told HuffPost she thinks things have perhaps gotten worse since she started in 1996, due to planes these days being more crowded than ever and equipped with less staff. In a casual request from our membership about whats happening today on the plane, we were barraged with examples, she said.
Flight attendants who worked in the 60s and 70s might argue the notion that it is worse, now, though. A Facebook group titled Stewardesses of the 1960s and 1970s, which boasts more than 9,000 members, has a recently posted thread asking members about sexual assault that currently has more than 400 comments.
In spite of the frequency of sexual assault in the air, Nelson told HuffPost that she thinks the CEOs of airlines (most of whom are men) would be shocked to find out whats going on on their planes.
Men dont think about this stuff, she said. Its not their experience. They have no idea what its like. And even if they are someone who doesnt participate, I bet if these men are really going to be honest, even the ones who would never do it themselves, have absolutely been sitting there and have done nothing while its happening.
Still, Nelson has hope. Any time an issue is raised, there is opportunity for change, but I think we are just at the very beginning of the conversation here, she said, adding, It doesnt have to be this way. The more we talk about it and say its not OK, the better it will get.
Sara Nelson speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. in May, 2017. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage)
Anyone arguing that Kaia Gerber isnt her model mom Cindy Crawford s mini-me, should see their high school photos.
The 51-year-old beauty posted an Instagram shot of her and 16-year-old Kaias respective class photos (Kaia is on the left; Crawford on the right) and their resemblance is flat-out undeniable. School pics, now and then, Crawford write on the Tuesday post with more than 200,000 likes.
School pics, now and then. A post shared by Cindy Crawford (@cindycrawford) on Nov 21, 2017 at 11:36am PST
Although Kaias modeling career was clearly inevitable, Crawford had reservations, telling The Associated Press in October, In some ways. I wish I could have pushed it off a year or two. But shes 16. Thats how old I was when I started, which is young, but in fashion thats kind of the normal age when people start.
In September, Kaia burst onto the modeling scene by walking in the Calvin Klein, Fendi, Alexander Wang, and Chanel shows during New York Fashion Week .
Even if there never had been a Cindy, there could still be a Kaia, designer Jeremy Scott told the Los Angeles Times in October. Obviously the power of the Kaia is much more because of the Cindy. But shes a classic American beauty that could have and would have succeeded on her own today. As humans, were nostalgic, and thats just part of our humanity. Thats why it hasnt waned, that love for [the Supers], that nostalgia; she touches upon that nostalgia in that way. Theyre powerful emotions, and I think its something that obviously works in fashion but in pop culture in general.
Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber host Best Buddies Mothers Day Brunch in Malibu, CA sponsored by David Yurman on May 13, 2017 in Malibu, California. (Photo: Getty Images)
The mother-daughter models even shared the runway during this years Milan Fashion Week , to Crawfords surprise. I didnt know my daughter was doing that show, she told The Associated Press . The models themselves dont really get booked until the day before or two days before. And finally Kaia got booked for it, and I said, You know Im doing that show, right?
Shes like, Wait, do we have to walk down together? I said, No. I dont even want to walk down with you. Im going to walk down with the ladies that are my age. You can go with the girls that are your age.
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The mother-daughter team are clearly close in September, Kaia paid a subtle tribute to her moms iconic 1992 Pepsi ad by wearing a bomber jacket with the company logo. And they often sync up their style whether theyre hitting the town or hosting brunch.
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An asteroid from a DIFFERENT SOLAR SYSTEM was just discovered in ours
Pause your game of Asteroids, space fans! Astronomers spotted an interstellar asteroid traveling through the Milky Way. (Wed forgive you for reading that intro in Kristen Bells voice: Xoxo, Gossip Girl)
NASA described the asteroid, called Oumuamua, as a rocky, cigar-shaped object with a reddish hue that stands approximately 400 meters long. Observers initially mistook it for a comet when they noticed it in September, but NASA reported no signs of cometary activity after it slingshotted past the Sun. Oumuamua is considered the first observed object from outside our solar system,according to CNN.
The name is Hawaiian and roughly translates to a messenger from afar arriving first, per NASA.
Okay, so an asteroid from a distant star system doesnt exactly confirm the existence of aliens or anything. But it does have important implications when it comes to our understanding of space. As Bustle puts it, Asteroids like this help astronomers learn more about our galaxy and far-off places outside of our solar system that we dont know much about. The publication also states that Scientists say our solar system could contain as many as 10,000 interstellar visitors, so Oumuamua is hardly an outlier.
The first confirmed object from interstellar space is a rocky, cigar-shaped object with a reddish hue. The asteroid 'Oumuamua is up to a quarter mile (400 meters) long, and 10 times as long as it is wide. More: https://t.co/22bdnLIPaz pic.twitter.com/DBwNDUty58 NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) November 20, 2017
Someone call David Lynch, because it seems like our interstellar guest of honor took some inspiration from Twin Peaks.
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Twitter wont stop talking about Oumuamuas grand entrance into our solar system.
Some are slightly concerned about the path it might take.
I'm sure the quarter-mile-long cigar-shaped interstellar object that just zoomed by Earth following the "most extreme orbit I have ever seen" is nothing to worry about. pic.twitter.com/chNIasjxuD Ken Layne (@KenLayne) November 21, 2017
This guy just said what were all thinking.
Maybe it's me, but the 1st interstellar object to pass through our solar system looks like a long turd.https://t.co/RwsyfCHZCc pic.twitter.com/ldwJFxitzP Ron Baalke (@RonBaalke) November 21, 2017
Okay, maybe THIS is what were all thinking.
Sure. Lets go with that.
James Toback. John Besh. Kevin Spacey. Charlie Rose.
These are just some of the men whove been accused of sexual assault or harassment since the stories of film producer Harvey Weinsteins misdeeds first came to light. As more survivors come forward and share their powerful stories, the list will continue to grow.
Like other recent cases, from Bill Cosby to Bill OReilly, these new allegations demonstrate that while abusers are responsible for their actions, this problem is much bigger than any one person. They show that this issue isnt limited to a single profession, age group or community.
Sexual violence in all forms, including in the workplace, is a serious and pervasive issue. When it occurs in the workplace, employees can feel threatened, harassed, and unsafe, and be forced to make a choice between their livelihood and their safety. When high-profile abusers are involved, its even more difficult for victims, who may fear that media scrutiny will upend their lives, that they will not be believed, or that their success depends on staying silent.
Its encouraging that these survivors feel that they have a powerful voice that they are not alone. However, people are wondering why it took so long for this issue to be taken seriously.
The unfortunate truth is that we live in a culture where fear and victim-blaming keeps survivors silent. A culture where we wait for just one more report before taking inappropriate behavior seriously. A culture that makes it difficult for victims to come forward, knowing they will be met with shame or doubt even though false reporting of sexual assault is very uncommon.
It will take all of us to create a culture that no longer tolerates sexual violence.
First, as a society we must gain a better understanding about what acts constitute sexual harassment and assault, so we can effectively speak out against it. About half of Americans still dont recognize unwanted verbal remarks that are provocative or unsolicited on the continuum of sexual assault or violence. Movements like the #MeToo campaign, where women are sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault on social media, can only help to increase awareness and understanding.
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Second, we must remember how common sexual violence is. Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States have experienced rape or attempted rape, and every community has to tackle this issue.
Third, we must correct common misconceptions about people who commit sexual crimes. The majority of sexual violence is committed by people survivors know and trust. People who commit acts of sexual violence sometimes abuse their celebrity or authority and the trust that comes with it. People who sexually abuse can have successful careers and strong social ties. We must hold those who commit sexual violence accountable, regardless of their position in the community or their power, fame, or wealth.
And finally, it means taking action and supporting our colleagues, friends, family, and neighbors. When we see abusive ideas and behaviors in the workplace, we have a responsibility to speak up and challenge them so that victims know theyre not alone. We can also do our part by supporting local and national anti-sexual violence organizations who are on the front lines supporting survivors and helping communities change norms that contribute to sexual violence.
This is a critical moment for sexual violence prevention. Times are clearly changing. More brave survivors are feeling emboldened to come forward and tell their stories. And employers are less willing to forgive inexcusable behavior. This is progress, but our work is not over.
With the nation focused on this important issue, we have an unprecedented opportunity to improve understanding and change how people respond to sexual violence. If all of us embrace our role in building a culture where acts of violence, harassment and assault are deal breakers, we can someday help end sexual violence once and for all.
Rumburg is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
A handful of polio survivors who have spent decades inside so-called iron lungs, have spoken of their existence trapped in ageing machines that have been all but disappeared.
There are only two or three of us left, said 70-year-old Paul Alexander. Speaking from Texas, he added: Ive tried all the ventilators available and this one is the best. It feels like a more natural way of breathing.
The battle against polio has been one the great success stories of recent years.
While cases of the crippling disease still occur in countries such as Laos, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it remains endemic in just three - Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. In the US, it was wiped out in 1979, thanks to the anti-polio vaccine.
In the 1950s, polio outbreaks caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis each year, according to the Centres for Disease Control. Iron lung machines - pressurised cylinders that draw oxygen into a persons lungs by creating a vacuum - were once commonplace.
Most people would only need to use the machines for a week or two until they could breathe on their own. For some some polio sufferers with permanent damage to their lungs, they became an essential part of their existence.
As fewer and fewer people used them, the companies who produced them urged people to use alternatives breathing aids. In 2004, one of those corporations, Philips Respironics, told iron lung users they could no longer guarantee they would repair the machines.
Mr Alexander said he was keen to visit Britain (Nick Isenberg/YouTube)
In 2013, the Post-Polio Health International, an organisation which works to help polio sufferers, estimated there were six to eight iron lung users in the United States.
Asked how many there were today, the groups president, Brian Tiburzi, said: I dont have an answer to that. I dont think anyone knows for certain.
Gizmodo spoke to three people who still use the machines - Mr Alexander, 70, of Dallas, Martha Lillard, 69, from Oklahoma, and 81-year-old Mona Randolph of Kansas City, Missouri. They may be the very last individuals to rely on this outdated machinery
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Mr Alexander, who contracted polio in 1952 when he was six, said he spent nearly every moment in his iron lung, located in the centre of his living room. He answers the phone and types using a plastic wand attached to his mouth.
Remarkably, despite his dependence on the machine, he went to law school and worked as a lawyer.
When I transferred to University of Texas, they were horrified to think that I was going to bring my iron lung down, but I did, and I put it in the dorm, and I lived in the dorm with my iron lung, he told the website.
I had a thousand friends before it was over with, who all wanted to find out whats that guy downstairs with a head sticking out of a machine doing here.
Mr Alexander has frequently had problems with maintaining his machine and in 2015 a friend put a video of him on YouTube that explained his problems and of his search for someone who knew their way around an iron lung machine.
Eventually, Brady Richards, who runs the Environmental Testing Laboratory, a Texas-based firm which tests equipment to ensure it meets environmental standards, got in touch.
I looked for years to find someone who knew how to work on iron lungs, said Mr Alexander. Brady Richards, its a miracle that I found him.
Mr Richards said he visited Mr Alexander once every six months. The machine is actually the most simple thing on the planet, he told The Independent. The problem is that they no longer make the parts.
Ms Lillard said she was infected with polio when she was five. Now, she spends half of every day in the machine.
All the mothers were just terrified because people were just getting it right and left, she told Gizmodo of her infection. They didnt know if it was a virus or bacteria or how you caught it.
Ms Randolph became infected when she was 20. She said she tells children who ask what happened to her that she was damaged by a virus because a vaccine was not available.
She said she was deeply upset when she met anti-vaccine activists.
Of course, Im concerned about any place where theres no vaccine, she said. I would just do anything to prevent somebody from having to go through what I have. I mean, my mother, if she had the vaccine available, I would have had it in a heartbeat.
Akshat Singh was one of the passengers who got the wrong cancellation SMS from IRCTC.
By Sneha Agrawal: One wrong message from IRCTC to the passengers of Mahabodhi Express proved dear for the railway ticket booking service provider after one of the passengers sued it for deficiency in service and causing physical and financial harassment.
The passengers, who were set to board the Mahabodhi Express going from Allahabad to Delhi on May 29, received an SMS from IRCTC that said the train had been cancelled and the passengers should cancel their tickets if they want a refund.
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Later, it turned out that the message was sent by mistake and the train did depart for Delhi on that day.
Vaishali resident Vijay Pratap Singh, whose son Akshat also boarding the same train, decided to take the legal route after IRCTC allegedly did not respond to the requests for a refund.
"After receiving the message to cancel the tickets from IRCTC , I cancelled both the tickets. However, as it was important for my son to return to Delhi for some work, I booked a cab for him as no other train was available for the same day," Singh told Mail Today.
"But after my son reached Delhi, I was shocked to find that the train had not been cancelled and departed as per the schedule. I got the refund for just one ticket as the other one was booked on Tatkal. Although under such circumstances I was entitled to get the refund for that one as well," Singh added.
Singh approached Delhi district consumer forum through advocate Sanjeev Nirwani, seeking refund for the cab fare and the ticket price as the IRCTC had not paid heed to his requests.
The forum directed IRCTC to pay Rs 25,000 to Singh as compensation for causing stress, harassment and financial hardship.
IRCTC moved Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission against the order, saying they were not served notice and the order by the district forum was passed in haste.
The matter was heard by Member Anil Srivastava and OP Gupta who upheld the judgement of the district forum on the grounds of deficiency in service .
The court observed, "Assuming that the SMS (by Railways) was sent inadvertently, another SMS could have been sent, recalling the earlier message and intimating that the train would leave from Allahabad at the appointed date and time, which was not done. This itself shows and proves the deficiency significantly."
Counsel for the railway service provider told court that they are only agent of the Railways and direction, if any, is to be issued to the Railways for compliance and for taking steps for implementation of the order.
The court concluded that the argument that the corporation has nothing to do with the management of the Railways and the cancellation of train or otherwise and the refund of the tickets or otherwise are functions within the domain of the Railways, does not carry conviction.
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"The corporation or the Railways, for the financial purpose, are one and the same as apparently source of finance in either case, as submitted by the counsel in consultation with an official of the Corporation present in the court, is the same," the court concluded.
--- ENDS ---
A mural for Ann Maguire left by pupils at Corpus Christi College, Leeds - Guzelian
Parents should be made to sign contracts compelling them to monitor their childrens Facebook messages, the coroner in the Ann Maguire murder inquest has claimed.
Under proposals due to be presented to the Digital minister Matt Hancock, parents would be given the right to pry on their childrens accounts because their responsibility transcends a teenagers entitlement to privacy.
The suggestions would also require teens aged 13 to 18 to have a named parent on their application to open an account, and make parents contractually obliged to monitor their communications.
Coroner Kevin McLoughlin outlined the proposals yesterday as a jury ruled that the murder of Spanish teacher Ann Maguire could have been prevented.
Teenage killer of teacher Ann Maguire told ten friends 'precisely' what he planned to do
Delivering a conclusion of unlawful killing, the jury at Wakefield Coroners Court said that her death had resulted from missed opportunities to share and record the problem behaviour of her killer.
It comes more than two years after Ms Maguire, an employee of Corpus Christi College, Leeds was stabbed to death by pupil Will Cornick during a lesson at the school on 28 April 2014.
During the inquest, the jury heard that Cornick, then 15, had exchanged a series of messages on Facebook with friends in which he professed his hatred for Ms Maguire and his desire to harm her.
In one Facebook exchange, he expressed his loathing for the 61-year-old and offered a friend a tenner for them to kill her.
Another associate of Cornick told police officers in an interview that Cornick had said of Mrs Maguire: I dont want to hurt her, I want to kill her.
Cornick was 15 years old when he stabbed to death Mrs Maguire, 61, as she taught a class at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds
The teenager told 10 pupils of his intention to kill Mrs Maguire and other members of staff, and showed four of them the 34-inch knife he later used in her brutal murder.
Despite his litany of threats, none of the pupils reported the outbursts to the school.
Their conversations with Cornick only surfaced in pre-inquest hearings, and it later emerged that they had never been questioned about them by police officers or teaching staff after her murder.
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In statements following Mrs Maguires murder, Cornicks parents claimed they had no prior knowledge of their sons intentions.
Commenting on the disclosures, Mr McLoughlin said that Cornicks online threats had been sinister and grotesque, adding that he believed that parents have a responsibility to protect children.
In order to do this, he said that they should be given access to supervise content, adding: any parents responsibility transcends any teenagers entitlement to privacy.
A Facebook spokesman said: "We want everyone to feel safe when using Facebook. We work closely with online safety experts including the UK Safer Internet Centre and Childnet International to make sure that young people and their parents know how technology works and what they need to think about before sharing online."
The Argentine navy said it has lost contact with the the submarine off the country's southern coast: EPA
The search for a missing Argentine submarine with a crew of 44 has entered a critical phase, authorities have said, as the seven-day oxygen supply was due to run out today.
The ARA San Juan went missing on 15 November while it was travelling from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia to the city of Mar del Plata, about 250 miles southeast of Buenos Aires.
The last known communications with the submarine were two calls - one to report a routine battery fault, while the other call has not been disclosed by the Argentine Navy.
The loss of the submarine has sparked an international rescue effort, but powerful storms with waves of over 20 feet (six metres) have hampered efforts to find the craft.
Authorities still do not know if the submarine rose to the surface to replenish oxygen and charge batteries, but it is thought it is unlikely to have surfaced without then being located.
If underwater, then assuming the hull remains intact, estimates for how long the air supply could last range from between seven to 10 days.
We are in the critical phase...particularly with respect to oxygen, Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said on Wednesday.
There has been no contact with anything that could be the San Juan submarine.
Capt. Balbi, added: The seven days is not dogmatic. It varies according to the circumstances. As a submariner, I am not losing hope.
Hopes were briefly buoyed after satellite calls were apparently received and when sounds were detected deep in the South Atlantic.
However it was later discovered neither was from the missing sub.
Later a US Navy aircraft spotted flares, and a life raft was found in the search area, but authorities said they did not come from the missing submarine.
The false alarms have caused further distress for the crews family members. As the search enters a critical phase, some have begun to complain that the Argentine navy responded too late.
They took two days to accept help because they minimized the situation, Federico Ibanez, the brother of 36-year-old submarine crew member Cristian Ibanez, told the Associated Press.
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The navy has said the submarine reported a battery failure before it went missing as it journeyed to the navy base in Mar del Plata. Authorities have no specific details of the problem.
I feel like authorities let too much time pass by and decisions were taken late, Ibanez's sister, Elena Alfaro, said outside the base. And yet, I still carry some hope.
The German-built diesel-electric TR-1700 class submarine was due to arrive at the naval base in Mar del Plata on Monday.
Local residents have arrived at the base carrying blue-and-white Argentine flags and bringing messages of support for relatives of the crew anxiously waiting for news.
Associated Press contributed to this report
A sound detected in the search for a missing submarine carrying 44 people is consistent with an explosion, Argentine officials have said.
The abnormal sound was detected in the South Atlantic ocean around the time the Argentine navy submarine sent its last communication last week.
Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi described the blast as abnormal, singular, short, violent and non-nuclear. The hydro-acoustic anomaly, as officials are calling it, occurred just hours after the navy lost contact with the ARA San Juan on 15 November.
It was not a whale, and it is not a regularly occurring sound, US navy Lieutenant Lily Hinz told Reuters.
Argentina, Brazil, and the US have sent ships and planes to investigate the noise, which occurred about 30 miles from where the submarine disappeared.
A huge sea and air hunt is being conducted for the submarine. More than a dozen countries sent planes and ships to aid in the search, which has covered some 185,000 square miles.
One of those planes was the first RAF aircraft to land in Argentina since the Falklands War. The Voyager, carrying search equipment and life support, touched down in the southern city of Comodoro Rivadavia.
Altogether, the UKs Ministry of Defence has sent an ice patrol ship, an offshore patrol vessel, a tactical transport aircraft, and a helicopter equipped with emergency life support pods to hunt for the German-built sub. The assistance comes some 35 years after Britain and Argentina fought a war over possession of the Falkand Islands. Nearly 1,000 military personnel on both sides were killed in the 10-week conflict.
Experts say the Argentinian vessel may only have enough oxygen to last seven to 10 days from the day it disappeared more than a week ago. Families are waiting anxiously for updates at Argentinas Mar del Plata navy base, where the submarine was headed before it vanished.
Mr Balbi said relatives of the crew have been informed of the abnormal noise. He added that the search will continue until there is more certainty as to the vessels fate.
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The families hopes were momentarily raised earlier this week when a US navy search plane detected an object in the water near where the submarine was last detected. A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Argentina later confirmed the object was not connected to the ARA San Juan.
The submarine was on a routine mission from Ushuaia a city on the southern tip of South America back to the Mar del Plata naval base when it vanished. The vessel surfaced shortly before its disappearance to report a short circuit in its batteries, according to naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi. It was told to return immediately to the naval base.
The morning of the disappearance, however, the sub made contact again to report that the problem had been fixed. It said it would submerge and proceed directly to the base. There has been no contact since then.
I feel like authorities let too much time pass by and decisions were taken late, Elena Alfaro, the sister of submarine crew member Cristian Ibanez, told AP. And yet, I still carry some hope.
The US Navy's Boeing P-8A Poseidon seen before departing to take part in the search for the ARA San Juan: Reuters
An object detected by a US Navy plane near the area where a missing Argentinian submarine sent its last signal is "not the lost sub", officials said.
A witness on board the search plane earlier said an item had been spotted but the crew emphasised that it was not known if it was connected to the vessel.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Argentina later confirmed there was no link to the missing vessel.
The agonising wait for news of the whereabouts of the ARA San Juan has intensified in recent days as fears grow that the oxygen supply on board could be running low.
If the German-built submarine, in service for more than three decades, had sunk or was otherwise unable to rise to the surface since it gave its last location on 15 November, it would be using up the last of its seven-day oxygen supply.
The search for the submarine and its 44 crew has entered a "critical phase", Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said, as teams continue to scour 185,000 square miles of ocean - roughly the size of Spain.
Reports on Wednesday that a US Navy vessel had detected a "heat stain" and infrasound in the area were dismissed by Pentagon officials, who told The Independent it remained an active search operation.
The Argentine navy said it has lost contact with the the submarine off the country's southern coast (EPA)
A US Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon jet is involved in the search alongside an RAF Voyager carrying equipment and submarine specialists.
The helicopter is packed with equipment, including 12 emergency life support pods. It joins HMS Protector, a Royal Navy ice patrol ship; the HMS Clyde, an offshore patrol vessel; and an RAF C-130 in the search.
The US aircraft has returned to its base in Bahia Blanca, around 200 miles south of the capital, Buenos Aires.
Russia's defence ministry has sent an oceanographic research ship equipped with two self-propelled deep submergence vehicles allowing it to examine underwater areas up to 3.75 miles below the surface.
Sydney (AFP) - Australia warned on Thursday against American disengagement from Asia at a time of rising Chinese power as traditional US allies grow nervous about President Donald Trump's isolationist tilt.
In a major Foreign Policy White Paper -- the first to be issued by the Australian government in 13 years -- Canberra outlined its approach to the "Indo-Pacific" region amid "changing power balances".
"The United States has been the dominant power in our region throughout Australia's post-Second World War history. Today, China is challenging America's position," the 136-page document said.
"Navigating the decade ahead will be hard because, as China's power grows, our region is changing in ways without precedent in Australia's modern history."
Beijing said the white paper offered "an objective look" at Chinese-Australian relations but also contained "some negative" statements, and in particular "irresponsible" remarks on the South China Sea.
The report said Australia was "committed to strong and constructive ties with China", while strongly supporting the global leadership role of the US, a key ally.
"We believe that the United States' engagement to support a rules-based order is in its own interests and in the interests of wider international stability and prosperity," it said.
"Without sustained US support, the effectiveness and liberal character of the rules-based order will decline."
Trump was a lone protectionist voice at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam earlier this month, where he dished out more of his trademark "America First" rhetoric.
His withdrawal from American-led moves to open up global trade has seen China seeking to fill the gap.
Canberra cast itself as a middleman between the two superpowers, saying Australia would "encourage the United States and China to ensure economic tension between them does not fuel strategic rivalry or damage the multilateral trading system".
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The report said Beijing and Washington have a mutual interest in managing the strategic tensions between them, "but this by itself is not a guarantee of stability".
It added: "Compounding divergent strategic interests as China's power grows, tensions could also flare between them over trade and other economic issues."
China's foreign ministry criticised the white paper's passages on the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing has built artificial islands capable of hosting military aircraft as it faces rival territorial claims from neighbouring countries.
The document says Australia is "particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China's activities" in the sea and opposes the use of artificial structures for military purposes.
"We hope that Australia will stop issuing irresponsible remarks," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.
China is Australia's largest trading partner, with Beijing's hunger for commodities helping the resource-rich nation avoid a recession for 26 years.
The US has long been a close ally of Australia, with Canberra sending soldiers to support US missions in Afghanistan and the Middle East, while Darwin has played host to US Marines who use the northern region of the country for training.
By Swati Pandey SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia called on Thursday on the United States to build a strong presence in Asia and bolster ties with "like-minded" partners while warning against China's rising influence. A more insular United States would be detrimental to the liberal nature of the world's "rules-based order", the government said in a 115-page foreign policy white paper. "Australia believes that international challenges can only be tackled effectively when the world's wealthiest, most innovative and most powerful country is engaged in solving them," the government said. The white paper is a guide for Australian diplomacy and provides a roadmap for advancing its interests. The election of President Donald Trump represented a step towards a more isolationist world, which could be negative for Australia's export-dependent economy, commentators have said. Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement in January, shortly after he took office. "Strong and sustained U.S. engagement in the international system remains fundamental to international stability and prosperity," the government said in the paper. "Without such engagement, the effectiveness and liberal character of the international order would erode." Australia is one of the staunchest U.S. allies and troops from the two countries have fought alongside each other in all major conflicts for generations. But the economic growth and power that the United States has enjoyed since the end of the World War Two is now being challenged by China, Australia said. Australia and China have close economic ties but China is suspicious of Australia's close military relationship with the United States. 'TENSIONS, BENEFITS' Australia warned in the paper of risks it faces, particularly in the "Indo-Pacific region" due to a shift in the balance of power. While the government recognized the economic benefits from China's rise, it was also trying to "wish China away", said Jane Golley, deputy director at the Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University. "To actually drop the word 'Asia' from 'Asia-Pacific' undoes three decades of diplomatic effort," Golley said, referring to the use of the phrase "Indo-Pacific" which came up 120 times in the paper. "Asia-Pacific" was not used once. The United States and some of its allies have recently been talking up their vision of the "Indo-Pacific", instead of the "Asia-Pacific", in a play on words aimed at undermining the influence of China. "There is a small reference to China's geo-economic strategy in the paper but the emphasis is on the tensions that could create, rather than the economic benefits," Golley said. "We'll have to see how China reacts to this but they're not going to like this policy." Relations between Australia and China sank to a low point this year after Australia rejected high-profile Chinese investments, citing "national interest". Australia has also shown little enthusiasm for China's ambitious Belt and Road initiative, which aims to connect China to Europe and beyond with infrastructure projects. The initiative was mentioned just once in the paper. "We are not embracing the future," Golley said. "We are holding on to the past and reaching on to the life jacket rather than thinking of building a whole new ship." (Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Robert Birsel)
The Baltimore police detective who was fatally shot in the line of duty last week was scheduled to testify in a federal case against officers indicted earlier this year, the Baltimore Police Department confirmed Wednesday.
The day after he died, Homicide Det. Sean Suiter, 43, was set to testify before a federal grand jury about an incident that occurred years ago involving BPD officers, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said during a news conference. The officers were indicted in March and August on federal racketeering charges.
Davis also revealed that investigators believe Suiter had been killed with his own weapon, adding that there were signs of a struggle between Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the BPD, and his killer, who remains at large.
Rest In Peace Detective Sean Suiter https://t.co/NiKIdmzbAD pic.twitter.com/l7vkrOKjMv Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) November 16, 2017
At Wednesdays news conference, Davis attempted to dispel any rumors that Suiters pending testimony was related to his death.
Suiter was not a target of the ongoing federal investigation of the eight officers, members of Baltimores elite Gun Trace Task Force, according to police.
The BPD and the FBI do not possess any information that this incident ... is part of any conspiracy, Davis said, explaining that the fatal confrontation appears to be nothing more than a spontaneous observation of a man behaving suspiciously and a spontaneous decision to investigate his conduct.
Suiter, a father of five, was shot in the head on Nov. 15 after noticing a man acting suspiciously while he and his partner were investigating a 2016 triple homicide. He died one day later.
During that days investigation efforts, both Suiter and his partner had noticed the suspicious man in a vacant lot and approached him, Davis said Wednesday, citing surveillance camera footage reviewed by investigators.
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Upon the sound of gunfire, Detective Suiters partner sought cover across the street, Davis explained. He immediately called 911. We know this, because it is captured on private surveillance video that we have recovered.
According to police, the ongoing investigation revealed that Suiter was shot within close range and was still holding his radio in his left hand.
Update on the investigation into the murder of Detective Sean Suiter https://t.co/bTmqqD1R4G Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) November 22, 2017
Davis also confirmed that Suiters death remains an open homicide investigation and confirmed that police dont have a suspect in custody a week after the shooting.
Asked about the conspiracy theories surrounding Suiters killing, Davis said, It certainly makes for great theater.
We have a police officer whos shot and killed, and we dont have a good description and we dont have someone in custody and lo and behold we find out after the fact that he was scheduled to testify in front of a federal jury.
Still, Davis added, theres no evidence whatsoever that Suiters death was related to his testimony.
Many people remain suspicious of the timing of Suiters death, including Intercept columnist and prominent civil rights activist Shaun King.
This is dirty.
Baltimore Police Officer who was just murdered was scheduled to testify AGAINST other corrupt cops on the force.
I believe they had this man killed. https://t.co/hYTg2VtV1L Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 23, 2017
The Baltimore Police Department has been under public scrutiny after the Justice Department released a damning report last year that revealed the department had routinely abused Baltimore residents civil rights, including unconstitutional stops, frisks and arrests, using excessive force and taking a lax approach to sexual assault cases.
In April, a federal judge approved a deal made during the Obama administration between the city and the Justice Department to reform the troubled police department. The Trump administration had requested a delay on the approval of that deal, but it was rejected.
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Yangon (AFP) - Bangladesh and Myanmar will start repatriating refugees in two months, Dhaka said Thursday, as global pressure mounts over a crisis that has forced more than half a million Rohingya to flee across the border.
The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world's largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing".
After months of wrangling, Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
Dhaka said they had agreed to start returning the refugees to mainly Buddhist Myanmar in two months.
It said that a working group would be set up within three weeks to agree the arrangements for the repatriation.
"This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working," Ali told reporters in Naypyidaw.
Impoverished and overcrowded Bangladesh has won international praise for allowing the refugees into the country, but has imposed restrictions on their movements and said it does not want them to stay.
Myanmar, meanwhile, has bristled at the growing chorus of global criticism.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a one-time heroine of the human rights movement whose halo has been badly tarnished, shot back Thursday at foreign interference in what she said was a "bilateral" issue.
"Western countries as well the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had portrayed the matter as an international issue by passing resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations," her office said in a statement.
"The principled position of Myanmar is that issues that emerge between neighbouring countries must be resolved amicably through bilateral negotiations."
Thursday's agreement is a "win-win situation for both countries", the statement added.
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- 'Horrendous atrocities' -
The tentative deal comes the day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who met with Suu Kyi in Myanmar last week, issued Washingtons strongest-yet denunciation.
"It is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said.
"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued."
The tide of desperate humanity that has poured over the riverine border into Bangladesh is thick with horrifying stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's military and Buddhist mobs.
The Burmese army insists its crackdown has been proportionate and targeted only at Rohingya rebels.
Thursday's outline deal offered no detail on how many Rohingya will be allowed back and how long the process will take.
The European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said it was "an important and welcomed step towards addressing one of the worst humanitarian and human rights crises of our times".
Mogherini, who visited Myanmar on Monday, urged both nations to act swiftly to enable the "voluntary, safe and dignified return" of the refugees, in a statement.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the repatriation plans, including questioning where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging.
- 'Won't go back' -
The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.
They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services.
Tensions erupted into bouts of bloodshed in 2012 that pushed more than 100,000 Rohingya into grim displacement camps.
Despite the squalid conditions in the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many of the refugees say they are reluctant to return to Myanmar unless they are granted full citizenship.
"We won't go back to Myanmar unless all Rohingya are granted citizenship with full rights like any other Myanmar nationals," said Abdur Rahim, 52, who was a teacher at a government-run school in Buthidaung in Myanmar's Rakhine state before fleeing across the border.
"We won't return to any refugee camps in Rakhine," he told AFP in Bangladesh.
The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya.
The latest unrest occurred after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts on August 25.
The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities.
The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone.
Suu Kyi's government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse.
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Jamestown (AFP) - The only pointer of what lies inside the stone storehouse within the grounds of the prison is a printed note pasted to an old grey door.
"This is to mark the temporary resting place of 325 liberated African slaves brought to St. Helena against their will. They now wait in this room for their final resting place," it reads.
Candles and a bouquet of wilting white arum lilies sit in front of the wooden door on the remote British island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.
Nine years ago, the skeletons of the former slaves were discovered during the construction of the island's first airport.
Since then the remains have been kept in cardboard boxes in the prison storehouse.
Every Sunday, Annina Van Neel Hayes, 30, an environmentalist born in Namibia, pays homage to the forgotten dead by laying flowers in front of the padlocked door.
It was she and her friends who put up the epitaph.
"Still 10 years later, nothing is being done," she said, suggesting that proper reburial of the former slaves' remains "has never been a priority of St. Helena government".
After abolishing its slave trade in 1807, Britain intercepted mainly Portuguese slave ships sailing near St. Helena, which lay on the notorious slave-trading route from Africa to America and the Caribbean.
The island's leather-bound archives reveal horrendous details of events nearly 180 years ago.
One ship, intercepted on December 2, 1840, carried 245 slaves. Another, seized on January 17, 1841, was from Angola heading to Brazil with 308 slaves "in good health" and 108 "sick" slaves.
- Unique history -
Between 1840 and 1865, around 25,000 slaves were freed and released on St. Helena, according to historians.
Many died from dysentery and smallpox.
An estimated 8,000 are buried in Rupert's Valley in the north of the island, said archaeologist Andrew Pearson.
"Because you have the mid-Atlantic stopping point, it is unique and hugely important," he said. "Nowhere else could have this -- people straight off slave ships."
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It is in Rupert's Valley that a road was built several years ago to bring in imported construction equipment for the island's first airport.
As bulldozers tore through the earth, they stumbled on human bones -- the remains of 325 people, most of them in mass graves, mainly children with an average age of 12.
"Rupert is littered with remains from that period," said airport manager Janet Lawrence. There were only two known graveyards and the rest were unmarked.
Previously other bones had been unearthed during the construction of a power station in the 1980s.
"My father told me stories about chains and slaves," recalls Alonzo Henry, 36.
"We used to get a lot of power cuts and people used to say it was because the power station had been built on the graves".
- Island's dark past -
His aunt Deborah Fowler, 53, remembers finding bones when they were looking for food for goats.
"As kids, we thought it was animal bones," she said.
From her window, she can see a low stone building that was once the slaves' hospital, and is now used for fish processing.
The remains have forced St. Helena's residents to confront the island's dark past and to wrestle with a dilemma of how to balance development with giving due respect to the burial sites.
"When we were growing up, we were told about Napoleon (who died in exile on the island), the Boers (war prisoners), but there was barely any information about the slaves," said jeweller Giselle Richards, 32.
In contrast to the slaves' fate, Napoleon was honoured with a tomb -- though his body was taken back to France -- while the Boer prisoners lie in neat plots in a hillside graveyard.
The decision to temporarily hold the remains of the liberated slaves in a storeroom at Jamestown jail has disconcerted some.
- 'Rediscovering our past' -
Jeremy Harris, director of the local National Trust conservation group, admits he forced open a lock and broke in after being repeatedly denied permission to inspect the building.
He is now supporting a campaign for the bones to be moved and ceremonially reinterred.
"The symbolic fact that these people are kept in an extension of the prison is inappropriate," he said.
Island officials argue that the thick walls of the old prison keep the bones at a constant temperature.
And last month a group of local experts was commissioned to make recommendations within six months on the reburial of the remains.
For Alonzo Henry, who believes he may be a descendant of the slaves, the discovery of the bodies during the airport's construction was deeply ironic.
"With the airport, we are thinking about our future and yet we are rediscovering our past," he said.
By PTI: (EDs: Recasting overnight story)
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Press Council of India (PCI) has asked for a report from the Tripura government on the killing of a 48-year-old journalist allegedly by a constable of the Tripura State Rifle (TSR).
Sudip Datta Bhaumik, working with Bengali newspaper Syandan Patrika, was gunned down on Tuesday following an altercation with the TSR constable.
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The killing comes just two months after a local television journalist was killed in the north eastern state.
On September 20, Santanu Bhowmick was killed at Mandai in West Tripura district when he went to cover an agitation by the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).
According to a PCI release yesterday, the PCI chairman taking suo-motu cognisance of the issue ordered to immediately seek a report on the matter along with a reply from "the chief secretary, the secretary (Home), Director General of Police, Government of Tripura and Commandant of 2nd battalion of TSR."
Bhaumik was gunned down around 2 pm inside the headquarters of the 2nd battalion of the TSR at R K Nagar, West Tripura superintendent of Police (SP) Abhijit Saptarshi had said.
TSR constable Nandalal Reang, who allegedly shot dead the journalist, was arrested on the Tuesday itself and yesterday the commandant of the 2nd battalion of the TSR, Tapan Debbarma, was also arrested for conspiring to kill the scribe.
Both were sent to police custody for ten days.
Editor of Syandan Patrika, Subal Kumar Dey alleged that Datta Bhaumick was killed because he had exposed the many misdeeds and corruption by the commandant Debbarma PTI MP KJ RCJ
--- ENDS ---
ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric vessel, went missing with 44 sailors on board - Argentina Navy
Hopes for the survival of 44 crew members of the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan all but vanished on Thursday as the countrys navy said a violent event consistent with an explosion had been detected three hours after the vessel disappeared in the South Atlantic.
Search vessels were combing an area with a 80-mile radius close to the submarines last known position, after analysis from the US and Austria revealed a hydroacoustic anomaly on the morning that the ARA San Juan lost contact after reporting a fault with its batteries.
Captain Enrique Balbi, a Navy spokesperson, confirmed a singular event, short, violent, non nuclear, consistent with an explosion had occurred some 30 miles north of the site the submarine disappeared.
Eight days into the search, the revelation of the apparent explosion led to cries of anger from waiting relatives.
Speaking outside the Mar del Plata Naval Base, Itati Leguizmon, wife of radarist German Oscar Suarez, said she felt deceived by Navy officials, who she alleged had lied to us and withheld information on the missing submarine. Some relatives had become aggressive when they were informed, Ms Leguizmon said, and were breaking things inside the base.
Captain Balbi defended the delay amid a barrage of questions. He insisted the report from the United States had only been officially received on Wednesday and the second from Austria - which offered more details on the source of the anomaly.
Submarine rescue mission
The hydroacoustic anomaly was recorded by hydrophones - listening posts scattered around the worlds oceans capable of detecting underwater noise - and the material had to be collated, analysed and cross checked, the spokesman explained.
The ARA San Juan had previously reported a short-circuit in its batteries and been ordered to divert to the Mar del Plata naval base; the location of the purported explosion lies on the route it is likely to have taken. Captain Balbi said an explosion inside the submarine could have caused it to implode, which could explain why no debris had been found in the area.
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Family members have also rounded on authorities over what they say was the decrepit state of the submarine. Built in 1985, the German-made vessel was fully renovated in 2014, and the Argentine government has dismissed complaints over its age, insisting it was well-maintained.
But Ms Leguizmon - a lawyer - alleged that the ARA San Juan had in fact suffered a serious fault in 2014, and that all of the crew and their families were well aware of the precarious conditions they were working in.
"My husband told me that they had a fault in 2014 and that it was serious, that is all. That it was serious and it generated a bit of tension and fear inside there." She said crew regularly said of the submarine that "it is all held together with wire".
Gavin Williamson, the UK Defence Secretary, voiced his sympathy for Argentina.
This has not just been an agonising time for Argentina, but for our whole international community, and this news is truly devastating for everyone involved in this weeks search and rescue operation," he said.
When it comes to situations like this, nationality doesnt matter: all sailors have an obligation to help each other in a time of such desperate need.
Im extremely proud of the role our Navy and Air Force have played in the international effort to help, and I speak on behalf of those involved, and the whole country, in offering our sincerest condolences to Argentina and the family and friends of the crew.
The 31-year-old says the definition of rape has been stretched so widely it had lost all sense of meaning: Getty Images for SiriusXM
The editor-in-chief of far right site Breitbart News has claimed women have co-opted the term rape to refer to sex which they later regret.
Alex Marlow argued women have exploited the word in the wake of the me too campaign which has seen a steady stream of high profile individuals come forward to allege and denounce sexual assault.
The 31-year-old, whose news website has been branded misogynist, xenophobic and racist, said the definition of rape had been so far broadened it had lost all sense of meaning and this made it difficult to know whether accounts of rape were credible.
Rape used to have a narrow definition. Rape used to have a definition where it was - it was brutality, it was forced sexual attack and penetration. Now its become, really, any sex that the woman ends up regretting that she had, Marlow said on SiriusXM Patriot's Breitbart News Daily.
And that leaves us without a lot of clarity, because when words lose their meaning, then they can be manipulated.
He added: "Rape used to mean something. We used to all know what it meant. And now we don't know what it means. And then we don't know what's credible and what's not.
Later on the radio show, Marlow, whose publication has been dismissive of recent sexual assault allegations, said the slew of women who have come forward made it difficult to keep track of what is a real assault and what is not.
He said: We have distorted the definition of the word rape. Now it seems to be the claims are losing some credibility because there are so many of them, which is a shame because there are many legitimate victims of brutal attacks and predatory behaviour by powerful men.
Breitbart has defended Roy Moore - who has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct when he was in his 30s and working as a District Attorney in Alabama and they were just teenagers.
Breitbart, which is run by President Donald Trumps former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, knew about the Washington Post story which broke accusations against Mr Moore ahead of publication. Prior to it even appearing online, Breitbart published a piece about Moore denying the allegations.
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On top of this, the site has also been attempting to cast doubt on the Post stories by hinting the paper did something unethical by approaching Moores alleged victims despite the fact the Post has made clear how it chased the story.
Moore has repeatedly denied all accusations and any wrongdoing. He also said on Sean Hannitys Fox News programme that he never dated any women without gaining their mothers permission.
Breitbart, founded by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart in 2007 whom Marlow was the editorial assistant to for four years, has been implicated in a steady slew of controversies and has published a number of falsehoods, conspiracy theories, and deliberately misleading stories.
During the 2016 presidential election, it promoted conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton and her staff such as the totally baseless and spurious Pizzagate conspiracy theory which falsely alleged a Washington pizzeria was the home of a child sex abuse ring that included people such as Ms Clinton and her then campaign chief John Podesta.
The site, which Bannon described as the platform for the alt-right last year, has published comment pieces titled Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture and Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.
Breitbart, whose journalists have been described as "ideologically driven, has been nicknamed Trumpbart because of its favourable coverage of the US president.
But over the summer Marlow gained headlines after a self-described email prankster appeared to dupe top Breitbart editors into believing he was Bannon who returned to his position as executive chairman of the far right site straight after leaving the White House in the summer.
In the emails, Marlow promised he and several other leading editors would carry out Bannons dirty work against White House aides. He also suggested he could have Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ousted from the White House by end of year in other emails.
London (AFP) - Britain's Africa minister Rory Stewart arrived in Zimbabwe on Thursday for wide-ranging talks, ahead of the inauguration of a new president following Robert Mugabe's dramatic departure.
Stewart is due to meet political and business leaders, as well as human rights groups and NGOs, the UK foreign ministry said in a statement.
His arrival in the capital Harare comes just days after Mugabe's resignation on Tuesday, ending his 37-year rule as MPs gathered in parliament to impeach their 93-year-old leader.
Stewart described the historic change as "an absolutely critical moment" following "Mugabe's ruinous rule".
"The events of the last few days have given people here real hope that Zimbabwe can be set on a different, more democratic and more prosperous path," he said in a statement.
Britain is Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler.
Around 20,000 British citizens live in Zimbabwe and some 112,000 Zimbabweans live in Britain.
Britain provides around 86 million (97 million euros, $114 million) in aid to Zimbabwe every year.
But relations were rocky under Mugabe, particularly over the expropriation of white-owned farms there.
"What comes next must be driven by Zimbabweans -- it must be in line with the Zimbabwean constitution and will be impossible without clear resolve from the incoming government. That is what my visit here is all about.
"Britain wants to be a genuine partner for Zimbabweans as they forge a new future," Stewart said.
Zimbabwe's incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa is due to be sworn in on Friday, following a triumphant return home this week after he was sacked as Mugabe's deputy earlier this month.
London (AFP) - The British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail sentence in Tehran for alleged sedition will appear in court on December 10 charged with spreading propaganda, her husband said Thursday.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) -- the media organisation's philanthropic arm -- was told about the court date by the country's deputy prosecutor yesterday, Richard Ratcliffe said.
The new charge could result in a further lengthy sentence.
The case has become highly politicised in Britain after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was accused of jeopardising Zaghari-Ratcliffe's defence.
He told a parliamentary committee earlier this month that she had been training journalists in Iran before she was arrested -- a comment her employer and her family said was wrong.
Ratcliffe met with Johnson last week to lobby for his wife to get diplomatic protection, and for him to accompany the foreign secretary on an upcoming visit to Tehran.
The requests were under review, the foreign office said afterwards.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016 after visiting relatives in the country with her young daughter.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards accused her of having taken part in the "sedition movement" of protests that followed the disputed 2009 re-election of then hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
She was sentenced to five years in jail, before authorities last month presented extra charges.
After being held in solitary confinement, she has been transferred to the women's quarters of Evin Prison in Tehran, where she has received visits from her daughter, who is living with grandparents in Iran after her passport was confiscated.
Ratcliffe will attend a march on Saturday in the family's home neighbourhood of West Hampstead in London, alongside local resident and Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, who will lead calls for Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release.
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Meanwhile, an online petition for her release has collected more than 1.3 million signatures.
Ratcliffe also revealed Thursday that his wife has not developed breast cancer as recently feared.
She had discovered lumps on her breast, and was examined in a Tehran hospital in recent weeks.
However, the lumps responded to prescribed medication, indicating they are not cancerous, he told British media.
By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Parliamentary seats held by Cambodia's recently banned opposition party were reallocated on Thursday to smaller parties that had failed to win any seats in the last election, the National Election Committee said. The Supreme Court outlawed the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Nov. 16 at the request of authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen's government in a move that prompted a U.S. cut in election funding and EU threats of action. The CNRP was banned after its leader, Kem Sokha, was arrested for allegedly plotting treason with American help. He has rejected the accusations as a ploy to let Hun Sen keep his more than three-decade hold on power in next year's election. The National Election Committee (NEC) said the 55 seats the CNRP won in the 2013 election were being shared among five other political parties. That did not include Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which already had a parliamentary majority with 68 seats. "The list of the reallocation will be submitted to the National Assembly," the election body's deputy secretary general, Som Sorida, told Reuters. The biggest winner is the royalist Funcinpec party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who was once Hun Sen's main rival but is now aligned with the prime minister. Funcinpec will get 41 seats in parliament - a third of all the seats - despite winning less than 4 percent of the vote in 2013. Som Sorida said the League for Democracy Party and Anti-Poverty Party had been awarded 6 and 5 seats respectively, but they had refused to take them up so they would now need to go to another party in the national assembly. The Khmer National Party and Khmer Economic Development Party would get 2 seats and 1 seat respectively, Som Sorida said. Officials from the CNRP made no immediate comment on the redistribution of the seats. The court has banned 118 CNRP members from politics for five years, but many of its leaders are abroad. (Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian officials held crisis talks Thursday as new figures showed that most border jumpers who flooded into the country from the United States this year were granted asylum.
Only 1,572 refugee claims out of 14,467 have been heard so far, but of these 941 or 60 percent have been accepted, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The majority of claims made by Syrian, Eritrean, Yemeni, Sudanese, Djiboutian and Turkish nationals who arrived via the United States were accepted.
But more than 90 percent of claims by Haitian nationals, who represented the bulk of arrivals, were rejected. (A total of 6,304 Haitian nationals made refugee claims, 298 cases have been heard, and 29 were accepted).
More than half of those filed by Pakistani and Nigerian nationals also failed.
The claims figures are from February, when authorities started collecting data on people who ventured through farmers' fields and dense forests to get to Canada, to the end of October.
Their release comes after the United States announced on Monday that some 59,000 Haitian immigrants will lose their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 18 months.
The decision opens the door for their potential repatriation to their desperately poor home country.
Many, however, chose not to wait and headed north to Canada, creating a massive backlog of cases in its refugee system as it tries to cope with the irregular influx.
With similar TPS programs for Nicaraguan, Honduran and Salvadorean immigrants also expected to end in 2018 or 2019, as many as 321,000 could be displaced and looking for a new home soon.
And Canada is bracing for a fresh wave.
The government's Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Irregular Migration met Thursday to firm up a strategy for dealing with them.
Hursh Jaswal, spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, said that "Canada is an open and welcoming country for people seeking asylum."
"However," he added, "our government is determined to ensure, on the one hand, that migration remains orderly and regular, and on the other, that entry into Canada is done through the appropriate channels."
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"Crossing Canada's borders illegally is not a pass into the country."
Last week, two senior MPs travelled to Miami and New York to meet with members of the Haitian and Latin American diasporas to dispel misinformation circulating about Canada's asylum system.
More meetings are planned in Texas and California to try to dissuade border jumping.
(NEW YORK) CBS News fired morning show host Charlie Rose on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after several women who worked with him on his PBS interview show alleged a pattern of sexual misconduct, including groping and walking naked in front of them.
The networks news president, David Rhodes, said there is nothing more important than assuring a safe, professional workplace.
To date, there have been no accusations of bad behavior by Rose from people who work at CBS News. Hes been a co-host of CBS This Morning since 2012 and a contributor to 60 Minutes. The allegations, first outlined in The Washington Post, are from people who worked with him or prospective employees at his nightly PBS show, which has been suspended by that network.
NEW: CBS News terminates Charlie Rose following allegations of sexual misconduct. "There is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace," says CBS News President David Rhodes. pic.twitter.com/CPgVRjsvXJ CBS News (@CBSNews) November 21, 2017
Ive often heard that things used to be different, Rhodes said in a memo to CBS News staff. And no one may be able to correct the past. But what may once have been accepted should not ever have been acceptable.
He noted that CBS News has reported on sexual misconduct revelations at other media companies for the past two years. Our credibility in that reporting requires credibility managing basic standards of behavior, he wrote. That is why we have taken these actions.
Theres been a flood of misconduct stories involving prominent men since The New York Times reported on Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein this fall. Predating that are harassment accusations that cost former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and the networks top personality, Bill OReilly, their jobs.
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Several women have accused Rose of touching them on the breasts, buttocks or thigh, emerging naked from a shower when they were working at his residence and, in one case, calling a 21-year-old staffer to tell his fantasies of seeing her swim in the nude. A former associate producer for Roses PBS show, Reah Bravo, told the Washington Post: He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.
Rose had no immediate reaction to his firing. In a statement late Monday, he apologized for his actions and said he was deeply embarrassed.
Roses two co-hosts on CBS This Morning, Gayle King and Norah ODonnell, were sharply critical of their colleague on the air Tuesday. The story of Roses behavior led his former broadcast.
This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and more generally the safety of women, ODonnell said. Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior.
King said she considered Rose a friend and held him in high regard, but was struggling because what do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done something so horrible?
How do you wrap your brain around that? she said. Im really grappling with that. That said, Charlie does not get a pass here. He doesnt get a pass from anyone in this room.
She said that while the story described a Rose she did not know, Im also clearly on the side of the women who have been very hurt and damaged by this.
The CBS This Morning eye-opener segment, a 90-second collection of film clips about the day, also led with the Rose story and quoted two pundits speculating the charges may end his career. Hes toast, said one off-screen voice.
Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's landmark peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels was supposed to mean peace for all -- but it has made little difference to indigenous and Afro-Colombian minorities, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
A year on, the deal is having a "very limited impact" on the lives of minority communities in Choco a department where 60 percent of the population are armed conflict victims.
"Although the number of civilian deaths has gone down since the Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC was signed, armed conflict is still very much the reality for millions across the country," said Salil Shetty, Secretary General at Amnesty International.
"Colombia is at a major crossroads," he added. "If the government fails to take this opportunity to protect communities who have been terrorized by armed groups for so long, the future will continue to look bleak."
The peace accord signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in November 2016 ended a conflict which lasted 53 years.
In addition to the human cost of the violence -- which left 260,000 people dead and more than 60,000 missing -- it also had serious environmental consequences.
President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts to end his country's conflict -- but he insisted his work was not finished.
By PTI: custody
Agartala, Nov 22 (PTI) The commandant of the 2nd battalion of the Tripura State Rifles( TSR), Tapan Debbarma was today arrested in connection with the killing of a journalist inside the battalion headquarters near here and remanded in police custody for ten days by a local court.
Superintendent of Police (Police Control), Harkumar Debbarna said the commandant of the counter-insurgency paramilitary force was arrested for conspiring to kill the scribe, Sudip Datta Bhaumick inside the battalion headquarters at Radhakishore Nagar yesterday.
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TSR constable Nandalal Reang, who allegedly shot dead the journalist and was arrested last night, was also sent to police custody for ten days.
He and Debbarma were produced this monring before Chief Judical Magistrate Sharmishtha Mukherjee who passed the order.
Datta Bhaumick, a reporter of the local Bengali daily Syandan Patrika, was gunned down around 2 pm, West Tripura Superintendent of Police Abhijit Saptarshi said.
He was the second scribe to be killed in the north eastern state in two months.
His body was taken in a procession today by journalists and newspaper employees of the state after postmortem at the G B Hospital.
The body was taken to the Agartala Press Club and the office of Syandan Patrika. Editors, journalists and senior politicians like Tripura BJP president Biplab Deb, BJP MLA Sudip Barman and CPI(M) M P, Shankar Prasad Datta offered floral tribute to the slain scribe.
The procession stopped near the official residence of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and held a protest there alleging that the Left Front government has failed to provide safety and security to the journalists.
The protesting journalists also burnt jackets which had been provided to them by the police for the purpose of identification.
"We have burnt the jackets in protest against the governments failure to provide security to us. Within two months, two journalists were killed. The chief minister is also the home minister of the state and he cannot evade the responsibility," Pranab Sarkar, secretary of the Tripura Journalists Union told reporters.
Editor of Syandan Patrika, Subal Kumar Dey alleged that Datta Bhaumick was killed because he had exposed the many misdeeds and corruption by the commandant.
"It was a cold-blooded murder and Sudip was killed because he had written 11 news items exposing the commandant," he added. PTI JOY KK SC
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Paris (AFP) - When Dolly the sheep was put down before her seventh birthday in 2003, she was said to suffer from age-related osteoarthritis, raising red flags that clones may grow old faster.
But scientists said Thursday that the fear of premature, clone-related ageing appears to have been misplaced. Dolly's joint disease was, in fact, quite normal.
Researchers in Scotland and England based their conclusion on X-rays of Dolly's skeleton, held by National Museums Scotland (NMS), in Edinburgh.
Dolly was lame in one knee. But the extent of osteoarthritis (OA) revealed by the scans was "not unusual" for a seven-to-nine-year-old, naturally-conceived sheep.
"The original concerns that cloning had caused early-onset OA in Dolly were unfounded," the researchers concluded, adding that their research was driven by a desire "to set the record straight".
The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Dolly was put down at the age of six years and eight months due to a progressive lung disease. Dolly's breed of Finn-Dorset sheep normally live to about 10-12 years.
The researchers said their findings were backed up by X-rays of the skeletons of Bonnie, Dolly's naturally-conceived daughter, and of Megan and Morag -- sheep cloned using a different technique.
Their bones are also in the NMS collection.
The only formal record of OA in Dolly was a "brief mention" in a submission to a scientific conference, said the team. None of the original diagnostic records or scans were preserved.
The same team published a study last year in which they reported that four genetically-identical copies of Dolly had aged normally with no symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Debbie, Denise, Dianna and Daisy -- identical sisters of Dolly born 11 years later -- were made from the same mammary gland cell line that yielded the world's most famous sheep.
- Healthy sisters -
None of them were lame, and none had osteoarthritis uncommon for their age.
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Osteoarthritis is a painful condition caused by mechanical wear and tear on joints. It can be genetic in origin, but risk factors include old age, trauma, and obesity.
At age nine, none of Dolly's four sisters were diabetic and all had normal blood pressure -- further dousing concerns of premature ageing in clones, at least in sheep.
Cloned lab mice have previously shown a propensity for obesity, diabetes, and dying young.
The researchers conceded there were a few limitations to their research -- including that only the bones of the sheep were available, whereas OA is a disease of the entire joint, including the sinews and cartilage.
Also, X-ray evidence of OA does not necessarily reflect the extent of disease experienced by an animal.
Dolly was created using somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
It involves removing the DNA-containing nucleus from a cell other than an egg or sperm -- a skin cell, for example -- and injecting it into an unfertilised egg from which the nucleus had been removed.
Once transferred, the egg reprogrammes the mature DNA back to an embryonic state with the aid of an electric jolt.
The egg starts dividing to form the embryo of an animal almost identical to the original DNA donor.
Animal cloning is used in agriculture, mainly to create breeding stock, and in the business of "recreating" people's dead pets.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU's bid to deepen ties with six former Soviet states enters its latest round in Brussels on Friday with anxiety about Russian influence running higher than ever in the bloc.
But with Russia and the war in eastern Ukraine off the official agenda, the Eastern Partnership summit looks likely to be more of a stock-taking exercise than a substantive statement of intent.
The EU says Friday's set-piece with Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus will focus on 20 "deliverables" -- plans to tackle corruption, improve the rule of law and modernise their economies.
The war rumbling on in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists gets no mention in a joint declaration to be made at the summit, according to a draft seen by AFP.
The statement limits itself to a bland call for "renewed efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region" -- a sharp contrast with the strong language on Ukraine after the last summit in 2015, which criticised Russia's annexation of Crimea outright.
An EU official insisted the bloc was still "deeply engaged" in efforts to resolve conflicts in the former Soviet states but said the summit was not the right place to pursue them.
"An Eastern Partnership summit is not an instrument of conflict resolution, it is an instrument to discuss how we can develop and deepen our partnership," the official said.
- Give us a sign -
The conflict in Ukraine, which has killed more than 10,000 people, began after Russia invaded Crimea in the wake of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych's ousting, following his refusal to sign an association accord with the EU.
Ukraine has been pushing for a clear pledge from the 28-member bloc that one day it will be allowed to join, with President Petro Poroshenko warning that closing the door to membership would validate the Kremlin's claims to "special interests" in the region.
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"What Ukraine ultimately wants is a simple message: 'Once you're ready - you're in'," Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, wrote in an editorial for the EU Observer news site last week.
Moldova's pro-European Prime Minister Pavel Filip also urged the EU to send a strong political signal to help combat what he called "very aggressive" propaganda from Moscow.
"It's a courtship process -- the more positive messaging, the more we date, the more our society is resilient to messaging from Moscow," he told reporters in Brussels.
"Never underestimate the fact that people in Moscow are using Moldova's relationship with the EU and the quality of the relationship with the EU to send their messaging across."
But there is little appetite in the EU for eastward expansion, particularly after Dutch voters rejected the first attempt at an association accord with Ukraine in an April 2016 referendum.
Moreover, the Ukraine crisis and a billion-dollar corruption scandal in Moldova has cooled the enthusiasm the EU had in the early days of the Eastern Partnership.
"Back then the EU was desperate to get a success story, and we all know what happened (with Ukraine)," Amanda Paul, a senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre, told AFP.
"Then we had the effort to get a success story with Moldova and there was a huge corruption scandal and the EU ended up with egg on its face."
The draft declaration for Friday's summit goes no further than acknowledging the "European aspirations and European choice" of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, which have all signed association agreements with the EU in the face of bitter opposition from Russia.
Getting all 28 EU members to agree even this mild wording was "extremely difficult", an EU source told AFP.
- Belarus bails -
Some big names will be missing Friday, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko -- who turned down his first invitation to attend, issued after the EU lifted sanctions against him.
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and some observers say Lukashenko's rejection is aimed at reassuring the Kremlin about where his loyalties lie.
The EU for its part insists the Eastern Partnership is "not against any country" and does not entail making a binary choice between Brussels and Moscow.
Armenia is set to sign an enhanced partnership pact with the EU on Friday, and an EU official stressed the bloc had gone to "great lengths" to ensure it was compatible with Armenian membership of he Moscow-backed Eurasian Economic Union.
But a bitter row between Armenia and Azerbaijan festers in the background over the region of Nagorny Karabakh, under Armenian control since a bloody conflict in the early 1990s.
Istanbul (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will in the coming days visit Turkey's sometimes uneasy NATO ally Greece, a top official said Thursday, the first visit by a Turkish head of state to its neighbour in 65 years.
Erdogan had himself, as prime minister, visited Greece in 2004 and 2010 but the trip will be the first by a Turkish president since Celal Bayer went to the country in 1952.
Turkey and Greece have a history of uneasy relations dating back to the creation of the modern Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.
But Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, has sought a more pragmatic relationship with Athens based on trade and tourism rather than nationalism.
"Our president will be the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu, said without specifying the precise timescale, quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
"I think that this visit will have significant results," added Cavusoglu, who was born in Greece.
Ties between Ankara and Athens have also been aided after Alexis Tsipras, who is believed to enjoy a warm personal relationship with Erdogan, became prime minister in 2015.
Greece and Turkey both joined NATO in 1952 but the thaw between the two countries only began in earnest in 1999 after destructive earthquakes struck both nations within weeks of each other.
They also cooperated closely in the 2015 migration crisis, with Greece backing an EU deal for Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.
However there are still many bones of contention.
Athens is unhappy over Turkey's upkeep of Byzantine monuments in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia which is officially a museum but has seen an uptick in Muslim activity in the last years.
Greece has also been rattled by Erdogan's sometimes angry tirades against the post World War I treaties that set the countries' modern borders and meant almost all the Aegean islands are Greek territory.
Turkey, meanwhile, is unhappy that Greece has given sanctuary to suspects wanted over the 2016 failed coup, notably eight troops who escaped by helicopter on the putsch night.
Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops following the 1974 invasion in response Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU said Thursday it is working without "letup" for a durable solution to the plight of migrants in Libya, adding it shared French President Emmanuel Macron's anger over slave markets there.
The US network CNN triggered a wave of condemnation when it aired footage last week of an apparent auction where black men were presented to North African buyers as potential farmhands and sold.
"I fully share the French president's indignation," European Union migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told AFP after Macron called the slave auctions a "crime against humanity."
"We are all conscious of the appalling and degrading conditions in which some migrants are held in Libya. This cannot last," Avramopoulos said in an email exchange with AFP.
"It is exactly for this reason that the European Union is working without letup, on all fronts, with its international partners to find durable solutions," he added.
Such solutions, he said, must comply with founding EU values of solidarity and respect for human rights.
But the European Union -- where Macron is trying to carve out his influence -- has also been criticised for cooperating with the Libyan coastguard in seeking to block migrants from leaving.
The UN this month deplored an EU policy of helping the Libyan authorities intercept migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean and return them to "horrific" prisons in Libya.
Guinean president Conde on Wednesday also criticised Europe's cooperation with the Libyans.
"The refugees are living in extremely bad conditions," he said. "Our European friends were not right to ask Libya to keep immigrants (in detention)."
The AU leader said he was "in contact with all leaders", adding: "We are trying to find a solution, even if it means bringing all of our citizens home."
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein this month accused the international community of turning a "blind eye to the unimaginable horrors endured by migrants in Libya" and called the EU's policy "inhuman".
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in Brussels on Wednesday that UN agencies in Libya backed by EU aid in Libya have helped some 10,000 stranded migrants return voluntarily to their countries of origin.
"I hope that our work, which started already a year ago, will be reinforced by this new wakeup call over the gravity of the situation on the ground," she said as she hosted talks with a senior AU official.
By Toby Sterling, Stephanie van den Berg and Anthony Deutsch THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A U.N. tribunal on Wednesday convicted ex-Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic of genocide and crimes against humanity for massacres of Bosnian Muslims and ethnic cleansing campaigns to forge a "Greater Serbia", and jailed him for life. Mladic was hustled out of the court minutes before the verdict for angrily shouting, "This is all lies, you are all liars!" The outburst occurred after Mladic returned to the courtroom from what his lawyers described as a visit to the bathroom, then a blood pressure test which held up proceedings. The U.N. Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found Mladic guilty of 10 of 11 charges, including the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica and the 43-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 civilians were killed by shelling, mortar and sniper fire. The killings in Srebrenica of men and boys after they were separated from women and taken away in buses or marched off to be shot amounted to Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. "The crimes committed rank among the most heinous known to humankind, and include genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity," Presiding Judge Alphons Orie said in reading out a summary of the judgment. "Many of these men and boys were cursed, insulted, threatened, forced to sing Serb songs and beaten while awaiting their execution," he said. Mladic had pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team said he would appeal against the verdict. Called the "Butcher of Bosnia" by survivors of his actions, Mladic was the most notorious of 163 ICTY indictees together with Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb nationalist leader and political mastermind of ethnic cleansing, and their patron, then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The tribunal found Mladic "significantly contributed" to genocide committed in Srebrenica with the goal of destroying its Muslim population, "personally directed" the bombardment of Sarajevo and was part of a "joint criminal enterprise" aimed at purging Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats from Bosnia. "GREATER SERBIA" Prosecutors said the ultimate agenda of Mladic, Karadzic and Milosevic was what came to be known worldwide as ethnic cleansing, to carve out an Orthodox "Greater Serbia" in the ashes of multinational federal Yugoslavia. ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz called the verdict "a milestone" in holding Mladic accountable not just for massacres but the detention of tens of thousands of non-Serbs in camps where many were beaten and raped, and the forced displacement of over one million to remake Bosnia's demographic map. The Mladic case is the last major decision by the ICTY, which plans to close its doors soon after sentencing 83 Balkan war criminals since opening in 1993. In Geneva, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called Mladic the "epitome of evil" and said his conviction after 16 years as an indicted fugitive and five years of trial was a "momentous victory for justice". "Today's verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take," Zeid said in a statement. "RESPECT THE VICTIMS, LOOK TO THE FUTURE" -SERBIA President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, whose 1990s strongman leader Milosevic died in a tribunal prison in 2006 before the end of his genocide trial, said Serbia "respects the victims". "I would like to call on everyone (in the region) to start looking into the future and not to drown in tears of the past... We need to look to the future...so we finally have a stable country," Vucic told reporters when asked about the verdict. Serbia, once the most powerful Yugoslav republic, is now democratic and seeking ties to the European Union. Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic said he hoped that "those who still call for new divisions and conflicts will carefully read the verdict rendered today ...in case that they are still no ready to face their past". He was alluding to enduring separatism in post-war federal Bosnia's autonomous Serb region. Srebrenica, near Bosnia's eastern border with Serbia, had been designated a "safe area" by the United Nations and was defended by lightly armed U.N. peacekeepers. But they quickly surrendered when Mladic's forces stormed it on July 11, 1995. SREBRENICA SLAUGHTER A bronzed and beefy Mladic was filmed visiting a refugee camp in Srebrenica on July 12. "He was giving away chocolate and sweets to the children while the cameras were rolling, telling us nothing will happen and that we have no reason to be afraid," recalled Munira Subasic of the Mothers of Srebrenica group. Serbian TV footage showed Mladic approaching a blond boy in a friendly way and asking him his name and how old he was, then turning to fearful Muslim women and children and assuring them: "All who would like to stay can stay. Just take it easy." Subasic said: "After the cameras left he gave an order to kill whoever could be killed, rape whoever could be raped and finally he ordered us all to be banished and chased out of Srebrenica, so he could make an 'ethnically clean' town." Dutch peacekeepers looked on helplessly as Bosnian Serb officers separated men and boys from women, then sent them out of sight on buses or marched them away to be shot. The remains of Subasic's son and husband were both found in mass graves by International Commission of Missing Persons (ICMP) workers. The ICMP have identified some 6,900 remains of Srebrenica victims through DNA analysis. The siege of Sarajevo terrorised its people. It involved both heavy shelling that sometimes slaughtered residents queueing outside for scarce supplies, and random sniper fire that picked off people who dared to venture into the streets, or even as they stood indoors by exposed windows. In May 1992, as artillery barrages from surrounding hillsides were setting Sarajevo ablaze, Bosnian intelligence intercepted a Mladic phone call in which he was giving orders about targets: "Fire on the parliament, presidency, the Old Town. Fire so that they cannot sleep, burn their brains!" That phone call was entered as evidence in his trial. Mladic is still seen as a national hero by some compatriots for the swift capture of much of Bosnia after its Serbs rose up against an early 1992 referendum vote by Muslims and Croats for independence from Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia. His lawyers will argue in their appeal that Bosnian Serbs were "victims" of the referendum and fought in "self-defence". Mladic's lawyers contended that Sarajevo was a legitimate military target as it was the main bastion of Muslim-led Bosnian government forces. They also asserted that Mladic left Srebrenica shortly before Serb fighters began executing Muslim detainees and was later shocked to find out they had occurred. But Wednesday's verdict was never much in doubt, given the mountain of evidence of Serb atrocities produced at previous trials. Four of Mladic's subordinates received life sentences. Karadzic, 72, was convicted of genocide in 2016 and sentenced to 40 years. He is appealing. Mladic was indicted along with Karadzic in 1995, shortly after the Srebrenica killings. But he evaded capture until 2011, three years after a heavily disguised Karadzic was arrested. Mladic's trial in The Hague took five years in part because of delays due to his poor health. He has suffered several strokes, but the ICTY rejected a flurry of last-minute attempts by his lawyers to put off the verdict on medical grounds. The ICTY indicted 161 people in all from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Of the 83 convicted, more than 60 of them were ethnic Serbs. (Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade, Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo, Maja Zuvela in Srebrenica, Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles in Geneva; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Asif Shahzad
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has been relieved of his duties, local media said on Wednesday, following speculation about his future after he failed to appear in court to answer corruption charges.
Documents seen by Reuters show Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi granted Dar sick leave on Wednesday, while local TV channels Geo and Samaa said he had been relieved of his portfolio. Dar would keep his status as a minister for the time being, Geo reported.
Dar, who is receiving medical treatment in London for a heart condition, has an arrest warrant issued against him after he missed multiple court appearances on charges that he had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income.
The case had, along with Pakistan's worsening economic outlook, led to mounting calls for him to resign. The country is battling to stave off balance of payments pressures due to a dwindling foreign currency reserve and a widening current account deficit.
A spokesman for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could Dar.
He has missed more than three weeks of court hearings conducted by the anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau.
Dar's absence had come at an awkward time for Pakistan, which has been trying to woo international investors as it looks to raise in excess of $1 billion on debt markets through a Sukuk and a Eurobond in coming months.
(Additional reporting by Saad Sayeed; writing by Drazen Jorgic; editing by John Stonestreet)
A coalition of international forces is frantically searching for Argentinas ARA San Juan submarine and its 44 crew members, who have not made contact since Nov. 15. The diesel-electric submarine was patrolling off the coast of Patagonia when it reported a fault in its electrical system, according to Argentinas navy.
In the week since the ARA San Juan went missing, hopes have been raised and dashed by a false alarm that sounds from the submarine might have been heard by the search party as well as a debunked notion that the crew had made calls with an Iridium satellite phone after Nov. 15. A Daily Mail story Wednesday said the U.S. Navy had located the San Juan, but that storys claim was entirely false, according to U.S. Navy Cmdr. Erik Reynolds, a public affairs officer for the Fourth Fleet.
Here are five questions that address some of what is known about the missing submarine and the search.
What was the submarine doing when it was lost?
Knowing what the submarine was doing and where it was when it lost contact is the key data point from which the search area is determined, according to Richard Bryant, former commander of the USS Miami. There has been a lack of transparency on the Argentine governments part in describing what the vessel was doing, he told Foreign Policy, though he emphasized he was not suggesting anything nefarious was occurring.
Instead it might reflect that the government in Buenos Aires was unprepared for dealing with a lost submarine, which is relatively rare in the modern era. Argentina has never really had to deal with anything like this before, he said. Maybe they werent really ready for this.
Clues to the submarines operations may be found in the Argentinas recent history. Last year, its coast guard sank a Chinese ship it claimed was fishing illegally in its territorial waters, BBC News reported. In 2012, Argentina captured two Chinese vessels it claimed were fishing in its exclusive economic zone, according to that report.
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Who is participating in the search?
An international search effort is underway including ships from the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Chile as others search for signs of the sub from the sky.
Among the ships is the United Kingdoms HMS Protector, an ice patrol ship. The United Kingdoms participation is particularly striking. Argentinas relationship with the U.K. has has been strained since the 1982 Falklands War, which pitted the two countries against each other over disputed territory in the South Atlantic. British assistance in the search for the submarine marks a significant breakthrough
The Argentineans will not forget this, said Riordan Roett, director of the Latin American studies program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. British assistance is going to increase the warmth in the relationship between the two countries, he told FP.
What are rescuers using in the search?
The Department of Defense on Tuesday said the U.S. Navy had sent unmanned underwater vehicles, aircraft, and equipment specially designed for submarine search and rescue.
Underwater submersible devices exist that can attach to the a escape hatch of a submarine and listen for morse code tapped from the submarine on U.S. vessels to coordinate opening the hatch, Bryant said. But without that close proximity, listening for distant morse code in a deep ocean full of noise from marine life and other vessels is extremely difficult.
Its not like you can tap on the hull and theyll hear it 100 miles away, Bryant said.
Distant sounds heard by search vessels brought initial hope that the ARA San Juan might be located, but Argentinas navy spokesman later said the noise was unlikely to be coming from the submarine.
How do rescuers know where to search?
Search parties have to conduct an exhaustive linear search akin to mowing a lawn, but theres the tyranny of time and the ARA San Juan is relatively small submarine to find compared to some U.S. vessels, Bryant said.
It is still unknown whether the submarine is afloat, navigating underwater, or on the ocean floor. If the vessel has lost its propulsion capabilities, underwater currents could batter it around the seabed. And rescue teams have contended with heavy winds and large ocean waves, trying to search systematically for a relatively small submarine that might itself be changing positions under its own propulsion or at the mercy of the current.
Large waves have plagued rescue efforts and would also hinder the submarines ability to snorkel at surface level if it is still afloat, Bryant said. Weather can interfere with rescue crews ability to see debris, trash, or bodies, and would make that stuff disperse making the search difficult even in daylight hours, he said.
How long can the crew of the submarine survive?
The search for the submarine is a fight against time. Managing carbon dioxide levels when submerged pose another risk, and even a functioning battery can only operate for so long.
If the San Juan can stay snorkeling on the surface, it had 90 days worth of food and fuel, the spokesman for Argentinas navy said. The sub has enough oxygen for roughly a week continuously underwater.
Contact was lost one week ago.
The longer time goes by without any indications of the submarine, Bryant told FP, the harder it becomes to try to locate it.
Kangana Ranaut got injured during the shooting of her film, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.
By India Today Web Desk: Kangana Ranaut has been working extremely hard for her film, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. In the middle of her hectic shooting, the actress sprained her ankle severely.
Ironically, Kangana is quite relieved about the injury.
In an interview to Mid- Day, she said, "It has been 60 days of action so far and after non-stop 30 nights of fighting armies with a baby hanging to my back, I was secretly hoping that I get hurt so that I could go back and hide in my house for some time."
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Kangana has now returned to Mumbai, and is currently on bed rest.
"I am delighted that Krish [director] and crew are still working in Jodhpur while I am having my favourite cold coffee in Mumbai," the actress added further.
Kangana's sister Rangoli recently delivered a baby boy and named him Prithvi Raj Chandel. Kangana had come to Mumbai to see the baby but she had to go back to complete the film's schedule. Now, she would probably have more time to spend with the baby.
ALSO WATCH: Exclusive: Kangana on being called witch, whore and psychopath
--- ENDS ---
An American formerly imprisoned in North Korea was found enveloped in flames in a California lot last Friday. An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer stopped to help Aijalon Mahli Gomes, 38, but Gomes was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, CNN reports.
San Diego police are investigating the death, which police say initially suggests an accident or suicide, but the Medical Examiners Office will make the final call.
Originally from Boston, Gomes was an American teacher detained in North Korea on Jan. 25, 2010 when he illegally crossed the border from China. At the time of his arrest, he had been living and teaching in South Korea.
After his arrest, Gomes was sentenced to eight years of hard labor and a fine of about $600,000 for an unidentified hostile act, according to CNN. He was ultimately freed that August upon the intervention of President Jimmy Carter.
Gomes motives for entering North Korea remain unclear. However, he was a devout Christian who regularly attended the Every Nation Church in Seoul, CNN says. Just one month before Gomes ventured in North Korea, an American named Robert Park, who attended the same church, also walked into North Korea.
Park was detained for six weeks before his release, according to NPR.
Following his release from North Korea, Gomes published an autobiography in 2015, Violence and Humanity, which he wrote while recovering from injuries sustained while being incarcerated in North Korea, according to the authors bio.
[CNN]
ALBUM OF THE YEAR Kendrick Lamar DAMN. will bring Lamar his third consecutive nomination in this category. Lamar will become the third rapper to be nominated for Album of the Year three times as a lead artist. The first two were Kanye West and Eminem.
(Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
When the 60th Annual Grammy nominations are announced Nov. 28, look for Ed Sheeran and Kendrick Lamar to be nominated in each of the top three categories Album, Record, and Song of the Year. This would mark the second year in a row that a British pop star has squared off against a contemporary R&B or hip-hop star for Grammy glory. Last year, Adele went up against Beyonce in all three of these categories.
Here are the likely nominees and a few runners-up in the Big 4 categories, including Best New Artist. The winners will be announced in New York City on Jan. 28.
WASHINGTON Along with receiving thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Safari Club International while running for Congress, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spoke at the hunting advocacy groups 2016 veterans breakfast, had a notable photo-op with its director of litigation on his first day as head of the Interior Department, and dined with its vice president in Alaska earlier this year.
The appropriateness of the relationship has come into question after the Interior Department lifted Obama-era bans on importing elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Last week, SCI announced via a celebratory news release that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had begun issuing permits for American hunters to import elephants killed for sport in the two African countries. SCI and the National Rifle Association had sued to block that ban in 2014.
President Donald Trump put the import permits on hold Friday reversing his own administrations decision just minutes after the Fish and Wildlife Service released an official announcement.
But before that, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, called the announcement of the reauthorized permits jarring. That it was made by SCI suggests an uncomfortably cozy and even improper relationship between trophy hunting interests and the Department of the Interior, he added in a blog post last week.
Founded in 1972, SCI is an advocacy group with more than 50,000 members that focuses on protecting hunters rights and promoting wildlife conservation. It has been criticized for giving out awards with names like Grand Slam African 29, African Big Five and Bears of the World to hunters who kill exotic and sometimes threatened species, like elephants, rhinos and polar bears.
SCIs support for Zinke, an avid hunter whose office features a slew of taxidermied creatures, dates back to at least 2014, when the native Montanan first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. The groups political action committee donated a total $13,500 to Zinkes 2014 and 2016 congressional campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission data.
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@SafariClubIntlthe hunting group that in 2014 sued to block Obama-era ban on importing and this week announced/cheered Trump admin's reversal (now on hold)donated big to both @realDonaldTrump & @RyanZinke. Totals from Safari PACs:
To Trump: $11,000
To Zinke: $13,500 pic.twitter.com/loLw9w52NE Chris D'Angelo (@c_m_dangelo) November 18, 2017
During the 2016 election cycle, SCI was one of Zinkes top 20 contributors, according to data compiled OpenSecrets.org. And only one candidate, Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine), received more money from the group.
In February 2016, during his first term in Congress, Zinke was a featured speaker at SCIs annual veterans breakfast, where he expressed his support of SCI and all the veterans they serve, then [led] the room in the Pledge of Allegiance, according to a release by the group. SCI endorsed Zinke in the election later that year.
Congressman Ryan Zinke addresses the breakfast attendees. pic.twitter.com/xFR2FgcPa9 Safari Club Intl (@SafariClubIntl) February 5, 2016
SCI celebrated last December when Trump tapped Zinke to lead the Interior Department an agency that manages some 500 million acres of federal land, including the 59 national parks. The former Navy SEAL has stood with hunters for greater access and for wildlife conservation policies based on sound science instead of emotion, SCI President Larry Higgins said at the time.
The group urged hunters to phone their senators and encourage them to support Zinkes nomination. And it applauded his confirmation in early March.
A day after being sworn in, Zinke signed a pair of hunter-focused secretarial orders. One overturned a federal ban on using lead ammunition and fishing tackle on Fish and Wildlife Service lands, including wildlife refuges. The other was aimed at expanding hunting, fishing and recreation access on federal lands.
At the signing ceremony at department headquarters in Washington, D.C., Zinke was flanked by representatives of nearly 20 outdoor and pro-hunting groups. SCI was, as the group described in a release, front and center.
SCIs Director of Litigation, Anna Seidman, had a prime spot, right at Secretary Zinkes elbow, to witness the signing of these important orders for the hunting community, SCI wrote on its website.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signs an order in early March to overturn a federal ban on hunting with lead ammunition. (Photo: Tami A Heilemann)
A little more than two months after being sworn in, Zinke was scheduled to deliver remarks at SCIs annual Lobby Day, a day of meetings with legislators that coincided with the groups monthly board meeting.
According to SCI, other Interior Department officials took Zinkes place after he was pulled away on official business related to Trumps executive orders threatening 27 of Americas national monuments.
After the event, SCI wrote in a report on its website that it was obvious that the department officials who attended understood the value that SCI brings to the table in helping them to execute their missions.
Less than a month later, Zinke met face-to-face with the groups vice president, Eddie Grasser, according to documents obtained by the Western Values Project through a Freedom of Information Act request. After swinging by a fundraiser for Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) at a steakhouse in Anchorage, Zinke and several staff and security had dinner at a local brewery with Grasser and John Stacey, president of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association. The reservation was for 14 people.
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(Photo: Screenshot/Western Values Project)
The purpose of the meeting is unclear. Neither the Interior Department nor SCI responded to HuffPosts requests for comment.
As Zinke has prioritized energy development over conservation, a number of hunting and fishing groups that came out as early supporters, including a few present at the March signing ceremony, have grown frustrated with him. But SCI has remained a loyal ally, even supporting Zinkes controversial, oil-friendly order targeting an Obama-era conservation plan for the greater sage grouse.
SCI supports amending the Antiquities Act signed by President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago in order to strip away presidents power to unilaterally designate national monuments. Zinke has said the act has become a tool of political advocacy rather than public interest. And he has recommended Trump shrinking or otherwise weakening at least 10 existing national monuments, according to a leaked copy of the report Zinke submitted to the White House in late August.
While there is plenty to suggest there is a strong alliance, the recent decision by Zinkes agency regarding trophy hunting stands out. Greg Sheehan, principal deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, broke the news to SCI during the African Wildlife Consultative Forum in Tanzania, an agency spokesperson told HuffPost last week. The forum, which ended Friday, was hosted by the Safari Club International Foundation and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Facing immediate backlash, Trump suspended his own administrations decision shortly thereafter. And in a post to Twitter on Sunday, the president called trophy hunting a horror show and said hes unlikely to allow for such imports. Citing White House aides, The New York Times reported Monday that Trump learned of the reauthorized import permits via news reports and had not been involved in the decision.
I, personally, absolutely think this is a Zinke thing, Tanya Sanerib, a senior attorney with the conservation group Center for Biological Diversity, told HuffPost. She noted Zinkes installation of a Big Buck Hunter arcade game in the cafeteria of Interior Department headquarters, a bizarre attempt to highlight the contributions the hunting and fishing communities make to conservation.
He seems to be well-embedded with the sport hunting crowd, Sanerib said. And obviously, this is something Safari Club has had at the top of their list.
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration in an effort to maintain the Obama-era bans on importing elephants and lions.
In a letter to Trump on Monday, SCI ran to Zinkes defense, saying he and the Fish and Wildlife Service made crucial, scientifically supported determinations about hunting and the U.S. importation of African elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
By supporting Secretarys Zinkes authorization of import permits, you can reverse the senseless acts perpetrated by the Obama administration against hunting and the sustainable use conservation of African wildlife, the letter reads.
The announcement about elephant trophy imports came just days after Zinke announced the creation of an International Wildlife Conservation Council to advise him on the benefits that international recreational hunting has on foreign wildlife and habitat conservation, anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking programs. The 18 members of the council, who have not yet been selected, will work to expedite the process of importing sport-hunted wildlife. It seems likely that SCI, the NRA and other industry groups will have seats on the council.
In an op-ed published last week by National Geographic, Katarzyna Nowak, a conservation scientist affiliated with the zoology department at the University of the Free State, Qwaqwa, in South Africa, expressed alarm at the news.
The U.S. role in international treaties concerning wildlife conservation will be inexorably weakened once the fox guards the hen house, in which are the hallowed species Americans have chosen to legally protect, she wrote.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
The New York Times
PHOENIX Kari Lakes defeat in the governors race in Arizona has set off a high-stakes tug of war within the Republican Party, as Lakes right-wing allies pushed her to mount a Trump-style challenge to the results, while some establishment leaders including a former Republican governor urged her to concede her loss and move on. Lakes next move could prove a turning point for her party and the far-right faction of election deniers that propelled her rapid rise this year. Lake stands as the
As U.K. Finance Minister Philip Hammond prepares to deliver a key update to the country's budget, there are expectations that it will not include a mention of the so-called "Brexit bill" that the U.K. will have to pay to exit the European Union (EU), an economist told CNBC Wednesday. Known in the U.K. as the Autumn Budget, Hammond will outline on Wednesday how and where the U.K. government will be spending in the next year, as well as projecting borrowing and deficit figures over the next years. One expected expense in the near future is the financial contribution to the EU before the U.K. leaves the bloc. The Brexit bill aims to guarantee that there will be no loopholes in the EU budget once the U.K. a net contributor leaves the Union.But Sam Hill, a senior U.K. economist at RBC Capital Markets told CNBC it was "highly unlikely" that there will be reference to the Brexit bill in the budget on Wednesday. He believes that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which prepares the economic forecasts that the finance minister uses as a basis for his budget plans, will not include any Brexit bill until the negotiations have ended."I think the OBR won't make a decision on that until (Brexit) is all signed off," he added.So far the British and EU negotiating teams have not yet reached an agreement over how much the U.K. owes the EU. However, recent media reports suggest that the U.K. is prepared to increase its offer and pay 40 billion euros ($ 47 billion) to leave the bloc though that sum is yet below from the original 60 billion euro figure that the EU had said the UK owed.According to a report in the Financial Times on Wednesday, negotiators are trying to reach a deal over the Brexit bill within three weeks to ensure that by mid-December, European leaders can give the greenlight to proceed to trade talks. As U.K. Finance Minister Philip Hammond prepares to deliver a key update to the country's budget, there are expectations that it will not include a mention of the so-called "Brexit bill" that the U.K. will have to pay to exit the European Union (EU), an economist told CNBC Wednesday. Known in the U.K. as the Autumn Budget, Hammond will outline on Wednesday how and where the U.K. government will be spending in the next year, as well as projecting borrowing and deficit figures over the next years. One expected expense in the near future is the financial contribution to the EU before the U.K. leaves the bloc. The Brexit bill aims to guarantee that there will be no loopholes in the EU budget once the U.K. a net contributor leaves the Union. But Sam Hill, a senior U.K. economist at RBC Capital Markets told CNBC it was "highly unlikely" that there will be reference to the Brexit bill in the budget on Wednesday. He believes that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which prepares the economic forecasts that the finance minister uses as a basis for his budget plans, will not include any Brexit bill until the negotiations have ended. "I think the OBR won't make a decision on that until (Brexit) is all signed off," he added. So far the British and EU negotiating teams have not yet reached an agreement over how much the U.K. owes the EU. However, recent media reports suggest that the U.K. is prepared to increase its offer and pay 40 billion euros ($ 47 billion) to leave the bloc though that sum is yet below from the original 60 billion euro figure that the EU had said the UK owed. According to a report in the Financial Times on Wednesday, negotiators are trying to reach a deal over the Brexit bill within three weeks to ensure that by mid-December, European leaders can give the greenlight to proceed to trade talks.
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Then-U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton inspects a robot CNC machine while touring the New Hampshire Technical Institute Community College in Concord, New Hampshire, April 21, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told radio host Hugh Hewitt that humanity is racing headfirst into a new era of artificial intelligence without sufficient preparations of how that will impact the world.
Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, a lot of really smart people are sounding an alarm that were not hearing, Clinton said in an interview promoting her new book. And their alarm is artificial intelligence is not our friend. It can assist us in many ways if it is properly understood and contained. But we are racing headfirst into a new era of artificial intelligence that is going to have dramatic effects on how we live, how we think, how we relate to each other.
Artifical intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes such as learning, reasoning, and self-correction by machines. The technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, leading to innovations including smart home assistants and automated stock trading. At the same time, the evolution of AI has led to fears that AI could eventually surpass human understanding and upend societies.
Elon Musk, founder, CEO and lead designer at SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla, checks out the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition II in Hawthorne, California, U.S., August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
We just dont know
Contrary to Clintons claim, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates hasnt actually said that artificial intelligence is not our friend. In the foreword of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellas book, Gates wrote that AI is on the verge of making our lives more productive and creative while also highlighting inherent challenges: How do we help people whose jobs are replaced by AI agents and robots? Will users trust their AI agent with all their information?
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is perhaps the most apocalyptic voice when it comes to AI, asserting that the technology poses a fundamental risk to the existence of civilization and is the most likely cause for World War III.
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is ambiguous on AI, recently stating that creating effective AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just dont know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it.
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Then-Microsoft President Bill Gates (L), accompanied by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Broers, meets Professor Stephen Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University October 7, 1997. REUTERS
We are totally unprepared
Speaking to Hewitt, Clinton highlighted the potential negative consequences of integrating AI into society.
You know, what are we going to do when we get driverless cars? she continued. It sounds like a great idea. And how many millions of people, truck drivers and parcel delivery people and cab drivers and even Uber drivers, what do we do with the millions of people who will no longer have a job? We are totally unprepared for that. What do we do when we are connected to the internet of things and everything we know and everything we say and everything we write is, you know, recorded somewhere? And it can be manipulated against us.
Whatever happens, Hawking stressed, humans should be ready.
Unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization, he told the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this month. It brings dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many. It could bring great disruption to our economy.
In 2015 Musk and Hawking joined other tech pioneers and academics in signing an open letter urging significant research on the societal impacts of AI.
Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump in last years presidential election, noted that one thing I wanted to do if I had been president was to have a kind of blue-ribbon commission with people from all kinds of expertise coming together to say what should Americas policy on artificial intelligence be?
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Kapoor sisters let their hair down at Manish Malhotra's bash last evening.
By India Today Web Desk: Sisters Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor and siblings Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora have been giving us squad goals for the longest time. From lunch dates to party nights to vacations, these girls love to spend time in each other's company.
And last evening was no different when the four girls let their hair down at Manish Malhotra's bash.
Glittery nights ???? @manishmalhotra05 @malaikaarorakhanofficial @therealkarismakapoor @haseenajethmalani @rimosky @natasha.poonawalla #beebo A post shared by Amrita Arora (@amuaroraofficial) on Nov 22, 2017 at 10:11am PST
The gold and the silver of it ???????? @malaikaarorakhanofficial A post shared by Amrita Arora (@amuaroraofficial) on Nov 22, 2017 at 9:21am PST
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Kareena, who is on a break from Veere Di Wedding , was spotted on her way to the bash with her favourite girls.
The girl gang stepped out in style and grabbed eyeballs as they drove off to the bash.
They were all giggles as paparazzi clicked them on their way to the bash.
On the work front, Kareena will be next seen in Veere Di Wedding with Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania.
(Photos: Yogen Shah)
ALSO WATCH: Saif and Kareena become proud parents to a baby boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi
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A Greyhound bus. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
UPDATE: Nov. 22 On Wednesday, a Greyhound spokeswoman told HuffPost they investigated an incident where a passenger was kicked off a bus en route to Kansas City earlier this month.
The company provided the following statement:
The driver asked everyone onboard to show their ticket, and the customer, who was asked twice to present his ticket, refused to do so and became unruly, both with the driver and a security guard who was called for assistance. Due to his behavior, the customer was asked to leave the bus, to which he refused, and the police were called to remove him. The customer finally provided his ticket after the police arrived. However, per our policy, any unruly behavior will result in the customer being removed from a schedule.
Reza told HuffPost that the spokeswomans explanation is incorrect.
I immediately showed my e-ticket. Driver even looked at it and very rudely told me, I can not accept it, he said over email.
The spokeswoman told HuffPost that while Reza did show an email confirmation to the driver, e-ticketing is not yet available in Kansas and all customers are required to provide their paper tickets in order to travel.
PREVIOUSLY:
A Ph.D. candidate living in Arlington, Texas, is trying to figure out why a Greyhound bus driver kicked him off one of the companys vehicles in the middle of the night last week.
In a Facebook post published last Thursday, Iran-born Mohammad Reza recalled a Nov. 13 incident on en route to Kansas City, Missouri, where he planned to present at a conference.
Reza said he was asleep when the bus stopped in Wichita. At that point, the driver woke him up and asked to see his ticket.
In a Facebook post, Reza said he showed the woman his ticket on his phone.
Seeing my name on the ticket, which is Mohammad, she told me Your ticket is not acceptable and since you dont have a printed version of it, you have to leave the bus, he wrote in his post.
Reza said he found the printed ticket and showed it to her, but she still asked him to leave the bus.
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I asked for the reason and she responded I dont want to talk to you! he recalled.
Reza, a Ph.D. candidate in urban planning and public policy at the University of Texas at Arlington, said the driver eventually called a police officer.
While waiting for the officer to arrive, Reza said other passengers became agitated with him asking to remain on the bus.
It was a very scary situation, Reza told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. He told the station one passenger approached him and loudly said [the] F-word.
A officer arrived and forced Reza to get off the vehicle at a closed bus station at around 3:40 a.m. Tuesday.
An employee arrived at 4 a.m. and informed him that the next bus to Kansas City wasnt until 2:30 p.m., six hours after the conference began.
In order to make it on time, Reza spent $250 on a Lyft to go the last 100 miles from Wichita to Kansas City.
It was a difficult night for me! he told The Kansas City Star. Hope no one is ever judged based on their race, color, name, etc.
In order to avoid a similar experience, Reza paid for a plane ticket home to Texas rather than take the bus.
Greyhound has responded to the incident, saying the bus drivers actions were unacceptable. The name of the driver hasnt been released.
Greyhound does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and is taking these allegations very seriously, a company spokesperson told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Weve identified the driver and are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.
Reza told the station he isnt interested in being reimbursed so much as he would like an explanation why he was asked to leave the bus in the first place despite having multiple copies of his ticket.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi forces launched a sweep through the western desert to flush out remaining Islamic State group fighters on Thursday, an operation the prime minister has said will spell the jihadists' "final defeat" in the country.
The arid, sparsely populated wastelands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the last refuge of the jihadists in Iraq after troops and paramilitaries ousted them from all urban areas.
"The Iraqi army, the federal police and the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation paramilitary units) this morning began clearing the Al-Jazeera region straddling Salaheddin, Nineveh and Anbar provinces," the head of Joint Operations Command, General Abdelamir Yarallah, said in a statement.
The Hashed al-Shaabi released live footage from Siniyah in Saleheddin province of bulldozers clearing an earthen barrier to allow heavy armour to advance into the desert.
The tanks bore both the Iraq national flag and that of the paramilitary force, which is made up largely of Shiite militias -- a black standard bearing the name of Imam Hussein, one of the faith's most revered figures.
Long lines of pick-up trucks waited to follow.
By the afternoon the Hashed said its forces had already taken control of 56 villages and hamlets to reach the area around Lake Tharthar, capturing three strategic bridges and destroying eight car bombs and pick-up trucks along the way.
The Al-Jazeera region is where IS fighters escaped to when Iraqi forces recaptured the last towns they still held in a successful drive up the Euphrates Valley to the Syrian border earlier this month.
That offensive culminated in the lightning recapture of the town of Rawa last Friday and saw Iraqi forces meet up with Syrian forces at the border.
"This operation is aimed at clearing the desert of the pockets where the jihadists took refuge when the towns that they had held were recently liberated," a senior officer in Anbar province told AFP.
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- 'Final defeat' -
The region's dry valleys, oases and steppes make up around four percent of national territory, Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi expert on IS, told AFP last week.
It has been known as a hotbed of jihadist insurgency and smuggling since the US-led invasion of Iraq ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003, long before the arrival of IS in 2014.
"There are some desert areas which Iraqi government forces have not entered since 2003 and the operation is aimed at securing these areas 100 percent," security analyst Said al-Jayyashi told AFP.
"Once the clearance operations have been completed right up to the Iraq-Syria border, forces will redeploy and fortify the frontier," he said.
Iraq's close ally Iran has already declared victory over IS but Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that he would not follow suit until the desert had been cleared of remaining jihadists.
"After the operation has ended, we will announce the final defeat of Daesh in Iraq," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
It is a massive turnaround for the jihadist group that in 2014 ruled over seven million people in a territory as large as Italy encompassing large parts of Syria and nearly a third of Iraq.
On the Syrian side of the border, IS is under massive pressure too.
In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led fighters are conducting separate operations to clear IS fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns.
Elsewhere, IS retains a presence in the Yarmuk refugee camp and the Hajar Aswad district just south of the capital Damascus, where the group is battling other jihadists and pro-government forces.
In the central province of Homs, it is being squeezed by troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and their Russian backers as it struggles to maintain a grip on a few small areas.
To the south, in Daraa province on the border with Jordan, an affiliated group called Jaish Khaled Bin Walid is mainly battling other rebel groups.
President John F. Kennedys death on November 22, 1963, traumatized a nation and led a united Congress to make a constitutional change, in the form of the 25th amendment.
johnsonoath
Kennedys assassination created moments of chaos in the federal government that afternoon. Vice President Lyndon Johnson was in the same motorcade as Kennedy, and there were early, erroneous reports that Johnson was also wounded.
As the country came to grips with the assassination, Johnson made sure the moment when he took the oath of office, about two hours after Kennedys death, was documented, so the nation knew a constitutional change of office had taken place.
Johnson stood by his wife, Jackie Kennedy, and Judge Sarah T. Hughes as he took the oath at Love Field in Dallas in a now-iconic photograph.
But Kennedys sudden passing accelerated an argument about a constitutional change that had been in the works in Congress in 1963.
Technically, the Constitution never spelled out how a Vice President would become President if a President died, resigned or was unable to perform the offices duty.
This oversight became apparent in 1841, when the newly elected President, William Henry Harrison, died about a month after becoming President. Vice President John Tyler, in a bold move, settled the political debate about succession.
There was a debate in Congress about what powers Tyler had and what he should be called (Acting President, President or Vice President). Tyler settled the debate by asking a local judge to administer the presidential oath, and he fought all attempts by his many political foes to treat him as anything but the legitimate President of the United States.
In the following years, presidential successions happened after the deaths of six presidents, and there were two cases where the offices of President and Vice President almost became vacant at the same time. The Tyler Precedent stood fast in these transition periods.
Furthermore, there was no constitutional way to replace a Vice President who had vacated office or to handle a situation where a President became incapacitated while in office.
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By 1963, Congress was debating an attempt to amend the Constitution to clear up all succession matters and add a procedure for dealing with a leader who became unable to perform the offices duties temporarily or permanently. This became a bigger issue with the realities of the Cold War and with President Dwight Eisenhowers illnesses in the 1950s.
The influential Senator Estes Kefauver had started the amendment effort during the Eisenhower era, and he renewed it in 1963. Kefauver died in August 1963 after suffering a heart attack on the Senate floor.
With Kennedys unexpected death, the need for a clear way to determine presidential succession, especially with the new reality of the Cold War and its frightening technologies, forced Congress into action.
The new President, Lyndon Johnson, had known health issues, and the next two people in line for the presidency were 71-year-old John McCormack (the Speaker of the House) and Senate Pro Tempore Carl Hayden, who was 86 years old.
Senator Birch Bayh had replaced Kefauver on the Senate subcommittee that considered constitutional amendments, and he tried to get a version of the Kefauver amendment approved in Congress in 1964, after Kennedys death. That first effort failed, but Bayh, with President Lyndon Johnsons support, proposed it again right after Johnsons inauguration in January 1965.
Within three months, the House and the Senate agreed on the wording of what would become the 25th Amendment, and in July 1965, Nebraska became the first state to ratify the proposed amendment. Nevada was the 38th state to ratify the amendment, in February 1967, making it the law of the land.
Section 1 of the 25th Amendment made it clear that the Vice President became President when the presidency became vacant under three circumstances: death, resignation, and removal from office.
Section 2 gave the President the power to name a new Vice President, if that office became vacant, with the permission of Congress.
The amendments other two sections detail the process for the Vice President to serve as Acting President if the President was unable to perform his or her official duties, and how to resolve disputes about the Presidents ability to discharge official powers.
The 25th Amendment would receive its first test in October 1973, when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned. Gerald Ford became the new Vice President in December 1973, after President Richard Nixon nominated Ford for congressional approval.
Ford himself invoked the 25th Amendment nine months later, when he nominated Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President, after Nixons resignation.
Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
The ethics chiefs for former presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama have called for White House advisor Kellyanne Conway to be fired for weighing in on the Alabama Senate race.
Ms Conway sparked controversy after she attacked Republican Alabama Senate Roy Moores opponent on television on Tuesday. She responded to a question about Mr Moore, who is accused of pursuing underage girls while he was in his 30s and working as an assistant district attorney in Alabama, by attacking his rival Doug Jones.
Mr Moore has repeatedly denied all accusations and any wrongdoing. He also said that he never dated any women without gaining their mothers permission.
Walter Shaub, who was ethics director under the Obama administration, argued it was likely Ms Conway violated the Hatch Act and filed a complaint against her for doing so on Wednesday.
"It seems pretty clear she was appearing in her official capacity when she advocated against a candidate," he said.
The federal law prevents White House officials from endorsing or rallying against candidates even in media interviews.
Ms Conway, who has become famed for her on air blunders, addressed the increasingly acrimonious race between Mr Moore and Mr Doug in Alabama.
"Doug Jones in Alabama, folks, don't be fooled. He will be a vote against tax cuts. He is weak on crime. Weak on borders. He is strong on raising your taxes. He is terrible for property owners, she said on Fox and Friends.
Ms Conway added: "I just want everybody to know, Doug Jones, nobody ever says his name, and pretends he is some kind of conservative Democrat in Alabama. And he's not."
She hinted Mr Moore would be in favour of the Republican partys plans for sweeping tax cuts, saying: Im telling you that we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through.
Richard Painter, who was a chief ethics lawyer under Bush, argued Ms Conway had violated federal law.
Mr painter, who is a vocal critic of the Trump administrations ethics practices, said: This is an official interview. She has violated the Hatch Act by using her position to take sides in a partisan election. That is a firing offence. And for her this is strike two.
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White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah responded by claiming Ms Conway had merely been discussing issues and was not pushing people not to vote for Mr Jones.
"Ms Conway did not advocate for or against the election of a candidate, and specifically declined to encourage Alabamans to vote a certain way. She was speaking about issues and her support for the President's agenda. This election is for the people of Alabama to decide," Mr Shah said in a statement.
This is not the first time Ms Conway has been accused of breaching a federal ethics law. Earlier this year, she made an on air sales pitch for President Donald Trumps daughters clothing and accessory line.
"Go buy Ivanka's stuff, is what I would say. I hate shopping I'm going to buy stuff today," Ms Conway said on Fox and Friends. "It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online."
Her comments came after President Trump launched into a Twitter tirade lambasting Nordstrom, a chain of department stores, for choosing to drop Ms Trump's products.
Critics argued her sales pitch violated the law that stipulates: "An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity".
Ms Conway, who coined the now notorious phrase alternative facts, has gained a reputation for being gaffe-prone during her time in the White House.
She recently defended the US presidents tweet branding North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un short and fat, claiming he only insulted the dictator because Kim had insulted him first.
Other blunders include using a TV interview to invent a terrorist attack that never happened termed the Bowling Green massacre, suggesting Obama could have spied on Mr Trump using a microwave, and claiming National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, had the full confidence of President Trump hours before he was fired.
RSS leader Ravinder Gosain was killed on October 17 in broad daylight by what the agency believes is Sikh extremist.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Two sharp shooters, Ramandeep Singh and Hardeep Shera, who are said to be behind the killing of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's (RSS) leader Ravinder Gosain in Ludhiana, were sent to five day custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday.
RSS leader Ravinder Gosain was killed on October 17 in broad daylight by what the agency believes is Sikh extremist.
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A senior officer told India today, "The two shooters were hired to do the hit job. We want to know on whose command the two were acting."
NIA IG Mukesh Singh is overseeing probe in the case. NIA will also probe foreign hand in the gruesome murder and the terror group that is operating with support from European countries like UK, Germany and even Canada.
The Gosain's ruthless murder has brought into focus the killing of RSS Punjab coordinator and Jalandhar unit President, Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja, who was shot dead in a similar fashion by unknown assailant on bike last year. The case which is being probed by CBI remains unsolved till date.
Sources have already hinted at systematic killing in the Punjab. This is the third such killing since Captain Amarinder Singh took reigns of the state in March this year. Singh later demanded an NIA probe. After MHA's nod, the agency took over the case last week.
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Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah organisation on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to suspend his resignation pending talks, after he returned from a mysterious, nearly three-week-long stay abroad.
Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats as well as the negative impact on Lebanon and the region of Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons.
After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in his homeland on Tuesday and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations.
Hezbollah's parliamentary group said in a statement that the party was "very satisfied with the political developments".
"The return of the head of government, his positive comments and the consultations offer a glimpse of a return to normalcy," it said.
Hariri, a 47-year-old Sunni politician whose family made its fortune in Saudi Arabia and whose Future Movement is supported by Riyadh, said upon his return that Lebanon should remain neutral in the region.
His resignation had raised fears of a escalation between the region's Sunni and Shiite powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Hezbollah's arsenal outstrips that of Lebanon's own armed forces and the Shiite group is the only faction not to have laid down its weapons after the civil war that tore the country apart between 1975 and 1990.
Many questions remain unanswered following the unprecedented scenario that saw Lebanon's prime minister resign in a foreign country suspected of keeping him under house arrest and return only after the apparent intervention of France.
But while Hariri and his backers seemed on a collision course with Hezbollah only a few days ago, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.
Martin Schulz, leader of Germany's social democratic SPD party, could help end the impasse in coalition negotiations - AFP
A possible way out of Germanys political crisis appeared on Wednesday in the form of a growing rebellion in the second largest party over its leaders refusal to enter coalition talks with Angela Merkel.
Martin Schulz was confronted with open revolt in his Social Democratic Party (SPD) from MPs who want him to throw a lifeline to Mrs Merkel and drive a hard bargain for the partys support.
Other senior voices in the SPD are calling for it to agree instead to prop up a Merkel-led minority government from the outside in the national interest.
Analysts warned that a minority government in Germany could be bad for Britain, with Mrs Merkel forced to seek approval from parliament over every stage of Brexit negotiations.
Merkel is basically open to a compromise, but in a minority government she wouldnt have the leeway to make a deal, said Prof Matt Qvortrup of Coventry University.
Germany faces the prospect of new elections unless Mrs Merkel can find some way to form a government after the collapse of coalition talks with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the Green Party.
Profile | Martin Schulz
Mr Schulz has come under intense pressure to reverse his decision to take the SPD into opposition following its worst ever result in Septembers election.
He is already facing tough talks with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday in a bid to break the impasse. The president, himself a former SPD leader, is said to be furious at the partys stance.
But it became clear on Wednesday that Mr Schulz is also facing a rebellion from with the party over his refusal to consider talks.
At an internal party meeting on Tuesday night, more than 30 MPs spoke out against Mr Schulzs position, and demanded he took a more flexible approach.
The SPD is fully aware of its responsibility in the current difficult situation," Mr Schulz said, striking a more conciliatory tone. I am sure that we will find a good solution for our country in the coming days and weeks.
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But questions are now being asked over whether his position as party leader is secure, after a number of senior MPs from the party broke ranks to criticise his stance.
The SPD should not rush to call for new elections but should take the conversation with the president seriously, said Johannes Fechner.
Chart: Germany is badly fragmented and perhaps ungovernable. It is not getting better.
We have to consider the conditions under which we would agree to go into coalition, said Bernd Westphal.
Making hurried decisions now will bring nothing, said Johannes Kahrs. Before we go to the voters, we have to explore all possibilities.
Mr Schulz faces an annual vote to confirm him as party leader next month, and his position is not secure.
He has insisted that the party has nothing to fear from new elections, but many of his MPs disagree with him and some are openly briefing that he isnt the man to lead the party into them.
Mr Schulz led the SPD to its worst ever result in September, and current polls suggest the party could do even worse in new elections. Sources in the party say they have been fielding phone calls from supporters asking if theyre crazy.
Leading voices in the party have proposed supporting a Merkel minority government from the outside as a compromise. We see no basis for a coalition at the moment, so we have to look at other options, Thorsten Schafer-Gumbel said.
If no coalition is possible, a minority government is conceivable, Matthias Miersch said.
Germany has not had a minority government since the Second World War, and there are deep misgivings over the idea not least because it was a series of minority governments in the 1930s that led to the rise of the Nazis.
Mrs Merkel said this week she would prefer new elections. But it is not up to her: under the German consitution, only President Steinmeier has the power to call new elections or appoint a minority government.
If Mrs Merkel can negotiate a new coalition or a deal to prop up a minority government, she will have pulled off one of the great political escapes. There were predictions the collapse of talks could mean the end of her career, but so far her party has rallied around her.
There was a lone call on Wednesday from the local youth wing of the party in Dusseldorf for her to resign, but so far there has been no move from within the parliamentary party to unseat her.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (MDMK) youth wing has launched a campaign against Governor Banwarilal Purohit to recall him.
By Akshaya Nath: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (MDMK) youth wing has launched a campaign against Governor Banwarilal Purohit and the campaign aims at seeking one lakh signatures to urge the Centre to recall the Governor.
The basis of the letter is cited to a letter written in 2011 by the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
"Modi back then had written against the then Governor of Gujarat - Kamala Beniwal accusing her of interfering in the governance of the state, and it is the same thing that is happening here in Tamil Nadu now," said V Easwaran, MDMK's youth wing leader.
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Modi's letter to the centre said, "Her (Kamala Beniwal) actions contravened the provisions of Article 163 (1) of the Constitution, thereby having a bearing on the system of governance and federal polity of India".
Signature campaign by MDMK youth wing.
In 2011, Kamala Beniwal had appointed Justice R.A. Mehta as Lokayukta of Gujarat, and this was allegedly against the recommendations of the then Gujarat CM and his Cabinet.
Following the appointment, the Gujarat government had approached the State High Court and later the Supreme Court to make the appointment null and void, but in both the courts the case was in favour of the Governor and hence as a final step the letter was written seeking the removal of the Governor.
Modi in his letter had written, "The Governor is only a constitutional appointment, and only a government elected by the people could be a powerful ones."
The letter had also recollected the Sarkaria Commission's recommendations, that stated that Centre shall not appoint politicians as Governors in States which are ruled by opposition parties.
The recommendation suggests appointment of experts and academicians as Governors. This suggestions were given to prevent any parallel governments.
Easwaran said that the whole campaign is to remind Modi of his own words and to bring to his attention how he is going back from his initial campaigns that he had conducted in his own state when he was a chief minister.
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Many students lost a year of education due to the delayed announcement of results, and the university should have fined the company, an RTI activist said.
By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Documents obtained by activist Anil Galgali under the Right To Information (RTI) Act reveal that Mumbai University paid Rs 1,18,17,404 to the assessment services company whose product caused the announcement of exam results to be delayed.
The varsity continues to owe the firm, Merit Trac Services Pvt Ltd, almost Rs 3 crore (Rs 2,99,73,696, to be exact).
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Many students lost a year of education due to the delayed announcement of results, and the university should have fined Merit Trac, Anil Galgali said.
The university's image had been "tarnished" by the "mess caused by Merit Trac," he said.
"Merit Trac should have been held responsible for this," said Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam. "I urged (the) Hon. Governor of Maharashtra to instruct the university to cancel all the contracts of Merit Trac and freeze the payment made to it, and blacklist the company which spoiled (the) career(s) of students."
Anil Galgali has sent a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Mumbai Vice-Chancellor Devanand Shinde and C Vidyasagar Rao, the Governor of Maharashtra and the Chancellor of Mumbai University.
Galgali has asked that no further payments be made to Merit Trac, and that the university initiate proceedings to recover damages.
ALSO WATCH | India Today survey: Best Colleges of India
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The three Muslims were attacked by six or seven men while deboarding their train reportedly after an argument over covering their heads.
By India Today Web Desk: Three Muslim teachers ('maulvis') were attacked with sharp objects by unknown assailants who also allegedly tried to throw them off a moving train in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district today.
News agency ANI reported that the three Muslim men were attacked by six or seven men while deboarding their train reportedly after an argument over covering their heads.
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All three have been admitted to a hospital, according to a TV report.
Reports said the train was about to reach the village Aheda in Baghpat when the Muslim men started to wear their shoes to get down. It was at that moment that they were attacked with iron rods and an ice pick.
It has also been alleged that the three 'maulvis'- Gulzar, Israr and Abrar - were pushed out of of the train, but the police did not confirm it.
The 'maulvis', who boarded a passenger train at Delhi last night, were on their way to their village in Baghpat when they had a tiff with some youth who allegedly beat them up, SP Baghpat Jaiprakash Singh told PTI.
"The police have registered an FIR against the unidentified attackers," Northern Railway's public relations officer Nitin Chaudhary told ANI. Baghpat Kotwali incharge B Kumar said that the case was being transferred to the Railway police.
ALSO WATCH | Bajrang Dal workers assault imam in Hisar mosque for not chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'
--- ENDS ---
Today in 5 Lines President Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys as part of the annual Thanksgiving tradition. Asked about whether he supports Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, Trump told reporters voters shouldnt support Moores liberal rival, adding that Moore denies the sexual-misconduct allegations against him. The Federal Communications Commission announced plans to dismantle net-neutrality regulations, which would allow companies to charge more for some websites. The House Ethics Committee said it has begun an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct against Michigan Representative John Conyers. The White House said Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about promoting peace in Syria and Ukraine, as well as the looming nuclear threat from North Korea.
By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron's initiative in bringing Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri to Paris puts France at the center of a power struggle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran and will test a policy of neutrality that critics doubt can be sustained. While the move eased regional tensions that spiked after the prime minister's resignation on Nov. 4, it also exposed the difficulty of Macron's stated position of taking no sides in the Middle East. "Macron has put his neck out on Lebanon," said a European diplomat who didn't want to be named talking about an ally's policies. "It's a bit like his moment of truth." Hariri, a Saudi ally, arrived in France on Saturday days after announcing his resignation while in Riyadh, accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of creating strife. Many Lebanese believe the Saudis made him quit. President Michel Aoun has not accepted the resignation and Hariri is expected to return to Beirut on Wednesday, when Lebanon celebrates the end of France's colonial mandate in 1943. Macron's maneuver, which came after a visit to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a flurry of calls, appears to have taken the foreign ministry by surprise, an example of his penchant for bypassing state organs to show he's in charge, much like former leader Nicolas Sarkozy. "So far it's a symbolic victory for French diplomacy that has enabled a reduction in tensions," said Stephane Malsagne, a lecturer at Sciences Po University in Paris, adding it was a "risky gamble" that could antagonize all sides. Macron set out his foreign policy objectives for the region in his first speech to the diplomatic corps in August, saying he wanted France to maintain a balanced position. "We will achieve our goal of fighting terrorism only if we do not make the mistake that would impose a choice between Shi'ites and Sunnis, and in a sense, force us to lock ourselves in one camp," he said at the time. Some French diplomats say Macron will find it difficult to appease everyone, however. Lebanon maintains a delicate sectarian balance after Sunnis, Shi'ites, Christians and Druze fought a civil war between 1975 and 1990, with factions often backed by regional rivals. Hariri is Sunni Muslim and President Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, is Christian. Hariri's government, a power-sharing coalition formed last year, includes Shi'ite Hezbollah. "This mediation is an introduction for a new French political role in Lebanon ... (and) a French attempt to find a foothold starting from Lebanon into the region," said a senior Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But in the shadow of big players (U.S., Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia) in the region, the French will face difficulties." Since Hariri announced his resignation, Saudi Arabia has accused Lebanon of declaring war on it, citing Hezbollah's role in fighting in other Arab countries. IRAN'S "HEGEMONIC TEMPTATIONS" France has a long history of commercial, political and social links with Iran that even saw Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei exiled near Paris in 1979, but it was arguably the most demanding of the six powers negotiating the 2015 nuclear accord. Under Presidents Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, who aligned themselves with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively, there was a hawkish shift toward Tehran. Since the deal, Paris has been quick to restore trade ties, with planemaker Airbus, oil major Total and automobile manufacturers Peugeot and Renault all signing deals. That rapprochement annoyed Riyadh, which has been moving closer to the United States under President Donald Trump. "We had to reassure the Saudis ... and rebalance things. Prince Salman has gone into overdrive and thats dangerous for everyone so he needs some love from us," said one French diplomat, who asked not to be identified. Tehran is now chafing in turn over France's warming Saudi ties and what appears to be a good relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due in Paris on Dec. 10 for the second time since Macron took office in May. Recent rhetoric has reflected the tensions. At a news conference on Friday, Macron said Iran should clarify what is going on with its ballistic missile program which "seems to be uncontrolled". That followed a news conference in Riyadh on Thursday at which Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced Tehran's "hegemonic temptations". On Saturday Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, told Macron to stay out of its affairs. Le Drian has pushed back a planned visit to Tehran and talk that Macron may visit next year has become more muted. "Speaking to all sides is noble, but this policy in the region will come tumbling down if Le Drian and Macron do not go to Tehran. Our credibility depends on it," said a second French diplomat. Some hardline politicians in Iran have criticized President Hassan Rouhani for trying to strengthen ties with Paris, saying Europeans will not endanger their interests in the face of U.S. pressure. A senior Iranian official said Macron's policy of "balance" ultimately just offered mixed signals. "He talks about curbing Irans defensive missile work and criticizes Irans regional policy and then he wants to build closer ties?" the official said. "France should clearly announce which side Paris is taking.... we like to expand our relations but Paris sends mixed signals and cannot be trusted." (Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris, Laila Bassam in Beirut and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
The American criminal justice system is broken: just look at Meek Mill and Harvey Weinstein.
This month, Meek Mill, a 30-year-old rapper, was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating the terms of his probation probation hes been on since he was a teenager, all stemming from charges of gun and drug possession. What did he do wrong? He popped a wheelie on a motorcycle.
In the meantime, Harvey Weinstein, who was caught on tape confessing to sexual assault, is a free man. We are so thoroughly used to the sanctity of womens bodies being ignored and violated and that we includes women ourselves, not to mention law enforcement that more often than not, the violation of the body has to be disturbingly egregious and violent for the incident to be taken seriously.
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in the country. And even when it is reported, prosecutors may not believe they have enough evidence to prosecute; they may find the victim insufficiently sympathetic. Prosecutors arent necessarily bad people, but they are worried about conviction rates, and their job performance often hinges on bringing cases they can win. Winning means convincing a jury or a judge of wrongdoing or getting an alleged criminal and his defense attorney to settle.
Prosecution is much easier in drug charges brought against Meek Mill, and its even easier when the criminal defendant is a young black man. Juries arent sympathetic, and theres no he said, she said. As much as we like to think justice is blind, our criminal justice system replicates the same bigotries at play everywhere else in the United States, including racism and sexism. Conviction rates for black men are higher than they are for white men. Funding for public defenders varies significantly by state, and while many of these lawyers are brilliant and dedicated public servants who do their best, they are under-funded and overworked nearly across the board. Other criminal defense lawyers border on negligent, and their clients suffer for it. Low-income and of-color defendants like a teenage Meek Mill was are at a huge disadvantage.
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The wealthy and powerful in America i.e. the overwhelmingly white and male are playing a different game. They have the resources to pay teams of lawyers, not just to defend them in court but to intimidate anyone who might challenge them, which is exactly what Weinstein did to women who he thought might point the finger at him. Women conclude, often rightly, that reporting powerful men just isnt worth the blowback and the cost to their careers and reputations.
The United States imprisons more people than any country in the history of the world. The prison industry is also a profitable one for many private enterprises, and politicians benefit from disenfranchised prisoners in their districts: people who cant vote and arent represented in congress or by state legislators, but still count in population tallies and help to secure additional resources for the communities that imprison them.
The probation system is part of this broader web of injustice. Limited probation would make sense if the purpose was to help an offender rehabilitate and make sure hes staying out of legal trouble. But thats not the reality. Probationary periods are often absurdly long see Meek Mill, on probation at 30 for a crime he committed at 19 and seem designed to trap troubled men and women in a system that is purely punitive. We certainly spend enough money locking people up (often again and again). What if instead the focus was improving their prospects post-release, with job training, social support while they got on their feet, and counseling to help them reintegrate into their communities and stay out of trouble? What if the goal of probation was to help men and women released from prison to succeed as productive members of society, rather than to catch and punish them when they make any small misstep?
Men and women who behave violently toward others should face serious penalties. Too often, we dont see acts of sexual violence and violation as real violence if youre not bruised up or in a body bag, it doesnt count. Most of the men who commit these acts will never spend a day in the prisons populated by young men like Meek Mill.
Mike Francesa would like to manage the Yankees. (Getty Images)
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman refused to rule out any names for the teams vacant manager position, but were not sure this is what he had in mind. Long-time New York radio host Mike Francesa threw his hat into the ring during his radio show, saying he would love to try and manage the team.
While hosting his show, Francesa was asked whether he thought he could manage the Yankees. Heres how he responded:
Mike Francesa says he could definitely manage the @Yankees. Unfortunately, they won't hire him. pic.twitter.com/0PdHztXBb8 unhouse (@BackAftaThis) November 21, 2017
Sure, Francesa says right off the bat, but then admits it would never happen. He goes on to say that he could do it, and would love to try, but that the team wouldnt hire him. He compares it to WFAN looking for his replacement. The company isnt going to hire someone with zero experience behind a microphone.
We have to applaud Francesa for taking the Joe Sportsguy take to the max here. Any time a manager fails, its not uncommon to hear fans say they could do a better job than the current guy. Thats not exactly what Francesa is doing here, but its close.
We dont think hes joking either. When asked whether he was serious about those comments on Wednesday, he doubled down, saying its just sports, not brain surgery.
Francesa does have experience talking about sports, well give him that. But were not sure hes the ideal candidate to manage a professional team. This is the same guy who said Jose Altuve was nothing special last year.
Before 700 more people request it, here's Mike Francesa letting you know that Jose Altuve is nothing special.#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/jCaL0uGz7A unhouse (@BackAftaThis) October 26, 2017
He also refused to believe relief pitcher Al Alburquerque was a real person. Were willing to look past one of those two mistakes.
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There are a few aspects in Francesas favor, though. First off, hes retiring from his radio gig next month, so his schedule is wide open. Second, hes dealt with angry and argumentative New York fans for years now, so he could probably handle the media.
Is merely entertaining the thought of Francesa as the next Yankees manager a terrible idea? Yes. Do we still want the team to interview him anyway? You know it!
(BLS H/N: CBS Sports)
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
(Photo: Portra Images via Getty Images)
Missouri women seeking an abortion regularly head to the Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois, 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. More than half of the clinics patients come from Missouri, many looking to bypass their home states mandatory three-day waiting period one of the longest in the country.
That waiting period law became more stringent one month ago, when a deceptively subtle tweak took effect to little notice. It requires that the doctor who will perform a womans abortion must also walk her through the state-mandated counseling session three days earlier, rather than giving that task to a qualified nurse, physicians assistant or counselor.
Reproductive rights experts in Missouri and around the country warn that it will take months before they can measure the true impact of this change, but staff at the bustling Hope Clinic are already feeling its effect.
Dr. Erin King, an OB-GYN and the interim clinic director, suggested that more Missouri women might be crossing over to Illinois to escape the onerous requirement.
I would say in our office today were probably seeing double the number of patients we would see on a similar day three weeks ago, said King, who spoke to HuffPost two weeks after the law took effect. On the phone, every day since that law went into effect ... we have had at least five and 10 patients calling and being upset about it. Or being confused about it. Or wondering what the change was and what is happening.
Republican state legislators who passed the bill including the waiting period measure in a special session over the summer contend it will help protect the health and safety of women in the state.
For years, Missouri has had only one abortion provider, a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis, although several more Planned Parenthood outposts around the state have begun or will soon begin to offer abortion services. The reproductive health care organization, together with the American Civil Liberties Union, sought to block the law, arguing that it places an undue burden on women seeking an abortion, potentially forcing them to drive hundreds of extra miles and delaying their care.
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But the law went into effect on Oct. 24 after a judge ruled against Planned Parenthood and the ACLU a result that rattled reproductive rights advocates.
We certainly did not think this was going to be the outcome, Alison Dreith, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, told HuffPost. It kind of left the state scrambling to figure out what this means.
Dreith said she understands firsthand how Missouris restrictions can drive women out of state. She opted to travel to Illinois when she had an abortion last year.
Broader research looking at state-mandated waiting periods finds they do not necessarily change womens minds about getting an abortion. Most women have made their decision by the time they seek care, and most find a way to follow through on it.
What they do is create hardships for women, said Dr. Sarah Roberts, an associate professor with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research group at the University of California, San Francisco.
Roberts worked on a 2016 study looking at Utahs 72-hour waiting period, which it found increased womens financial burden and logistical challenges, and pushed at least one patient past her providers gestational limit for abortion. Women ended up waiting an average of eight days between their initial visit and the procedure, Roberts said. She warned about an overall lengthening and strengthening of waiting period laws across the country.
In Missouri, the strengthened waiting period law will make schedules trickier for busy doctors and resource-strapped clinics. There arent that many highly trained gynecologists who can do abortion procedures, and youre now taking their time to do all of these consents ahead of time, King said.
She also noted how unusual it is to mandate that the doctor performing a procedure handle the prior counseling of the patient. In no other field of medicine is that the case, King said. Patients undergo procedures all the time where they are consented in a very thorough manner by a trained health care professional who may not necessarily be the exact person doing their procedure.
Eyes from both sides of the abortion debate see Missouri as a test case for how much leeway states have to introduce new waiting periods and bolster those already on the books. In 2011, not a single state had an abortion waiting period longer than 24 hours, according to Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues manager with the Guttmacher Institute, and only seven states had policies that required women to make two trips to a clinic. Now, eight states have waiting periods of 48 or 72 hours, and seven additional states require at least two visits.
I think of this as sort of an underground trend, Nash told HuffPost. I dont know if those two words can really go together, but yes, weve been seeing more waiting periods. And it hasnt gotten the kind of attention that some of the other trends have.
Meanwhile, in her clinic just outside Missouri, King is also waiting to see the full effects of this latest abortion regulation. History leads her to believe shell see even more patients fleeing Missouris restrictions and walking through her doors. Before Missouri first instituted a 72-hour waiting period, only 40 percent of the clinics patients came from that state, she said. By last year, the figure was up to more than 50 percent.
The thing that is most concerning about [what is happening] in Missouri is that there are what would seem like small changes to the existing law, Kin said, but that will make an enormous impact on the patients.
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Hafiz Saeed waves to supporters as he leaves a court in Lahore - AFP
A Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered the release from house arrest of Hafiz Saeed, a notorious jihadi with a $10m US bounty on his head.
The move was seen as part of a military campaign to bully the civilian government.
Mr Saeed, who was detained nine months ago, allegedly masterminded the 2008 Mumbai massacre in which 166 people were killed. The court rejected a request by the government to extend his arrest, citing a lack of evidence. On Friday, Mr Saeed is expected to walk free.
When at liberty, his ability to travel the country and hold large, blood-and-thunder rallies has exasperated allies who believe Pakistan is too soft on terrorism.
Mr Saeed held a major rally in Rawalpindi, right next to army headquarters, in 2016, and was present at long series of rallies in 2011.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charity led by Mr Saeed which the UN considers a front for terrorism, told the Telegraph it was a triumph for their cause.
This is a victory for the people of Pakistan who support Hafiz Saeed and the Kashmir struggle, a spokesman said. Close relations with Pakistans army have historically helped to shield Mr Saeed. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant organisation he founded in the 1980s, has never carried out an attack in the country, focusing instead on India, Kashmir and Afghanistan.
The release comes at a feverish, rumour-filled moment in Pakistani politics.
In October, the army confirmed plans to mainstream extremist groups by encouraging them to enter politics. Two new parties have sprung up recently.
One, the Mili Muslim League, considers Mr Saeed its leader.
Activists from the other, the Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan, have blockaded Islamabads main motorway for a fortnight - a brazen act many believe would be impossible without at least tacit support from the army.
Mr Saeeds release is going to give a signal [to Mr Saeed's party] that youre guy has been freed... now put your faith in winning, do more campaigning, said Ayesha Siddiqa, a defence analyst.
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This, Ms Siddiqa added, will eat into the votes of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in a 2018 election.
Under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was deposed over the summer in a much criticised ruling by the Supreme Court, the party had threatened military dominance of Pakistan.
The justification for the 67-year-olds original arrest was opaque. Some believe it was connected to an investigation, now finished, into Pakistans compliance with anti-terrorism financing regulations.
Trials against Mr Saeed and his alleged accomplices have collapsed in the past for lack of evidence.
However, a US-born member of LeT was sentenced to 35 years in American prison for his role in the Mumbai massacre, during which a team of gunmen attacked a railway-station, several hotels and a Jewish cafe over three days.
As the desperate, multinational search for a missing Argentine submarine continues, the countrys navy said on Thursday that a sound consistent with an explosion had been detected near the site where the vessel disappeared last week with 44 crew members on board.
Captain Enrique Balbi, a navy spokesman, said an abnormal, singular, short, violent, non-nuclear event had been detected in the South Atlantic ocean on the morning of Nov. 15. That was around the same time the ARA San Juan sent out its last signal, reported Reuters.
The search for the missing vessel, which has enough air to last only seven to 10 days if fully immersed, has been intensifying as several countries participate in a massive search covering some 187,000 square miles.
Heres what we know about the search so far:
When did the San Juan last make contact?
The last communication between the diesel-electric powered submarine and onshore authorities was at 7.30 a.m. on Nov. 15. The vessel had been heading from the southern port of Ushuaia to a naval base in Mar del Plata, about 260 miles south of Buenos Aires. It had been scheduled to arrive at its destination on Sunday.
Shortly before disappearing, the San Juans captain reported a battery failure due to a short circuit on board. He later said the issue had been fixed.
According to the Argentine navy, such failures are considered routine and the vessels crew had been reported safe at the time, per CNN. Still, the captain was reportedly ordered to change course and take a more direct route to Mar del Plata.
On Saturday, the Argentine Defense Ministry said it had detected seven communication attempts from the San Juan. That, however, turned out to be untrue.
What could have happened?
The submarines apparent failure to use any distress signals or mechanisms has troubled experts because it suggests the submarine could have been quickly and devastatingly incapacitated by a cataclysmic event onboard, noted the Los Angeles Times.
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William Craig Reed, a former U.S. Navy diver and submarine expert, told CNN that the submarine could have suffered some sort of catastrophic failure or it could be something minor that has caused them to either be hung up somewhere or they are on the bottom.
The Argentine navy said on Thursday that there was no sign the submarine had been attacked.
How is the search effort going?
Thousands of military personnel, more than a dozen aircraft and 15 vessels from countries including Brazil, Britain, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, the United States and Uruguay are searching for the vessel.
Finding a submarine, which is difficult to detect by design, is significantly more challenging than locating a surface vessel, experts say.
The search has also be hampered by poor weather, with storms causing strong winds and waves of up to 20 feet in the search area.
How long can the submarine last at sea?
Balbi, the Argentine navy spokesman, said the submarine has enough food, water, fuel and oxygen to operate for 90 days without external help. However, that only applies if the vessel can raise a snorkel to the surface to charge batteries and draw fresh air for the crew.
If the submarine has been fully submerged and unable to surface, its oxygen supply may only last about seven days.
Wednesday marked the seventh day since the vessel disappeared.
I feel like Im waiting for a corpse, Helen Alfaro, the sister of radar officer Cristian Ibanez, told reporters last week.
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Nandi Awards 2017 is currently in the middle of a stormy controversy with filmmakers alleging nepotism and favouritism in the winner selections.
By Lakshana N Palat: It has been a historic year for Telugu cinema. Films such as Baahubali: The Conclusion, Mersal, and Spyder did roaring business in India, as well as internationally.
However, Telugu cinema has been embroiled in several controversies over the year, the latest of them being the recently held Nandi Awards. For the uninitiated, the Nandi Awards are prestigious accolades presented by the Andhra Pradesh government in recognition of stellar work in Telugu cinema.
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For the first time since Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the latter government announced the Nandi Award winners for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The winners in each category were announced for a three-year duration from 2014 to 2016, instead of the more common a winner per category per year system.
While the winners who were awarded for their work in 2015 and 2016 didn't ruffle feathers as such, it was the list of winners from 2014 that turned into a major controversy, and allegations of political favours, casteism, and negligence were brought to the fore.
BALAKRISHNA VS NAGARJUNA
In 2014, the major releases were Maanam, Race Gurram, Legend, Chandamama Kathalu, Oohalu Gusagusalaade, Drushyam and Run Raja Run. Maanam had all three generations of the Akkineni family, including ANR Akkineni, Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya and Samantha in the same film. It was well-received, owing to its cinematography, story, and music. It was also ANR Akkineni's last film, and he passed away soon after its release.
Baahubali: The Beginning walked away with 13 Nandi Awards. However, Prabhas didn't win the Nandi Award for Best Actor, and many expressed their disappointment and shock over the decision.
Nandamuri Balakrishna's Legend, which released just ahead of the 2014 elections, was a blockbuster. The jury chose Legend as the Best Feature Film, over Maanam, and also announced Balakrishna the Best Actor, Boyapati Srinu as Best Director for Legend.
On the whole, Legend won eight awards, whereas Maanam won only four awards. This stirred up a storm, as several film buffs questioned the logic behind choosing Legend over Maanam.
WAS LEGEND A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ELECTIONS?
In a televised debate, two jury members, Prabhu and Prasanna Kumar were asked why they chose Legend over Manam.
"Legend had a good message for the society and the film also ran for almost 1,170 days in one theatre. Compared to that, Manam is a film about reincarnation which doesn't meet certain criteria for the awards," said one jury member.
Many filmmakers rubbished the claim and maintained that Legend was a political drama that had become a springboard for Balakrishna to compete in the 2014 elections from Hindupur constituency.
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"RACE GURRAM WAS SIDELINED"
Race Gurram, starring Allu Arjun and Shruti Haasan was one of the biggest hits of 2014. However, the film was practically ignored by the jury. The film won only two awards, for Best Comedian (Brahmanandam) and Best Male Dubbing Artiste. Race Gurram producer Nallamalupu Bujji alleged that their film was ignored at the Nandi Awards because they did not indulge in lobbying.
Producer Nallamalupu Bujji said in a statement, "Race Gurram was the biggest hit of 2014, but it was completely ignored. Recently C Kalyan (producer) advised others to not make a huge issue out of these awards, and all I want to say is that he would know the pain of a filmmaker if he produces a hit film. I don't know if they were really serious about giving awards or just distributing them to those who are in favour of the government. It feels like a clear case of Kamma (caste) lobbying. Why didn't Prabhas win the Best actor award for Baahubali in 2015? Why was Allu Arjun given an award for Best Character Artiste? We look up to the Nandi Awards for recognition and it's meant to encourage more filmmakers to make good films, but what has happened feels like an insult."
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THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF RULES
Filmmaker Gunasekhar lashed out at the government in a letter, for ignoring his epic drama Rudhramadevi. In 2015, when the film was about to release, the Telangana government announced a tax exemption for the film as it revolved around the life of Queen Rudhramadevi, who was one of the most prominent rulers of the Kakatiya kingdom.
However, the Andhra Pradesh government didn't follow through with this decision, but changed its mind when Balakrishna-starrer Gautamiputra Satakarni, which was about a famous emperor from the Satavahana Dynasty, released in 2017.
Gunasekhar wrote to the jury saying, "I'm dismayed with the government's choices for Nandi Awards and I'm told that whoever questions the decision will be ineligible for the awards for the next three years. Are we living in an autocratic country or independent India? Why wasn't Rudhramadevi considered for one of the three Best Feature Film awards, despite its subject, which highlighted the achievements of a queen? Wasn't it even good enough for a jury award? Or did you think that it was pointless to give recognition to a film which brought alive a chapter of our history which was long forgotten? Or did you believe that you'll send a wrong signal to the society by giving an award to such a film? If that's the case, then I sincerely apologise for making a film like Rudhramadevi."
????? ?..? Is it wrong to question ? pic.twitter.com/2RA6HAuuTg- Gunasekhar (@Gunasekhar1) November 21, 2017
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FAVOURITSM AND NEPOTISM
Producer Bandla Ganesh called the awards 'Cycle Awards', while some even referred to them as the 'Yellow Awards', which is a dig at the party symbol and the colour of Telugu Desam Party's flag respectively (Andhra Pradesh's current chief minister is Chandrababu Naidu, who's the head of TDP. And Balakrishna, actor and TDP MLA from Hindupur, is Chandrababu Naidu's brother-in-law). Thus, there was nepotism too, in the Nandi Awards this year.
Many filmmakers allege the selection of the winners pointed to favouritism of the "Kamma" caste too. Race Gurram producer Nallamalupu Bujji also said that there was nepotism in the way the awardees were selected.
"If you look at the majority of the winners, you can clearly understand that the Kamma community is being lobbied for. That's how much lobbying they did. We didn't. All the awards I've won so far are genuine," Bujji said.
"NON RESIDENT ANDHRAS"
In a jibe, Lokesh, son of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, had asked why Hyderabad-based industry personalities,who did not have either Aadhar or voter identity cards, were being critical of the state and kicking up a storm about the Nandi Film Awards. He referred to them as "Non-Resident Andhras".
Asking how anyone can be branded as a non-resident Andhra for criticising the manner in which Nandi Film Award winners were selected, Posani Krishna Murali asked, "How were NRAs chosen as jury members?" implying those staying in Hyderabad were part of the committee, to make the Lokesh dig ring hollow.
Award ceremonies haven't been devoid of controversy this year, clearly. After Akshay Kumar won the National Award for Rustom, people came down on him with brickbats, and asked why Aamir Khan, who was the lead actor in Dangal, hadn't received it.
The questions that come to mind are, what exactly is the criteria for award-winners? Do commercial blockbusters qualify, or star-driven films, or off-beat films with good storylines? And one last question: Has nepotism and star-craze just taken over award ceremonies for good?
Maybe the next Nandi Awards will undo the allegations that have been levelled against it this year.
ALSO WATCH| Slap happy MLA: Balakrishna stokes controversy again after assaulting fan
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The Buzludzha monument near Kazanluk, Bulgaria looks like a UFO thats been decaying for centuries, but its actually only 36 years old.
Have little green men from outer space been taking an increased interest in our planet over the past twelve months?
A new UFO Stalker map on the MUFON website which hosts thousands upon thousands of sightings from the general public lets you see UFO sightings near you.
The UFO Stalker map shows off recent sightings in British areas such as Lisburn in Northern Ireland and Aberdeenshire, with the site claiming that sightings are up 12% since 2016.
Earlier this year, authors Cheryl Costa and Linda Miller Costa analysed sightings reported to UFO groups such as Mufon and Nuforc.
And contrary to popular myth, UFO sightings are not dying off in fact, the opposite is true, at least in North America, where sightings rose to 11,868 nationwide in 2015 from 3,479 in 2001.
rex
Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, said, UFO Stalker is a brilliant visual guide to the location of UFO sightings, and shows the sheer scale of this phenomena throughout the country over the last few years.
Yahoo News UK
89-year-old retired policeman murdered wife because he couldnt cope with her dementia
Catholic school covers up suggestive statue of saint giving boy a loaf of bread
Ikea reissues recall of Malm drawers after eighth child dies but theyre still on sale in the UK
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner becomes a grandmother at 37
James Bulger killer Jon Venables jailed for second time for possession of child sex abuse images
For UFO researchers it can help them identify UFO hot spots, trends and patterns of activity. This is
useful for those trying to establish if UFOs follow specific flightpaths, particularly for those
who think UFOs are related to geomagnetic and seismic activity.
This theory tries to prove that UFOs, especially strange lights or luminous objects, are caused by teutonic strains in the Earths crust. The maps could also help show if UFOs follow so-called Ley Lines that criss-cross the planet, or if they cluster around military sites.
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The downside of such a map is the quality of the sightings in its data base, these should be carefullyfiltered if anyone really wants to establish geomagnetic or other links with UFO activity. Clusters of sightings might for example be caused by increased media activity in an area, or a bright meteor or other mundane phenomena could also trigger a wave of UFO sightings.
Nonetheless, this is a handy way of presenting UFO data and is very helpful in helping pin down the weird things seen in our skies.
Manila (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has cancelled all future peace talks with communist rebels waging one of Asia's longest insurgencies, in a blow to efforts to end the half century-long conflict.
In a speech Tuesday night, Duterte criticised the insurgents over deadly attacks against soldiers and police while threatening to categorise them as a "terrorist" group.
"I have decided to cut talks with the NPAs," he said, referring to the communists' 3,800-member armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has been waging an insurgency since 1968 to overthrow a capitalist system that has created one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.
Peace talks to end the conflict, which the military says has claimed 30,000 lives, have been conducted on and off for three decades.
They were revived last year after Duterte -- a self-declared socialist -- was elected president, with Norway and the Netherlands hosting the negotiations.
"You tell the guys there in the Netherlands: I am no longer available for any official talk. Let's just go to war," Duterte added Tuesday, referring to rebel leaders living in European exile.
Duterte's government had already shelved a round of negotiations in May and informal talks in July this year, citing deadly guerrilla attacks on security forces.
His peace adviser Jesus Dureza on Wednesday confirmed Duterte's latest decision in a statement but declined to say if further meetings had been scheduled.
The president said a rebel ambush in the southern Philippines this month had killed a police officer and four-month-old baby.
"If you behave like that and we will go to war -- even the civilians are being dragged into this -- then we should just stop talking."
Last month Duterte also accused the communists of plotting with his other foes to destabilise his rule.
He added Tuesday he would issue a proclamation declaring the rebels a "terrorist" organisation and order the arrest of more than a dozen rebel leaders he had freed last year.
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Dureza said Wednesday he had informed Norway of Duterte's decision.
"This is an unfortunate development in our work for peace. Never before have we all reached this far in our negotiations with them," his statement said.
The rebels have yet to comment on Duterte's announcement but the CPP alleged this week that he was out to "perpetuate himself in power through a one-man rule".
(LONDON) Police in London are investigating a second allegation of sexual assault against actor Kevin Spacey, British media reported Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police force said it had received a complaint of sexual assaults against a man in 2005 in the London borough of Lambeth.
The force didnt identify Spacey as the alleged perpetrator. British police dont name suspects until they are charged.
But it said the same man was accused Nov. 1 of another assault in 2008, also in Lambeth. The suspect in that case has been widely named in British media as Spacey.
Officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offenses Command are investigating, the force said in a statement.
A two-time Academy Award winner, Spacey was artistic director of Londons Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015.
The new allegation was made to police a day after the Old Vic said it had received 20 claims of inappropriate behavior by Spacey and it had encouraged 14 of the complainants to go to the police.
The theater launched an investigation into its former leader last month after American actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey had climbed on top of him on a bed when Rapp was 14 and Spacey 26.
The Old Vic said it received the claims of inappropriate behavior in recent weeks, although the alleged incidents were said to have taken place from 1995 to 2013. It said many of the alleged incidents took place at the theater located in the borough of Lambeth and involved members of staff.
Only one of the alleged victims reported the incidents at the time. The Old Vic said a cult of personality around Spacey had discouraged people from speaking out.
In the past few weeks Spacey has been fired from the Netflix TV series House of Cards, was dropped by his talent agency and publicist and is being cut out of Ridley Scotts finished film All the Money in the World.
Spacey apologized to Rapp Oct. 30 for deeply inappropriate drunken behavior and later released a statement saying he was seeking unspecified treatment. He has not commented on the London allegations, and the Old Vic says he did not respond to a request to participate in its investigation.
The explosive #MeToo social media campaign to raise awareness of sexual harassment and violence has spread to the religious community in the form of #ChurchToo. Launched by Twitter users Hannah Paasch and Emily Joy, #ChurchToo prompted users to share stories of sexual abuse in church settings.
Follow the hashtag #churchtoo to hear the firsthand stories of women who have been horribly mistreated by men in church settings. It's important, brave, & vulnerable.
CW/TW for descriptions of assault, harassment, manipulation, abuse. Blake Chastain (@brchastain) November 21, 2017
Actress Alyssa Milano launched the #MeToo movement in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal to encourage women to break their silence and speak out against sexual harassment. The hashtag quickly took off, reaching more than 85 countries and tweeted more than 1.7 million times.
One tweet has brought together 1.7 million voices from 85 countries. Standing side by side, together, our movement will only grow. #MeToo Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 24, 2017
Now that same rallying cry is reverberating within the church:
At a friends youth group, in response to a talk on purity and modesty, l went with tears in my eyes to a female volunteer. l shared that l had been raped and felt shame about not being pure. She responded by asking if l had repented of my role in what happened. #churchtoo Shannon Dingle (@ShannonDingle) November 21, 2017
Following the #churchtoo hash with interest. Many #metoo stories at the hands of the church. And me? I was made to sign a purity contract at age 11. And witnessed a man confess from the pulpit having sex w/a child. Praised for his bravery. No further action. Elizabeth Halford (@bettyhalford) November 21, 2017
Lets not forget to call out the people who didnt believe us when we told them our stories, the pastors, parents, teachers, who left us hurting & alone. You are responsible too. #churchtoo Casey Cruver (@ccruver93) November 21, 2017
I was 11. I went to the restroom. I was followed by the youth pastor. He grabbed my arm. I was lucky enough to fight him off and escape. I just wonder how many girls weren't so lucky. #ChurchToo https://t.co/bp450l3Uw4 Carrie (@carrie_helen13) November 22, 2017
I CANNOT COUNT the number of times Ive heard guys in church PUBLICLY admit to molestation, harassment, assault, etc, only to be praised for their bravery & honesty. No consequences. The churchs legacy of protecting abusers is sickening. #churchtoo Rosemary Johnson (@yellowinmysoul) November 21, 2017
Democratic candidate for US Senate Doug Jones (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Democratic candidate running against controversy-ridden Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race is invoking the words of Ivanka Trump to win support.
Doug Jones has published a 30-second advertisement on the accusations facing Mr Moore, in which a narrator quotes Ms Trump condemning the behaviour of the Republican candidate.
On Roy Moore's disturbing actions, Ivanka Trump says, There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children, and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts, the narrator in the advert says.
Mr Moore is alleged to have pursued underage girls while he was in his 30s and an assistant district attorney in Alabama. He denies all the allegations.
Mr Jones ad also quotes Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who formerly occupied the seat Mr Moore and Mr Jones are vying for, and Republican Alabama senator Richard Shelby, who said that he will absolutely not vote for Roy Moore.
While Ms Trump firmly denounced Mr Moore, her father President Donald Trump has appeared to back the candidate.
AL-Sen: New Doug Jones TV ad features quotes from Ivanka Trump, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby
Voiceover: Conservative voices putting children and women over party. Doing whats right. pic.twitter.com/gadoU4lfh0 Medium Buying (@mediumbuyingllc) November 21, 2017
After weeks of silence regarding the claims against Mr Moore, the President on Tuesday finally weighed in on the issue: I can tell you one thing for sure: we dont need a liberal person in there, a Democrat [Doug] Jones, Mr Trump told reporters, referring to the Alabama Senate seat.
[Mr Moore] denies it. Look, he denies it. I mean, if you look at what is really going on, and you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours, he totally denies it.
Mr Moore and Mr Jones are running to fill the seat left vacant when Mr Sessions was appointed to be Attorney General. Republican Luther Strange was chosen to temporarily fill the position until a special election could be held.
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Mr Trump went on to criticise Mr Jones, calling him soft on crime even though the former US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama prosecuted two Ku Klux Klansmen involved in the deadly 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
Allegations against Mr Moore first surfaced earlier this month when four women told the Washington Post that he had pursued them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One of the women was just 14 at the time.
Multiple other women between the ages of 16 and 22 have since come forward and accused him of unwanted sexual contact.
Much of the alleged sexual misconduct is said to have occurred in the late 1970s, while one alleged instance of him groping a 28-year-old woman is said to have taken place in 1991.
Mr Moore has ardently denied all allegations against him, saying he has not been guilty of sexual misconduct with anyone.
Prior to his visit, a horde of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will be campaigning in all the 89 constituencies for the first phase.
PM Modi is slated to address eight rallies across Saurashtra and south Gujarat, where polling for the first phase of Assembly elections will be held on December 9. (Photo: Reuters)
By Indo-Asian News Service: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be back in his home state to campaign on November 27 and 29, when he is slated to address eight rallies across Saurashtra and south Gujarat, where polling for the first phase of assembly elections will be held on December 9.
Prior to his visit, a horde of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will be campaigning in all the 89 constituencies for the first phase.
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On the morning of November 27, Modi would address people of Bhuj in Kutch district and then move on to address public gatherings in Saurashtra region at Jasdan town of Rajkot and Dhari in Amreli district before flying off to Kamrej of Surat district in south Gujarat.
On November 29, he would be back in the state to address poll rallies in Saurashtra region at Morbi and Prachi villages near Somnath, Palitana in Bhavnagar and at Navsari in south Gujarat.
"Each rally has been organized so that people from five to six surrounding constituencies can participate," BJP's Gujarat incharge Bhupendra Yadav told the media.
Prior to Modi's campaigning, several prominent BJP leaders will address rallies in different parts of state on November 26 and 27. They would align their campaign by merging the "Chai pe charcha" with workers across 50,000 booths in all the 89 constituencies with tuning in and listen to Prime Minister's "Mann ki Baat".
The BJP has named this programme as 'Mann Ki Baat - Chai Ke Saath'.
Party workers will interact with gathered people at the polling booth region and project the party's themes and the development works carried out by the BJP over the years.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, and Uma Bharti, and Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Vasundhara Raje (Rajastha), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh) and Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) will also be in the state for the campaigning.
Along with them, BJP national President Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, state BJP president Jitu Vaghani, former Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and national Vice President Purshottam Rupala will address gatherings.
ALSO WATCH | BJP, Congress cross swords on social media over Gujarat election
--- ENDS ---
Sochi (Russia) (AFP) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes, on Thursday asked Russia's Vladimir Putin to protect his country from the United States.
Speaking during his first visit to Russia as president, Bashir also said he wanted to ramp up military ties and praised Moscow's military campaign in Syria.
"We have been dreaming about this visit for a long time," the Sudanese president told Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
"We are thankful to Russia for its position on the international arena, including Russia's position in the protection of Sudan. We are in need of protection from the aggressive acts of the United States."
The Sudanese leader praised his earlier meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"We are currently launching a programme to modernise our armed forces and we agreed with the defence minister that Russia will contribute to this," Bashir said.
Putin said that Russia was keen to intensify economic ties including in agriculture and energy.
"There are prospects not only in the hydrocarbon sphere but also in energy," Putin said. "There are many prospects of cooperation."
The visit came a month after the United States lifted a trade embargo it imposed on the impoverished African state in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.
US President Donald Trump also removed Sudan from a list of countries facing a US travel ban.
Sudan's deadly conflict in Darfur broke out in 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency.
The UN says at least 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million displaced as a result of the conflict.
Top Sudanese officials including Bashir now claim that the conflict has ended, but the region continues to see regular fighting between numerous ethnic and tribal groups.
Bashir is wanted by the ICC for genocide and war crimes related to the conflict, charges he denies.
Britains performance in Brexit negotiations has reportedly been attacked by EU officials (Rex)
A secret report on Brexit has apparently outlined how badly the UK is doing during negotiations to leave the EU.
According to RTE News, the confidential report quotes senior EU figures describing the chaos in the Conservative government as the official Brexit date gets closer.
Officials said the biggest problem is the chaotic political situation in the UK government.
The report claims there is chaos and confusion in the Conservative Government (Rex)
The Government is keen for talks to move on to the second phase of negotiations that will cover trade as quickly as possible.
However, the EU is refusing to break the deadlock until Britain makes vital concessions on issues like the price of the divorce bill and the rights of EU citizens in the UK.
The report is believed to have been based on meetings between senior Irish diplomatic figures and Government officials across Europe and Japan.
Yahoo News UK
89-year-old retired policeman murdered wife because he couldnt cope with her dementia
Catholic school covers up suggestive statue of saint giving boy a loaf of bread
Ikea reissues recall of Malm drawers after eighth child dies but theyre still on sale in the UK
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner becomes a grandmother at 37
James Bulger killer Jon Venables jailed for second time for possession of child sex abuse images
According to RTE, several EU ministers are pessimistic and scornful of the UK Governments negotiating position.
One of the claims made is that at a meeting between Brexit Secretary David Davis and French ministers for Defence and European Affairs, Mr Davis barely mentioned Brexit at all.
A British judge in the European Court of justice is also said to have lashed out about the quality of politicians in Westminster at a meeting in Luxembourg.
Brexit Secretary David Davis was blasted for barely mentioning Brexit during a meeting (Rex)
The report also apparently outline how many senior figures warn that Britain will leave the EU without a deal in place.
Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged another 3bn for Brexit preparations in yesterdays Budget.
He said: We are determined to ensure that the country is prepared for every possible outcome.
By Paul McLeary with Adam Rawnsley
Another Navy accident in the Pacific. A U.S. Navy transport plane carrying eleven people crashed in the Philippine Sea south of Japan on Wednesday as it flew to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Seventh Fleet said Wednesday.
It was the fifth accident this year for the Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific.
Eight crewmembers have been rescued, with three more unaccounted for. The rescued personnel were transferred to the Reagan and are in good condition, the Navy said. The C-2 Greyhound, a propeller-powered transport plane, first entered service in the mid-1960s. It is slated to be replaced by the long-range tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft.
A bad year for the Seventh Fleet. The crash comes just three months after the U.S.S. John S. McCain was rammed by an oil tanker near Singapore, killing ten sailors. In June, the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine merchant vessel off the coast of Japan, killing seven sailors. In an accident report released this month, the Navy said the crashes were avoidable and came as the result of poor training and leadership.
U.S. bombs North, East Africa. There have been new rounds of American airstrikes in Somalia and Libya, with the largest coming north of Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing over 100 al Shabab militants, according to the U.S. Africa Command. The strike was hardly unprecedented. In March 2016, a U.S. aircraft and drones killed more than 150 al Shabaab fighters in Somalia.
Over in Libya, U.S. strikes hit Islamic State militants in Fuqaha, south of the former ISIS stronghold of Sirte on Nov. 17 and 19. There have been intermittent American strikes in Libya since Operation Odyssey Lightning in August and December 2016, when American aircraft conducted around 500 airstrikes, killing hundreds of militants.
Nothing to see here, Pentagon says. Despite the increasing frequency of the strikes, especially in Somalia, I do not believe necessarily theres a ramp-up. Its the density of targets is such that now theres some opportunities to do those strikes, Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth Frank McKenzie told reporters at the Pentagon last week. As [the targets] become available and as were able to process them and vet them, we strike them, he added.
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U.S. Army vulnerable to Russian hacking. The Army has concluded that its $6 billion battlefield communications system would likely be breached by Russia or China in the event of a big-power conflict, and is asking for least two years to come up with a new, more resilient system, FPs Paul McLeary reports. Not only is the WIN-T system hackable, but soldiers cant set it up quickly and potentially move it in a hurry if they need to, one Army official said. So if Im in more than one place for an extended period of time, Im dead.
More trouble. Another once-venerated program that likely wouldnt survive a fight with the Russians or Chinese is the U.S. Air Forces Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), which provides ground surveillance.
How will we fight and how will we close the kill chain in a highly contested environment, in Europe, Air Force Gen. Mike Holmes said this week. Our conclusion is, that none of those systems that were fielded now, including our current JSTARS or a replacement JSTARS would give us the capability to do that.
Ukraine. Reports indicate that president Trump might sign off on some $40 million worth of lethal arms sales to Ukraine in the coming weeks. Buzzfeeds John Hudson spoke to some administration officials who told him that the key to persuading Trump is requiring Ukraine to pay for at least some of the equipment. For Trump, it has to be a two-way deal, a senior State Department official said. Ukraine spends almost 7% of its GDP on defense, so its reasonable to expect Ukraine to pay for this.
Trump transgender ban. On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction in Stone v. Trump, a case brought by the ACLU challenging Trumps transgender military ban. It was the second federal judge to demand a halt to the Trump administrations proposed transgender military ban finding that active-duty service members are already suffering harmful consequences because of the presidents policy.
U.S. sanctions hit Chinese, North Korean companies. The Trump administration has slapped sanctions on 13 Chinese and North Korean organizations it says have conducted hundreds of millions of dollars in trade in recent years. The new sanctions demonstrate the Trump administrations focus on hitting economic ties between China and North Korea as a way to pressure Pyongyang to back away from its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
Welcome to SitRep. As always, please send any tips, thoughts or national security events to paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or via Twitter: @paulmcleary.
Kim advisor gets shivved. Kim Jong-un has purged another senior North Korean military officer in his continuing effort to bring the countrys powerful armed services to heel. South Korean intelligence officials say that Kim has meted out unspecified punishments to former advisor and chief of the General Political Bureau of the army Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So.
The great escape. The U.N. Command in Korea has released footage of a North Korean soldiers defection at the Panmunjom Joint Security Area where officials from the two Koreas meet face-to-face for talks. The video shows the Korean Peoples Army soldier bolting across the border as his fellow troops open fire and briefly step across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two countries.
He went to Jared. White House son-in-law-in-chief Jared Kushner is once again in a subject of interest for Special Counsel Robert Muellers inquiry into Russian election meddling. Investigators from Muellers office are probing Kushners contacts with foreign governments as the Trump transition team tried to quash a U.N. resolution criticizing Israeli settlements in December 2016.
Men behaving badly (yet again). Three uniformed service members from the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) are in trouble for their interactions with foreign women during President Trumps recent trip through Asia, according to a scoop from the Washington Post. Its unclear what that conduct consisted of or which country it took place in but troops assigned to the WHCA are tasked with the sensitive job of securing the classified communications of White House officials while abroad.
Our man in Washington. How close is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) to the Russian government? The New York Times reports that FBI agents have told the California congressman that Russian intelligence gave him a codename as far back as 2012 and considers him one of its sources. The revelation comes as part of a long profile of Rohrabacher, whos finding it increasingly lonely to be the sole vocal defender of Russia in Congress as the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 election continues to roil American politics.
Fake news. Google is tweaking its search algorithm to make sure that news site like the Russian government-run RT and Sputnik, frequently accused of peddling fake news and propaganda, appear lower in search results. CEO Eric Schmidt singled out the two companies as particular problems in a recent speech, saying that the company has had to be more vigilant about monitoring the content it offers to consumers because with the data, from what weve seen from Russia in 2016 and with other actors around the world, we have to act
Cloud of suspicion. Europe is wondering where a cloud of radioactivity came from just as Russia has confirmed that an old nuclear facility in the Ural Mountains recently spewed out a burst of ruthenium 106 into the atmosphere. Authorities in France and Germany say the radioactivity spotted over Western Europe harmless to human health and safety likely came from Russia but Russia denies that the two incidents are related.
Saads excellent adventure. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has returned to Beirut after leaving the country for Saudi Arabia to announce his resignation amidst what he claimed was a Hezbollah assassination plot against him and what skeptics say was a Saudi-prompted attempt to put political pressure on the the Iranian-backed terrorist group. Hariri stopped in France on his way back from Saudi Arabia, where French Presidential Emmanuel Macron has tried to defuse the political crisis brought about by Hariris attempted resignation.
Iran in the machine. The U.S. has indicted an Iranian hacker it accuses of trying to shake down HBO for bitcoin blackmail money after stealing unaired HBO TV episodes and snagging a copy of scripts for forthcoming Game of Thrones shows. Prosecutors say Behzad Mesri allegedly worked for Irans military, hacking Israeli military and critical infrastructure systems before moving on to a career as a criminal trying to get HBO to pay $6 million to prevent the release of its content to the public.
Most of the low-end connected cameras you'll find on store shelves will run you at least $50, and more feature-rich options like Amazon's Cloud Cam and Logitech's Circle 2 are north of $100. The prospect of kitting out your house with connected cameras doesn't need to be that expensive, though. On the opposite end of the price spectrum sits the WyzeCam, a super-cheap connected video camera ushered to market by who else? a handful of Amazon alums. Each camera will set you back a whopping $20, but don't let the price tag fool you: the WyzeCam is a surprisingly capable bargain.
At first glance, the WyzeCam doesn't look like much. It's a tiny white cube with a big black eye that swivels on a base, and the whole thing is so light you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a you. The WyzeCam might look a little familiar to fans of cheap, foreign gadgets, too, since it's actually based on another super-cheap camera system cooked up by a Chinese hardware maker and sold by Xiaomi. There have been plenty of cases where companies have rebranded existing products and sold them as their own, but this is a little different. Wyze Labs licensed the hardware, made some minor changes then built new, better software to power it.
That is Wyze's shtick in a nutshell. As director of marketing Jessie Zhou put it, the company's true value lies in "the ability to develop customer software for these products and sell them at an affordable price" rather than developing new hardware from scratch. "We consider hardware a commodity," she added. "Why reinvent the wheel?"
A future based on building new software for hardware that already exists seems fraught with potential problems, but that's the plan Wyze is sticking to for now. After a few weeks of testing, it seems the company might be onto something.
I set up two WyzeCams around the Engadget office: one was pointed at my desk to see if anyone alien wandered toward our growing pile of gadgets, and another pointed out the window to monitor the weather while I was futzing around in our studio. At $20 a pop, my expectations were basically subterranean. Despite their cheapness, though, the 1080p video feeds I tapped into from my phone looked surprisingly good their wide, 110-degree field of view meant I could easily keep tabs on interlopers approaching Engadget's corner of the office and with better picture quality than I expected.
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That a camera does a good job of capturing video shouldn't be a surprise, but considering the minimal cost involved, there's a lot to like here. The cameras pack a pair of infrared lights to help with night vision, along with a speaker and microphone to turn the camera into an intercom when needed. Ultimately though, the hardware is pretty rudimentary what really shines is Wyze's software. Getting a WyzeCam up and running took just a few minutes, and after that, the company's no-nonsense app design made it easy to jump into live feeds, record footage and schedule time lapse recordings.
Even better, the WyzeCam records short videos whenever it detects sound or motion, and they're stored in the cloud for two weeks so you can easily go back and check them. (The total cost of that cloud storage: $0.) Since I installed my cameras at work, I got alerts basically all the time. At first, I thought that was exactly what I wanted, but when the notifications got to be too much, the app easily let me dial down the motion tracker's sensitivity. For now, I seem to have struck the right balance between "HEY, this stranger is getting to close to your stuff" and "Oh, Terrence just walked by again."
I admit it: I don't really need connected cameras in my life, so my uses for the WyzeCams have been pretty trivial. In a way, that's the beauty of the WyzeCam: it works better than expected, and since it's so cheap, you won't feel bad setting up a few just for kicks. What you probably shouldn't do, however, is rely on this thing to be a full-fledged security camera. That's definitely not what Wyze Labs had in mind when it put together the Wyze Cam, and it shows.
See, cheap hardware usually comes with a catch, and in this case there are a few. After about a week, the camera I pointed at my desk randomly disconnected from our WiFi network -- it just sat there playing its "hang on, I'm refreshing!" animation without ever saying it couldn't connect. I had to check the camera's settings to figure out what was happening, and that's just bad design. Having a camera decide to stop working correctly is mildly annoying when you're just trying to check the weather outside, but it could such a failure could be tragic under the right (or wrong) circumstances. And while the camera can be made to work like an intercom, it isn't particularly great at picking up what people were saying on the other end.
The other catch is more existential. Wyze Labs wouldn't confirm how much money it makes off of each camera, but Zhou admitted that margins were "extremely low" -- what else would you expect from something this cheap? The value is great for you and me, but carving out a niche as a purveyor of value-priced goods could make survival difficult in the long run. Then again, Wyze's philosophy is nothing if not practical internet storefronts are full of cheap, solid Chinese cameras, and some software finesse is all it would take to make them palatable to the rest of the world now. And for now, the company's biggest problem is arguably a good one: it doesn't have enough supply to meet all of the demand.
Yangon (AFP) - Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on Thursday paving the way for the possible repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state, officials said, as global pressure mounts over the refugee crisis.
More than 620,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since August, running from a Myanmar military crackdown that Washington said this week clearly constitutes "ethnic cleansing".
After weeks of tussling over the terms of repatriation, the two sides inked a deal in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday following talks between Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka's Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali.
"Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding today," Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary of Myanmar's Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, confirmed to AFP.
He said he was unauthorised to provide more details.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay also tweeted that an "agreement on repatriation" had been signed, though he could not be reached by phone for further comment.
In brief remarks to the press, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Ali said: "This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working."
But the scope of the repatriation -- such as how many Rohingya will be allowed back -- and the timeline remain unclear.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the process, including where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging.
The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya.
The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.
They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services.
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The latest unrest erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts on August 25.
The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities.
The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone.
Suu Kyi's government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse.
burs-ssm/iw
Lugansk (Ukraine) (AFP) - Tensions appeared to abate Thursday in Lugansk, a stronghold of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, two days after infighting erupted in the war-scarred region, culminating in accusations of a coup attempt.
The so-called Lugansk People's Republic, one of two regions controlled by the rebels, has for years been blighted by leadership squabbles and several senior leaders have been assassinated.
The current conflict escalated on Tuesday, when hundreds of armed men in military fatigues without insignia blocked access to government buildings in what one of the soldiers described as military drills ordered by the Lugansk interior ministry.
Patrols began after self-proclaimed Lugansk leader Igor Plotnitsky earlier this week sacked his interior minister, Igor Kornet, in an apparent spike in infighting between rebel factions.
Plotnitsky then accused Kornet of masterminding a coup attempt, which the sacked minister denied. But Kornet has so far refused to step down.
On Thursday, the number of soldiers and military trucks in the city centre had sharply decreased, as formerly blocked government buildings were again accessible.
Military vehicles were moved from the streets and parked in backyards, AFP journalists saw.
"This is not a coup, we simply need to lead people on the right track," one of the armed, pro-Kornet men who identified himself as "Varyag" told AFP.
Kornet's men on Wednesday had arrested a top local prosecutor loyal to Plotnitsky, along with several of his deputies.
"We just cleaned up the streets because some leaders are becoming too capricious and think they control the world," Varyag said.
The headquarters of the local television, headed by a relative of Plotnitsky, remained surrounded by armed men, while Plotnitsky's official website reported it had been subject to "repeated cyberattacks".
Plotnitsky's whereabouts were unknown Thursday, but some Russian media reported he had left Lugansk and fled to Russia.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was aware of the situation, but declined further comment.
A conflict between Russia-backed fighters and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014, when pro-Russian forces declared parts of eastern Ukraine independent following Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of plotting and backing the insurgency, which Moscow denies.
Donald Trumps chief economic advisor, Gary Cohn, recently faked a bad phone connection to get off a call with the president, a Democratic senator revealed Wednesday.
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware told CNN that Cohn answered a call from Trump while Democratic senators were in a meeting discussing tax reform.
About 15 minutes into the conversation, the president, who was calling from Asia, was still talking. Thats when Carper recalls suggesting to Cohn: Gary why dont you do this, just take the phone from, you know, your cellphone back and just say, Mr. President, youre brilliant! But were losing contact, and I think were going to lose you now, so goodbye.
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper says White House economic adviser Gary Cohn faked a bad connection to get President Trump off the phone so they could have a conversation on tax reform without him https://t.co/qcUnSEsysl CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 22, 2017
And thats what he did, and he hung up, Carper added.
A CNN anchor then asked Carper to confirm that Cohn actually faked a bad connection to get off the phone with Trump.
Gary Cohn
Well, I wouldnt I dont want to throw him under the bus, but yes, the senator replied.
The White House, on the other hand, said Carpers account of the call was completely false.
Gary Cohn took the phone off speaker and continued to speak with the president privately for several minutes before they concluded the call, said Raj Shah, White House principal deputy press secretary, in a statement to CBS News.
But the denial didnt stop Twitter from mocking Trump over the alleged fake-out.
gary cohn: crinkle crinkle hissing sound weird echo
trump: did you just say the words 'crinkle crinkle hissing sound'
cohn: oh no dropped call Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) November 22, 2017
Gary Cohn Welcome to The Resistance pic.twitter.com/iqmC4m5M3e Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) November 22, 2017
Ok this is fun. And you thought no story about the Trump administration could be fun... :) https://t.co/1BZNzuw8bm Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) November 22, 2017
DT's chief economic adviser Gary Cohn faked a bad connection to get off the phone with him. DT is officially Gary Cohn's mother-in-law. Brandon Besserer (@BrandonBesserer) November 22, 2017
Gary Cohn faked a bad connection with Donny to get out of talking to him - can we replicate this on a national level, public-to-president? Negin Farsad (@NeginFarsad) November 22, 2017
If I get down today, I will lighten the mood by imagining Gary Cohn making crackling and wooshing noises and then hanging up on Trump. Jon Becker (@jonbecker) November 22, 2017
Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has clashed with Trump in the past.
In August, he spoke out against Trumps controversial response to the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cohn allegedly wrote a resignation letter at the time, but ultimately decided to remain in his position, The New York Times reported.
The Narendra Modi is looking to overhaul the country's direct tax laws and has set up a panel to review and redraft the half-a-century-old Income Tax Act.
A seven-member panel will submit its report on drafting a new income tax law in six months (Picture for representation)
By India Today Web Desk: Months after the Goods and Services Tax roll-out overhauled the country's indirect tax system, the Narendra Modi government has now set its sights on India's direct tax law. On Wednesday, the government set up a seven-member task force to draft a new direct taxes law, Business Today reported.
The task force will review and redraft the over 50-year-old Income Tax Act. "Accordingly, in order to review the Act and to draft a new direct tax law in consonance with economic needs of the country, the Government has constituted a task force," the finance ministry was quoted as saying by Business Today.
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According to the report, Arbind Modi, who is a member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), will head the task force while Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian will serve as a permanent invitee on the panel.
Other members of the task force are Girish Ahuja, a practicing chartered accountant and non-official director of State Bank of India; Rajiv Memani, chairman and regional managing partner of E&Y; Mukesh Patel, a practicing tax advocate; Mansi Kedia, a consultant with ICRIER; and G C Srivastava, a retired IRS officer.
According to a report by news agency PTI, the task force will submit its report to the government within six months and will draft direct tax laws in line with those prevalent in other countries, while incorporating international best practices, and keeping in mind the economic needs of the country.
Terms of Reference of the Task Force is to draft an appropriate Direct Tax Legislation keeping in view:(i)The Direct Tax System prevalent in various countries;(ii)The international best practices.(iii)The economic needs of the country and (iv)Any other matter connected thereto.- Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) November 22, 2017
The government's move to overhaul the country's direct tax laws come against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comment that the Income-tax Act, 1961 was drafted more than 50 years ago and needed to be redrafted.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS
The Manmohan Singh government in 2009 too had tried doing something similar. Then-finance minister P Chidambaram had proposed the original direct taxes code to replace the cumbersome IT law with a clean new law and to embody the principle of keeping taxes low and removing exemptions.
Arbind Modi had assisted the former finance minister in preparing the code. However, the bill, that underwent many changes subsequently was not passed by Parliament.
The Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill, 2010, which was introduced in Parliament in 2010, lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.
The Bill had proposed annual I-T exemption limit at Rs 2 lakh, and levying 10 per cent tax on income between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, 20 per cent on Rs 5-10 lakh and 30 per cent above Rs 10 lakh. For domestic companies, it suggested tax rate of 30 per cent of business income.
The NDA government, since coming to power in 2014, has already implemented general anti-avoidance rules GAAR. In 2016, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also promised to lower corporate tax rate to 25 per cent in 5 years.
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Currently, income up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum is exempt from tax for individuals.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Discussing the air force when speaking to a different service, president again praises F-35, which is not invisible and has faced a costly development process
Donald Trump returned to a favourite subject on Thursday, telling a US coast guard audience the air force was ordering a new plane that was almost like an invisible fighter.
The plane in question, the F-35, is not invisible, though it is unusually small and designed to be less visible to radar than conventional aircraft. Its development, however, has proved all too visibly costly and riddled with problems.
Trump first startled reporters with talk of an invisible plane in October, when he discussed the F-35 at a military briefing in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico.
Amazing job, Trump said then. So amazing we are ordering hundreds of millions of dollars of new airplanes for the air force, especially the F-35. You like the F-35? ... You cant see it. You literally cant see it. Its hard to fight a plane you cant see.
He also said: Thats an expensive plane you cant see. As you heard, we cut the price very substantially. Something that other administrations would never have done that I can tell you.
According to the pool report of the presidents Thanksgiving Day visit to Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, in Florida, Trump told his audience he had discussed the invisible plane with some air force guys. He asked them, he said, if it would perform in a dogfight like similar planes he had seen in movies.
They said: Well, it wins every time because the enemy cannot see it, even if its right next to it, it cant see it, Trump said.
The coast guard members laughed, some perhaps aware that the president speaking to them about the air force was a reversal of his remarks in Puerto Rico in October, when he spoke to an air force audience about the coast guard.
Contra to his earlier expressions of pride about being responsible for a cut in the cost of the F-35 a claim that experts have said is at best contestable Trump also told coast guard members of his pride in having increased military spending.
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Were ordering tremendous amounts of new equipment were at $700bn for the military. And, you know, they were cutting back for years. They just kept cutting, cutting, cutting the military. And you got lean, to put it nicely. It was depleted, was the word. And now its changing.
Trump also said nobody has the equipment that we have and added a variation on a contention made earlier in the visit and on Twitter on Thanksgiving morning: that everything in American life, military or otherwise, has changed for the better since he became president.
Trump began his remarks by congratulating the coast guard for its response to recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. He said: You know, the coast guard, always respected, but if you were looking at it as a brand, theres no brand that went up more than the coast guard, with what happened in Texas.
The president is reportedly planning to tap academic Thomas Brunell to be deputy director of the Census Bureau. (Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is reportedly leaning toward tapping an academic for the No. 2 position at the U.S. Census Bureau, a decision that has alarmed advocates who say the pick lacks adequate management experience for a massive operational role and has political views that would undermine the credibility of the agency.
Politico reported Tuesday that Trump is considering Thomas Brunell, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas with no management experience, to be the deputy director of the Census Bureau. If Trump does pick Brunell, Politico noted, it would break with longstanding tradition of having a nonpartisan career civil servant in the role.
Brunell faces increased scrutiny from civil rights and voting groups because as an academic, he has argued that redistricting for partisan gain can actually be a good thing and has served as an expert witness in support of redistricting plans. Those views are significant because the census, which the U.S. Constitution requires every 10 years, helps determine how electoral maps are drawn. The deputy director is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the bureau a position that has increased importance as the agency gears up for the 2020 census.
Robert Groves, who ran the Census Bureau from 2009-2012 and is now the provost at Georgetown University, said the deputy director position was traditionally filled by a civil servant who had been promoted through the bureau. Phil Sparks, a former Census official who is now co-director of The Census Project, a coalition that monitors the Census, likened the position to a train engineer who makes sure everything is running on time.
You want to have a strong person in that position because thats the day-to-day administrator for the Census Bureau, Sparks told HuffPost. The fact that they are considering someone with a highly partisan background just boggles the mind.
African Americans and Hispanics, two groups Sparks said the Census has traditionally had trouble counting, could suffer significantly if there is not strong and clear organizational leadership at the Census.
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Lawmakers are required to draw electoral districts in such a way that each district has roughly the same number of people in it. Federal law prohibits lawmakers from drawing those maps in such a way that intentionally dilutes the impact of minority votes. A good census is crucial to making sure that doesnt happen by giving lawmakers an accurate sense of the minority populations in each area.
The Census is currently down on the number of partnership specialists, Sparks said, who help it reach minority populations, and the deputy director will need to make sure that effort is organized.
There are 1,000 partnership specialists that are gonna be deployed across the country. Thats a major management task: To recruit, orient, and then deploy and then supervise these 1,000 people, he said. And again, the deputy director is right in the middle of all of that.
Neither the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, nor Brunell responded to a request for comment.
The Census is already facing considerable hurdles as it gears up for 2020. John Thompson, the bureaus director, resigned in May and the agency does not have a permanent director in place. In October, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appeared before Congress to ask for an additional $3.3 billion to fund Census upgrades and projects that are already behind schedule.
Earlier this year, the White House considered tapping Brunell to be the director, a job that requires Senate confirmation, but faced resistance from lawmakers, Politico reported. The deputy director does not need to be confirmed.
In his academic work, Brunell has argued that decreasing competition and packing like-minded voters into congressional districts is good because it increases the likelihood voters will cast a ballot for a winning candidate and consequently increase their trust in government. In 2008, he published a book called Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections are Bad for America.
Brunell waded into a controversy over whether the 2000 census should use a statistical adjustment to get a more accurate count of Americans. At the time, he wrote it was impossible to remove the census from political concerns.
Removing the census from the arena of politics is impossible. Politics cannot be taken out of redistricting, out of making the federal budget, or, especially, out of elections, he wrote in a 2000 paper. If the Census Bureau is given complete control over how the census is conducted, including the use of statistical adjustment for the purposes of apportionment and redistricting, what happens when the Bureau officials are faced with competing statistical estimates for the nations population.
He has also said the census shouldnt be too insulated from Congress.
While taking of the census may seem like undue meddling by self-interested politicians, the other alternative of an insulated bureaucracy without a measure of responsiveness is more problematic, he wrote in 2001.
Justin Levitt and David Schleicher, professors at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and Yale Law School, respectively, both said they were familiar with Brunells academic work. While they often disagreed with his conclusions, they both said his scholarship was serious.
Civil rights groups seized on Brunells academic work and said his appointment would mark an effort by the Trump administration to politicize a bureau that has been traditionally dominated by civil servants. Both Sparks and Groves said there were only two political appointees in the bureau out of thousands of employees when they were there.
Karen Hobert Flynn, the president of the liberal watchdog group Common Cause, said in a statement the Trump administration was choosing to make the Census partisan.
Politics have no business in the Census but the Trump Administrations leading candidate for the deputy director slot at the Census Bureau, Thomas Brunell, would introduce blatant partisan politics into the national headcount, Flynn said.
Vanita Gupta, who ran the civil rights division in the Department of Justice during the Obama administration and is now president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said Brunells appointment would undermine the credibility of the Census.
With regard to the deputy director, historically and traditionally, that person has had significant civil service experience, strong management credentials overseeing a large organization and operation, and considerable expertise in the federal statistical system, she said in a statement. Thomas Brunell is outside that mold. Coupled with the partisan nature of the body of his work, this appointment would undermine the credibility of the bureaus role as a fundamentally nonpartisan statistical agency. Very little in Brunells background suggests that he is the right person for this job.
Sparks said by picking Brunell, the Trump administration would be making a clear statement about how they see the Census.
Theyre making a statement if he is appointed. A real political statement that the White House wants to have their thumb on the Census Bureau, he said.
Also on HuffPost
The sun rises behind the U.S. Capitol Dome early in the morning before the ceremonial swearing-in of President Barack Obama during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The Capitol dome is silhouetted as the sun rises in Washington, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The moon rises behind the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington as Congress worked into the late evening, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 to resolve the stalemate over the pending "fiscal cliff." (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
Dark clouds surround the Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 1, 2012, as severe weather comes to the area. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The U.S. Capitol dome is seen on December on 17, 2010 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
The dome of the Capitol is reflected in a skylight of the Capitol Visitor's Center in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol Building, June 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Law enforcement officers line up on the lawn on the east side of the U.S. Capitol during the 32nd annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol May 15, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol Building, June 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
A U.S. flag flies at half staff on the U.S. Capitol April 15, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The U.S. Capitol dome and Christmas tree are seen December 18, 2011 in Washington. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
A view of the U.S. Capitol's rotunda and a TV truck's satellite dish before the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill January 25, 2011 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
A flag flies at half-mast over the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 10, 2011, in honor of the six people killed in the shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that also severely wounded Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
A Christmas after being lit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, is pictured before the Capitol Hill dome in Washington on December 7, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
The Capitol Dome is seen during a rehearsal for the Inauguration Ceremony January 11, 2009. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
The U.S. flag flies in front of the US Capitol dome on December 24, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen at dusk on December 9, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
The Capitol dome is seen silhouetted against the rising sun in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
The illuminated Capitol Dome is pictured late November 21, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, D.C. on September 20, 2008. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
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By Steve Holland and Alexandra Ulmer
WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that Venezuelan-American executives at refiner Citgo who were arrested in a corruption sweep this week would be tried as "corrupt, thieving traitors" despite a request by the United States to free them.
Five of six executives of U.S.-based refiner Citgo [PDVSAC.UL] who were arrested in Caracas this week are U.S. citizens, according to a source familiar with the matter, possibly complicating Venezuela's corruption sweep of the oil industry.
The six executives included acting Citgo President Jose Pereira, who has Venezuelan citizenship and U.S. permanent residency, the source said. Citgo did not respond to requests for comment.
Late on Wednesday, Maduro tapped Asdrubal Chavez, a former oil minister and cousin of the late president Hugo Chavez, to replace Pereira.
Military intelligence agents detained the Texas-based executives during an event at state oil company PDVSA's headquarters in Caracas on Tuesday, two sources told Reuters. U.S.-based Citgo Petroleum Corp (Citgo) is a Venezuelan-owned refiner and marketer of oil and petrochemical products.
Maduro said the U.S. embassy had requested that its nationals be freed. He mocked the demand and vowed that the men, who are also Venezuelan, would pay for alleged wrongdoing in a financial deal.
"These are people born in Venezuela, they're Venezuelan and they're going to be judged for being corrupt, thieving traitors," Maduro said in a televised broadcast during which he also sang and danced salsa.
"They're properly behind bars, and they should go to the worst prison in Venezuela."
Relations between Caracas and Washington have long been tense. They have further soured under President Donald Trump since his administration imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials including Maduro, and economic sanctions that have impeded the OPEC nation's access to international banks.
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Venezuela has defaulted on sovereign debt and bonds issued by PDVSA after failing to make timely payments, a New York-based derivatives group ruled on Thursday.
Late on Wednesday, a U.S. State Department official said, "We have seen media reports of the arrest of U.S. citizens in Venezuela. Venezuela is required under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to provide consular notification to the U.S. upon request of a detained U.S. citizen, and to provide consular access.
"When a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we immediately request permission to visit him or her. We have no additional information to offer at this time."
Venezuelan state Prosecutor Tarek Saab has declared a crusade against organized crime in Venezuela's oil industry. Saab told a news conference on Tuesday that his office had uncovered a roughly $4 billion planned deal with foreign companies, offering the refiner as guarantee in a detrimental deal for Venezuela.
According to Saab, the deal was with U.S. investment fund Apollo Global Management LLC and Dubai-based Frontier Management Group LTD, and also included a Swiss-based intermediary, Mangore Sarl. He added there was a "presumed" link between Mangore Sarl and the Citgo executives.
Opposition leaders have attributed the arrests to in-fighting among government factions and the cash-strapped government's desire to gain control of money-making companies rather than a genuine desire to root out corruption.
Venezuela has whipped out much of Citgo's top brass at a delicate time for the OPEC nation, which has been declared in selective default after some late payments. But as Venezuela is making efforts to pay, bondholders of some of the worlds highest yielding debt have so far been tolerant of the delays.
The five other arrested executives are: Tomeu Vadell, vice president of refining operations; Alirio Zambrano, vice president and general manager of Corpus Christi refinery; Jose Luis Zambrano, vice president of shared services; Gustavo Cardenas, vice president of strategic shareholder relations, government and public affairs; Jorge Toledo, vice president of supply and marketing.
(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Diego Ore in Caracas; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Diane Craft)
By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge on Wednesday struck down parts of a Texas law that would ban the most common type of second-trimester abortions in the state, after plaintiffs argued the procedure was safe, legal and necessary for women's health. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin issued a permanent injunction against the provisions that were in legislation known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) and set to take effect this year, saying they "are facially unconstitutional." He added: "The act intervenes in the medical process of abortion prior to viability in an unduly burdensome manner." Texas, the most-populous Republican-controlled state, has been at the forefront of trying to impose abortion restrictions. In recent years, such legislation by the state has generally been struck down by federal courts that have often said the measures are unconstitutional because they place an undue burden on women and do not promote public health. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office had appealed the decision, adding SB 8 was lawful and protected "unborn human life from ghastly dismemberment abortions." Yeakel, appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, wrote that "dismemberment abortion" was not a medical term used by physicians and the intent of the act was to ban the dilation and evacuation procedure. He said that resulted in an undue burden on a woman's right to have an abortion. While dilation and evacuation is used in most second-trimester abortions, nearly 90 percent of all abortions are performed in the first trimester, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. This is a huge win for Texas women and families, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and chief executive of Whole Womans Health, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Similar bans in other states including Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma have also been struck down by courts. The Texas law refers to the procedure as dismemberment abortion, in which a combination of suction and forceps issued to bring tissue through the cervix. Opponents of the law say that after about 15 weeks of pregnancy, it is the safest method of abortion. Texas lawmakers proposed SB 8 after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2016 - in what legal analysts called the strongest endorsement of U.S. abortion rights in more than two decades - struck down a different Texas abortion law that imposed strict regulations on doctors and facilities. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands The United Nations Yugoslav war crimes tribunal convicted Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic on Wednesday of genocide and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to life in prison for atrocities during Bosnias 1992-1995 war.
Mladic, 75, was found guilty of commanding forces responsible for crimes including the worst atrocities of the war the deadly three-year siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, and the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica, which was Europes worst mass killing since World War II.
A three-judge panel at the court formally known as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia convicted Mladic of 10 of 11 counts in a dramatic climax to a groundbreaking effort to seek justice for the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
Presiding Judge Alphons Orie read out the judgment Wednesday after ordering Mladic out of the courtroom for the final verdict over an angry outburst.
Mothers of Srebrenicas victims clapped when the convictions were read out. Mladics son Darko said: Im not surprised. The court was totally biased from the start.
Bosniaks and Serbs watched from near and far as the long-awaited climax approached. Wednesdays judgment marks the end of the final trial at the tribunal, which was set up in 1993, while fierce fighting was still raging in Bosnia.
Emotions ran high outside the courtroom, with a small skirmish reflecting lingering tensions between Serbs and Bosniaks over the trial and the war.
Despite ailing health, Mladic looked relaxed, greeting lawyers and giving a thumbs-up to photographers in court. He nodded regularly as presiding Judge Alphons Orie read out descriptions of atrocities by Bosnian Serb forces, one by one.
Then Mladics lawyer asked for a delay because the general was suffering high blood pressure. The judge refused, and Mladic burst out with criticism and was ordered to leave the room.
(Photo: Kisha Bari)
Thanks to a large social media push, an undocumented immigrant from Bangladesh will get to stay in the U.S. for now.
Riaz Talukder, 50, has been granted a temporary stay after people across the internet raised awareness about his situation. Talukder, who came to the U.S. as a minor, pleaded to remain in the country to tend to his wife, who is battling thyroid cancer.
Now Im going to go to my wife and give her a big hug. Talukder said, according to CBS2, after the news broke.
Hell be able to stay in the U.S. for six months before having to check in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement again, according to a press release. This will give the family more time to file motions to fight the deportation order.
Talukder, who does not have a criminal record and is the father of two U.S. citizen sons, has been routinely reporting to the agency for some time. But during a check-in last month, he was told to return to a New York City ICE facility in November with a one-way ticket to Bangladesh.
The cab driver said he felt worried about his family, particularly his wife, who is recovering from cancer treatment and will be undergoing surgery again in December.
My wife is going through a lot, he told the Daily Beast. She walks around the house from room to room, talking to herself at night. She cant sleep. She cant do anything if I am gone.
After receiving the news of Talukders situation, groups like the nonprofit DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving and the Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network kicked off an aggressive social media campaign, collecting thousands of signatures on a United We Dream petition urging the Department of Homeland Security to let Talukder stay. And last week, attorney Edward Cuccia filed a motion to reopen Talukders previous asylum case, which would allow him to fight to stay on humanitarian grounds.
This time, the odds were in Talukders favor.
ICE, they did the right thing, Cuccia said.
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Talukders immigration struggles began years ago. At one point, he was even detained two years after a work authorization had expired. Immigration officials had raided his home and the cab driver was sent to Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, the United We Dream petition explained. There, he spent seven months away from his family.
Those seven months were the roughest months of my life, Talukders 15-year-old son Rafi said during a press conference on Monday. Theres no sense of hope. So not having my dad is the end of the world for me.
Talukder ended up being released once again, with instructions to check in with ICE every year. And under the Obama administration, he was treated as a low priority for deportation, especially since he did not have a criminal record. However, in the beginning of the year and under the Trump administration, Talukder was ordered to check in more frequently and eventually told to report to ICE every month until he was threatened with deportation.
Talukder is one of the roughly 1.7 million undocumented Asian immigrants in the U.S., the fastest-growing group of undocumented immigrants in the country. The Trump administrations crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration has left many communities of color on edge.
We had a great victory today, but Riaz is just one of millions of people in this country living under the constant threat of deportation, Lucy Herschel of the Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network said at Mondays press conference. These are our family and friends, our neighbors, our co-workers. We need to build a mass movement to defend our communities from this attack.
As Talukder awaits his check-in next May, Cuccia says theres much more work to do. Activists are continuing to demand that his asylum case be reopened so he can fight to stay in the country he considers home.
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More than Gujarat, four big states that account for 744 Assembly seats will go to polls next year and test Rahul Gandhi's strength before the crucial Lok Sabha battle.
Rahul Gandhi will have to steer Congress to wins in four big states next year before preparing the ground for the Lok Sabha battle. Photo: Reuters.
By Kritika Banerjee, India Today Web Desk: The battle for Gujarat is being touted as the litmus test for Rahul Gandhi, who is likely to be elected as the Congress president before the Assembly election in the state. When combined with Himachal Pradesh, a total of 250 Assembly seats are up for grabs in December.
While significance of Gujarat, in terms of the state being the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cannot be ruled out, in terms of numbers, it is 2018 that will really test Rahul Gandhi's leadership before the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
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Four big states that account for 744 Assembly seats will go to polls next year, which include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. The Congress' performance in these states will set the tone for its 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.
RAJASTHAN
Rajasthan has traditionally seen rotation of power between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 200-seat Assembly.
That said, it will be difficult for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to wrest power from the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government following its rout in the last Assembly election where the Grand Old Party could barely get 21 seats.
Despite an extensive campaign by the Congress and its state chief Sachin Pilot, the party lost the Assembly bypoll in Dholpur in April this year. Bypolls to Lok Sabha seats of Ajmer and Alwar are scheduled in December and the Congress needs to register a win to boost its party cadre.
On the bright side, the Congress won 13 of the 26 seats in panchayat bypolls in September. However, with talks of Rahul Gandhi promoting young leadership in the party doing the rounds, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot faces the challenge of ensuring a win for the party in Rajasthan next year.
MADHYA PRADESH
The Congress hopes that the anti-incumbency factor against three-time chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan works to its advantage in Madhya Pradesh which has a 230-member Assembly.
The party recently appointed Rahul Gandhi confidant Deepak Babaria as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, replacing Mohan Prakash, in a bid to prepare the ground for the Assembly election next year.
The win in Chitrakoot Assembly bypoll also comes as a much-needed boost for the party. Yet, the biggest challenge for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi is to bring the faction-ridden state unit under one umbrella and motivate them to fight together in the election next year.
With Digvijaya Singh on a padyatra, the battle for state party reins boiled down to senior Congress leader Kamal Nath and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia. The former, however, recently said that he has no problems with Scindia being announced as the chief ministerial face in the state.
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Scindia, known to be a friend of Rahul Gandhi, is now tipped to be the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief and is likely to be projected as the party's chief ministerial face. A win in Madhya Pradesh will silence Scindia's critics and give Rahul more room to push young faces up in the organisation.
KARNATAKA
While the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has been in power in Karnataka, the BJP and Amit Shah have already launched an aggressive campaign in the state ahead of the Assembly election next year which will be fought on 224 seats.
The BJP announced former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa as the chief ministerial face. The Congress, while announcing that the party will fight the next election under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, has stopped short of making an official announcement on its chief ministerial candidate.
BJP has appointed Union minister Prakash Javadekar as its poll in-charge in Karnataka, with Piyush Goyal as the co-incharge.
In a boost to the saffron party, Congress veteran and former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna joined it in March. Krishna is considered an influential leader in the Vokkaliga community, one of the dominant castes in Karnataka.
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With Amit Shah setting his sights on Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress will ill-afford to take the state lightly.
CHHATTISGARH
It has always been a close contest between the Congress and the BJP in Chhattisgarh but victory has eluded the Grand Old Party for the last 14 years.
Like in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is confident that anti-incumbency will work against the government of Raman Singh.
The party will further draw confidence from the fact that during the 2013 Assembly election, the difference in vote share between the BJP and the Congress was less than one per cent.
The BJP won 49 of the 90 Assembly seats with a vote share of 41.01 per cent, while the Congress got 39 seats with a vote share of 40.29 per cent.
While the Congress has repeatedly hit out at Chief Minister Raman Singh for alleged involvement in the multi-crore PDS scam, it remains to be seen if such attacks will prove enough to defeat the BJP in the next Assembly election.
ALSO WATCH: Rahul speaks to social media volunteers in Banaskantha, reveals who tweets for him
--- ENDS ---
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Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that Myanmar's Rohingya population was being subjected to "ethnic cleansing", accusing the security forces of perpetrating "horrendous atrocities" against the Muslim minority.
"After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," Tillerson said.
His comments, which come after Tillerson visited Myanmar last week, are the strongest condemnation yet by the United States of the military's crackdown against the Rohingya, which has triggered a major refugee crisis.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled the mainly Buddhist country since the military launched a counter-insurgency operation in Rakhine state in late August, heading to neighboring Bangladesh, which is one of the world's poorest countries.
"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued," Tillerson said in a statement.
"These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh."
While the army insists it has only targeted Rohingya rebels, refugees massing in grim Bangladeshi camps have given chilling and consistent accounts of widespread murder, rape and arson at the hands of security forces and Buddhist mobs.
Tillerson said Myanmar's response to the crisis would be vital to determining the success of its transition to becoming "a more democratic society" and that those responsible for human rights abuses must be held accountable.
Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized by rights groups disappointed by her failure to condemn the crackdown or publicly criticize the military.
Washington says Suu Kyi has a crucial role to play in tackling the crisis but has been careful to focus blame on the army.
The military plane fell into the sea on its way to the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. File picture - AP
A US Navy aircraft with 11 people on board has crashed into the Philippine Sea off Japan.
The military plane fell into the sea south-east of Okinawa on its way to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
The government in Tokyo said it had been told that eight people had been plucked to safety and that US authorities had said engine trouble was the suspected cause of the accident. The search is continuing for three others.
"Personnel recovery is under way and their condition will be evaluated by USS Ronald Reagan medical staff," a US Navy statement said.
The ship was operating in the Philippine Sea when the crash happened at 2.45pm Japan time (5.45am GMT).
The aircraft crashed south-east of the Japanese island of Okinawa
The US Navy said in a statement: "A United States Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed into the ocean southeast of Okinawa."
In August, the US Navy lost 10 personnel when the USS John McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.
Two months earlier, the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship crashed into each other off Japan, leaving seven sailors dead.
(SAN FRANCISCO) For months before a shooting rampage that killed five people, a violent feud brewed among the gunman and his neighbors on a dirt road in a tiny rural community in Northern California.
Tehama County sheriffs deputies received 21 calls in the past year from Kevin Neal and other residents of three ramshackle homes on Bobcat Lane, according to documents released Tuesday to The Associated Press in response to a public records request.
Neal and his wife told police their neighbors were cooking methamphetamine. The neighbors reported violent acts by Neal: He punched a female neighbor in the face, repeatedly shot his gun and, in January, stabbed another woman neighbor who he believed was poisoning his dog.
That stabbing led to Neals arrest but he was quickly out on bail and, despite a restraining order and a requirement that he surrender his weapons, continued to harass his neighbors and fire his weapon, according to the documents.
Police never re-arrested Neal and on Nov. 13 he killed his wife and the next day killed two neighbors, two others and wounded eight people during a 45-minute rampage through Rancho Tehama Reserve before being fatally shot by police.
One of the wounded was a 6-year-old boy shot in the chest when Neal opened fire at an elementary school in what may have been an attempt to carry out a threat to kill the 7-year-old son of one of the neighbors who was shot to death.
Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston defended his deputies handling of the situation on Bobcat Lane, saying there never was enough evidence to arrest Neal for violating conditions of his release by firing a weapon.
Not one person could say they saw Mr. Neal with a firearm, Johnston said. No one could say they (shots) absolutely came from his residence.
Neal, 44, was out on bail after being arrested in January on suspicion of stabbing neighbor Hailey Poland and accosting her and Diana Lee Steele, 68, who was killed in the rampage.
A judge ordered Neal to stay away from the women and to surrender all of his firearms. But months after Neals arrest, the women called the Tehama County Sheriffs Department several times to report Neal had been firing a gun.
Story continues
In one week in August, the two women called sheriffs deputies for help three times. In one of the instances, Poland told the dispatcher that she had a restraining order against Neal and that he was outside her house with a flashlight, firing at her house and car, according to an incident report.
Records show police seized an AR-15 rifle from Neal when he was arrested and that once out on bail he certified that he surrendered a handgun. Johnston said investigators believe last week Neal used two homemade assault rifles and two handguns registered to someone else.
Records show seven of the calls in the past year were initiated by Neal and his wife, Barbara Glisan, often reporting foul odors from what they said were neighbors cooking methamphetamine.
Neal once called 911 to report that he thought Steeles adult son, Danny Elliott, had pointed a gun at him and showed sheriffs deputies surveillance video that apparently captured the incident.
The deputies said in their report that the video captured Elliott moving a rifle from the front seat to backseat of his car, not pointing the gun at Neal.
Another neighbor told reporters last week that Neal had threatened out loud that he was going to kill Elliott and then go to the elementary school to kill Elliotts son. Elliott was among those killed last week.
District Attorney Gregg Cohen said sheriffs officials never informed his office about the repeated calls accusing Neal of firing a gun but stopped short of blaming sheriffs officials.
Im not going to speculate or make a suggestion that someone did or didnt do something, he said.
Johnston said prosecutors had access to the sheriffs records and could have reached out to the victims if they were concerned, but deputies didnt have probable cause to search Neals house to see if he still had guns.
Ill say this: Were we confident that Mr. Neal surrendered all of his firearms? No. Did we have probable cause to search (for them)? No, Johnston said.
Donald Trump with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his tour of Asia - AP
Three White House employees have been removed from their posts amid allegations they had improper contact with foreign women during president Donald Trump's Asia tour.
The military personnel, who worked for a specialised unit providing the president with secure communications, are alleged to have broken a curfew during Mr Trump's trip to Vietnam earlier this month.
Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, confirmed that the allegations during the president's 12-day tour of Asia were "under investigation".
It will raise fears that this may be similar to a high-profile incident during Barack Obama's administration where 10 secret service agents were sacked for taking prostitutes back to their hotel rooms while the president was visiting Colombia.
The 2012 incident raised concerns that prostitutes had access to the agents' rooms and potentially sensitive information regarding Mr Obama's movements.
Mr Trump waves goodbye as he enters Air Force One after participating in the East Asia Summit Credit: Andrew Harnik
In this most recent incident, the men who worked for the White House Communications Agency, are thought to have been reassigned from their White House jobs while the allegations are investigated.
In August four military personnel from the same agency faced allegations of improper behavior during a trip to Panama with vice president Mike Pence.
The four men were accused of taking foreign women into a secure area while they were preparing for Mr Pences arrival and were forced to fly home early pending an investigation. If found guilty they could lose their security clearance - or even face a court martial.
Mr Trump and Mr Pence's teams have not commented on the incidents and have referred requests for comment to the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One during his Asia trip Credit: Andrew Harnik
The White House Communications agency is part of the White House Military Office, a team of technical personnel, which travels with the president on state visits to other countries.
The agency's role is to prevent eavesdropping on presidential communications and to ensure that White House officials can be securely reached worldwide at a moments notice.
A significant number of its staff are assigned to White House duties for four-year stints.
Military personnel with high-level security clearances are supposed to report interactions with foreign individuals to ensure there is no risk of national security being compromised.
Kate McLure was stranded when homeless man Johnny Bobbitt Jr gave her his last $20 (GoFundMe)
A woman has raised thousands of pounds for a homeless man who gave her his last $20 when she was left stranded.
Kate McLure, 27, ran out of petrol while driving down Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and had no choice but to pull over on the deserted highway in the middle of the night last month.
The New Jersey resident said her heart was beating out of my chest as she got out and tried to find the nearest petrol station.
Frightened and alone, Kates luck turned around when she ran into former Marine Johnny Bobbitt Jr, who now sleeps rough on the streets.
Kate has now raised over $100,000 for Johnny to turn his life around (AP)
Johnny, 34, acted as her Good Samaritan, offering Kate, who works at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the last of his money to help her out.
She explained: He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong. He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors.
A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe.
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Johnny did not ask me for a dollar, and I couldnt repay him at that moment because I didnt have any cash, but I have been stopping by his spot for the past few weeks.
Wanting to do more to repay the selfless act of kindness, Kate set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Johnny and it has raised nearly $115,000 (86,448) so far.
Kate said the money raised for Johnny will go towards renting him an apartment and paying for necessities include food, clothing and transportation.
Johnny, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, served in the Marines as an ammunition technician but has been homeless for 18 months.
Zimbabwes capital city of Harare erupted in exuberant celebration on Tuesday as Robert Mugabe, the countrys 93-year-old authoritarian president, resigned after nearly four decades in office.
Mugabe came to power when white-minority rule ended in 1980, and has said he intended to reign for life. Throughout his lengthy tenure, hes been accused of systematically violating human rights and violently cracking down on dissent as Zimbabwe spiraled deeper into poverty.
Thousands of elated civilians danced and sang in the streets as news broke that Mugabe was officially stepping down. Many say his political departure, triggered by a military takeover last week, marks a new chapter in the countrys history.
This is a good day for Zimbabwe. This is a new era for our nation, one man told BBC News. It is not a secret that everyone in Zimbabwe has been waiting for this moment, another woman said. Its a fresh start for Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans celebrate in the capital city of Harare after President Robert Mugabe resigned on Nov. 21. (Photo: Mike Hutchings/Reuters)
The ruling ZANU-PF party will soon install Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabes former deputy, as the new president. But Mnangagwa, a former national security minister who is strongly backed by the military, has been complicit in some of the governments most egregious abuses of power.
Its a change in leadership of individuals, but the authoritarian system remains intact, cautioned Dewa Mavhinga, the Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch. The military has been implicated in some of the most serious human rights abuses in Zimbabwes past for which there has been no accountability, he told HuffPost on Tuesday.
But for the time being, Zimbabwes political shakeup brings hope to a population that has been opressed for decades under Mugabes leadership.
Take a look at some of the celebrations following his resignation on Tuesday:
People celebrate in the streets of Harare after the resignation of Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe on Nov. 21.
Car horns blared and cheering crowds raced through the streets Harare as news spread that Mugabe had resigned after 37 years in power.
The bombshell announcement sparked scenes of wild celebration in the streets.
Harare residents celebrate in front of the parliament.
Men celebrate Mugabe's resignation.
Zimbabweans shout slogans and dance on top of a car.
Zimbabwe's members of parliament celebrate.
Mugabe was swept from power as his 37-year reign of brutality and autocratic control crumbled within days of a military takeover.
Zimbabweans celebrate.
People remove Mugabe's portrait from the wall at the International Conference center.
People celebrate in the streets of Harare.
Zimbabweans shouts as they gather at Unity square opposite to the parliament.
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Harare (AFP) - Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will be inaugurated on Friday as Zimbabwe's next president, is a political veteran and party hardliner who for decades worked closely with Robert Mugabe.
Here are key dates in his career:
- September 15, 1942: Born in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia but moves as a teenager with his family to Zambia, known at the time as Northern Rhodesia
- 1960s: Joins the struggle for independence after military training in China and Egypt but is arrested and spends 10 years in prison
- 1980: After Zimbabwe wins independence, appointed security minister in Robert Mugabe's first post-independence government. In this position, he oversees a crackdown on suspected opposition dissidents that leaves thousands dead
- 1983: Directs a brutal crackdown on opposition supporters in the provinces of Matabeleland and Midlands, which leaves thousands dead
- 2000: As justice minister, a post he has held since 1989, he announces moves to seize white-owned farms
- December 2004: Sidelined for the post of vice president when Mugabe appoints a rival
- 2008: After Mugabe loses the first round of presidential elections, Mnangagwa allegedly supervises the wave of violence and intimidation that forces the opposition to withdraw from the run-off vote
- December 10, 2014: Is named vice president and deputy head of the ZANU-PF, putting him in pole position to one day succeed Mugabe
- November 6, 2017: Mugabe sacks Mnangagwa on grounds of disloyalty in a dispute over succession, triggering the country's worst political crisis since independence. Two days later he flees the country
- November 22, 2017: Returns triumphantly after Mugabe's shock resignation to eventually take over as president, tells crowds they are witnessing "unfolding full democracy"
bur-ang-br-gw/dcr
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani need Syrian President Bashar Assad just as much as he needs them. That explains the urgency in inviting Assad to meet with Putin and with Russias security-military echelon in Sochi.
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Seemingly, the Assad regime would collapse without Russian and Iranian support, which is why the Syrian president is allegedly completely dependent on them and they dont have to consider his opinion on any issue whatsoever. Recently, however, Assad gained some trump cards. Russia, Iran and even Turkey need him to exploit the assets they have gained as a result of their military intervention in Syria. Assad is providing them with legal and international legitimization to remain in his country and to gain from economic projects related to its reconstruction. Assad is also allowing the Russians, the Iranians and the Turks to realize their strategic goals through their ongoing presence in Syria.
Assad (R) and Putin. A warm welcome in Sochi
To understand that, we should remember that the Iranians, Hezbollah and the Russians needed a formal invitation from Assad to bring their military forces into Syria and help him. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned this fact several days ago, clarifying that unlike the Americans, the Russians presence in Syria is legitimate because they were officially invited by the Assad regime to fight the Islamic State on Syrian soil.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (Photo: AFP)
Now that the ISIS presence on Syrian soil has been eliminated, the Russians and Iranians have legal and international legitimization to remain in the country. The Americans have no such legitimization. The Russian and Iranian presence in Syria provides Putin and Rouhani with access to military bases in a way that allows them to control a strategic pointthe eastern basin of the Mediterranean Seaand compete over economic projects to rebuild Syrias ruined infrastrctures and receive preference over other international competitors.
Turkey wants a share of these economic profits too and seeks to maintain its military presence in Syria to ensure that the Syrian Kurds wont establish a state in northern Syria, on the Turkish border.
Russian boat launches cruise missiles at ISIS targets from the Mediterranean Sea (Photo: Reuters) (Photo: Reuters)
Putin needs Assad's goodwill to advance the political agreement that will end the civil war. As odd as it may seem, Assad is still insisting on selecting the opposition groups he is willing to talk to, and refuses to see the groups suggested by Russia in the joint interim government. Putin wants Assad to agree to talk to everyone. In a bid to soften him, he invited the Syrian president to Sochi two days before his meeting with Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which three leaders will discuss the division of their loot in Syria.
In a bid to gain Assad's cooperation, Putin invited the generals who participated in the war in Syriathe same generals Assad owes his political survival toto his meeting with the Syrian president. Assad got the hint, and announced that he intended on talking to all opposition groups in Syria, just like the Russians want.
Russian army truck hands out supplies to refugees in Syria (Photo: MCT)
Putin, for his part, announced that he intended to pull his forces out of Syria. This statement should be taken with a grain of salt. Putin has already made a similar announcement in the past, but he left enough forces to protect his intereststhe Russian military port in Tartus and the airport in Khmeimim.
Putin will keep it up even if an agreement is reached in Syria: He will reduce the Russian forces there to a minimum in order to maintain a strategic presence. The Iranians wish to do the same, but its unlikely that the Russians and Assad will give them everything they want in light of the American and Israeli objection.
When the Iranian and Turkish presidents arrived in Sochi on Wednesday, Putin can tell them that he knows what Syria wants and that hes talking on Assad's behalf too. The most important thing is to keep Assad is happy and ensure that he agrees that Russia and Iranand perhaps Turkey toowill receive a proper reward for saving his regime from a complete collapse.
By PTI: Guwahati, Nov 23 (PTI) Public sector oil company Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Manipur government to source bamboo for its upcoming bio-refinery at Numaligarh in Assam.
The MoU was signed between NRLs Senior Chief General Manager (Marketing) Bruno Ekka and Manipur governments Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Sambhu Singh in presence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and NRL Managing Director(I/C) S K Barua yesterday during First Northeastern Development Summit in Imphal, a NRL release said here today.
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The pact will enable sourcing of 1.5 lakh tonnes/annum of bamboo with a total turnover of more than Rs 30 crore by identifying bamboo catchment areas for primary processing by the communities.
It will also enable setting up of bamboo processing clusters in the state of Manipur, which will ultimately help the farmers to promote bamboo plantation and processing for value addition in addition to providing large scale sustainable employment opportunities for such farmers.
Possibilities are being explored for availing funds from NABARD for bamboo plantation and setting up semi processing units in Manipur, the NRL release said.
NRL has already joined hands with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to develop bamboo clusters in all the North Eastern states including Manipur.
The Company is looking forward for successful implementation of this MOU for availing long term supply of Bamboo for its Bio Refinery which would be mutually beneficial for both Manipur as well as NRL.
NRL?s Bio Refinery is designed to produce 49,000 tonnes of bio ethanol annually with co-production of furfural and acetic acid from locally available non-food bio-mass feedstock.
NRL has already inked MoUs with Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) and Arunachal Pradesh Bamboo Resources Development Agency (APBRDA) for sourcing of bamboo for the Bio Refinery, the release added. PTI DG SNS
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The crisis within coalition parties surrounding work carried out by Israel Railways on Shabbat uncovered a split within the coalition's ultra-Orthodox parties, as Shas Chairman Minister Aryeh Deri was furious with United Torah Judaism Chairman Minister Yaakov Litzman, who threatened to resign should the "Shabbat desecration" continue.
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Opposition to Litzman also came from the ranks of his own party, with MK Moshe Gafni objecting to his party leader's declaration of war against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to both Deri and Gafni, a wider move should be spearheaded to protect the Jewish day of rest, in both legislation and government decisions. They are of the opinion that bowing out of the coalition now, due to specific railway works, will scuttle any chances of that happening.
Shas Chairman Deri (L) is said to be incensed with UTJ's Litzman over the latter's threat to resign from the coalition (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
This intra-Haredi split marked a rare occasion of the government's religious parties not joining forces or, at the very least, coordinating positions on issues pertaining to religion and state.
The Shabbat crisis once again was brought to bear Wednesday, a week after Litzman's ultimatum to Netanyahu, with the minister of health saying he would resign if works did not cease.
Sources within the Haredi parties said Wednesday they received notice of Israel Railways announcing upkeep works were once again planned for this coming Saturday. They further claimed the national rail company told them works were only performed four times a year and could not be postponed.
Heads of the Haredi parties met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Yariv Levin Wednesday. At the meeting's conclusion, the Prime Minister's Office announced that "it was agreed that every effort will be taken to reach a solution safeguarding Shabbat while not harming the general public."
Gafni and Deri much prefer targeting supermarkets open on Shabbat (Photo: Benny Doutsh)
At the top of Deri and Gafni's priorities is now the supermarket law , which endeavors to bypass the High Court's ruling allowing Shabbat commerce in Tel Aviv. The pair said they had already reached an understanding with the prime minister on their proposal being approved in the ministerial legislation committee this coming Sunday.
Shas and United Torah Judaism have been hard at work, meanwhile, to change the country's policy on hours of work and rest enforcement in a manner forcing business owners to close up shop regardless of their city's bylaws.
The two-pronged Haredi tactic belies a wider stratagem laid down as a goal for the Knesset's winter session: to approve a new draft bill ensuring yeshiva students will be exempted from army service, replacing the law struck down by the High Court.
Deri and Gafni both believe Shabbat desecration caused by rail work should be reduced to a minimum, but all-out war should not be declared to preserve the above interest.
Haredim fear domino effect
"Litzman is managing this whole train thing in a very extreme, very independent manner. His rabbi, the Ger Grand Rebbe, it's in his bones. Internal power struggles within his own Hassidic court also influence his tone," said an anonymous source from within the Haredi parties.
'Litzman (L) and Netanyahu need each other' (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"Netanyahu and Litzman need each other very much and it's hard to see them breaking apart. A split within United Torah Judaism seems equally unlikely, but Litzman may very well have bitten off more than he can chew here and find himself resigning alone," the source added.
Shas and Degel HaTorah United Torah Judaism's Lithuanian faction headed by Gafnied) are indeed uninterested in withdrawing from the coalition, but fear they will be left with little choice of Litzman makes good on his threat, creating a domino effect.
"It would reflect badly to our voters that the senior minister, the chairman, resigned from the best government as far as Haredim are concerned due to ideological principle and we stay glued onto our chairs," the source said morosely.
"In such an eventuality, no explanation on our part regarding how we're doing it for the Shabbat and yeshiva students will convince anyone, and we'll come off as compromisers who are willing to sell the Shabbat for the creature comforts of government. This is why so much anger has been directed at Litzman. He may drag us all (out of the coalition) against our will," the Haredi source feared.
A ceremony marking 40 years since then-Egyptian president Anwar Sadat made his historic visit to Israel was held on Wednesday at the President's Residence. President Reuven Rivlin hosted the event, which also included Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Hazem Khairat; Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yuval Rotem; and former Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice (Ret.) Eliyakim Rubenstien, who had served at the time as an aide to Moshe Dayan, and was part of the Israeli negotiations team.
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Rivlin: 'Our connection is more important than words'
President Rivlin began by welcoming the Khairat, and all his guests from Israel and around the world. "On Saturday evening, on the 19th November 1977, the Israeli Army Band played the Egyptian national anthem for the very first time. The worlds media watched with open mouths, as enemies became friends," he said, "No one will ever forget that amazing moment, the meeting of two leaders: (then-Israeli prime minister Menachemed) Begin and Sadat.
"Both leaders carried the pride of their peoples. They both carried the history, the scars, the wars, and the fears. They both had the desire, the dream, to bring peace between the Arab nations and Israel. This was the significance and the historic importance of the visit of President Sadat of Egypt."
40-year anniversary ceremony of Sadat's visit to Israel (: ")
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Rivlin recounted how unbelievable that Sadat would make good and actually arrive in Israel. "Sadat told the Egyptian Parliament that for peace he would go to the end of the world, even to Jerusalem. The reporters rushed to give their editors this great headline, but so many did not believe it. They could not believe that they were really seeing history.
"Two days later, Prime Minister Begin turned to the Egyptian people. He said: 'Let us say one to another, both peoples of Egypt and Israel: No more wars no more bloodshed, and no more threats'words that will stay with us forever.
As the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel, Sadat's coming broke new ground. It was most significant, however, as the harbinger of what was yet to comepeace between the two nations.
Khairat (L) and Rivlin embrace (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
"(Sadat) spoke in the Knesset in Arabic. He held five meetings with Prime Minister Begin. Two days of sincerity, of determination. Two days which led to an historic peace agreement," stated Rivlin.
"Egypt, 'Om El Donya''Mother of the Worldis an extremely important ally," concluded Rivlin. "Our connection is more important than words can say, and it can never be taken for granted."
Rivlin (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
Amb. Khairat: 'Did we achieve Sadats dream?'
Khairat also gave an address, thanking Rivlin for hosting the important event and saying.
Khairat (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
He drew parallels between achieving peace between Israel and Egypt, and managing to secure a similar agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. "Egypts experience validates that peace is possible and is indeed a realistic objective that we should all continue to pursue seriously. In doing so I put before you the following question: did we achieve Sadats dream of the comprehensive peace that puts an end to one of the longest disputes in modern history? If not, then how can we do so based on the parameters of peace outlined by Sadat?
(Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
Khairat stressed Egypt's commitment to renewing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5039672,00.html "Egypt is adamant to seize the golden opportunity to reviving peace talks to achieve a credible and comprehensive peace agreement."
Khairat greeting Nehama Rivlin (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
"Despite an increasingly volatile and complex region and international scene, as well as huge domestic economic challenges, Egypt, the cradle of civilization and humanity has a responsibility to achieve a permanent peace in our region, which should be based on land for peace, confidence building measures, and security guarantees. Egypt remains loyal to these principles, which are deeply rooted in the international conscience.
Khairat (L) and Rivlin embrace (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
"Another outstanding Egyptian leader addressing the Israeli public opinion directly from the podium of the United Nations," added Khairat. "Underlining the importance of the safety and security of Israelis and Palestinians alike, and calling upon both Israelis and Palestinians to support their political leadership to seize the current historic opportunity to make peace a reality, and that we have a true and real opportunity to open a new and bright chapter in the history of our region.
The ambassador concluded his address by saying, "Egypt is adamant to seizing the golden opportunity to reviving peace talks to achieve a credible and comprehensive peace agreement, especially in view of President Trumps, and the new Administrations commitment to move this process forward."
The White House is disputing a Democratic senator's claim that top economic adviser Gary Cohn faked bad reception to get President Donald Trump off the phone.
Delaware Sen. Tom Carper said Wednesday in an interview with CNN that he and other Democrats had been in a meeting earlier this month with several White House officials discussing the GOP tax reform plan when the president called from Asia. Cohn put him on speakerphone.
Carper said the group listened to the president speak, but after about 15 minutes, "the president's still talking." So he suggested Cohn take the phone and say: "Mr. President, you're brilliant! But we're losing contact and I think we're going to lose you now, so goodbye."
Carper said Cohn did just that. "I don't want to throw him under the bus, but yes," he told the hosts.
White House spokesman Raj Shah disputed Carper's account as "completely false." He said Cohn spoke with Trump privately for several minutes before ending the call.
Carper spokeswoman Meghan Pennington says the senator stands by his account.
The four Arab countries boycotting Qatar added 11 more individuals and two other entities, including a major group of Islamist scholars, to their "terrorist" blacklists for the Gulf state, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.
The lists now include the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) which was formed in 2004 mostly by clerics belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and is chaired by the influential Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi.
A statement issued by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain said they also blacklisted the International Islamic Council (IIC).
"The two entities listed are two terrorist organisations that promote terrorism by using Islamic rhetoric as a cover to facilitate terrorist activities," the statement said.
The US Navy says the search continues for three sailors after an aircraft crashed Thursday in the Philippine Sea.
Eight sailors were rescued and are in good condition.
The Navy says that the USS Ronald Reagan and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force have been searching through the night. Ships and aircraft have searched more than 320 nautical miles.
The Teva Pharmaceutical Company is expected to lay off about 1,700 of its employees, who make up about 25% of all the company's employees in Israel, with a total of 6,680 people.
Employees are expected to receive letters of summons for a hearing before dismissal in the coming weeks.
The layoffs are part of a process of streamlining after reports that showed severe damage to profitability and a dramatic reduction in the forecast for the rest of the year.
Teva is also expected to announce layoffs in the United States.
Israeli billionaire Arnon Milchan, who is at the center of a bribery investigation involving extravagant gifts he allegedly gave to the Netanyahu family in exchange for political favors, insisted Wednesday I havent done anything. I didnt commit a crime.
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Speaking in an interview with Ynet a few days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned for a sixth time in the probe, also commonly referred to as Case 1000 , Milchan, who was questioned under caution and as a suspect , said that he was unmoved by the investigation.
"I dont feel anything. It doesnt relate to me. I dont need to feel anything. I havent done anything, Milchan said when asked how he felt about the investigation. I havent committed any crime, lets say that. I don't know what is happening.
Arnon Milchan (Photo: AFP)
Asked whether the rumors were true that the police had threatened people being questioned in the case not to talk about it, Milchan was unequivocal.
Absolutely not...Absolutely not. Threatened us? Listen, we are not allowed to talk. We are in the middle of an investigation. It's interrupting the investigation. Every word that is said. I am not allowed to talk, he said.
I dont feel anything. Nothing has hurt me, Milchan laconically responded when asked whether the fact that he had been questioned as a suspect in the scandal had offended him.
On Sunday, Netanyahu was questioned for four hours for a sixth time, during which he provided his version of events.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the Israel Police issued a statement, but details were admittedly scant.
We confirm that the prime minister was investigated today for a number of hours at his residence in Jerusalem, as part of the investigation being conducted by Lahav 443," the statement read.
Milchan and PM Netanyahu (Photo: Courtesy of Channel 2 News)
"The investigation is being conducted with the accompaniment of, and under the supervision of, the state attorney with the approval of the attorney general. Beyond the above, and due to the nature of things, we cannot elaborate on more details of the investigation.
Hours after the questioning, Netanyahu tweeted the common mantra professing his innocence: This evening too, I am absolutely sure: There wont be anything, because there isnt anything!
While Netanyahu is suspected of accepting gifts from a numerous tycoons, investigators mainly focused on ascertaining the nature of the assistance he allegedly provided to Arnon Milchan in return for expensive cigars and champagne he lavished on the Netanyahu family.
New information on the classified Israeli intelligence US President Donald Trump revealed to Russia has been uncovered, detailing a special operations mission by the IDF special commando unit Sayeret Matkal and the Mossad deep inside Syrian territory, it was reported in the US magazine Vanity Fair.
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It was revealed in June that Israeli cyber operators were able to penetrate a small cell of extremist bomb makers in Syria who were working to make explosives resembling laptop batteries capable of bypassing X-ray machines unnoticed.
According to Vanity Fair's report, the operationwhich took place in Februaryaimed to acquire information on new explosive technology being developed by Ibrahim al-Asiri, an al-Qaeda's chief bombmaker.
The meeting. R to L: Kislyak, Trump, Lavrov (Photo: EPA)
Intelligence for the classified mission, according to an ABC report from American sources, was provided by an Israeli spy who was planted deep within ISIS territory. His life was reportedly put in danger due to Trump's disclosure.
According to Israeli and American intelligence sources, a Sayeret Matkal commando unit and Mossad tech agents flew two Yasur helicopters over Jordanian territory into Syrian territory.
The helicopters landed a few kilometers from the target, unloaded two jeeps bearing Syrian army insignia, which the Mossad and Sayeret Matkal personnel drove into enemy territory.
The details of their operation are scarce, and specifics on how they managed to gather the information is contradictory at times.
According to one source, the forces installed a microphone in the room where the ISIS terror cell was to meet, but a second source claimed that the forces had retooled a telephone booth in the meeting area to pick up and transmit surrounding sounds to the IDF Intelligence Corps Unit 8200, which is responsible for collecting signal intelligence and deciphering codes.
After a few days of Unit 8200 crews listening at their base in the Golan Heights to the terror cell, there was concern that Israel had been misled by their sources in the field.
Eventually, the unit picked up the voice of an ISIS soldier who described how to turn a laptop into a bomb that can be transferred to airport airfields and board a passenger plane.
When the information reached the Mossad headquarters, officials in the organization decided to share the information with their American counterparts. According to an Israeli military source, the decision to share was also due to professional arrogance stemming from a desire to impress their partners in Washington by the tasks they were able to perform.
IDF soldier repelling from a Yasur helicopter (Photo: Herzel Yosef)
According to the magazine, the American espionage community considered the Israeli mission to be a "casebook example" of intelligence gathering of valued information being put to good use.
As a result of this information, US officials, followed by the United Kingdom, have banned people from bringing laptops and electronic devices larger than a mobile phone on flights from several Muslim-majority countries.
Only four months later, after the airports adopted the new and tougher US safety regulations, the ban was gradually lifted.
The achievement was then overshadowed when, on May 10, Trump boasted to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak in a White House meeting about the his access to classified information.
"I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day," Trump reportedly bragged in the White House meeting, going on to brief the two on "code-word information" the US received from Israel which compromised Israel's sources in enemy territory.
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters that Trump's disclosure was "wholly appropriate." Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted that the allies will continue to have a "deep, meaningful and unprecedented" security relationship.
President Trump himself defended his decision by saying he had an "absolute right" to share information with Moscow.
During a press conference at the White House with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said that his meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak was "very successful and will contribute to the war on terrorism."
Dubai has executed a 50-year-old Jordanian man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing an 8-year-old boy.
The government-run Dubai Media Office announced the execution on Thursday of Nidal Eisa Abdullah.
It says Abdullah's execution came after Dubai's Court of Cassation, the emirate's highest court, rejected his appeal and upheld his death sentence.
Abdullah kidnapped 8-year-old Obaida Ibrahim Sidgi Abdul Hadi from a workshop in the neighboring emirate of Sharjah in May 2016.
Death sentences in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, are carried out by firing squad.
The National, a state-aligned newspaper in Abu Dhabi, quoted the boy's father as saying the first volley of shots did not kill Abdullah, who was then shot once in the head.
Thyssenkrupp, a German company embroiled in a large corruption scandal in Israelwhich supplies the navy with submarines to protect its natural gas reserves in the Mediterraneanis examining the opening of a direct representation of the company's marine systems division instead of employing a local sales representative, according to information received from informed sources.
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This will, in effect, scrap the position filled by state witness Mickey Ganor. The decision may well be related to the conclusions made by the corporation from the conduct of Ganor, who allegedly bribed senior officials to promote deals with the company and has since turned state witness in the submarine affair, also known as Case 3000.
Sources said that the internal investigation at Thyssenkrupp lasted many months, during which dozens of workers were questioned and relevant emails and protocols were combed through.
INS Rahav at the Haifa naval base (Photo: AP)
Thyssenkrupp, though, said the results of the investigation are very partial, since there has been no official contact with Ganor since the affair entered the public light due to a limitation related to Israeli law.
But Ganor was not the only person absent in Thyssenkrupp's investigation.
Former shipyard general manager Walter Freitag, who played a key role in replacing the old representative Shaike Barkat with Mickey Ganor and since retired, refused several times to cooperate with the company's internal investigation.
No evidence was found in the investigation of Barkat's claim that he was replaced by Ganor following the demand of elements in Israel. The company's internal investigation noted only Barkat's age and the need for a younger representative to accompany long-term projects as a reason for the change.
The internal investigation also revealed that the payments to Ganor were transferred to various companies he owned, which did not cause any suspicion of irregularities at the time.
Mickey Ganor (Photo: Orel Cohen)
The investigation also revealed that when Ganor, accompanied by Netanyahu's confidant and personal lawyer David Shimron, came to Thyssenkrupp to negotiate his contract, he was able to change his wage structure so that the commission he would earn from the execution of futures contracts would increase in comparison to the brokerage fee.
The company claims that Shimron was then presented as Ganor's personal attorney and not as a party involved in the deal.
Thyssenkrupp paid about 11 million euros to Ganor for his work.
The final report of the investigation was transferred to the German and Israeli authorities.
German authorities have yet to open an investigation into the matter, and officially the German prosecutor has been conducting a preliminary examination for several months.
Israeli authorities did not inquire Thyssenkrupp over their investigation or request additional materials.
Thyssenkrupp offices in Germany (Photo: EPA)
The 2016 estimated $2 billion deal has been under public scrutiny since it emerged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, also represented Thyssenkrup Marine System's local agent, Miki Ganor, raising concerns of a conflict of interest.
The police investigation into the deal was reclassified as a criminal investigation in February.
Several senior officials have so far been arrested and interrogated in the caseamong them Shimron, former Navy commander Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom , former Israeli National Security Council (NSC) senior member Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Avriel Bar-Yosef , and Netanyahus former chief of staff David Sharan
On Friday, Thyssenkrupp's annual press conference will be held in Essen. It will detail the company's merger with the Indian company Tata Steel, which will make it the second largest steel producer in Europe.
By PTI: By Sajjad Hussain
Islamabad, Nov 23 (PTI) Pakistans Supreme Court today flayed the government for failing to protect the sacred pond in the historic Katas Raj temple complex revered by Hindus and ordered setting up of a high-level committee to probe the matter.
The sacred pond is receding as the underground aquifer feeding it is under stress due to industrial activity in the area.
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The issue was taken up by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on the basis of media reports that the Katas Raj pond in Chakwal district of Punjab was drying up because cement factories nearby were drawing a large amount of water through a number of borewells, severely reducing the sub-soil water level.
"This temple is not just a place of cultural significance for the Hindu community, but also a part of our national heritage," Justice Nisar observed and ordered that problem must be solved.
Punjabs Additional Advocate General informed the court that a cement factory was using more water than the entire population of the city of Chakwal.
The court ordered the advocate general Punjab to set up a high-level committee to probe the matter and decided to issue a notice to the cement factory.
Besides the cement factories, the area is known for a number of coal mines. Since this involves massive digging of earth for coal extraction, the site becomes exposed to torrents of underground water.
"If we need to close down 10 tube-wells or halt the water consumption of the factories, we will do it," Nisar said.
He also expressed displeasure at Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf for arriving late for the crucial hearing.
The case was adjourned till next Thursday.
The name Katas (Raj temple) is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning tearful eyes.
According to legend, the pond was formed after lord Shiva wept upon the death of his wife Satti.
BJP leader L K Advani during his trip to Pakistan in 2005 also visited Katas Raj and inaugurated conservation work being carried out by government of Pakistan. PTI SH ZH AKJ ZH
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The Shin Bet security service has announced that security forces detained two months ago a Hamas operative, Ahmed Abid, 23, from the Gaza Strip after crossing the border into Israel.
In his interrogation, they learned that he took part in military training and participated in digging terro tunnels.
Abid provided information on the activity of the Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Striptunnels intended for offensive activities against Israel and for fighting inside the Gaza Strip.
An indictment was submitted against Abid to the Be'er Sheva District Court for serious security offenses.
A Palestinian resident of Gaza has been indicted for serious security-related offences, after the Shin Bet solicited from him copious amounts of crucial information about the workings of Hamas terror tunnels.
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Ahmed Magdi Muhamad Abid, 23, was arrested at the end of September this year by Israel while attempting to cross the border into Israeli territory. He was served his indictment at the Beer Sheva District Court.
Ahmed Abid (Photo: Shin Bet)
Upon questioning Abid, interrogators learned that he joined Hamas four years ago and while in the terror groups ranks, he underwent military training and participated in various military exercises where he learned to fire anti-tank weapons, gained sniper techniques and trained in engineering.
It also emerged that he had participated in digging tunnels near where he lived in Shuja'iyya and acted as an activist for Hamass border guards.
According to the Shin Bet, Abid divulged troves of intelligence about Hamass tunnel network, including those intended for launching attacks against Israel inside its territory and those intended for combat with the IDF underneath Gazan territory.
Last month, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed that the Southern Command carried out a controlled detonation aimed at destroying a new terrorist tunnel which was in the process of being built. The tunnel was located near the border fence with Gaza, near the South Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
An Afghan official says a suicide attack has killed eight people and wounded 17 in the country's eastern Nangarhar province.
Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the suicide bomber targeted a local police commander who was recently dismissed from his job.
Thursday's attack took place in the provincial capital, Jalalabad. The officer, who was identified only as Akram escaped unharmed but two of his children were among those killed. The use of a single name is common among Afghan men.
Khogyani says the attacker detonated his explosives vest near the commander's house where his supporters had gathered to call on the government to give him back his job in the district of Khiwa district.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following heated discussions over infrastructural work on Israels trains scheduled to take place on Shabbat, a compromise was struck Thursday morning that will see a significant reduction in the amount of work permitted on the Jewish day of rest, forestalling a serious crisis that threatened to crumble the coalition.
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The Dimona-Be'er Sheva line will be closed starting Friday at 5am and until Sunday at 5am to allow works on the line before the beginning of Shabbat and immediately after it ends.
Free shuttle services will operate between the Dimona and Be'er Sheva North/University stations.
Minister Yaakov Litzman (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky and Ofer Meir)
The protracted discussions that took place between members of the ultra-Orthodox parties, Labor and Welfare Minister Haim Katz, and Israel Railways, continued into the small hours of Thursday morning, culminating in a temporary end to threats made by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) for a second time in six days to withdraw from the coalition.
As part of the new compromise, the railways administration was asked to submit to Minister Katz a new work program that will include details of a significant reduction in the working hours set to be carried out on Shabbat.
Moreover, it was asked to supply facts in advance about work considered important enough to be carried out on Shabbat so as to avoid endangering passengers. Only this caveat justifies, according to the ultra-Orthodox parties, permitting work on Shabbat.
Minister Haim Katz and PM Netanyahu (Photo: Olivier Fitoussi)
The work we discussed that needs to be done during Shabbat rest hours stems from the fact we dont have alternative lines, said Israel Railways CEO Shahar Ayalon on Thursday morning.
Last Friday, an incensed Litzman said he would quit the government on Sunday if infrastructural work on trains in the Dimona-Beer Sheva line this Shabbat were permitted to proceed.
After backing down from his threat, Litzman said on Sunday he would resign if a permanent solution is not found to prevent train maintenance work on Shabbat.
(Photo: Israel Railways)
The Shabbat crisis once again was brought to bear on Wednesday, when politicians and from Litzmans own party and political camp broke ranks and attempted to rein in his recently reenergized penchant for issuing ultimatums.
Before the meeting during which the details of the compromise were fleshed out, heads of the Haredi parties met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Yariv Levin.
At the meeting's conclusion, the Prime Minister's Office announced that "it was agreed that every effort will be taken to reach a solution safeguarding Shabbat while not harming the general public."
BERLIN A top member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on Thursday dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's push to host a new Syrian peace process with the backing of Iran and Turkey, calling it "the height of cynicism."
The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey on Wednesday called on the Syrian government and moderate opposition to "participate constructively" in the planned congress, to be held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Juergen Hardt, foreign policy speaker for Merkel's conservatives in parliament, said Russia had repeatedly blocked efforts by the U.N. Security Council to find a constructive solution to end the Syrian civil war, now in its seventh year.
"It is the height of cynicism that, of all countries, Russia and Iran, which fuelled the civil war in Syria in their own interests, causing the deaths of thousands of people, now want to develop a political vision for Syria's future," Hardt said.
SOCHI, Russia The size of Russia's military force in Syria is likely to be significantly reduced and a drawdown could start before the end of the year, the chief of the Russian military general staff said on Thursday.
Russia's military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, notably through air strikes, has been crucial in defeating Islamic State and Syrian opposition forces.
"There is very little left to do before the completion of military objectives. Of course, a decision will be made by the supreme commander-in-chief and the deployment will be reduced," Valery Gerasimov told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and military top brass in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
There is sufficient evidence to charge former deputy national security advisor Avriel Bar-Yosef with bribery, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering, police said on Thursday.
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Bar-Yosef is suspected of receiving bribes from a German businessman to promote his interests in the formulation of the natural gas plan.
The investigation began while Bar-Yosef was serving as the deputy head of the National Security Council and was being considered for the role of the national security advisor.
Avriel Bar-Yosef (Photo: Yariv Katz)
German businessman Michael Herzog allegedly invested 700,000 euros in a startup company founded by Bar-Yosef's daughter Dr. Hila Fogel, gave Bar-Yosef other benefits of similar value, as well as made him promises of future kickbacks.
In return, Bar-Yosef allegedly promoted Herzog's interests, including in the Zemach Committee that discussed the natural gas plan.
Among other things, Herzog flew Fogel to Berlin aboard a luxury private jet. At the time of the flight, it was discovered that he was involved in formulating Israeli government policy in the natural gas sector.
Bar-Yosef is suspected of using "security reasons" as a pretext to build a gas facility that cost billions of dollars, which benefited Herzog's business interests. This, despite objections from international experts in the gas field.
The probe was led by the police's Lahav 433 fraud investigations unit in conjunction with the Money Laundering Authority and the Economic Department at the State Attorney's Office.
"The sensitivity of the investigation, among other things, was due to the fact the suspect was slated to be appointed the national security advisor, a sensitive role with strategic influence on the national level," police said.
Bar-Yosef's lawyer, Jacques Chen, said in response, "The police's job is to investigate. The State Attorney's Office is to examine whether sufficient evidence exists to prosecute. We are confident that after the State Attorney's Office studies the case, it will find there is no reason to indict Bar-Yosef."
World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder denounced recent statements against American Jews made by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely.
"The Jewish state must stand behind world Jewry," Lauder said.
"An official Israeli representative flinging insults at Jews living in the Diaspora is unacceptable," he added.
- Denmark has apologized to Ghana for playing a role in the slave trade
- A Danish delegation has been to Ghana for talks on trade and development
- Click here for the latest stories in Ghana
Decades after the Trans Atlantic slave trade which saw millions of Ghanaians traded as slaves by Colonial masters, the government of Denmark has come to apologize to Ghana for their contribution to the slave trade.
READ ALSO: 5 scary allegations hovering over KABA's death
Denmark's apologies were made known during an official visit to the presidency. According to the Danish foreign minister, Anders Samuelson says nothing can justify the inhuman treatment meted out to human beings under the guise of the slave trade.
We share a dark history of slave trade, a shameful, unforgettable part of Danish history. Nothing can justify it, Mr. Samuelson said, shortly after a high profile meeting with Ghanas president.
Meanwhile, Foreign affairs minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has complained over the high rate of illegal migration. According to her, talks are underway on best ways to address issues of poverty, graduate unemployment among others.
READ ALSO: 5 scary allegations hovering over KABA's death
The official visit by the Danish business delegation is part of efforts to boost bilateral relations between both countries.
YEN.com.gh is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other.
Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?
Your stories and photos are always welcome. Message us on Facebook now.
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MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said it is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding non-state actors, and its true face is visible for all to see.
Hafiz Saeed is showered with flower petals as he walks to court before a Pakistani court ordered his release from house arrest in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo: Reuters)
By India Today Web Desk: India today slammed Pakistan for its decision to release Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who was on house arrest for 10 months. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said it is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non state actors, and its true face is visible for all to see.
"Saeed will walk free after midnight if the government does not detain him in any other case. We fear that the Punjab government may detain Saeed in any other case," Saeed's counsel Advocate AK Dogar earlier told PTI.
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A Lahore High Court review board on Wednesday rejected an appeal of the Punjab government seeking to extend the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief's detention for more three months and ordered his release. His current detention order expires today.
Kumar said the release of Saeed appeared to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists.
His release confirms once again the lack of seriousness on the part of Pak Govt, also appears to be an attempt by Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists: MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Pak court order that Hafiz Saeed be freed from house arrest pic.twitter.com/9L7nkEIh78
"It is the responsibility of the Pakistani government to fulfil its international obligations and take credible and effective action against terrorists like Hafiz Saeed," Kumar said.
The Indian reaction came a day after the Lahore High Court ordered Saeed to be freed after about 10 months of house arrest, citing lack of evidence against him.
Kumar said Saeed was not only the "mastermind" of the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners but also the "prime organiser" behind the horror. India also blamed him for unleashing terror attacks against Pakistan's neighbours.
Kumar said India and the entire international community was outraged that a self-confessed and UN proscribed terrorist was allowed to "walk free" and continue with his "evil agenda".
India, as indeed the entire International community, is outraged that a self confessed and a UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda: MEA on Hafiz Saeed&; ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
Saeed and his four aides- Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal Shahbaz, Abdur Rehman and Qazi Kashif Hussain - have been under house arrest since January under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
-With IANS inputs
ALSO WATCH | Hafiz Saeed's lawyer AK Dogar: Pakistan govt did not produce Indian dossiers in court
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By PTI: Bhopal, Nov 23 (PTI) Even as the CBI has filed a charge sheet in the Vyapam case, Dr Anand Rai, one of the persons who blew the whistle on the large-scale scam, today said the chief patrons of the accused were still outside the probe agencys net.
"There is a ray of hope as some high profile persons were named in the charge sheet. But, where are the main patrons under whose protection the accused committed such a big scam? I cant oppose the anticipatory bail of all 592 accused. So I have symbolically opposed the anticipatory bail pleas of some accused named by the CBI," said Rai.
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Rai today filed, in the CBI court, applications opposing anticipatory bail pleas of S N Vijaywargiya of Peoples Medical College, N M Srivastava, the then joint director in the Medical Education Department, and Ajay Goenka of Chirayu Medical College besides an official of Peoples Medical College.
Congresss chief spokesperson K K Mishra alleged the CBI named 592 people in the charge sheet but left out the real culprits who protected them.
"The CBI has left out the people under whose protection the entire scam was executed. The investigating agency should state who was the minister of medical education when this scam occurred," Mishra said.
The then principal secretary of medical education had recommended registration of an FIR against the promoters of a medical college but the minister turned it down, he alleged and said the CBI should clarify who was this minister.
As many as 592 people, including four promoters of private medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh, have been named as accused in a charge sheet filed by the CBI in connection with the Vyapam case, officials of the probe agency said today.
The charge sheet was filed in the special CBI court in Bhopal in the case of Pre-Medical test (PMT) conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or Vyapam in 2012. PTI ADU MAS KRK GVS
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By PTI: Kolkata, Nov 23 (PTI) Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama today said US President George W Bush had been very informal and did not have any air, but his use of force in Iraq was wrong.
The Buddhist monk, who fled Tibet in 1959 and was granted asylum in India the same year, said he had reservations about using force.
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"President Bush junior was very informal. He did not have any air as the President of America. But his use of force in Iraq to bring democracy was wrong", he said at an interaction session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.
He wanted to bring democracy in Iraq but his method was wrong, the Nobel peace prize winner said adding that it sent a wrong message to the Muslims.
"Bush could have spent more money in the education of the Muslims by giving away scholarships. Things would have been different then," the Dalai Lama said. PTI dc NN
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By PTI: made by Dalits
Ahmedabad, Nov 23 (PTI) Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day campaign tour of Gujarat from tomorrow, during which he will accept a giant tricolour made by the Dalit community.
The national flag was meant to be presented to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani a few months ago but officials in the state capital had reportedly refused to accept it citing lack of space.
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Gandhi will visit Gujarat to lead his partys election campaign ahead of the first phase of polling for 89 seats next month.
The highlight of his two-day tour is the visit to the Dalit Shakti Kendra (DSK), a vocational training institute run by Dalit activists, near Sanand town of this district tomorrow.
"During his visit, Rahulji will accept a giant national flag, measuring 125 feet in length and 83 feet in height, from Dalit students of the Kendra. He will also address locals and Dalits of surrounding areas at the centre," Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.
"This is the largest national flag ever made. Though it was meant to be presented to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, he had refused to accept it when Dalits went to Gandhinagar in August. When Rahulji learned about it, he conveyed his desire to accept the flag with full honour," Doshi added.
According to the founder of the DSK, Martin Macwan, the giant flag was made as part of their movement to end untouchability in the country.
"This flag, made from khadi and weighing around 240 kgs, was prepared by around 100 DSK students from Dalit and backward communities. Though we went to Gandhinagar to hand it over to the CM on August 11, he did not meet us. Officials at the Gandhinagar collectorate also refused to accept it, saying they dont have the space to keep it," Macwan said.
"It was disheartening because we just wanted to spread the message and wanted to urge the CM to do his bit in Gujarat to end the practice of untouchability. When Rahul Gandhi learned about it, he informed us that he will accept the flag when he will visit the DSK tomorrow," Macwan added.
Apart from interacting with Dalits in Sanand, Gandhi would interact with fishermen, doctors, teachers and villagers on his route covering Porbandar, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mahisagar and Dahod district during his two-day visit.
After landing at the Porbandar airport tomorrow morning, Gandhi would start his tour by meeting local fishermen to understand their problems, a release by the party said.
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In the afternoon, Gandhi would visit the DSK near Sanand. He will then arrive in Ahmedabad to take part in two separate interactive sessions, one with doctors and medical professionals and another with lecturers and primary school teachers.
Late evening, he will address a gathering in the Nikol area of the city, the release said.
On Saturday, he would visit various villages and towns on his journey covering Gandhinagar, Arvalli, Mahisagar and Dahod districts.
Polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having total 182 seats, will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.
Eighty nine seats of the Saurashtra and South Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase, while the remaining 93 seats in the central and northern regions would go to polls in the second phase. PTI PJT PD NP NSK GVS
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The three-day conference will see deliberation on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, protection of cows and efforts that need to be made to stop people from converting.
By Rohini Swamy: Udupi is all set to host the 'Dharma Sansad' by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). A large number of Sadhus and saints are expected to attend the gala event. The event comes in wake of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is making headlines.
Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will deliver the key-note address at the event. Sri Sri Ravishankar who has recently been taking an active role in solving the Ram temple issue along with Yoga guru Baba Ramdev are also expected to be present.
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The three-day conference will see deliberation on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, protection of cows and efforts that need to be made to stop people from converting.
Pathway for construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, programmes to protect and spread awareness about cows, efforts needed to promote social harmony, prevention of conversion to protect our culture, will be some of the main topics that will be discussed at the event.
Dharma Sansad will be inaugurated by Shivakumar Mahaswami of Siddaganga Mutt based in Tumakuru and also Veerasomeshwara Rajadesikendra Shivacharya Swami of Ramabhapuri. D Veerendra Heggade of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala will also be attending.
With more than 2,000 saints, heads of mutts and VHP leaders attending this meet, the organizers said that the Dharma Sansad is completely de-linked from politics and political agenda. It is a convergence of Hindu saints.
A final resolution will be passed on November 26 which will culminate with the Sants leading a procession called Shobha Yatre.
This is the second time that the city of Udupi is hosting the Dharma Sansad. Previously it was held in 1985 but this time the points of discussion including Ram temple and cow slaughter has political ramifications.
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By Shivani Chhabra: With the skills to pull off the most unconventional roles and a pleasing personality, Richa Chadha continues to move up the ladder, in the Indian film industry. While the actress has impressed us with her fine portrayal of off-beat characters on-screen, she is yet to leave a mark in the fashion world.
Though we haven't forgotten the few times that Richa showed up dressed like an ultimate diva at major events, the actress doesn't really live up to the mark when it comes to making casual appearances. Richa's recent look is a case in point.
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Also Read: Richa Chadha is spilling hotness in a golden gown at the Venice Film Festival
The 32-year-old starlet was recently spotted with the team of her upcoming film, Fukrey Returns, in a bling-a-ding outfit that was anything but pleasant. While jersey dresses have been a rage of late, Richa clearly went overboard with the infusion of eye-pinching bling into a jersey dress. The short, black, jersey dress could've made for a perfect casual, evening attire, had it not for the sequins sheathing it all over.
Photo: Yogen Shah
Apart from the overdose of shimmer on the ensemble, it was jazzed up with a quirky quote "more glitter, less Twitter", written in tacky colours. While all the words of the quote were in silver sequins, the word "glitter" boasted of ugly shades, and robbed the outfit of its elegance completely.
Photo: Yogen Shah
She complemented the garish outfit with a pair of white, slip-on shoes, and failed to ace the art of casual-dressing yet again.
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A man from Kerala was at the receiving end of jokes on Twitter after he reported a local incident in Tamil Nadu's Salem to the Salem Police Department in the US.
By India Today Web Desk: A furious tourist had a complaint to make. His complain was that auto rickshaw drivers in Salem, Tamil Nadu, overcharge tourists.
In a tweet, Arunanand wrote tagging police that auto rickshaws overcharge tourists in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. The drivers take Rs 50 for 1.5 km and he asked the police if they can intervene and solve the issue.
. @SalemPoliceDept are you aware that the auto rickshaws overcharge tourists in #Yercaud ?Rs. 50/- for 1.5km. Is there a system that looks into such issues here? @CMOTamilNadu @dinakaranonline @dinathanthi @VisitYercaud @twttdc- Arunanand T A (@TAAspeaks) November 20, 2017
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So what's wrong?
Well, in the tweet, Arunanand who is from Cochin, tagged the police department in the US about the incident which happened in Tamil Nadu. It instantly became a case where a person could not get a proper hang of Twitter, or failed to crosscheck if he was tagging the right handle.
Salem Police Department is in Oregon and Arunanand, who wanted to tag Salem Police in Tamil Nadu, mistakenly tagged the one in Oregon.
The US Salem Police Department even replied saying they are from Oregon, USA. And then, everything got escalated.
We are the Salem Police in Salem, Oregon, USA- Salem Police Dept. (@SalemPoliceDept) November 20, 2017
Many found humour by their sides as the tweet went viral.
The dose of laughter was even popped by Bengaluru IPS who is on Twitter. D Roopa IPS, who has a verified account on Twitter, shared Arunanand's tweet with laughing emojis.
And many are yet to find humour in one man's oblivion.
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Ryan school bus conductor Ashok Kumar, who was accused of killing Pradyuman Thakur, has complained of chest pains and difficulty in breathing after being released from jail.
By India Today Web Desk: Ashok Kumar, the school bus conductor arrested by Gurgaon Police for the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, has complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing after being released on bail.
A day after Ashok was released from the Gurugram Jail, his health has deteriorated. The villagers of Ghamroj have now started collecting money for treatment. His neighbour Mahesh Raghav said that, "He is complaining of severe pain in chest and breathlessness. I spoke to doctors and they have recommended some tests and hospitalisation on immediate basis. Now we are collecting money and soon will shift him to hospital."
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On Wednesday, Ashok confined himself inside a room and avoided speaking to anyone as he is having difficulty in talking. "Ashok told me that while he was in Gurugram Police custody, he was mercilessly beaten up on his chest. This is why he having continuous pain in chest," added Mahesh.
Kumar, who spent 75 days in jail, has alleged torture at the hands of Gurgaon Police, which initially investigated the Pradyuman murder case.
A local court released him on bail this week after the Central Bureau of Investigation, which was handed over the probe, said it did not have any evidence to support the theory that Kumar was involved in killing Pradyuman.
The CBI has instead accused a Class XI student of Gurgaon's Ryan International School of killing Pradyuman, who was the juvenile accused junior, in the hopes of getting an examination postponed.
The CBI also rejected the Gurgaon Police theory that Ashok killed Pradyuman after attempting to sexually abuse the boy, but stopped short of giving the Ryan school bus conductor a clean chit.
A Gurgaon court went ahead and released Ashok Kumar on bail; he walked out of a jail Wednesday evening.
Earlier today, Ashok confirmed what the CBI had told the court - that the Gurgaon cops had tortured him in order to force a confession out of him. Ashok, who was arrested just hours after Pradyuman was killed at the Ryan International School, had confessed to killing the boy in front of media cameras a day after the murder.
Speaking up after Ashok returned home from jail, his wife said the Gurgaon Police "hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him (in order to get him) to confess (to killing Pradyuman)."
"We knew from the beginning that he wasn't involved in the murder. The Gurgaon Police did not carry out a proper investigation," she added.
(With inputs from Munish Pandey)
WATCH | Cops tortured him, applied electric shock: Ashok Kumar's wife
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By PTI: Chandigarh, Nov 23 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today raised doubts over the claims of the Punjab Police about the involvement of a British national in targeted killings in the state and asked the Congress government to give evidence to prove his complicity.
The UK citizen, Jagtar Singh Johal alias Jaggi, was among five accused arrested in connection with targeted killings, including that of RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja. Johal, who got married last month, was apprehended from Jalandhar.
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The Punjab Police had claimed that it had "sufficient" evidence to prove the complicity of Johal in the targeted killings.
It had also claimed Johal was involved in conspiracy, coordination, funding and arranging of weapons for members of the KLF module busted in connections with the targeted killings.
"We have doubts about the Jagtar Singh Johal case. Nobody is able to digest the kind of stories presented by the Punjab Police. Their claims appeared to be untrue," SAD vice president and Lok Sabha MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said here today.
He said the case was also raised in Britain following reports that Johal was "tortured" in police custody.
"If somebody has raised suspicions ... then the state government should come forward and clear such doubts," he said.
It was important that culprits should be put behind bars. But at the same time, the state government should also ensure no innocent is punished, the MP said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had yesterday rejected as "baseless" allegations that Johal was tortured by the Punjab Police.
His remarks had come after the UK government had said it would take "extreme action" if any British citizen was "tortured".
Earlier, AAP Punjab unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu had also raised concern over the allegations of torture.
A campaign titled Free Jaggi Now is also being run on social media. PTI CHS VSD GVS
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Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed will walk free tonight as the Pakistan government has decided not to detain him further in any other case.
By PTI, India Today Web Desk: Mumbai attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed who has a bounty of USD 10 million by the US for his role in terror activities, will walk free today as the Pakistan government has decided not to detain him further in any other case.
Earlier today, India slammed Pakistan for its decision to release Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who was on house arrest for 10 months. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said it is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non state actors, and its true face is visible for all to see.
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The Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court yesterday unanimously ordered Saeed's release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which will expire tonight.
"Saeed will be a free man in less than an hour as the Punjab government has decided not to detain him further in any other case. It will follow the Lahore High Court board's decision to set him free," a top official in the government told PTI.
He has been under detention since January this year.
He said after a long deliberation by the officials concerned it has been decided to follow the review board's decision.
Several JuD activists gathered outside Saeed's residence in Jauhar town in Lahore to celebrate his release.
"We are very much excited as our leader is going to be released shortly," a JuD activist told PTI by phone from outside the Saeed's residence.
On January 31, Saeed and his four aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the Fourth Schedule of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997. However, the last two extensions were made on the 'public safety law'.
The board refused to give further extension to the detention of Saeed's aides. They were set free last month.
Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to three months under different charges but for extension to that detention it needs approval from a judicial review board.
The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack.
Saeed was put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad.
Ten LeT militants killed 166 people and wounded dozens in Mumbai in November, 2008. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught.
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Kasab was executed after a court found him guilty and handed down death sentence.
With inputs from PTI
ALSO WATCH | Hafiz Saeed's lawyer AK Dogar: Pakistan govt did not produce Indian dossiers in court
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By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more inputs)
By M Zulqernain
Lahore, Nov 23 (PTI) Mumbai attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed will walk free tonight if the Pakistan government does not detain him in any other case, his lawyer said today.
The JuD head, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year.
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The Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court yesterday unanimously ordered Saeeds release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which will expire midnight.
"Saeed will walk free after midnight if the government does not detain him in any other case. We fear that the Punjab government may detain Saeed in any other case," Saeeds counsel Advocate A K Dogar told PTI.
He said a large number of JuD workers have gathered outside Saeeds residence in Jauhar Town Lahore to welcome him on his release tonight.
The fire-brand clerics release may also coincide with the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed.
On the other hand, sources in the home department of the Punjab government are insisting that Saeed will not be released as he is being booked in another case.
"The JuD chief was illegally detained for 297 days. Hafiz Saeed always worked for Pakistan and the government could not prove any allegation against him," Dogar had said yesterday.
He had warned that they will move the court without any delay if the government does not comply with the order of the judicial board and set him free.
On January 31, Saeed and his four aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the Fourth Schedule of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997. However, the last two extensions were made on the public safety law.
The board refused to give further extension to the detention of Saeeds aides. They were set free last month.
Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to three months under different charges but for extension to that detention it needs approval from a judicial review board.
The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack.
Saeed was put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.
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India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad.
The Ministry of External Affairs today said Saeeds release confirms the "lack of seriousness" on Pakistans part in bringing terrorists to justice and its nefarious designs to shield and support non-state actors.
"India, as indeed, the entire international community is outraged that a selk-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue with his evil agenda," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in New Delhi.
Ten LeT militants killed 166 people and wounded dozens in Mumbai in November, 2008. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught.
Kasab was executed after a court found him guilty and handed down deathAsentence. PTI MZ ZH AKJ AKJ
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By Manjeet Sehgal: A 56-year-old Army colonel was arrested Wednesday on charges of raping the daughter of a lieutenant colonel posted at the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla.
The serving Army officer was produced in court today and was remanded to police custody until November 25.
A friend of his is also accused of raping her.
The victim was allegedly raped at the colonel's residence on Monday. She filed a complaint on the same day, PTI reported.
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What follows (in italics) is what the victim alleged in her complaint: On November 19, the accused invited her and her father for a programme at Shimla's noted Gaiety theatre, after which he them out for dinner.
During dinner, she told the Colonel she wanted to be a model. The Colonel said his daughter was in Mumbai, and that she could help her build a modelling career. He then asked her to send him photos of her on WhatsApp.
A day later, the Colonel asked her to come home, and promise to introduce her to people associated with the modelling industry. As soon as she reached his residence, he took her into a room, forced her to drink alcohol, and then raped her. (His friend was there too.)
The Colonel threatened to destroy her father's career if she told anyone about the incident.
Based on the victim's complaint, police registered a case under IPC section 376 (rape) against both the Colonel and his friend.
The Colonel has been arrested, and will be produced in court today. Police are looking for the friend, and say they will soon detain him.
Superintendent of Police Soumya Sambasivan confirmed the registration of the FIR and the arrest of the colonel, but refused to disclose his identity.
(With inputs from PTI)
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We wish you had styled that coat better, Sonam.
By Shivani Chhabra: It was love at first sight for us with Sonam Kapoor's stunning coat. Right from a beautiful contrast of vibrant colours to a super-quirky print on it, Sonam just wore one of the hottest coats we've seen in a long time.
While it was hard to take our eyes off the lovely piece of clothing she had thrown over, we didn't quite like the ensemble otherwise, thanks to the outrageous, pink colour-coding of the outfit.
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Also Read: Sonam Kapoor in this latest shoot is so hot, you'd have to hold onto your heart
The 32-year-old starlet wore a balloon-pullover, in a rouge-pink colour with trendy bishop-sleeves. While the bodice and the colour of the pullover looked spiffy, the orange, embossed stripes towards the elastic-hemline looked quite odd, especially how they merged with the stripes on her orange bottoms.
Photo: Yogen Shah
Adding chunks of orange to her otherwise yellow-pink outfit, Sonam matched the stripes on the pullover with a pair self-striped, orange bottoms. The loose-fitting, straight pair of pants could've looked really hot, had they been styled better, and the same stands true for the pink pullover. The orange-pink combination looked dull, while the synchronised stripes only made things worse for the look.
Also Read: Did Sonam Kapoor just step out in a random raincoat-like thing?
While the orange-pink combination was a proof of not-so-great styling in itself, it single-handedly ruined the look of the majestic coat. The bright orange colour of the bottoms dulled down the look of vivacious pink and yellow coat, as the colours seemed to present a rather eye-pinching contrast.
Photo: Yogen Shah
She accessorised the bright outfit with a pair of pink, statement earrings, and teamed it with a pair of embellished, cream-hued pumps, which looked just fine.
Sonam finished this not-so-happening look with a see-through, box clutch, and pink, glossy lips.
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A seasoned crime reporter, Bhowmik was shot dead Tuesday at the Tripura State Rifles camp in east Agartala.
A photograph of one such newspaper posted by ANI on its Twitter page
By India Today Web Desk: Most newspapers in Tripura printed blank editorial columns Thursday to protest the killing of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik.
A seasoned crime reporter, Bhowmik was shot dead Tuesday at the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) camp in east Agartala. A rifleman reportedly fired at him at point blank range.
Another journalist, Santanu Bhowmick, was lynched while covering the violent Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) agitation in September.
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The "murder" of two journalists within two months is "a matter of serious concern," Tripura Times editor Manas Paul was quoted as saying by ANI.
As far as institutional protest is concerned, we have left our editorials page blank for today's edition of our newspaper. Murder of two journalists within 2 months is a matter of serious concern: Manas Paul, Editor, Tripura Times on killing of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik pic.twitter.com/lZgdSCGVJK- ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
Photo: ANI/Twitter
Photo: ANI/Twitter
A protest strike called by the BJP and the Congress has received a huge response. No untoward incidents have been reported.
Citizens have been inconvenienced by the strike, but they still feel it is justified.
Second journalist dies unnatural death in Tripura. After Santanu Bhowmik,Sudip Datta Bhowmik of Syandan Patrika died from gunshot wound in Tripura State Rifles camp from the rifle of a sentry. Enquiry under way. Om Shanti- Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) November 21, 2017
A Press Council of India report says 26 journalists were killed in the Northeast between 2002 and 2014.
WATCH | Gauri Lankesh murder: Senior journalist's killers still roam free
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The judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts will soon get a salary hike with the Union cabinet approving a proposal.
By India Today Web Desk: The Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up the 15th Finance Commission which is meant to assess the tax resources of the country and suggest a formula for distributing them among states. The judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts will soon get a salary hike with the Union cabinet after the proposal is approved, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
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The minister said two bills would be introduced in Parliament to effect the pay hike.
According to the proposal cleared on Wednesday, the chief justice of India (CJI) will get Rs 2.80 lakh per month and judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of the high court will get Rs 2.50 lakh a month.
Judges of the high courts will get Rs 2.25 lakh per month, a senior government functionary added, refusing to go on record.
The increased salary and pension for retired judges will be effective from January 1, 2016.
A Supreme Court judge at present gets Rs 1.5 lakh a month in hand after all deductions from salary and allowances. The CJI gets a higher amount than this, while judges of the high courts get a lesser amount. Rent-free accommodation is provided to judges while they are in service.
In 2016, then chief justice of India T S Thakur had written to the government seeking a hike in the salaries of Supreme Court and high court judges.
As against the approved strength of 31, the Supreme Court today has 25 judges. The high courts have an approved strength of 1,079, but 682 judges are today handling work in 24 high courts. The move will also benefit 2,500 retired judges, Prasad said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government's endeavour would be to get the two bills passed in the winter session of Parliament.
Once the hike is effected, the salary of judges will be at par with those of bureaucrats following the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission.
Apart from the salary hike of currently serving judges, over 2500 retired Judges will also be benefited from this decision after their pension and gratuity is hiked in accordance to recommendations by the 7th Pay Commission.
With PTI inputs
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By PTI: and Finland
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold talks with her counterparts from Finland, Denmark and Greece in the next few days to further boost bilateral ties.
She will hold extensive talks with Foreign Minister of Finland Timo Soini tomorrow on ways to deepen cooperation in several key areas including trade and investment.
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Soini arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said foreign minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias will be in India from November 25 to 28 and Swaraj will hold talks with him on November 27.
Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen will be paying a visit to India from November 26 to 29. Swaraj will also hold extensive talks with him on ways to expand bilateral ties, said Kumar.
On French President Emmanuel Macrons visit, Kumar said it will take place early next year. "It has been rescheduled for early 2018."
Asked about the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Bangladesh and Myanmar and whether the government sent him any invite to include India in the visit, Kumar did not give a direct reply but indicated about a scheduling issue.
He said a proper mechanism has to be followed to "finalise any VVIP visit" which includes finalisation of mutually convenient dates to both the sides.
"Indias link to Christianity is 2,000 years old," he said.
Asked about the Global Entrepreneurship Summit being hosted by India along with the US in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30, Kumar said it will present a unique opportunity to forge meaningful partnerships among entrepreneurs, investors and supporters of start-up ecosystems.
US President Donald Trumps daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump is attending the summit.
Asked about her schedule in Hyderabad, Kumar said it is being finalised. PTI MPB GVS
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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) Switzerland today said it will join hands with India for the next phase of bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology.
The Swiss government also described India as one of the "emerging global players in research and innovation".
During the fourth Switzerland-India Joint Committee meeting earlier this week, both countries set the course for future bilateral cooperation in the field of research, the Swiss government said in a release today. The meeting, held here on November 21, was aimed at evaluating the latest cooperation and processes while the delegations "defined the next phase of the bilateral programme". "The discussions resulted in an agreement that the Indian Department for Biotechnology (DBT) and the SNSF would launch a joint call for projects at the beginning of 2018," the release said. Apart from the bilateral framework agreement, there are more than 90 cooperation agreements between Swiss and Indian higher education and research institutions. According to the release, researchers from India are involved in more than 90 SNSF projects. "India is one of the emerging global players in research and innovation, thanks to excellent research centres and a considerable talent pool," the release said. Since 2003, both countries have a bilateral framework agreement on scientific and technological cooperation. "In the context of this agreement, there have already been 55 joint research projects and a good 90 exchange grants. Altogether, researchers and students from around 20 Swiss and 70 Indian higher education institutions have benefited from the bilateral agreement," the release said.
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The research areas covered include biosciences and materials sciences, nanotechnologies, health and medical sciences, urban development and sustainable energy. On the sidelines of the November 21 meeting, the Academia Industry Training Programme was opened by swissnex India for the fourth time. "To date, the programme has supported 24 Swiss researchers in the commercialisation of their research results in India," the release said. The next meeting of the Joint Scientific Committee is scheduled to take place in Switzerland in 2019. "While there were fewer than 300 Indian students studying in Switzerland in 2005, by 2016 more than 900 Indians enrolled at a public Swiss university," the release said. PTI DRR RAM MKJ
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The family of 10-year-old Ritu (top) claims that two doctors of Metro Hospital treated her for dengue when she actually had viral fever.
By Ajay Kumar: A father's six-year quest for justice has led to police registering an FIR against two doctors from a prominent private hospital over the death of a young girl.
Cops booked Dr Sunil Sareen and Dr Vivek Kumar of RLKC Hospital & Metro Heart Institute at Shadipur in Delhi on November 17.
The complainant, NDMC employee Pramod Kumar Chaudhary, admitted his 10-year-old-daughter Ritu at the institute on October 21, 2011, as she was suffering from viral fever.
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"When we went into the hospital, Dr Sareen informed me that she was suffering from dengue despite the fact that her platelet count was 2.1 lakh," Chaudhary said.
The girl's condition worsened and she was moved to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. She died days later.
When contacted by Mail Today, Metro hospital said successive probes by authorities found no negligence on part of the institute.
"The police referred the case to Delhi Medical Council for seeking medical opinion on cause of death. Delhi Medical Council had examined the case thoroughly and passed an order on 22nd August 2013, stating no medical negligence can be attributed on the part of the doctors in the treatment administered to the child," it said in a statement.
"The father of the child further filed a similar case with the Medical Council of India which was again investigated by their Ethics Committee and passed an order 11 Nov, 2014 upholding the order of Delhi Medical Council," the statement added.
"The NDMC through their Welfare officer also filed an FIR accusing hospital for overcharging and also filed a case in District & Sessions court, Delhi. The total bill was of less than Rs. 15000/-(14,497/-) including ICU Charges."
"The matter was investigated by the concerned police official and the bill was found to be correct and amount was not found to be inflated. The closure report was submitted to court."
"The court accepted the closure report vide its order dated 7th Apr 2016 to which complainant did not object. That is all on record."
"It is pertinent to mention that all aspects of the case medical and financial have been thoroughly investigated by competent authorities and relevant orders to this effect are passed exonerating the doctors/hospital for any financial/medical negligence," the statement concluded.
Chaudhary alleged that the wrong treatment and medicines given by Metro hospital doctors was first pointed out by doctors at RML Hospital.
"On the basis of that, we have filed a complaint before the hospital management against the two doctors but it has not taken any action against them and given clean chit after conducting a so-called internal inquiry," he said.
Citing wrong treatment, the New Delhi Municipal Council had stopped payment of the bill charged by the hospital. It also removed the institute from its medical panel.
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Chaudhary had filed a criminal case at the city's Tis Hazari Courts and also submitted RTI pleas in several government hospitals such as AIIMS and Safdarjung to ascertain the nature of medicines used in the treatment of dengue and viral fever.
"We have compared the RTI replies and the diagnosis of Metro hospital and this has been produced in court. It appeared that the medicines given to Ritu were banned globally by the World Health Organization (WHO). Such medicines affected her kidney, renal and other vital organs that caused her eventual death," Chaudhary claimed.
WATCH VIDEO | Fortis Hospital charges Rs 16 lakh for 15-day dengue treatment
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha
Washington, Nov 23 (PTI) The US has cast doubts over the Chinese assertion that both Bangladesh and Myanmar have endorsed its three-step plan to resolve the "complicated" Rohingya refugee crisis.
The three steps, including a ceasefire, repatriation of refugees and talks on a long-term solution, was announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after his visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar over the weekend.
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"We are aware of reports regarding Foreign Minister Wangs announcement of a plan regarding Rakhine State. We look forward to hearing more details from China about how it proposes to address the complicated issues that must be worked out to resolve the crisis," a State Department official told PTI, after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the military action against Rohingya Muslims as "ethic cleansing".
The US has been clear on the steps all stakeholders should take to address the situation in Rakhine State, the official said but did not elaborate if the US has been in touch with China over the Rohingya refugee crisis.
"We support the ongoing engagement between Bangladesh and Myanmar and urge both countries to continue negotiations to facilitate safe, dignified, and voluntary repatriations," the State Department official said yesterday.
Earlier in the day, a senior Trump administration official told reporters during a conference call that Myanmars government and security forces must respect human rights of all persons within its borders and hold accountable those who fail to do so.
The official said this after the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson determined that actions against Rohingya in Rakhine State by security forces was ethnic cleansing.
The abuses by some among the Myanmar military security forces and local vigilantes caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands, as we know, of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Myanmar, to seek refuge in Bangladesh, the official said.
"After a careful and thorough analysis of the available facts, the Secretary has noted that it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine State constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," the official said.
Tillerson also noted that those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable and that the US continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all of the facts on the ground to aid the process of accountability.
"We have supported constructive action on the Rakhine State crisis at the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assemblys third committee, and we will also pursue accountability through US law, including possible targeted sanctions," the official said.
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"The Secretary has been clear and consistent in noting support for the Myanmar governments commitment to create conditions necessary for all the refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes safely and voluntarily, the official said.
The US welcomes the recent exchanges between the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh on the ability to repatriate these individuals voluntarily.
On the repatriation of refugees, the official said that both Myanmar and Bangladesh are close to reaching an agreement on a process for voluntary repatriations of displaced persons.
"We have been noting positive comments from officials of the civilian government in Myanmar in this regard," said the official.
"Recently, we also note that support for these processes by Myanmars military will be crucial, and that we are committed to working with Myanmar and others in the region to help the government and its people work through this crisis," the official said.
Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed the move to declare Myanmars military actions against the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing.
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"I am glad the administration is calling attacks against the Rohingya what they are: ethnic cleansing. In recent months, we have heard horrific stories of young Rohingya mothers torn from their burning homes, drowned children, and mass execution," he said.
He demanded that the US should impose sanctions against the Myanmar military leaders responsible for the bloodbath.
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain said that the State Departments decision to condemn the Myanmar militarys persecution of the Rohingya community as ethnic cleansing is welcome.
This statement makes clear the US policy toward these crimes against humanity and must lead to demanding more accountability, he said.
"The next step should be targeted sanctions against the military officials responsible for these atrocities, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance the Myanmar Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2017," McCain said.
Meanwhile, a Congressional delegation, which has completed a fact-finding mission to Myanmar and Bangladesh, expressed shock over the deteriorating human rights situation.
"The persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar is a humanitarian crisis that has shocked the world and demands robust American leadership," said Congresswoman Betty McCollum, who was part of the delegation.
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"The message of our trip is clear: we must not tolerate violence, discrimination, and human rights abuses anywhere in the world. We are also insisting that the US must do our part to assist the refugees who have fled Myanmar as they work to rebuild their lives," she said.
In a statement, the delegation called on Myanmar to address the root causes of the conflict and address the plight of the 600,000 Rohingya refugees. PTI LKJ SMJ AKJ SMJ
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) India has sought "sovereign guarantee" from Pakistan to ensure safety and security of the wife and the mother of Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav if they are allowed to visit him.
The external affairs ministry said Pakistan has also been asked not to subject the two women to any questioning, harassment or interrogation during their stay in Pakistan.
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On November 10, Pakistan had said it will allow Jadhav to meet his wife, months after India requested it to grant visa to his mother on humanitarian grounds.
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar today said India has also asked Pakistan that a diplomat of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad should be allowed to accompany the two women at all times, including during the meeting with Jadhav.
He also asserted that offer of such a meeting does not absolve Pakistan of the violations of the Vienna Convention on consular access and not following the due process in treating Jadhav who faces death sentence through a "farcical process and on concocted charges".
"We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the wife and the mother of Jadhav and that they shall not be questioned, harassed or interrogated during their visit and stay in Pakistan," Kumar said during a media briefing.
Last week, Pakistan said it is also "considering" Indias request to let Jadhavs mother meet him, apart from his wife.
Around three days back, India sent its response to Pakistans offer of allowing Jadhavs wife to meet him and Kumar said now India is waiting for Islamabads reply to it.
"We got a note verbale from the Pakistani side. We responded to the note verbale. Now we are waiting for their response to our response," he said.
Hoping that Pakistan would facilitate visit by the wife and mother of Jadhav, Kumar said the government determined to "pursue all measures" with "full vigour" so as to secure the final release of an innocent Indian.
"Such a meeting offer does not absolve Pakistan of the violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Human Rights and not following the due process in treating Jadhav who remains incarcerated in Pakistan and faces death sentence through a farcical process and on concocted charges," he said.
Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April on charges of espionage and terrorism. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on Indias appeal.
The MEA spokesperson notwithstanding the long pending request from Jadhavs mother to visit her son, India responded positively to the Pakistani offer to arrange a meeting of between him and his wife.
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"In our response, we have conveyed that the wife of Jadhav would like to travel along with her mother-in-law for the meeting," he said.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies.
Last month, the Pakistan Army had said it is close to a decision on the mercy petition of Jadhav.
Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.
Jadhavs sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India.
After India approached the ICJ, a 10-member bench on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.
The ICJ has asked Pakistan to submit its response or memorial by December 13 before the court could start further proceedings in the case. PTI MPB ZMN
--- ENDS ---
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After GST, the income tax law overhaul is going to be a two-government effort aimed at simplifying the maze of taxation laws in India.
By Prabhash K Dutta: Setting up the six-member committee by the Centre to overhaul the Direct Tax Code effectively amending the Income Tax Act, 1961, has come as a natural extension of tax reforms following the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1 this year.
The Narendra Modi government's decision may have surprised a few as in 2015, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had practically shelved the Direct Tax Code. Withdrawing the Direct Tax Code, 2013 during 2015 Budget presentation, Jaitley had then said that most of the provisions were either incorporated or done away with.
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But, in September this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a conference of the taxmen hinted a revisit on the Direct Tax Code by his government. Now, Arbind Modi has been named the convener of tax over-hauling panel. Arbind Modi is a member of the Central Board of Taxes. He had played a key role in formulating the original Direct Tax Code, 2009 proposed by the UPA government.
WHAT IS DIRECT TAX CODE?
Direct Tax Code is an income tax reform aimed at replacing the Income Tax Act, 1961 and setting up a modern taxation template in the country. Originally approved by the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 2009, the Direct Tax Code was presented in Parliament by his successor Pranab Mukherjee in 2010 - two years later, he became the President of India.
The Direct Tax Code, 2010 was sent to a standing committee for further deliberations. The standing committee's recommendations found way into a revised version of the bill. With the change of government at the Centre in 2014, Arun Jaitley presented the revised Direct Tax Code in 2014 Budget. But, he withdrew it the next year.
The Direct Tax Code proposes to withdraw all the exemptions given to income tax payers except the basic exemption upto a certain annual income. It further proposes to bring down the number of tax slabs and rates for assessment of tax liability. It is expected to make life easier for individual tax payers and in gross effect, also lessen tax burden on them.
EXISTING INCOME TAX REGIME
According to the existing taxation laws, annual income upto Rs 2.5 lakh is exempted from direct taxation. The last Budget removed the 10 per cent tax slab and also an additional relaxation for women tax payers.
Income Slab Tax Rate in percenage Income up to Rs 2,50,000* No tax Income from Rs 2,50,000 - Rs 5,00,000 5 Income from Rs 5,00,000 - 10,00,000 20 Income more than Rs 10,00,000 30
A surcharge of 10 per cent of income tax is applicable, where total income exceeds Rs 50 lakh up to Rs 1 crore.
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Another surcharge of 15 per cent of income tax is applicable, where the total income exceeds Rs 1 crore.
A cess of 3 per cent is applicable on total of income tax + surcharge.
Senior citizens of 60-80 years are exempted from paying income tax upto Rs 3 lakh and those above 80 years enjoy exemption upto annual income of Rs 5 lakh.
INDIANS AMONG MOST TAXED
According to a study by the consultancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC), Indians are second most taxed people in all the G20 countries. As published by BBC in 2014, the list shows that Indians' take home earning after paying income tax is worst except Italy.
Country Take Home Salary in percentage (if annual salary is USD 4 lakh) Italy 50.59 India 54.90 United Kingdom 57.28 France 58.10 Canada 58.13 Japan 58.68 Australia 59.30 United States 60.45 (based on New York state tax) Germany 60.61 South Africa 61.78 China 62.05 Argentina 64.02 Turkey 64.64 South Korea 65.75 Indonesia 69.78 Mexico 70.60 Brazil 73.32 Russia 87 Saudi Arabia 96.86
HOW DTC MAY LESSEN TAX BURDEN
It is expected that the final Direct Code Tax may increase the exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh. As per the shelved DTC, income in the Rs2-5 lakh bracket is taxed at 10 per cent. The current tax slab is more liberal in that sense giving exemption upt0 Rs 2.5 lakh.
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Secondly, the current income tax law provides for tax liability of 5 per cent on income between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh against 10 per cent under the shelved DTC.
However, it is likely that the final DTC may set the exemption limit at Rs 5 lakh. The redrafted DTC is also expected to keep the recommendation of bringing down highest tax slab from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.
Simplification of taxation slabs and reducing rates are likely to benefit the tax payers. Even though the taxable amount may go up due to removal of all or most of the exemptions, the reduced tax rates are expected to actually bring down the total amount paid as income tax.
--- ENDS ---
ALGIERS - Algeria announced on Wednesday a deal with China's CITIC to finalize the remaining 84 km eastern section of the east-west highway near the Tunisian border, reported APS news agency.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika approved the contract between the Algerian Motorways Agency (AAA) and the Chinese construction firm of CITIC, the source said.
A statement of the Council of Ministers specified that Bouteflika instructed the government to finish the mega project as soon as possible.
In October of 2014, the Algerian government cancelled the contract with the Japanese public work consortium Cojaal over delay in the completion of a 84 km section part of the east-west motorway.
By then, the government said the completion works would be assigned to other companies, noting that works would be done at lower cost than that proposed by Cojaal.
In 2006, Cojaal, a group of Japanese companies, snatched a $5 billion worth contract to establish 359 km section part of the east-west highway, from the eastern province of Bourdj Bou Arreridj to the Tunisian border, within a 40 months term.
However, the Japanese group required additional payments to complete the project but the government rejected.
Algerian highway authorities have issued two formal warnings to Cojaal about the growing delays plaguing the project. In response, the Japanese consortium decided to take a legal action against the Algerian government at an international arbitration court.
* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award
* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020.
* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018.
* IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.
* Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013.
* Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011.
2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100.
* Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010.
* Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010.
* Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010.
* Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll.
Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008.
Sometimes I like to bring attention to stories that aren't getting a lot of the spotlight, or that we aren't able to fit into your daily newspaper.
This one ironically comes as deer season has just begun in our area, bringing out adult hunters, and often their young protege, for the annual tradition that starts with shotgun season.
First, the story I wanted to share:
US first loosened limits on lion trophies, then elephants
WASHINGTON (AP) One month before the Trump administration sparked outrage by reversing a ban on trophies from threatened African elephants, federal officials quietly loosened restrictions on the importation of heads and hides of lions shot for sport.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began issuing permits Oct. 20 for lions killed in Zimbabwe and Zambia between 2016 and 2018. The agency is also currently studying whether to add three additional countries to the list Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania.
Previously, only wild lions killed in South Africa were eligible to be imported.
In two recent tweets, President Donald Trump said he will delay the new policy on allowing elephant trophies, but he made no mention of lions. Trump, whose adult sons are avid big-game hunters, also expressed skepticism about his own administration's claim that killing threatened animals could help save them by helping raise money for conservation programs.
"Big-game trophy decision will be announced next week but will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of Elephants or any other animal," the president tweeted on Sunday.
Trump weighed in after a strong public backlash against reversing an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies, which became public through a written notification posted in the Federal Register. Officials said there was no such legal requirement for notifying the public about the policy change on lions.
In late 2015, the Obama administration added two subspecies of African lion to the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. Due to poaching and habitat loss, the number of lions living in the wild is in sharp decline from an estimated 200,000 a century ago to less than 20,000 today.
The additional protections were added a few months after Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer sparked international outcry by killing Cecil, a beloved 13-year-old lion who lived in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Palmer paid $54,000 to bow-hunt Cecil on private land just outside the park.
A photo of Donald Trump Jr. holding a knife and the bloody severed tail of an elephant he reportedly killed in Zimbabwe in 2011 has also drawn ire from animal rights activists.
Wayne Pacelle, the president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said he is encouraged that the president is taking a second look at the issue.
"Keeping elephants and lions alive is a key to economic progress in so many African nations," Pacelle said. "Trophy hunting robs these nations of their greatest resources, diminishing the wildlife-watching experiences of so many tourists. Any U.S. sanctioning of trophy hunting sends a particularly contradictory message at a time when the world has been rallying to save elephants and lions."
***
Now, I'm not a hunter, but my dad did a bit of rabbit hunting when I was young and I know plenty of folks who enjoy deer hunting. I have no problem with hunting in general; most people in this area, from what I know, hunt deer not just because they enjoy the chase but to put meat on the table, or donate it to those in need.
It's hunting purely for sport that I don't get.
I'm not the PETA type -- they're too extreme for me -- although I agree with them once in a while. But I don't understand the hunting of big game just for sport, except that it's a good ego trip.
Obviously, many people disagree. Some big-game hunters might contend that the meat from a giraffe or other animal they kill in Africa then provides for local villagers for a long time. I don't know about that; I haven't been there.
But big-game hunting purely to get a trophy and brag about an elephant tail on your wall is disgusting to me. Elephants aren't like deer; if deer hunters didn't get out and thin the herds, we'd have a lot more car-deer accidents, disease among the deer, etc. I understand that.
I don't really "get" the interest in putting a deer head or antlers on the wall, but I'm not going to bash those who are "into" that. To each his own.
For me, it's just different when it comes to certain animals.
Elephants are smart and basically harmless, if humans keep their distance. Perhaps their herds need thinned, too; I don't know. But then, I'm the type who's more likely to want to pet an animal like that than shoot it.
If I had an elephant, I think I'd name him "MuMu." It just kind of has a little bit of a ring to it.
But seriously, I think the Trump administration is wrong with the rollback of these regulations on big-game trophies. I'm glad many people are up in arms about it and doing something to stop the moves.
On a completely different topic, I just have to share this one with you.
Kathy Griffin: Trump photo put me on 'Hollywood blacklist'
By The Associated Press
Kathy Griffin says she is in the middle of a "Hollywood blacklist" after taking a photo holding a fake severed head that resembled President Donald Trump.
The comedian is currently on a world standup tour. She says in a YouTube video that when she returns to the U.S. she doesn't have "one single day of paid work" scheduled. She says she doesn't want to do free shows or work small clubs and thinks she should be able to get her life back.
Griffin says the Trump photo "offended a lot of people," but added: "this wall of crap has never fallen on any woman in the history of America like it has on me."
Griffin initially apologized for the photo published in May before saying she was no longer sorry over the summer.
***
Boo hoo! Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Apparently no one told Griffin that we have free speech in this country, but we don't have speech free of consequences. It may be unfair for her to be allegedly "blacklisted" for her free speech/action, but she should have thought about that before she acted.
Anyhow, I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving, whether you hunt or not, whether you shop on the holiday or not, whether you laugh or get angry at free speech such as Griffin's.
Life is short. Pass the stuffing around again, will you?
Wednesday, November 22, 2017 Padilla Inches Closer To Ending Light Guv Bid; Will Seek Advice From Friends And Family, Plus: Happy Thanksgiving, New Mexico
Front running Dem Guv candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham
The Young Democrats of New Mexico, the Bernalillo County Young Democrats, and the UNM College Democrats condemn sexual harassment, assault, and violence. We stand with the victims, and we call on our state leaders to do the same. . . In light of the sexual misconduct allegations, we call for Senator Michael Padillas withdrawal from the Lieutenant Governor race and ask for his resignation from his position in the Senate.
Further, we hereby censure Senator Padilla from all future events with our membership and insist he publicly apologize to the victims. Senator Michael Padillas actions were unacceptable, and we ask that he hold himself accountable. We need leaders who will fight to change the culture of systemic sexual harassment, assault, and violence. We stand with victims, and we are committed to promoting candidates who do the same.
Quit the Light Guv race and resign from the Senate?
Well, no, because the voters of Padilla's district were well aware of the charges against him when they voted him into office. Negative campaigning had been conducted and in spite of it the voters decided to elect him on his second try.
A HURT SENATOR?
What will be interesting down the road is if Grisham gets elected Governor and Padilla remains in his whip position. Will he hold it against her as he whips votes in the Senate? It takes a lot less for Senators to break with a sitting Governor. Just ask Bill Richardson or Susana Martinez.
PADILLA AND SHAKESPEARE
Political consultant Chris Brown in Santa Fe comes with a poignant comment on the Padilla imbroglio:
Joe, your political obit for Michael Padilla didnt include his leadership in the state senate to free up Permanent Funds for early childhood. Or the national kudos he received from the real news media - NPR, NYT NBC, Mother Jones - and thats just the middle of the alphabet - to stop the shaming of school girls whose parents were behind on their school lunch payments. As Shakespeare wrote, the good men do is oft interred with their bones. Especially in todays politics.
This is a take no prisoners environment and all the good in a person's life can be swept away in one fell swoop.
Former Dem Bernalillo County Commissioner Steve Gallegos says the pain Padilla is getting will cost Grisham:
Michelle just lost a lot of votes. She's accustomed to stepping on others to pursue her career.
CAN'T GET WORSE?
It can't get worse for a state senator than what has happened to Padilla, right? Well, don't tell that to former State Senate Phil Griego who is going to be spending some serious time behind bars after his
Griego lost his battle with Attorney General Balderas who brought the charges to trial. The former Senator, 69, now waits to hear how long he will go away.
Well, we didn't mean to get you depressed for the holidays. Speaking of which . . .
THANKS FOR THAT
I just wanted to thank you for your blog. Im a transplant to NM (only been here 4 years), and your blog is a highlight of my news day. You keep me informed and motivated to get involved locally. I look forward to your posts and your honest analysis. Keep it up! Were reading, and were paying attention.
And reader Norm Gagne writes:
Just a quick note to thank you for your excellent coverage of New Mexico, primarily but not just politics and including the economy, a bit of history and some of the culture. Your blog is second on my reading list each morning you publish. Sorry, I check the weather first. Election night coverage on KANW (where, by the way, I am an occasional Classical Music For A Sunday Morning host) was informative and fun. They were a rowdy but well informed crew. La Politica for 2018 should be worthy subject matter for you and your Alligators. Ill be among the eager spectators cheering you on.
Appreciate that, Jennifer and Norm. That's a reason to be thankful and to say:
Happy Thanksgiving, New Mexico!
This is the home of New Mexico politics.
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( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2017 Embattled Democratic lieutenant governor candidate and state Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla appeared to inch closer to giving up his bid for the #2 position as storm clouds continued to form over his entanglement in sex harassment charges during the time he worked for the city of ABQ a decade ago. Padilla says he is now seeking advice from friends, family and advisers on whether to end his run. That's political language that is usually the prelude to quitting.Front running Dem Guv candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham threw Padilla overboard when she was asked in an AP interview whether in light of national developments regarding women and sexual harassment if Padilla should quit. She said he should. That was probably enough to end the Padilla dream but if it wasn't, here's some more:Quit the Light Guv raceresign from the Senate?Well, no, because the voters of Padilla's district were well aware of the charges against him when they voted him into office. Negative campaigning had been conducted and in spite of it the voters decided to elect him on his second try.What will be interesting down the road is if Grisham gets elected Governor and Padilla remains in his whip position. Will he hold it against her as he whips votes in the Senate? It takes a lot less for Senators to break with a sitting Governor. Just ask Bill Richardson or Susana Martinez.Political consultant Chris Brown in Santa Fe comes with a poignant comment on the Padilla imbroglio:This is a take no prisoners environment and all the good in a person's life can be swept away in one fell swoop.Former Dem Bernalillo County Commissioner Steve Gallegos says the pain Padilla is getting will cost Grisham:It can't get worse for a state senator than what has happened to Padilla, right? Well, don't tell that to former State Senate Phil Griego who is going to be spending some serious time behind bars after his recent convictions on corruption charges.Griego lost his battle with Attorney General Balderas who brought the charges to trial. The former Senator, 69, now waits to hear how long he will go away.Well, we didn't mean to get you depressed for the holidays. Speaking of which . . .Reader Jennifer Harrison writes:And reader Norm Gagne writes:Appreciate that, Jennifer and Norm. That's a reason to be thankful and to say:Happy Thanksgiving, New Mexico!This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Links HOME
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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
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Recession, the alarm bell word.
That's the word that sends shivers up the back of the economy and pushes the stock market on a downward slide.
But it's a word that fits what happened to Nebraska's economy during the last quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of this year, according to new statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The data "indicates that Nebraska's economy expanded in the second quarter of 2017 after contracting for two straight quarters, which defines a technical recession," according to Vance Ginn, a senior economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The ugly economic numbers: the state's gross domestic product contracted by 1.8 percent in the last quarter of 2016 and by 4.5 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Nebraska's economy grew by 1.1 percent in the second quarter of this year.
"These newly-revised numbers confirm that Nebraska experienced a technical recession in the midst of the agricultural downturn," the Platte Institute stated in drawing attention to the report this week.
And that's a big double-hit.
Meanwhile, a fresh economic indicator report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this week points to slowing economic growth in the state during the second quarter of the coming year, an indication that the state may spend more time in the economic woods.
Nebraska has been adversely impacted by a rising strength in the U.S. dollar, which in turn raises competitive prices for Nebraska's agricultural and manufacturing exports, according to Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at UNL and an associate professor of economics.
All of that triggers change in the state's so-called economic indicator, a composite of economic factors that predict economic growth six months into the future.
Meanwhile, the Open Sky Policy Institute has cautioned state government leaders to refrain from taking any significant action to revise the state budget until the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board meets again in February to reassess its state revenue forecast.
At that time, state leaders should also have a better understanding of the impact of potential federal income tax changes now being considered by Congress, OpenSky executive director Renee Fry said.
"Our revenue system is not keeping up with the needs of our state and further reducing revenue could harm our schools, public safety programs and other services that are vital to our state and its economy," Fry said.
Four people were arrested for their alleged involvement in an armed bank robbery Wednesday morning in Malmo, a town of about 120 people northeast of Wahoo, the FBI says.
Saunders County sheriff's deputies arrested two people within minutes of the 8:30 a.m. robbery at Security Home Bank.
Two more were nabbed following a chase involving Yutan's police chief, Omaha Police and the Nebraska State Patrol that ended in Douglas County.
A deputy told the Wahoo Newspaper one person went into the bank with a gun and left with cash but all four left the scene.
FBI spokesman Huston Pullen said the investigation was ongoing. He did not release the names of the suspects.
The bank posted a notice on its door after the robbery saying it would be locking its door during certain business hours because of recent events.
Nearly 60 years ago, workers building a railroad bridge in Knox County, not far from the South Dakota border, unearthed human remains.
Decades later, workers building a road in the same northeast Nebraska county came across more remains, and like those found in the 1960s, they ended up at the Nebraska State Historical Society. As did those found in Platte County and those discovered by a group of boys wandering along an eroding Butler County creek bed.
On Wednesday, all those remains were returned to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, which will take them north and bury them in a cemetery on their ancestral homeland along the lower Niobrara River.
It's an honor to repatriate the remains of their ancestors, said Dwight Howe, cultural director of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.
"Before Nebraska was a territory, before the Louisiana Purchase, we lived here," he said. "We've been in this place for hundreds of years and we are honored to be recognized as people of the land."
On Wednesday, Howe and Shannon Wright, the tribe's historic preservationist, came to Lincoln to prepare the remains for burial.
They will be wrapped in blankets and will be buried with tobacco, sweet grass, sage and cedar, all symbols and gestures of prayer, Howe said.
"They are our ancestors," he said. "So we are developing our polices and procedures to treat them as our relatives."
The return of the Ponca remains is part of a decades-long process of repatriation begun in 1990 when the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act became federal law.
The Nebraska State Historical Society, like all state, local and university museums that get federal money, had to inventory all the human remains in its custody, and, if archaeologists could determine which tribe they came from, they were to give them back.
Many of the remains in Historical Society custody were Pawnee, said state archaeologist Rob Bozell, and several large reparations occurred with the tribe in late 1990s.
Archaeologists struggled, however, to determine the origin of hundreds of other remains, and what to do with them became a hotly debated issue. Some tribes felt all remains should be returned even when they cant be affiliated with a tribe; and some scientists believed they should remain at museums.
I dont think when Congress passed NAGPRA they realized thats what often happens, Bozell said. So museums were left with all these unaffiliated remains.
Eventually -- 20 years later -- Congress revised the regulations so that unaffiliated remains can be repatriated based on geography, he said. And, when those regulations became finalized within the last few years, it opened the way for a joint repatriation of the last of the human remains at the State Historical Society that Bozell hopes will happen this spring.
Through that work -- which involved contacting all tribes that lived in Nebraska at one time, working with the Nebraska Indian Commission and officials in Washington -- Historical Society officials found some remains that had been identified but never claimed.
Among those: Four boxes with the Ponca remains of 10 individuals and funerary objects dating back to the 1700s and 1800s.
State archaeologists follow clues to identify the remains: items buried with them, their location, the depth of the soil, the burial patterns.
Beads found with the Ponca remains, for instance, indicate they were European trading goods, probably sewn into clothing that long since decomposed, Bozell said. And the remains were found in the middle of the Poncas homeland.
You cant tell with absolute certainty, but you have to look at the evidence you have, Bozell said. Its an informed opinion.
For many years, the tribe didnt have anyone to deal with historic preservation issues, he said, which is one of the reasons the remains stayed at the Historical Society. Now they do.
Wright said it's an ongoing process, one he's been working on with museums across the Midwest since he began the work two years ago.
When remains are discovered now -- because of flooding or erosion or construction -- the goal is to rebury them at the same or as close as possible to the same location they've been found, he said.
Bozell, who has worked with the Nebraska Indian Commission on reparations since the 1990s, said he understands all the perspectives of the debate, and one of the best things about NAGPRA and related state laws is that it has forced those different groups to work together.
Thats been a really good thing, he said. We sit down and figure these things out together. Archaeologists can inform tribes about things theyre not aware of and they can inform us of things were not aware of. This has been the most positive thing about reparation -- working together to solve the problem.
Because the issue isnt going away.
It will always happen because every year the phone rings because somebody finds something, he said.
Semi-Auto Rifles: Common for 100
Years yet Mass Shooters are NOT
By Dean Weingarten. November 13th, 2017
Article Source
Opponents of an armed population often claim that semi-automatic rifles are a new phenomena in the United States. That is false. One of the first successful semi-automatic or self loading rifles was the Remington Model 8. It was patented in 1900 by John Moses Browning. Commercial production started in 1906. It was a successful design, used in the hunting fields, in law enforcement, and had limited usage in the U.S. military. The model 8 was modified a bit in 1936 and become the model 81, which was produced until 1950.
You can see that some of the design features were copied in later designs such as the AK-47. The AK features full automatic capability, which was not part of the Model 8, or its improved brother, the model 81. Many have remarked on the eerie resemblance of the safety lever on both rifles. The models 8 and 81 had rotary locking lugs, as does the AK-47.
The power of the cartridges used in the AK and the model 8 are similar. The Model 8 and 81 cartridges tend to be a little more powerful than the 7.62x39 cartridge of the AK-47. The Model 81 was chambered in the .300 Savage cartridge, which is considerably more powerful, while the .25 Remington, the .30 Remington, the .32 Remington and the .35 Remington bracket the power of the 7.62x39 cartridge, from a bit less to a bit more.
The .300 Savage and .35 Remington cartridges are still available commercially, and would be my choice for a Model 8 or 81. Brass is available for the other calibers. They can be handloaded. There is no reason not to use one of these fine rifles if you have one.
After the Model 8, semi-automatic designs proliferated. As usual, the military establishment was conservative. The U.S. Army adopted the semi-automatic Garand in 1936, but the first production models were not manufactured until 1937. The Army had been experimenting with semi-auto designs since 1901, with design of the Garand starting in 1922. The M1 carbine was fielded in in 1942.
After WWII, millions were sold surplus, some to allies, some to private citizens. We do not have the exact numbers. The last large batch was 240,000 sold to citizens in 1963. There were 6.1 million produced in WWII.
Mass killing of unrelated people in public, rampage killers, is a rare phenomena. Rampage shooters are a subset of that group.
I used the amok.wiki.com list of rampage killers, to find the first use of a semi-auto rifle in a rampage shooting. It occurred 60 years after the initial production of the Model 8 Remington, 21 years after the end of WWII.
The first recorded rampage shooting with a semi-auto rifle appears to be the Texas Tower mass murder in 1966. The shooter had an MI carbine among his three rifles, a shotgun and two pistols. How much he relied on the carbine vs the scoped bolt action rifle is unknown.
Rampage shootings and Rampage shootings with semi-automatic rifles have increased in the last couple of decades. The rifles have been available for over a hundred and ten years. What caused the increase? It isnt the availability of the rifles. Before 1968, the rifles were available by mail order. Before 1968, semi-automatic anti-tank cannon were available by mail order, as were anti-aircraft guns. A rampage shooter before 1968 could obtain semi-auto rifles (or cannon) much more easily than today. Background checks were not required. Rampage shooters were far less common before 1968. There was only one rampage shooter with a semi-automatic rifle before 1968, in 1966.
There are numerous candidates for the increase in rampage shooters. It is probably a combination of factors.
A movement away from a Christian society toward the new paganism, atheism, and agnosticism, where there are no absolute right or wrong actions, is often postulated. Christians are sparsely represented among rampage killers, if at all, while 70% of people in the U.S. are self proclaimed Christians. Several of the shooters have attacked churches or been explicitly anti-Christian. While this is hard to quantify or prove, it is likely a contributory factor.
Video games There are mixed data on this. Video games are ubiquitous. While most rampage killers have played them, so have most people. Most rampage killers also drank water.
Psychoactive drugs More psychoactive drugs are prescribed and used than ever before. Many rampage killers have taken or were taking psychoactive drugs. What is cause, and what is effect? Most rampage killers have mental problems. People with mental problems are prescribed and take psychoactive drugs.
The media The clearest contributor to the increase in rampage killers that are shooters is the media and the medias attitude toward them. The copycat effect is well documented. The copycat effect is where the medias obsession with rampage shooters, for ratings, for money, to further the medias gun control agenda, creates more rampage shooters. This helps explain the increasing numbers of people killed.
Rampage shooters who are looking for immortality in the media are often looking to break the record. As the record ratchets up, rampage shooters work harder at finding ways to kill more people. The rampage shooter who was used to implement the highly restrictive Australian gun control scheme repeatedly said did I break the record? Many rampage shooters were obsessed with media accounts of other rampage shooters. Rampage shooters are given far more coverage by the media than other rampage killers.
There have been rampage shooters for a long time in the United States, at least since 1889. There have been semi-automatic rifles since 1906.
Access to common arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Semi-automatic rifles are common, even ubiquitous, in the United States. Repealing the Second Amendment would be required to make a significant reduction in the availability of semi-automatic rifles. Most rampage shooters have used other types of firearms, and multiple firearms.
A simpler, more effective solution to reduce rampage shooters is available: Stop motivating more rampage shooters with the copycat effect. The media has adopted many standards without legislation being necessary. There are easily adopted standards the media could use to reduce the numbers of rampage shooters, if they chose to do so. The Dont Inspire Evil initiative highlights them. No Notoriety lists several examples.
Those voluntary measures are far more likely to be effective than attempting to repeal the Second Amendment.
2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch
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A six-member Nepali team comprising social entrepreneurs and supporters of startup movement in Nepal is leaving for the Indian city of Hyderabad to take part in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
Nepali migrants in Qatar: Poor treatment of workers goes on
Despite recent announcements by Qatar of major reforms to improve working conditions for millions of foreign workers on its soil, a large number of Nepali workers have not been paid for months on end.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
Scores of CPN activists arrested in the run-up to upcoming polls
The local administration has intensified security surveillance in various districts in the country in the wake of a series of attacks on candidates and election rallies in the run-up to the first phase of federal parliament and provincial assembly elections.
Tata launches its latest SUVHexa in Nepal
Tata Motors kicked off the launch of their latest SUV, the Hexa, in Nepal by delivering the first batch of cars to 11 customers. CEO and MD of Tata Motors, Guenter Butschek was present during the launch event to hand over the keys to the first batch of buyers.
The rule of despots
The last of the postcolonial strongmenRobert Mugabeis gone this week at the age of 93 and after 37 years of ruling Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwes incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa has hailed a new and unfolding democracy after returning from exile to replace Robert Mugabe.
He also vowed to create jobs in a country where some estimates say 90% of people are unemployed.
We want to grow our economy, we want peace, we want jobs, jobs, jobs, he told a cheering crowd in Harare.
Mr Mnangagwa, who fled to South Africa two weeks ago, is to be made the new president on Friday, state TV said.
His dismissal led the ruling party and the military to intervene and force an end to Mr Mugabes 37-year long rule.
He told supporters at the headquarters of the ruling Zanu-PF party that he had been the subject of several assassination plots and thanked the army for running the process of removing Mr Mugabe peacefully.
BBC NEWS
Americans will celebrate their oldest tradition today: the observance of Thanksgiving, which dates back to 1621.
The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio, provides an opportunity to test your knowledge of the history and customs of the nearly 400-year-old holiday.
1. The first credited Thanksgiving was celebrated at the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. How long was the first Thanksgiving feast?
A. One day
B. Three days
C. Five days
D. One week
2. What was the name of the Native American leader of the Wampanoag Indian tribe who forged an alliance with the English settlers and attended the First Thanksgiving feast with 90 of his men?
A. Massasoit
B. Powhatan
C. Sacagawea
D. Geronimo
3. The Pilgrims arrived at what would become Plymouth Plantation aboard the Mayflower. The ship on which they originally set sail was taking on water so the passengers and crew transferred to the Mayflower. What was the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims originally sailed?
A. Mary Celeste
B. RMS Carpathia
C. Mary Rose
D. Speedwell
4. George Washington was asked by the U.S. Congress to establish a day of Thanksgiving. What was the year of Americas first Thanksgiving, as designated by the federal government?
A. 1788
B. 1789
C. 1790
D. 1791
5. While Washington declared the first Day of Thanksgiving to be observed by the government, which president made it a national holiday?
A. Theodore Roosevelt
B. James Madison
C. Abraham Lincoln
D. Ulysses S. Grant
6. What is the name of the author and editor who led the national campaign to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday?
A. Sarah Josepha Hale
B. Walt Whitman
C. Jacob Riis
D. Nellie Bly
7. Which common Thanksgiving food likely was not served at the first Thanksgiving?
A. Turkey
B. Ham
C. Pumpkin
D. Corn
8. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be moved up an entire week, at the request of Fred Lazarus Jr., whose family owned F&R Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio, and the national Federated Department Stores chain. This was done to make the Christmas shopping season longer and more profitable for businesses. What company did Federated eventually own?
A. Lord & Taylor
B. Sears, Roebuck and Company
C. F.W. Woolworth Company
D. Macys
9. Which of Americas Founding Fathers wanted the turkey to be Americas national bird, rather than the eagle?
A. George Washington
B. Samuel Adams
C. Benjamin Franklin
D. James Madison
10. Which president first pardoned a turkey at the urging of his son who had taken a liking to the bird and given it the name Tom?
A. Theodore Roosevelt
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Ulysses S. Grant
D. Grover Cleveland
Answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-D, 4-B, 5-C, 6-A, 7-B, 8-D, 9-C, 10-B
Thankful for the opportunity to travel to Norway, in June 2016, I flew from Minneapolis to Oslo, took a train to the village of Leveld near Al in Buskerud County, and arrived at the Odelien farm. I settled into what would be my home base for the next month, a stabbur turned room-for-rent, located across from the main house on the farm. The following morning I awoke to the sound of bleating sheep and looked out the window to see a mist rising from the mountains. After all the preparation and planning, I had arrived!
I quickly connected with my Teigen family, descendants of one of my gg grandfathers brothers who had not emigrated. We discussed the possibility of a visit to their farm in Marifjora, located on the longest fjord in Norway, during the last week of my month-long stay in Norway. Within a few days, and with help from my hosts at Odelien, I purchased a bus ticket. The Teigen family would meet me, drive me to the ancestral farm, and I would stay with them for three days before my flight back to the U.S.
I spent three weeks at Odelien before a tearful goodbye to my WWOOF family. I was filled with emotion as I boarded the bus in Al. Though sad to be leaving, it struck me that I was on my way to the land my ancestor left more than 155 years ago. I would be 3,869 miles from my home in Madison and would walk the same ground, gazing at the same mountains that Peter did. I thought about what his journey might have been like in 1861 from Marifjora to Wisconsin.
When I arrived at the farm, I was greeted with hugs from Arthur and Astrid, as well as their daughter Mai Sigrid, her husband, and their three children Birte, Marte and Lars. Since Arthur and Astrid do not speak English, they arranged for 15-year-old granddaughter Birte to stay at the farm to interpret during my stay. That evening, we enjoyed one of many home-cooked meals together before turning in for the night.
The next three days were filled with activities. A tour of the farm included one of the original buildings that still contained tools from the 1800s. We hiked Molden, a mountain that shoots 3,678 feet straight above the farm, visited Jostedalen glacier, and had a picnic lunch at their mountain cabin. We got to know each other as best we could in the brief time we had. Before long, it was time for the second tearful goodbye of my trip. On my way back to the U.S., I was filled with gratitude for all I had experienced.
This week of Thanksgiving, I want to thank the folks at the Westby Area Historical Society for giving me so much more information than I ever expected. My journey would not have been complete without their help. I am also grateful to Dee Grimsrud, a Madison-based genealogist who provided me with detailed information and documents associated with my gg grandfather Peter, especially with regard to the Wisconsin 15th. I am grateful for both families in Norway, my WWOOF family at Odelien, and my Teigen family in Marifjra. I was treated with love and kindness by everyone I encountered; I felt like I was home. Most of all, I am grateful for the sacrifices of my gg grandfather, Peter Peterson Teigen, who left Norway when he was only 21, to seek a better life in America. He makes me proud to be a Norwegian from western Wisconsin.
WAHS wishes all our readers a wonderful Thanksgiving full of memories to be grateful for. We also thank Marla for contributing to our Looking Back column. You can learn more about her trip at: https://adobe.ly/2z95JgU.
A district representative for state Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, will host office hours on Shilling's behalf Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 4-5 p.m. at Cashton Memorial Library, 720 E. Broadway St.
Families in western Wisconsin continue to have concerns over funding for our local schools, road project delays and access to affordable health care, Shilling said. I want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to weigh in on the choices that are being made and help find new ways to move our state forward.
She said office hours offer local residents an opportunity to meet with her staff, share their thoughts on state issues and request assistance with state agencies.
The listening sessions are open to the public and no RSVP is required.
Shilling's 32nd state Senate District includes the towns of Angelo, Adrian, Tomah, Leon, Wells, Ridgeville, Wilton, Portland, Jefferson, Sheldon and Wellington and villages of Norwalk, Wilton, Melvina and Cashton in Monroe County.
Solvang Lodge 457 Westby met Oct. 24 at the Bekkum Library Community Room with 56 people in attendance. The entire group sang the National Anthems for the United States and Norway. Members then sang Happy Birthday to October monthly members and took time to remember our faithful member, Florence Holen who passed away on Oct. 13.
Three people presented programs. Ruth Amundson challenged us with a couple of Norwegian history questions. We learned from Amundson that the ever important paper clip was invented in Norway by a Mr. Vaaler. According to Amundson a paper clip was worn by many Norwegians during WWII to show support for the Resistance Movement. The cheese slicer was also invented in Norway.
Helge Vestnes a Financial Advisor for Sons of Norway members spoke about some of the financial products available. A tax deferred savings plan being the most popular.
Roger Hanson, a 27 year employee of Accelerated Genetics gave an interesting presentation about the 75 year history of this important Westby area business. The business began in 1941 as Vernon County Breeders, and has gone thru several name changes and many elders in the area will forever refer to the agriculture related business as Tri-State Breeders. Today the company is owned and operated by Select Sires.
The first international shipment was in 1957 to Formosa now Taiwan. Shipments are made to 100 countries, with Saudi Arabia the largest overseas client. Bio-security resulted in end of public tours of the facility. Genetic testing is done to determine the best animals for the program. There are 450 bulls in the system. The sex of offspring can now be predetermined with good accuracy.
Roger shared many great pictures and stories and even more memories of the business were shared by people in attendance.
Lunch was served by Fred Jeffson, Nancy Lovstad, Brian Rude and Inga Gerber. Ron Iverson shared a birthday cake with everyone. Helge Vestnes won the Pot O Gold, then donated it back to our Lodge.
The group will meet again at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the Westby Community Center.